Olympia Weekly

    
Democrats introduce “state dinosaur” bill despite pressing state challenges (KING 5)

Democrats have introduced a bill to name the Suciasaurus as the official dinosaur of the state of Washington – the bill is at the request of students in Tacoma.  But why?

The bill comes despite the need for legislation to address pressing challenges.

House Minority Leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm) expressed criticism of the decision to take up time with a “state dinosaur” bill, pointing to the limitations placed on lawmakers on “what kind of legislation they would introduce.” Wilcox said, “I can think of an awful lot of bills getting hearings, including the state dinosaur and gun bills that were not part of that list.”

Lawmakers time would be better spent working on needed COVID-19 relief and restricting the governor’s executive powers during emergencies, given Democrats’ refusal to call a special session and Gov. Jay Inslee’s abuse of power during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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State government using old data numbers to determine reopening status (Washington Policy Center)

The data used to make assessments about the current status of COVID in regions across Washington is outdated, according to a new study from the Washington Policy Center (WPC).

The most recent data the state relied on to determine “Trend in Case Rate” was more than two weeks old. The data used to determine “Percent Positivity” was more than three weeks old.

The lag has severe consequences for businesses already struggling to stay alive. WPC analysis of accurate data concluded that as many as four regions in Washington State should be in Phase 2.

Following the WPC’s report, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Pacific counties could move forward to Phase 2 on Monday.
    
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Washington COVID-19 vaccine process: messy, confusing & a long headache  (My Northwest)

The process of obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine is like “climbing through bushes of thorns” to get through the light at the end of the tunnel. The state mishandled the unemployment crisis caused by COVID-19 shutdowns, the unemployed spend “hours on the phone, day after day, trying to get through to a person who can help them” with filing for unemployment and receiving aid. According to many Washingtonians, “booking a vaccine is so far looking to be a similar process.” Our state is not allowing people over 65 and those over 50 in multi-generational housing to receive the vaccine. But finding a vaccination location and scheduling an appointment appears to be a mess.

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Governor Inslee's government wasted 2,300 COVID vaccines doses  (KING 5)

Jay Inslee blamed his chaos on a lack of vaccines sent to Washington state by the Trump administration. But he has no explanation as to why “at least 2,315 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste” in our state.  

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Science still does not support restrictive shutdowns on businesses (Washington Policy Center)

According to a recent study by the Washington Policy Center (WPC), our state’s current restrictive lockdowns are not working.

Science does not support the assumption that the majority of new infections originate from small business, restaurants and other hospitality services.

As WPC points out, national data reveals that safe environments can be achieved at 50% indoor occupancy. Further, data reveals that states with “50 percent indoor dining capacity have the lowest death rate per 100,000.”

With Washington now in the third month of a second lockdown, the consequences of basing shutdown orders on faulty assumptions are dire. Thousands of workers in the hospitality industry are now unemployed.

Senate Bill 5114 – cosponsored by Senator John Braun (R) and Senator Mark Mullet (D) – would reopen businesses across Washington state faster than Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed plan.

Contact your state senator and ask them to support the bill.

Open firearms carry may become a felony

House Bill 1283 will make it a felony to openly carry a firearm (or any weapon) in a group. 

This measure contains no exceptions for individuals who are defending themselves at home or on their own property.

Not even law enforcement, military, or those carrying firearms in an official capacity are exempted. 

HB 1283 overreaches in its intent by causing those who are lawfully carrying a concealed firearm to be entrapped by a felony charge if the firearm accidentally becomes visible. 

HB 1283 throws such a wide net that many law-abiding gun owners could potentially become felons if this measure is passed.

Comment on HB1283.  https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1283

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HR1283 is a clear violation of the Washington State Constitution -- The Declaration of Rights, article 1, Section 24, The Right to Bear Arms: "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...." (Washington State Constitution)

It is suspicious that the legislators who composed this bill seeks to overthrow a right enumerated in our constitution without the required amendment to the constitution.  Those House legislators probably should be charged with subversion, tried and removed from the legislature.   

Those legislators are Senn, Valdez, Ramel, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Berry, Peterson, Hackney, Thai, Kloba, Macri, Pollet, Stonier, Harris-Talley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State facing a budget challenge

by Brad Hawkins, 12th District state Senator

Balancing the state operating budget could be a challenge. As a result of past increased spending and reduced revenue, state economists are forecasting a projected budget deficit of nearly $3 billion. This deficit is much less than what was previously expected but it could grow larger if the state economy is impacted again by recent COVID restrictions.

While the current projected deficit is certainly bad news, the $3 billion figure is actually based on a four-year budget projection, impacting a four-year budget equivalent of over $100 billion. By utilizing the state’s $2 billion Budget Stabilization Account – often referred to as the “rainy day fund” – and making some measured and modest reductions in programs, I believe lawmakers can achieve a balanced budget without tax increases.

Legislators will likely agree to the use of our Budget Stabilization Account, but I predict the big fight to be over whether budget reductions – or new taxes – make up the remaining difference.

Whether Governor Inslee will be the one to sign our final budget is another issue as well. If he is indeed selected for a position in the Biden administration, then the governor’s duties will temporarily fall to newly elected Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck. This is, of course, until a new governor is elected – likely in November 2021 – in what could very well involve a battle royal of multiple officials to fulfill the remaining three years of Governor Inslee’s four-year term.

Brad Hawkins, senbradhawkins@updates.leg.wa.gov

Olympia this week

Bill to reopen businesses attracts over 1,500 supporters during hearing  (Seattle Times)

Support for Senate Billl 5114 – the bill would allow businesses to reopen faster than Jay Inslee’s plan – gained impressive support from the public. 

A total of 1,637 people signed up for a hearing on the bill on Wednesday. Of those people, only 89 registered to voice opposition to the measure. 

The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah. Both senators pointed to the overwhelming participation during the SB 5114 hearing as a sign of public support. 

Indeed, with restaurants, gyms, and other closed or partially closed businesses struggling to make ends meet, the public support for reopening is high. 

Both Braun and Mullet hope the hearing’s impressive turnout puts “pressure on Democrat lawmakers to potentially break with Inslee and push for a compromise to reopen businesses faster.”

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Democrats push to pass higher gas tax  (770 KTTH)

Washington Democrats are pushing a new gas tax during the 2021 legislative session. If Democrats get their way, Washingtonians could end up paying up to a dollar more per gallon.

Of course, raising the gas tax would increase the cost of everything from the fueling vehicles, to heating homes and buying groceries. 

The gas tax would hit Washingtonians at a time when many are already struggling financial as a result of restrictive lockdowns. 

Democrats have pushed the plan and are heading toward passing the bill despite serious opposition and objections.

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Democrats move forward “not perfect” bill on unemployment crisis (My Northwest)

The Senate Labor, Commerce, and Tribal Affairs Committee passed the governor’s unemployment proposal that attempts to address the unemployment crisis caused by COVID-19 shutdowns. 

Senate Bill 5061 “reduces the immediate hike in unemployment taxes for businesses so that the average tax is 38% less than originally calculated, raises the weekly unemployment benefit amount for claimants, and expands unemployment coverage to those who choose not to work because they are high-risk or live with a high-risk family member.” 

However, it also has serious problems. As Senator Curtis King (R-Yakima) points out, the bill “spreads the tax hit on businesses over five years” which “only [postpones] a large burden for small businesses.”   And, undeniably, as Senator Mark Schoesler points out, the bill “rewards misconduct at Employment Security Department.”

Democrats admit the bill is “not perfect” but have proceeded to move it forward without addressing serious flaws.

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Failed state Employment Security Department Commissioner lands Biden administration position  (My Northwest)

The cult of sloppy government lives on.

Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine is leaving Washington state’s unemployment office and taking position in the Biden administration. 

Under LeVine’s leadership, the state unemployment office fell victim to massive fraud that led to delayed payments to unemployed Washington residents right when they needed it most – during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jay Inslee – who himself failed to secure a position in the Biden administration – praised LeVine for the leading the department “through an extremely challenging time.” 

LeVine never faced any accountability for the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, which a state investigation found to be preventable.

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Lawmakers move forward on $2.2 billion COVID-19 relief bill  (The Daily Chronicle)

The state House unanimously voted for a new COVID-19 relief bill “aimed at boosting vaccine distribution and contact tracing, and aiding schools, renters and small businesses amid the pandemic.” 

Mostly funded by federal aid dollars from packages passed by Congress, the bill also uses $440 million from the state’s budget reserves. 

The bill “includes $365 million to aid renters and landlords, and $240 million for grants to help businesses impacted by the pandemic and related restrictions.” 

Another bipartisan bill currently in consideration seeks to “exempt businesses from paying state taxes on COVID-19 aid they received by the government, such as the Paycheck Protection Program or grant money distributed by Gov. Jay Inslee.”

Washington state's inflated COVID numbers influencing everyone — except its governor

Imagine finding out your 99-year old mother, who passed away from complications after a fall, was listed as a COVID death by a Health Department that had already admitted it falsely counted people who died of gunshot wounds as victims of the virus.

Now, imagine finding out this difficult information from a national news program.

That’s what happened to Christine Frye while watching Freedom Foundation’s Max Nelsen by Fox News host Laura Ingraham in December. Ingraham and Nelsen were discussing his report about how the Washington DOH is continuing to inflate the state’s COVID numbers, and one of the descriptions sounded eerily familiar to the Frye case.

Christine Frye contacted the Freedom Foundation and had a lengthy discussion with Nelsen, who confirmed it was, in fact, Frye’s mother Nelsen found on the COVID death list.

Frye agreed to tell her story on video, which you can view here.

That video got the attention of Seattle radio hosts John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur, longtime friends of the Freedom Foundation.

Nelsen joined Frye on KVI Seattle’s “Commute with Carlson”, which you can listen to here.

Wilbur, who’s about to retire after 20 years on the air, had Frye on “The Kirby Wilbur Show” to tell her story here.

Your Freedom Foundation team hopes stories like Mrs. Frye’s will finally make Gov. Jay Inslee stop lying to justify his extreme COVID countermeasures and start leveling with Washingtonians about the situation.

reprinted from Freedom Foundation

Seattle ongoing riots - Olympia to limit citizen self-defense.

Thursday in Seattle, leftist protesters burned an American flag outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, and rioters shattered windows at the federal William Kenzo Nakamura courthouse, an AmazonGo store, and the Pike Place Starbucks.  Mr Trump may be gone, but the malevolent malcontents linger on.

Some chanted at the police, “We protect people, you protect property,” according to the Seattle Times.  You realize how fake that is when the brick sails through your window.

Law enforcement arrested three people for property damage, burglary and felony assault.  (WSJ) 

Meanwhile, in Olympia ---

Leftist legislators (read Democrats) in the Washington State Legislature responded to the ongoing criminal riots.  They want to restrict civilians' right to self-defense.  (The criminal rioters would probably feel safer to have unarmed victims.)

SB 5078 (link) would ban “high capacity” magazines are in fact standard equipment for commonly-owned firearms.  The legislature would like to add to your misery if your self-defense weapon magazine is over the legal limit.

Leftist legislators also proposed SB 5038 (link) to impair self-defense.  As drafted, the bill makes it a crime to openly carry, on the person or in a vehicle, a firearm or other “weapon” to a "demonstration".  The measure is so poorly drafted its not clear if taking a penknife (weapon?) to a home show (demonstration?) would be banned.

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On Monday, January 25, a committee will consider Senate Bill 5078.  Please use this link https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5078 to comment on SB5078.

On Tuesday, January 26, Senate Bill 5038 will be considered by the Senate Law and Justice Committee.  Use this link https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5038 to comment on SB5038.

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Washington State Constitution Article 1, Section 24   RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.   "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...."

We have the right to defend ourselves.  Can the leftist elites read?

Washington state legislature plans to chage law to disregard the voter

SENATE BILL 5182 -- Intent: Eliminate advisory balloting from elections, thus silencing the People.  The legislators don't want to balance the budget.  But they want to spend your money without asking you about it.  You have to imagine this is connected to the greedy legislature's desire to enact an income tax.

The easiest way to enact unlimited taxes is to silence the people's voice.

From the text of the proposed law:
"The  legislature  finds  that  transparency and fiscal  responsibility  are  important  principles  for  state government,  including  election  administration.  The  legislature  finds

• that  advisory  votes  are  nonbinding  after-the-fact  polls  that  do  not aid  transparency
• are  costly  to  taxpayers *
• cause  confusion  and
• frustration among voters, and provide little, if any, useful feedback for  the  legislature

The  legislature  finds  that  there  are  more effective  ways  for  the  public  to  participate  in  the  legislative process, and to be educated about the decisions the legislature makes without  contributing  to  long  ballots,  which  can  lead  to  choice fatigue  and  voters  abstaining  from  down-ballot  races  that  determine who shall serve in the government closest the people.

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So the legislature say why bother with the People?

• The people can't make the legislature obey
• It costs pennies to  advise the People *
  
• The People are stupid and easily confused
• The People are frustrated the legislature wastefully and the legislature doesn't like being told that.

There will be more proposed laws like SB5182, so email your legislators -- tell them your voice cannot be silenced.

Find your district https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

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* "In a budget of $17 billion a year, $130,000 is a mosquito's sneeze.  It works out to 3 cents for each citizen who voted and it reaches every voter in the state … To argue that eliminating this expenditure is about protecting taxpayers is baldly disingenuous,"  Bruce Ramsey, Seattle Times, wrote.

Olympia weekly

State lawmakers readjust 2021 priorities given unexpected 2020 revenue stream   (The Lens)

It begins.  State lawmakers introduced almost 300 bills on January 11th, the first day of session.

Due to the state revenues increasing unexpectedly in late 2020, talk of a need to address a budget deficit has now changed to majority Democrats pleading for more taxes despite 10% revenue growth. 

The discussion has “shifted to the host of proposed taxes and how that squares with the need for financial relief for struggling businesses, along with exactly how much lawmakers will be able to accomplish with the session conducted remotely.” 

Speaking at the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Legislative Kickoff, Senate Republican Leader John Braun said, “We’re in a very fortunate position; our budget is largely balanced – it is balanced over the next four years.” He went on to add that the state economic outlook is “still uncertain and, I think, fragile.” 

Indeed, while Washington state's government budget may look healthy, lawmakers must address the effects of Jay Inslee’s punishing restrictions that have “disproportionately affected numerous industries such as hospitality and retail.”

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Bi-partisan Senate bill looks to reopen businesses faster  (Washington Policy)

Republican Senate Minority Leader John Braun and Senate Democrat Senator Mark Mullet authored a bill – Senate Bill 5144 – to re-open businesses across Washington faster than Jay Inslee’s current “Healthy Washington-Roadmap” plan. 

The bill would remove burdensome lockdown restrictions and return the responsibility for employee and customer safety to businesses. 

If lawmakers approve the bill, businesses would be able to operate if they take proper safety precautions. The bill was introduced on the first day of session. It is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, January 20.  

You can sign up to testify now until 7 a.m. on 1/20 by clicking here.  CSI Remote Testimony

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Inslee calls for “more equitable” state in annual State of the State speech   (Times Union)

Jay Inslee released a pre-recorded State of the State speech on January 13. Inslee stated, “We are not going back to normal. We are going forward towards a new normal.” 

According to Inslee, by the end of the 2021 legislative session, Washington will be a “more equitable” state with “more opportunities, and careers, and affordable housing.” 

Notably, when he first introduced his budget, Inslee referred to his major tax-and-spend, $57.6 billion budget as a means to produce “equity.” However, Inslee did not mention his new capital gains income tax plan or his proposal to tax health insurers during his speech – policies sure to stunt economic recovery following COVID-19 closures.

Inslee did – however – speak on the need for police reform, given the “police-citizen violence we saw in 2020 alone has traumatized the nation.” Inslee failed to mention the dire consequences on public safety that resulted from his party’s fringe push to defund the police in Seattle.

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State lawmakers push for COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers (Brad Hawkins)

A bipartisan group of lawmakers – including Republican Senator Brad Hawkins, Ranking Member of the House Education Committee – are urging Jay Inslee to revise his recent guidance on COVID-19 vaccination.

Specifically, the lawmakers want to ensure that “all school employees who wish to get a vaccination can receive one in February as part of Phase 1B2.” Inslee’s current plan makes school employees “50 years or older” eligible to receive their vaccines in early February. School employees “under 50 years” of age must wait until at least April. Of course, the delay has implications for school reopening plans.

With students falling behind on their education and working families struggling to carry the heavy burden of at-home learning, it is imperative that schools reopen as soon as possible.

Sign up to stop new taxes - its easy to do

We can stop new taxes If we let them know we are aware of their plans.  Bright light frightens politicians.

Inslee promised he is willing to sign more new taxes into law --  this is really stupid given that our state economy is staggering under the COVID pandemic -- if he and his cronies can do it in a dark corner. 

Fortunately, we  have Initiative 960 — that’s been protecting taxpayers since voters passed it in 2007. It forces the state budget office to track tax-raising bills, calculate their costs, and alert the public by email about their introduction, hearings, and legislative votes.  And the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of legislators sponsoring and voting for those tax-bills are listed on each email notice.

To make Initiative 960 work for us, sign up to get notice of tax proposals at Govdelivery  https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAGOV/subscriber/new and set up your account -- its no charge to you.

Just take the email notifications, even if you don't have time to read them all.  Money eating politicians are like cockroaches -- they fear the bright light of Initiative 960.  It makes them reluctant to impose more bad taxes.

Of course it works even better if you tell the politicians about how you feel about being taxed to death.

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Testimonial to Initiative  960's effectiveness.

“It is getting in the way of open consideration of ideas,” said Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, who sponsored a bill that would tax greenhouse gas emissions (the bill would cost entities that extract or import things such as coal, petroleum and natural gas more than $26 billion over 10 years)."

“It is getting in the way of taking care of the business of our state.  You would not believe the vitriol that has come in on my telephone today,” said Chase, who added lawmakers will be reluctant to have their names associated with any bill that would trigger I-960 notification.

Income tax proposal - WA legislature tries it again.

Washington State does not have an income tax, but that has not stopped our greedy legislature from trying to enact an income tax for years. They are back to take our livelihood again.

SB 5096 -  Proposes an excise tax on gains from the sale or exchange of certain capital assets.  (An excise tax on income is a mealy mouthed way of saying "income tax.")

SB 5096 implements a 9% Capital Gains tax including a residential dwelling with more than four units. This includes commercial office buildings, manufactured housing, condominiums, self-storage, retail, and floating homes.

The tax applies to individuals earning over $25,000, and couples earning over $50,000 annually.

This would be a new state tax, in addition to the federal capital gains tax.

Email your legislators and tell them no new taxes.  We are still trying to recover from the economic catastrophe of COVID.  Stay out of our pockets.

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Click this link:

https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/Senate

For Committee choose Ways and Means

For Meetings choose 1/14/21 4:00 pm

On the next page select SB 5096 Capital Gains Tax

Click I would like my position noted for the legislative record

On the next screen, choose your position (CON) for OPPOSE

Fill in the rest of the information requested. 

Once you Submit, you will get this message:

Thank you for your submission. Your information will be included in the legislative record for bill and meeting archival purposes.