Olympia This Week

Inslee announced long-awaited reopening date (Washington State Legislation )

Gov. Jay Inslee announced our state is on track to reopen fully by June 30. 

By Tuesday [May 18], every county w+ther to move into Phase 3. 

Inslee's announcement came after months of dragging his feet on reopening, and days after Washington Hospitality Association launched a public petition calling for him to fully reopen by June 15. 

Following his announcement, Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican J.T. Wilcox offered a statement pushing for an earlier reopening: "Now that our state is aligning with the new CDC guidance -- meaning the mask mandate and distancing guidance are lifted for fully vaccinated adults -- we believe June 15 is still a reasonable deadline." 

Inslee's announcement also came after the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released new guidance on masks. The state is reviewing the new direction and plans to make updates reflecting the changes.

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WA schools to reopen for in-person classes in fall 2021  (The News Tribune)

Schools across Washington state must provide full-time, in-person education for students beginning in fall 2021. A mask mandate for staff and students will remain in place. The masking requirement comes even after the CDC eliminated the need for indoor mask-wearing for fully vaccinated people. 

For months, Republicans have called for schools to reopen for in-person classes, given the very low risk of COVID-19 transmission. Children across our state are falling behind academically and facing severe mental health challenges because of social isolation. A fall reopening for in-person classes is far overdue. Sen. John Braun has consistently said that the lack of in-person learning is the equity issue of our time.

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Washingtonians must know opt-out rights for upcoming payroll tax (The Lens)

A state law passed in 2019 will take effect starting January 2022 – and Washingtonians must know their rights regarding opting-out. Workers' paychecks will soon feel the impact of a new payroll tax that costs 58 cents per $100 of income. 

Revenue from the tax will be used to pay for a socialized entitlement program that many workers do not need or will never use.  The program seeks to create a fund for long-term-care costs associated with Medicaid – however, benefits are not guaranteed for life. 

Given increasing yearly expenses, it's also unlikely the tax will stay at 58 cents per $100 of income. Washington residents have the option to opt out of the tax and entitlement program. However, a new bill passed by Democrats during the 2021 legislative session gives people only until November 1, 2021.

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Inslee vetoed legislation that would outlaw gas-powered vehicles (My Northwest)

In a surprise to many, Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a measure that would have ended the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2030. However, his decision was not a result of common-sense arguments against the legislation, including its overall lack of feasibility. 

The bill included a contingency for phasing out gas-powered vehicles that Inslee disliked. The 2030 restriction would only kick in with "at least 75% of registered vehicles in the state participating in a yet-to-be-completed pay-per-mile road usage charge." Inslee only supports "phasing out gas powered vehicles, provided it's not tied to a pay-per-mile system that has yet to be fully realized."

The synthesis is that we get a pay-per-mile tax, then we get forced into using non-gasoline (read 'electric') powered vehicles.  The alternate energy supply system has not been imagined, engineered,or constructed -- but these points have not attracted the politicians' interest.

Olympia This Week

Inslee continues his capricious dictatorship (Kitsap Sun)

Jay Inslee sparked outrage when he announced his decision to force Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties back to Phase 2 of his flawed reopening plan. He refused to reconsider his decision and responded by insisting the state stick to the reopening plan.

That all changed this week. Under Inslee's flawed measurements, numerous counties – including King and Snohomish counties – were set to go back to Phase 2 of reopening. Instead, Inslee announced a two-week pause on decisions to move counties from current phases of reopening.  He explained that "remaining flexible" is an important part of reopening.

In other words, Inslee gets to make arbitrary decisions that impact the lives of families and businesses across Washington without any accountability or checks on his power.

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Pierce County Democrats threaten Inslee with a special session (My Northwest)

Some Democrat lawmakers are already regretting their failure to work with Republicans to place legislative checks on the governor's use of emergency powers. 

This week, Jay Inslee continued his arbitrary use of his emergency powers and announced an unexpected shift in his reopening plan. He announced a pause of any decision relating to shifting counties from their current reopening phase. 

That leaves Pierce County stuck in Phase 2 for at least the next two weeks. 

In response, a group of Pierce County state legislators – including eight Democrats in the House and Senate and four House Republicans – sent a letter to Inslee protesting the decision. The lawmakers demanded Inslee re-examine his decision. They said failing to do so would "require us to consider asking our leadership to exercise the Legislature's authority to call a special session and weigh legislative options." 

If only Democrats took their legislative options seriously and placed the needed  check on the executive's emergency powers before the end of the regular session.

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State lawmakers look to take additional action on Employment Security Department failures  (Washington Policy Center)

Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) lost at least $650 million to scammers in a fully preventable fraud scheme. Adding to the agency's failures, thousands of legitimate claimants waited months to receive unemployment benefits.

The state legislature passed four bills addressing ESD's failures, but lawmakers are not done. A recent exchange between ESD spokesperson Nick Demerice and Senator Ann Rivers (R – Clark County) exposes a significant problem – sluggish bureaucracy.

Demerice responded to inquires of ESD's lack of preparedness by stating, "Like every other phone-based company in the world, Monday morning at 8 a.m. is the worst possible time to try and call us." 

Sen. Rivers offered a simple solution, "If your high-volume is Monday morning, staff up for Monday morning. Fixing ESD requires agency officials "provide the public with more transparency into its internal policies, improve fund balance reporting accuracy, data timeliness and data availability."
        
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Inslee signs Democrats' state income tax bill (WSJ)

Gov. Jay Inslee signed Democrats' state income tax on capital gains bill this week. The new state income tax already triggered two lawsuits and – undoubtedly – will face legal battles for the foreseeable future. 

A disturbing recent public records investigation revealed Democrat lawmakers have big plans for their new state income tax on capital gains. Emails exposed their plan to use activist courts to force through a statewide graduated state income tax. Democrats insist their new tax will only impact the very rich, but that's not true. Not only do they plan to impose a graduated state income tax on middle-class families, but their new income tax on capital gains will also hit working families.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board recently explained, "The Biden and Olympia tax increases on capital gains won't matter to Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, who are already rich and can hire lawyers to shelter their future gains. 

The people who will be hit unfairly are the middle-class strivers or entrepreneurs who might be capital-gains "rich" for a year after a lifetime of work and investment. The politicians define "fair share" as taking more than half of everything they earn."

Interesting that then candidate Inslee declared in 2016 he did not support a state income tax (Seattle Times)

WA Income tax is now law

"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday made his most audacious asault yet on the state's taxpayers, signing into law an income tax disguised as a capital gains tax disguised as an excise tax."  -- Freedom Foundation

Governor Inslee and the Democrats have passed an income tax (WAGov notice).

The total tax cost is projected to be $5,772,000,000 over the next ten years.  That is equivalent to $757.98 in additional tax for every person in the state.  Most people realize this is just a foot in the door -- The Democrats will seek to tax everyone's income.

But Washington state's constitution declares income tax to be illegal (Article 3, Section 1).  An income tax seemed stupid to the framers;  income tax is a tax on personal industriousness.

The exact income tax the legislature passed is on gains from investment -- what the left derides as "unearned income."  But investment is done in society at large. When one person invests, every participant wins when the project gets a profit. 

Clearly the Democrats in the legislature don't get it.  Instead, they malign others and put their own addiction to taxing/spending ahead of the prosperity of all the people of Washington State.

The Freedom Foundation has already filed an action against the legislature to stop the income tax (press release).   They are glad to get a donation to help with the fight.  Donate link

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These are the Washington state senators who voted to enact an income tax:

WA Sen. Steve Conway (D), (360) 786-7656, steve.conway@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Karen Keiser (D), (360) 786-7664, Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Sam Hunt (D), (360) 786-7642, Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jeannie Darneille (D), (360) 786-7652, DARNEILL_JE@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D), (360) 786-7616, bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Christine Rolfes (D), (360) 786-7644, christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D), (360) 786-7628, jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Marko Liias (D), (360) 786-7640, Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D), (360) 786-7670, Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Derek Stanford (D), (360) 786-7600, Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Andy Billig (D), (360) 786-7604, andy.billig@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. David Frockt (D), (360) 786-7690, David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Annette Cleveland (D), (360) 786-7696, Annette.Cleveland@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. June Robinson (D), (360) 786-7674, june.robinson@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Patty Kuderer (D), (360) 786-7694, patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Lisa Wellman (D), (360) 786-7641, Lisa.Wellman@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D), (360) 786-7688, rebecca.saldana@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Manka Dhingra (D), (360) 786-7672, Manka.Dhingra@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Mona Das (D), (360) 786-7692, DAS_MO@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Joe Nguyen (D), (360) 786-7667, NGUYEN_JO@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jesse Salomon (D), (360) 786-7662, SALOMON_JE@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Claire Wilson (D), (360) 786-7658, WILSON_CL@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Emily Randall (D), (360) 786-7650, RANDALL_EM@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Liz Lovelett (D), (360) 786-7678, Liz.Lovelett@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. T'wina Nobles (D), (360) 786-7654, T'wina.Nobles@leg.wa.gov 

Impolite suggests you vote against them.

Olympia this week

Lawsuits to challenge constitutionality of new state income tax on capital gains (WA Policy)

Democrat lawmakers plan to use their recently passed income tax on capital gains to set-up a lawsuit to “try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax,” according to public records.  The result is the Democrat lawmakers' actions is the state of Washington will now face two lawsuits.

The Freedom Foundation filed a lawsuit in Douglas County questioning the constitutionality of the law. And the Opportunity for All Coalition (OFAC) also announced plans to file a lawsuit.  OFAC stated, “The state’s constitution clearly prohibits this type of tax, something that its supporters know.”

Unfortunately, as the Washington Police Center’s Jason Mercier points out, “It could be years, however, before we know if the state Supreme Court decides to uphold its numerous rulings saying that you own your income or if they’ll instead reverse course and take the bait from income tax supporters.”

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Democrats pass record-breaking spending plan -- they left no time for public input  (Washington State Wire)

House and Senate Democrats released their two-year record-breaking tax-and-spend budget just one day before the voting deadline. Democrats’ unprecedented tax-and-spend plan spends $59.2 billion – draining the state’s rainy-day fund – and uses $10 billion in federal stimulus funds.  The Democrats love to spend your money.

Democrats’ late release of the budget means lawmakers (and the public) had very little time to review the record spending and new taxes. The Senate passed the budget on a near party line vote, with only Sen. Mark Mullet (D – Issaquah) and Sen. Tim Sheldon (D – Potlatch) joining Republicans in voting no.

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Democrats tie extreme “green” schemes to hike in gas tax (Capital Press)

Democrats’ cap-and-trade scheme and High Cost Fuel Standard (HCFS) will be implemented if “Washington lawmakers reconvene and also raise the gas tax by at least 5 cents a gallon.” Given these ineffective and extreme “green” schemes would exponentially increase fuel costs by 95 cents/gallon in 2028, some Democrats were hesitant to vote for the policies until the Legislature agrees on “a new 16-year transportation plan that includes a gas tax increase.” +

The 2021 legislative session ended without a transportation deal – but Democrats have indicated they will renew negotiations soon. If a gas tax is passed, the cap-and-trade scheme and Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will take effect in 2023. 

Washington Farm Bureau director of government relations Tom Davis stated of the policies, “The cumulative impact on the farming community is what we’re most concerned about… It’s going to have a huge impact on agriculture. We use fuel, and we’re not apologetic about.”

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The 2021 legislative session concludes, what passed and what didn’t (The Lens)

Washington’s 2021 legislative session ended on Sunday – 4/25. The session went on for 105 days and – during that time – Democrats passed a lot of damaging new legislation. 

Notably, bills that did not pass this legislative session reveal what Democrats may pursue in the future. For example, Washingtonians were spared Rep. Tina Orwall’s (D-33) expansion of the state death tax. The list also includes Republican-sponsored bills that Democrats killed. This includes Rep. Brandon Vick’s (R-18) B&O tax relief that would have reduced the heavy tax burden carried by the hospitality industry, encouraging recovery after COVID-19 shutdowns.

Seattle is losing police protection

Civilian safety depends on sufficient police capability. Too bad Seattle is stripping itself of defense as the people are losing the right to self-defense.

Crime wave fears in Seattle as it's revealed 200 cops - 20% of it's force - quit in last 16 months because of 'anti-cop climate' in the Democrat city (UK Daily Mail)

“We are at record lows in the city right now. I have about 1,080 deployable officers. This is the lowest I’ve seen our department,” Diaz said in an interview with local media. (Daily Wire) That takes the city back to deployable cop count of the 1980s.

The exodus makes sense given that Seattle City Clowncil members, namely Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda, Lorena Gonzalez and Lisa Herbold, have done all they can to demoralize police.

Violent crime is going up at the exact time we have fewer officers on the streets.

Homelessness is increasing. With that comes crime -- homeless people are generally easier prey for criminals.

Seattle saw a surge in crime when people were staying at home during the pandemic. Imagine what will happen when you have people walking around as targets.

Incredibly, the Seattle City Clowncil is considering new cuts of $5.4 million to the police department’s budget.

Whither goes the city of leftist paradise?

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Other sources: My Northwest, KIRO

A crime to openly carry -- SB 5038 is becoming session law.

Senate Bill 5038 makes it a crime to openly carry, on the person or in a vehicle, a firearm or other “weapon” if you are at or within 250 feet of a “permitted demonstration” in a public place. Even if you leave your firearm locked in the trunk of your car, it is considered "open carry" under this bill and you will be guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Despite permitting individuals to use an area for the exercise of their First Amendment rights, anti-gun legislators want to ban individuals from exercising their Second Amendment rights in the same permitted space.  

Our Constitution was not written with gradually disappearing ink, where one right is more important than another.  The Second Amendment should not be infringed upon in any capacity, especially where other Constitutional Rights are being freely and openly expressed. 

Further, SB 5038 limits self-defense options on Washington State Capitol grounds.

Contact Gov Inslee and urge him to VETO SB 5038.   

Use the online form at https://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/contact/send-gov-inslee-e-message

or

• Call
  360-902-4111
  TTY/TDD call 711 or
  1-800-833-6384.
  If you need to speak with someone and you do not speak English, please leave a voicemail with your phone number and the language you speak, and we will return your call.
• Fax
  360-753-4110
• Write
  Governor Jay Inslee
  Office of the Governor
  PO Box 40002
  Olympia, WA 98504-0002
  

Olympia this week.

Democrat lawmakers send income tax on capital gains to Inslee’s desk (KIRO7)

Washington House Democrats passed the income tax on capital gains but added a deceptive clause that would prevent the people from repealing the tax with a voter referendum. Ultimately, House and Senate Democrats agreed to pass the bill without the emergency clause.

The tax passed the State Senate on a razor thin 25-24 vote this afternoon. The bill will face serious legal challenges, given our state constitution bans an income tax.

Is the Democrats' "excise tax on income" a display of incompetence or plain dishonesty?  The final bill passage link here.

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Democrats pass record-setting budget proposal  (SRC)

Democrats treated the new 2021-23 state budget with an unprecedented level of irresponsibility, from start to finish.

Senate and House Democrats both approved their respective budgets, which included out-of-control spending and an array of new taxes, weeks ago. Yet they chose to release the final version of the budget on the day before the end of session. Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson summed up Democrats’ actions by stating, “Why the delay? How could it possibly take so long to agree on a budget that will grow spending by double digits, despite a pandemic?” Wilson pointed out that, under Democrats’ timeline, lawmakers only had “24 to 36 hours maximum to look at a spending plan which could top $60 billion.”  Unfortunately, that’s just what Democrats did.

Draining the state’s “rainy day fund” and enforcing an income tax on capital gains, Democrats’ plan spends $59.2 billion over the next two years and uses $10 billion in federal stimulus funds.

Democrats’ new taxes will hit working families across Washington hardest at a time when many are struggling to recover from financial pain caused by COVID-19.

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GOP leaders respond to Inslee’s false attack on motivations to curb emergency powers (SRC)

Gov. Jay Inslee criticized the efforts of legislative Republicans to advance bills aimed at reforming the governor’s emergency powers during a recent interview. Inslee claimed that Republicans wanted to “gut the ability of the governor to try and save lives” rather than seeking to restore the balance of power.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, responding by stating in part, “Silencing the voices of the people, including those who might disagree with him, by shutting out the Legislature is wrong. We are a coequal branch of government and should have equal input on how the state moves forward.  Unfortunately, the Democrat majority has abdicated what little legislative oversight there was, giving the governor unchecked power indefinitely. Despite members of the Senate and House offering multiple legislative solutions, the Democrats have been entirely unwilling to even discuss the issue. That undermines the people.”

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Democrats’ “green” bills burden working poor and struggling middle class (Cross Cut)

In a recent article, Bill Bryant, founding member of the Nisqually River Foundation and former gubernatorial candidate, writes of how Democrats’ Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and cap-and-tax scheme dump new costs on the working poor and struggling middle class and creates new bureaucracies without substantively reducing emissions.

Bryant also points out that both bills failed to garner any bi-partisan support, which is “essential if we are to sell a climate-carbon package to skeptical voters.”

Bryant writes, “Jamming new taxes down voters’ throats will only invite an initiative opposing, and potentially eliminating, those taxes.” Any bipartisan climate package will “most likely need to be revenue neutral.” He explains, “Republicans will want projected carbon reductions to be worth the taxes imposed on workers and people living in rural communities.”

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Meanwhile, threats work in Puyallup (Washington Times)

A Puyallup pastor was forced to canceled an activist speaker, Charlie Kirk, because the church received “terrorist” threats.  The state government and Governor Inslee refused to do anything to investigate the threats.  In  America, it is sad to see a church pastor forced to cave in to terrorism. Governor Inslee should be ashamed.

When government refuses to serve the needs of it's people ... when  government serves only its own special interest ... when those special interests use violence or implied violence ... it is time to take special action to protect yourself and your family.

Olympia this week - new"emergency" income tax, gasoline powered cars banned

New audit: Employment Security Department may have lost as much as $1.1 billion in the 2020 fraud scheme (Seattle Times)

According to the State Auditor’s Office, the state Employment Security Department (ESD) may have understated the total fraud losses from last year’s fraud scheme.  Originally, ESD claimed to have lost more than $640 million in taxpayer dollars during the surge in jobless claims. But a new audit suggests the actual number could be nearly $1.1 billion after “all claims flagged for investigation are reviewed.”

Audits conducted thus far have also exposed serious cyber-security vulnerabilities – which resulted in thousands of stolen Social Security numbers – at the ESD. Despite cyber threats, the ESD failed to address these security vulnerabilities. 

New reports also expose customer service failures at ESD. In 2020, call-wait times reached as long as two hours for thousands of Washingtonians with legitimate unemployment claims. 

All of the losses occurred when the ESD was led by Suzi Levine, an Inslee appointee whose chief qualification was that she raised a lot of money for the governor and other Democrats.

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Inslee uses emergency powers to roll back three counties to Phase 2 (Seattle Times)

It’s been well over one year since Governor Jay Inslee used his emergency powers to issue executive orders in response to COVID-19. Despite Republicans calling for a special session in 2020 and presenting bills to limit the governor’s use of emergency powers, Inslee has run a one-man show since the start of the pandemic. And that continued this week. 

On Monday, Inslee ordered Pierce, Cowlitz, and Whitman counties back to Phase 2 of his arbitrary reopening plan, which refuses to acknowledge that 75% of the most vulnerable people in those counties have received at least one vaccine shot and their hospital systems have healthy capacity. That means businesses and residents of these counties must – once again – live under restrictions, including lowering capacity limits for indoor spaces from 50% to 25% occupancy. 

Responding to the heart of the matter, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, stated, “What’s particularly frustrating is the governor made these decisions alone despite the fact we are in a legislative session. That means state lawmakers who represent these counties had no say in the matter. This is wrong. And it’s why we need emergency powers reform this legislative session – to bring the voices of state lawmakers and the constituents they represent to the decision-making process.” 

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House Democrats propose "emergency clause" amendment to state capital gains income tax (Washington Policy Center)

House Democrats have proposed an amendment on the state income tax on capital gains that – if the Senate concurs – will remove any tax relief (no funding for working family rebate) and prohibit a referendum by the people. Talk about the Democrats being anti-democracy when it serves them.

The Washington Policy Center’s Jason Mercier describes, House Democrats’ amendment is “essentially a back-door emergency clause in an attempt to deny the people their right of referendum on the proposed income tax.” 

The Senate debated a similar emergency clause on the floor prior to Democrats’ voting to pass the state income tax on capital gains. Ultimately, the Senate decided not to adopt the amendment. If the House moves forward with its version of an emergency clause, it is unclear whether or not the amendment will be a deal breaker in the Senate where the income tax passed by a narrow 25-24 vote.

Question: How can they enact an unconstitutional income tax, even if there is an emergency?

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Democrats pass a ban on gasoline cars (electrek)

Washington Democrats continue to reward their special interest donors at the expense of everyday people. By the end of the session, the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate will have likely agreed on and passed a cap-and-tax scheme and high-cost fuel standard (HCFS) that raises the gas tax to $1.23. Both policies are expected to only minimally reduce CO2 in our state. They will, however, fill the coffers of special interests. 

This week, Democrats added another victory for special interests to their 2021 roster. Legislators passed a new bill that seeks to end the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2030. The bill’s passage makes Washington State the first in the nation to pass a ban on gas cars legislatively. Also it imposes the earliest deadline to ban gas cars. Both California and Massachusetts have plans to ban gas cars by 2035, imposed by executive order.

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Democrats propose 33 tax and fee hikes for transportation (Seattle Times)

Democrat lawmakers proposed 33 tax and fee hikes to fund a new transportation package.  

The fees include:

• a 9.8 cents per gallon increase
• a cap-and-tax scheme
• a carbon fee
• a tax on new construction ($150 per $100,000 value residential $100 per $100,000 on manufacturing $300 per $100,000 for commercial zero for farms and timber)
• a 50-cents per trip fee on food deliveries taxis and ride-hailing services
• a sales-tax increase of 1% on auto parts
• a fee increase to $42 from $24 for an enhanced driver’s license and ID
• a fee increase to $60 from $54 for a standard driver’s license (six-year card)
• a fee increase to $15 from $10 for car-plates
• a car-rental tax increase to 6.9% form 5.9%
• a $10 weight-fee increase for cars and pickups
• a doubling of the taxes on boats over 16 feet

and much more.

Olympia This Week

Democrats pass carbon cap-and-trade scheme and Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)  (Capital Press) 

Farmers will feel the consequences first -- then the rest of us will.

Democrats passed both a cap-and-trade and LCFS bill, the impacts of which will increase the gas tax by 55 cents without any measurable effect on the environment or better roads. Combined with the current rates, total gas tax will eventually grow to $1.23/gallon.  In short, this is just a tax increase.

Sen. Judy Warnick, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate agriculture committee, said, “I think the high cost is going to hit the low-income people and our agriculture people harder than anyone else.”

Republican Sen. Perry Dozier, an Eastern Washington farmer, warned the two bills will be a “poison pill for agriculture” because everything in agriculture depends on fuel. The bills would “give the Department of Ecology authority to implement the two programs.” That entails “writing the rules for cap-and-trade alone would cost $27.3 million over two years and occupy the equivalent of 54.5 full-time state employees.” As Senate Republican Leader John Braun put it, “We’re handing over the economy to an unelected agency.”

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Democrats’ cap-and-trade and LCFS plans are studies in corruption (Washington Policy Center)

Democrats in the state legislature passed both a CO2 cap-and-trade bill and a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS). According to the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers, both plans would have a “corrupting effect, rewarding insider special interests and favored political allies while doing absolutely nothing to reduce CO2 emissions.”

Myers notes that the official fiscal note estimates that under the bill the “price of CO2-reduction in 2030 would be about $33 per metric ton (MT). By way of comparison, the cost of the LCFS is likely to be similar to California’s current price of $200 per MT – six times as much for the same amount of reduction.

The LCFS doesn’t reduce any additional CO2 or benefit the environment, it just makes the already-required emissions reductions more expensive, with the extra money going to biofuel corporations.”

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Some Democrats now voicing frustration over Inslee’s slow reopening  (NW News Network)

Gov. Jay Inslee’s fellow Democrats are using words like, “inconsistent,” “disastrous,” and “senseless” to describe his plan for reopening the state.

For many months, Republicans have voiced frustration over the slow pace of reopening businesses across Washington – now, it appears, some Democrats finally admit the frustration is warranted.

A trio of Olympia Peninsula Democrats wrote in a recent statement, “[I]t is clear that the governor’s plan exhibits a disastrous disconnect with the realities of our communities and, as their elected representatives, we must demand a reopening plan that is fair and sound.”
Democrats from counties like Clallam and Jefferson have voiced frustration over Inslee’s reopening plan, which gives preferential treatment to King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties while punishing rural regions of the state.

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Seattle Times op-ed: Capital gains is income, contrary to Democrats’ claims  (Seattle Times) 

A new op-ed in the Seattle Times calls out Washington Democrats for deceptively mislabeling their state income tax on capital gains.

Democrats categorized the tax as an excise tax rather than an income tax.

The op-ed explains that “were a capital-gains tax an excise tax, it would fall on the entire sales price (or a specific price per transaction), not just the net gain. It would be imposed on each transaction, not the aggregate of gains and losses.”

Undeniably, the “net proceeds from the sale of an asset are income, or that this money in an investor’s possession is — per Washington courts’ definitions — intangible property subject to ownership.”

The op-ed ends by warning, “The sleight of hand that disguises a tax on capital gains income as an excise tax is employed just as easily to tax all income, including wage income.”

Olympia This Week

Senate Democrats pass massive spending bill that depends on illegal income tax (HeraldNet)

Senate Democrats passed their two-year tax-and-spend proposal on Thursday. Not a single Republican voted to approve the plan. Democrats insist the that the record setting $59 billion proposal – which includes draining the state’s rainy-day fund – is needed to address COVID-19 challenges, claiming that state revenues had disappeared because of COVID.  But an updated state revenue forecast proved this is not true. 

State revenue has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The spending bill depends on House Democrats pushing through a state income tax on capital gains – a tax Senate Democrats already passed. The tax will face a constitutional legal challenge if passed. Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson stated, “I’m bothered by the fact that the people will have to foot the bill for the lawsuit that will happen afterwards.”

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Republican lawmakers urge end to Inslee’s state of emergency  (Seattle Times)

House and Senate Republicans have – once again – called on fellow lawmakers to end Gov. Jay Inslee’s coronavirus state of emergency. A letter signed by 23 Republicans lawmakers urges “legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle for help in terminating the state of emergency before the 2021 session ends on April 25.” 

The letter comes after Democrats failed to take seriously several bills that would have curbed the governor’s emergency powers. With less than one month left in the 2021 legislative session, these bills will almost certainly not pass the Democrat-controlled House or Senate. 

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Farm groups oppose cap-and-trade, contrary to Democrats’ claims  (Capital Press)

Democrat State Sen. Reuven Carlyle (Seattle) called agriculture an “enthusiastic supporter” of cap-and-trade during a recent committee hearing. That claim is false. 

The Washington Farm Bureau opposes cap-and-trade, a position they consistently held. 

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers and Food Northwest – among several other agricultural groups – testified against the cap-and-trade bill during this session. 

In fact, not a single agricultural group supports the cap-and-trade bill. The reason is simple – cap-and-trade would push up the cost of electricity and transportation fuels, ultimately putting farmers out of business.

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State Senate unanimously approves transportation budget (The Lens)

The state Senate unanimously approved a 2021-23 transportation budget that “seeks to continue critical project work while taking into consideration a significant loss of gas tax revenue during the state-imposed economic lockdown.” 

The budget would spend $11.8 billion, including $1 billion in transportation funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Of the federal money, “$600 million would be used to cover revenue losses, while $400 million of that would be used to remove fish barriers on Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) highways subject to a U.S. court injunction.” Additionally, $726.4 million would be spent on replacing culverts.