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Dear Friend:
A busy week in the Legislature is coming to an end after a number of late nights of floor action.
Wednesday was house of origin cutoff. To date, 318 bills have passed off the House floor this legislative session. You can learn more about the House Republican bills that have passed here.
This flurry of activity began to reveal the House Democrats' agenda. House Republicans have been successful in stopping harmful legislation from moving forward. However, some measures have passed that would raise taxes on employers, increase the cost of living for Washingtonians, and attack property rights. And there's more to come as Senate bills are considered in the House.
State revenue forecast
The state revenue forecast was released on Wednesday. As expected, state tax collections continue to surge -- reflecting a strong state and national economy. With this new revenue information, budget writers will now have an additional $2.4 billion to work with as they craft the supplemental operating budget.
Budget week
We will know soon what House Democrats plan to do with this large budget surplus. They will release their supplemental operating budget on Monday. This budget will move out of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday and reach the House floor on Friday. Our members will be debating it every step of the way. Please stay tuned.
$1 billion in tax relief for working families
The extraordinary fiscal situation of our state leaves the Legislature with options. House Republicans believe working families deserve tax relief.
Our budget lead, Rep. Drew Stokesbary, developed a plan that would take some of the budget surplus and give it back to Washingtonians through tax relief -- including $30 car tabs. Every House Republican signed on to sponsor the bill. You can learn more below.
House Republicans have also introduced proposals that would lower property taxes and provide a back-to-school sales tax holiday in support of parents and teachers.
I encourage you to contrast our fiscal approach with what the House Democrats propose next week.
House Republican town halls
While most of our members choose to have telephone town halls because the convenient format allows more people to participate, some will host traditional town hall meetings in the upcoming days. You can find a list of events here.
Sincerely,
Rep. J.T. Wilcox
House Republican Leader
(360) 786-7912
The $2.4 billion budget surplus underscores the Republican fiscal argument of the last two legislative sessions: Democrats did not need to raise taxes on anyone for any reason. But they did anyway. And there may be more to come this legislative session.
In contrast, House Republicans have introduced a plan that would take the budget surplus and give some of it back through tax relief for Washingtonians. Specifically, House Bill 2946 would:
- Respect the will of the voters and implement $30 car tabs.
- Eliminate the sales tax on prepared food items sold at grocery stores.
- Eliminate the sales tax on personal necessities for women and families, such as feminine hygiene products, breast pumps and diapers.
You can watch this video from Rep. Drew Stokesbary to learn more.
Media coverage:
Below are bad bills passed by House Democrats, to date. These measures stand in stark contrast to the legislative priorities of House Republicans: Safe, affordable and accountable.
Senate Bill 6492 will increase the B&O tax rate on businesses to pay for an entitlement for workforce education that passed last year. In total, an estimated 14,000 businesses will see an increase. This legislation has already been signed into law.
House Bill 1110 would create a regressive, low-carbon fuel standard in our state. It would increase the costs of gas, diesel and products, and do very little to improve air quality.
House Bill 2409 would significantly increase workers' compensation penalties on employers without contributing to worker safety.
House Bill 1191 would remove multiple crimes from the list of offenses that are required to report to school principals.
House Bill 1551 would reduce the crime of intentional transmission of HIV from the felony crime of assault in the first degree down to a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor.
House Bill 2461 would include health in the state transportation system policy goals and dilute basic transportation efforts.
The House Education Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5395 (comprehensive sexual health education) on Thursday. A total of 760 people signed in for the hearing, with 654 opposed to the controversial legislation. This overwhelming turnout, in addition to a survey of more than 10,000 people last year, make it clear where the public stands on this issue.
Senate Bill 5395 passed out of the Senate on a 28-21 vote -- with all Republicans voting "no."
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