Unfortunately, the majority party is showing no love for the taxpayers this year.
 Dear Friends,
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope this update finds you well and your life full of love and joy.
Week five of the 2020 legislative session was spent mostly on the Senate floor voting on bills previously approved by their assigned committees. Several of my bills survived the cut-off deadlines and are still in play. Others have already been approved by the Senate and are now before the House, awaiting its consideration. You can read more about these bills below.
This week, Governor Jay Inslee also signed the first bill of the session. No surprise, it was the majority's billion dollar do-over tax on job-creators.
It's clear to me that Democrats are showing no love for taxpayers. The taxes that are being imposed are on those who can least afford them and on industries that are in a shortage. In this week's video we discuss some of the worst proposals.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for staying connected and for the great privilege of serving as your state Senator.
Sincerely,
 Sharon Brown
State Senator
8th District
This Week's Video Update:
 Click here to watch this week's video!
In this week's video, I take a look at the series of new and higher taxes proposed by the majority party. It's no coincidence that the first bill of the session signed into law by Governor Inslee was SB 6492 -- the Democrat's $1 billion tax hike do-over bill. Despite continuing record revenue coming into the state, the majority has pushed for a new carbon tax, higher gas taxes, and even a "low carbon fuel standard," which is essentially an additional 57 cents per gallon gas tax with no roads to show for it!
Legislative Update:
Tuesday was the deadline for bills to pass out of the fiscal committees. I had several bills that made this deadline, and are therefore still eligible for passage this session:
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SB 6065 - Establishing the Washington blockchain work group.
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SB 6429 - Providing a designation on a driver's license or identicard that a person has a developmental disability.
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SB 6430 - Establishing a statewide industrial waste coordination program.
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SB 5636 - Concerning dynamic fiscal notes.
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SB 6663 - Studying dual diagnoses of eating disorder and diabetes mellitus type 1.
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SJM 8018 - Concerning a federal nuclear waste repository.
Each of these bills are now in the Rules Committee, and could be pulled to the floor for a vote of the full Senate at any moment -- even later today or this weekend!
To watch live floor action, visit TVW Online.
Legislative Update:
'Alyssa's Law' clears key budget committee
 On Tuesday the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously to advance my bill to have the state study the link between eating disorders and diabetes.
Senate Bill 6663, which cleared the committee on the last day for bills to be approved by the Senate’s fiscal committees, would direct the Department of Health to provide a report on dual diagnoses of eating disorder and diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, patients with type 1 diabetes carry a high risk of developing eating disorders due to restricted diets and a focus on weight control.
I was very pleased to see the response of my colleagues to this important bill. There continues to be broad bipartisan support for raising awareness of this issue, which has a disproportionate impact on young women struggling with body image.
Diabulimia is a life-threatening condition, and ignorance of it among lawmakers, the medical community and the public is one of the contributing factors to its deadliness. This bill is about tackling that ignorance head-on and doing everything possible to save lives.
Click here to read my full release.
In the News:
Yakima Herald-Republic Editorial | Feb. 13, 2020
 When Mary Fairhurst, at the time chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court, announced in October that she was stepping down to focus on her cancer treatment, the wheels of replacement quickly began to turn.
When any state high court justice leaves the post midterm, the job falls to the governor and his or her staff to recruit, vet and appoint the replacement. And there’s a routine for filling those seats, according to Gov. Jay Inslee’s communications office.
...Inslee’s next appointment to the high court ought to come from this side of the Cascades.
...What we want to hear from Inslee in a couple of weeks: “With years of exceptional service in the eastern portion of our great state, this outstanding jurist will bring invaluable perspective and life experience to any and all cases before the court but especially to those cases that are particularly relevant to the large expanse of Eastern Washington. This is a much-needed voice for all of Washington.”
Click here to read the full article.
From the District:
 As you know, it is always great when friends from the district stop by to say hello. I recently had the pleasure of welcoming to Olympia our good friend Justin Raffa, Artistic Director of the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers. He is also a current member of the WA State Arts Commission Board.
Justin stopped by on Arts and Heritage Day to discuss the impact of investments in Washington State’s arts and culture, and how these investments positively support early learning, arts education, and community building that impact the local and state economy, and even the military.
He was joined by several 8th District constituents, including Miss Tri-Cities 2020 McKenzie Kennedy.
If you will be in Olympia and would like to discuss an issue that is important to you, please contact my office. We would love to see you!
In closing…
SAVE THE DATE!
 with Senator Sharon Brown, Representative Brad Klippert and Representative Matt Boehnke
Saturday Feb 22nd 2020
10 – 11:30 AM
At the
Richland Community Center
500 Amon Park Drive
Richland, WA 99352
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PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Brown's office at (360) 786-7614.
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