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March 9, 2017
 During a break in voting this week I was able to discuss legislation with Senator Mike Padden of Spokane Valley, chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Yesterday the Senate reached its most important milestone of the session so
far, which was the deadline to take action on bills introduced by senators.
That makes today the day when the Senate committees begin focusing on considering
legislation passed by the House, and the House committees do the same with the
legislation we had approved through yesterday.
Thankfully, all five of my prime-sponsored bills received Senate approval.
Two were referred to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources, and one will
have a public hearing this afternoon. Two were referred to the House
Transportation Committee, and again, one is already set for a committee hearing
later today. The fifth was referred to the House Labor and Workplace Standards
Committee.
Senate policy committees have through March 29 to consider bills passed by
the House. Our fiscal committees (including the Transportation committee on
which I serve) have an additional week to complete their work on House
legislation..
 Senate passes agricultural-wage bill important to tree fruit industry
A recent Supreme Court decision about compensating workers
for rest breaks has entangled tree fruit growers and other agricultural
producers in our state. In a bipartisan 28-18 vote, the Senate approved
legislation I introduced at the request of the Washington State Tree Fruit
Association that would respond to the court ruling in a way that is good for
both employers and workers.
Senate
Bill 5720 addresses the 2015 decision in Demetrio v. Sakuma Brothers
Farms, Inc. It involves workers paid not by the hour but by the piece or
pound. The high court decided employers must pay employees for rest breaks
separate and apart from piece-rate wage payments. This has led to many recent
lawsuits about prior uncompensated breaks. The lawsuits jeopardize orchards and
people’s livelihoods, looming like a dark cloud over a leading industry in our
region and the state as a whole.
It’s clear to me, in working with stakeholders to develop
this bill, that growers were compensating their employees in good faith,
following state guidance and industry practices. I don’t want them punished by
extended lawsuits, and I want the workers to get paid. SB 5720 details a
process for how growers can compensate employees for past uncompensated rest
breaks. If they choose the options we approved, workers will be paid and the
growers will be protected from lawsuits.
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Long days of voting cover wide range of subjects
The mix of legislation we considered this week during
many hours in the Senate chamber included some high-visibility issues. Here are
a few examples.
- Distracted driving: The Senate passed an update to the 2009
texting-while-driving law that would acknowledge the evolution of mobile phones
and similar electronic devices. If Senate
Bill 5289 becomes law, drivers would basically be prohibited from holding a
phone or similar electronic device while driving. I voted against the bill
because I believe it goes too far in restricting the use of phones beyond
texting or talking.
- Public safety: We spent a lot of time in 2016 looking into the
scandal involving the state Department of Corrections and its early release of
prisoners, which led to the deaths of at least two innocent people. Not
surprisingly, the investigation led to legislation, which won unanimous
approval this week. Senate
Bill 5294 would require an audit of the departments at DOC involved in
keeping track of inmates’ release dates and several other actions intended to
prevent a similar public-safety fiasco from happening again. I voted for the
bill because I believe these reforms are necessary.
- Protection from an income tax: SJR 8204
would amend the state constitution to prohibit the imposition of a state or
local income tax on individual income. This includes income from wages,
investments, sale of goods or services, or any other source. Proposed constitutional amendments require a higher
threshold of approval than a regular bill. They must receive a two-thirds
approval in both the House and the Senate and then be approved by a simple
majority of statewide voters. I voted for the proposal to send this question to
voters, but it fell short of the two-thirds threshold needed for approval.
 I was pleased to sponsor Wenatchee High School junior Estela Navarro as a Senate page this week. The pages are especially important when we spend all day voting in the Senate chamber because they help distribute legislative documents. Estela did a great job!
Thank you for the opportunity to
serve you!
It is my great privilege to serve as your state senator. If you have any
questions or comments, please contact my office anytime using the information
below. If you are planning a trip to Olympia and would like to visit the
Capitol Building, I would be happy to connect with you or your group when you
are here.
I encourage you to share this newsletter with friends and family; they may subscribe using the information below my contact information. Thank you for allowing me to represent you in Olympia!
Sincerely,
Brad Hawkins
State Senator
Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail:
brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Website: senatorbradhawkins.org
107 Newhouse Building
- P.O. Box 40412 | Olympia, WA 98504-0412
(360) 786-7622 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000
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