House floor debate highlights

Concerning legal financial obligations | House Bill 1169 | February 28, 2023

House Bill 1169 would:

  • Eliminate the crime victim penalty assessment and establish alternative state funding for crime victim and witness programs.
  • Eliminate the DNA database fee and establish alternative state funding for the DNA database and DNA collection costs.
  • Require a court, upon motion of an offender, to waive a previously imposed crime victim penalty assessment or DNA database fee.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Eliminate criminals having to pay a penalty to fund services for victims of crimes and shift these costs to taxpayers.
  • Prioritize criminals over victims and survivors and their families. House Republicans believe in accountability and stand with victims and survivors of crime.
A new climate change layer to the Growth Management Act | House Bill 1181 | March 3, 2023

House Bill 1181 would:

  • Add a new climate change layer to the onerous Growth Management Act.

House Republicans believe this bill:

  • Make it even more complicated to build in our state by bogging down the permitting process. It will make it even more expensive to build and continue the trend of making housing unaffordable in Washington state.
Expanding access to dual credit programs | House Bill 1316 | March 4, 2023

House Bill 1316 would:

  • Allow students participating in Running Start programs to be funded up to a combined maximum enrollment of 1.6 full-time equivalents, including enrollment during the summer academic term.

House Republicans believe this bill:

  • Is not good enough and a missed opportunity. House Republicans introduced an alternative solution — a striking amendment to House Bill 1316 – that House Democrats voted down.
Concerning sentencing enhancements | House Bill 1268 | March 6, 2023

House Bill 1268 would reduce sentences by:

  • Eliminating sentencing enhancements for involving a minor in a criminal street gang activity and controlled substance violations in protected zones.
  • Removing requirement that firearm enhancements be served consecutively.
  • Removing the restrictions on partial confinement and earned early release for all sentencing enhancements.

House Republicans believe this bill:

  • Is another example of the majority party prioritizing criminals over victims. It will make communities less safe, like other misguided policies Democrats have passed since 2021.
Requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms | House Bill 1143 | March 7, 2023

House Bill 1143 would:

  • Establish significant new requirements to legally purchase or transfer a firearm, including a new permit requirement with fingerprinting, in addition to a background check.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Impair an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.  
  • Create burdens for individuals to possess firearms to defend themselves, their families and their property.
  • Disproportionally impact low-income people who want to defend themselves.
So-called assault weapon ban | House Bill 1240 | March 8, 2023

House Bill 1240 would:

  • Prohibit the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of any so-called assault weapon, subject to various exceptions for licensed firearm manufacturers and dealers and for individuals who inherit an assault weapon.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Impair Washingtonians’ right to bear arms. 
  • Be challenged in federal court and ruled unconstitutional.
2023-25 operating budget | Senate Bill 5187 | April 3, 2023

Senate Bill 5187 would:

  • Make 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.

House Republicans opposed the House Democrats’ 2023-25 operating budget because it:

  • Continues unsustainable budget growth under the majority party, with state spending more than doubling over the last ten years. 
  • Does not focus on key priorities and, instead, spreads spending across 1,495 separate line items with little transparency or accountability.
  • Does not do enough to properly fund special education or help students recover from learning loss.
  • Leaves a small ending-fund balance.
  • Provides no relief to taxpayers.
2023-25 transportation budget | House Bill 1125 | April 3, 2023

House Bill 1125 would:

  • Make 2023-2025 fiscal biennium transportation appropriations.

House Republicans supported the House 2023-25 transportation budget because it:

  • Represents bipartisan collaboration and reflects many policies supported by House Republicans. 
  • Makes important investments in infrastructure and projects across the state. 
  • Supports capital development and the workforce of Washington State Ferries. 
  • Includes funding for the Washington State Patrol, including hiring-incentive bonuses, training programs and community engagement.
Abolishing advisory votes | Senate Bill 5082 | April 7, 2023

Senate Bill 5082 would:

  • Abolish advisory votes on Washington state ballots. Advisory votes, which were established by voter-approved I-960 in 2007, allow voters to share their opinions (repealed/maintained) on legislation passed by the Legislature involving tax increases.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Show, yet again, that Democrats are ignoring the will of the voters by repealing a voter-approved initiative. 
  • Silence voters who want to share their views on tax-related legislation passed by the Legislature.
  • Take away an invaluable resource for state lawmakers to gauge the sentiments of their constituents.
Musculoskeletal injuries and disorders| Senate Bill 5217 | April 7, 2023

Senate Bill 5217 would:

  • Repeal a voter-approved initiative from 2003 that repealed burdensome ergonomic rules and prohibited Labor & Industries (L&I) from adopting ergonomic regulations. 
  • Allow L&I to adopt no more than one new rule per year (beginning in 2026) for one industry or risk classification. However, rules may only be adopted for industries or risk classifications with compensable workers’ compensation claims involving musculoskeletal injuries or disorders at a rate greater than two times the overall state rate over a five-year period and must exclude any of the defined subcategories of those industries and risk classifications that don’t meet the claims threshold.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Demonstrate, once again, that the majority party is disregarding the will of the voters and repealing a voter-approved initiative. 
  • Put Washington state at a competitive disadvantage for businesses looking to expand or relocate, as no other state has adopted ergonomic rules since federal rules were repealed in 2001 due to their economic impact. Employers are already required by law to provide a safe working environment for all employees and the state Supreme Court has ruled that L&I can already cite employers for ergonomic hazards.
Concerning vehicular pursuits | Senate Bill 5352 | April 10, 2023

Senate Bill 5352 would:

  • Lower the evidentiary threshold required for engaging in a vehicular pursuit by allowing police officers to conduct the vehicular pursuit if they have reasonable suspicion that a person in the vehicle has committed or is committing specified criminal offenses.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Not allow police officers to engage in vehicular pursuits for several other offenses, including but not limited to auto theft, residential burglary, stalking, unlawful imprisonment, reckless and aggressive driving, and others.
Parental rights | Senate Bill 5599 | April 12, 2023

Senate Bill 5599 would:

  • Expand the list of reasons a licensed shelter can choose to not notify a youth’s parents that they are in a licensed shelter to include receiving protected health care services, including reproductive care and gender affirming care. Current law only allows licensed shelters to not notify parents if there is suspected abuse or neglect. 
  • Allow host homes to house youth without parental permission if a youth is seeking or receiving protected health care services.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Violate and erode parental rights. Parents who are providing a safe home have the right to know where their children are at. 
  • Put police officers into an uncomfortable position should the parents report their children missing.
2023-25 capital budget | Senate Bill 5200 | April 21, 2023

Senate Bill 5200 would make capital budget appropriations for the 2023-25 fiscal biennium.

House Republicans supported the 2023-25 capital budget because:

  • It will make important investments in K-12 school construction, behavioral health, infrastructure, housing, higher education, and other projects across our state.
2023-25 transportation budget | House Bill 1125 | April 22, 2023

House Bill 1125 would make transportation appropriations for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium.

House Republicans supported the 2023-25 transportation budget because:

  • It will make important investments in transportation infrastructure, preservation and maintenance, Washington State Ferries, Washington State Patrol, and other programs and projects across our state.
2023-25 operating budget | Senate Bill 5187 | April 23, 2023

Senate Bill 5187 would make 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.

House Republicans opposed the 2023-25 operating budget because:

  • Under Democratic leadership, state spending has more than doubled over the past 10 years.
  • Instead of focusing state spending on key priorities with clearly defined outcomes, spending is spread across 1,800 separate line items with very little transparency or accountability.
  • It leaves a very small ending-fund balance and will not meet the four-year balanced budget requirement without aggressive assumptions about agency underspends.
  • It leaves only $3 billion in reserves by the end of the four-year outlook period. This is less than the State Treasurer’s minimum target of 10% of annual NGF-O revenues, and less than the 50-state average.
  • Despite uncomfortably high inflation, it provides no relief to taxpayers, in stark contrast to Democrat-controlled states across the nation.
Controlled substances | Senate Bill 5536 | April 23, 2023

Senate Bill 5536 would make changes to state laws relating to controlled substances, counterfeit substances, and legend drug possession and treatment.

House Republicans believe this bill will:

  • Not help people recover. It will perpetuate problems. It is not data-driven, evidence-based or best practices.
  • Result in local governments having less control over their communities than now. 
  • Create a diversion process that will lead to a revolving door. Our state needs to tighten up the diversion process or people will game the system.
Controlled substances | Senate Bill 5536 | May 16, 2023

Senate Bill 5536 would make changes to state laws relating to controlled substances, counterfeit substances, and legend drug possession and treatment.

Statement from House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary and Senate Republican Leader John Braun:

  • “This bill isn’t perfect, but it is a strong step in the right direction and addresses major shortcomings in the law that has proven to be such a failure these past two years. This policy will provide opportunities to those who seek treatment for drug addiction and hold accountable those who refuse it. It will help our loved ones and neighbors get the treatment they need to survive. It was disappointing that the Legislature couldn’t get to this point in the 105-day legislative session, especially because of how many people are overdosing and dying in the street. But we applaud everyone involved in the negotiations for their dedication to finding a workable solution. Public safety has been the top priority for Republicans this session. Allowing the legalization of hard drugs was never an option for us. Those with substance-use disorder and the people who love them and pray for their recovery needed this bill. We simply had to do better.”
Peace officers/use of force | House Bill 2037 | February 12, 2022

House Bill 2037 would modify the standard for use of physical force by peace officers by defining “physical force” and authorizing peace officers to use physical force in additional specific circumstances.

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox following the passage of House Bill 2037 on February 12, 2022: “While this is a step in the right direction, House Republicans wish the bill went further and hope it can be improved in the Senate. The Legislature still has a lot more work to do to fix the problems created by the flawed policing legislation passed by Democrats last year. It is also critical for state lawmakers to pass House Bill 1788. The measure would allow police officers to engage in vehicular pursuits when there is reasonable suspicion that someone in the vehicle has committed or is committing a violent offense, is attempting to escape, or is driving under the influence. House Democratic leadership has assured me they will make every effort to move this bill forward. The sooner, the better, as every day counts for our communities.”

Energy codes | House Bill 1770 | February 13, 2022

House Bill 1770 would:

  • Update the minimum State Energy Code requirements for residential and nonresidential construction.
  • Require new buildings to be net-zero ready.
  • Require the State Building Code Council to adopt a statewide residential reach code and requires the Department of Commerce to develop rulemaking documents and a proposal covering the technical provisions.
  • Preempt local residential codes with the Washington State Energy Code and the Statewide Residential Reach Code.

House Republicans believe this bill would:

  • Restrict energy choice.
  • Put electric reliability at risk.
  • Drive up the costs of housing and heating.
Ergonomic regulations | House Bill 1837 | February 14-15, 2022

House Bill 1837 would overturn a 2003 initiative backed by Washington voters that prohibits state ergonomic regulations that go beyond federal OSHA regulations.

House Republicans believe this bill would increase labor costs, incentivize automation that results in job losses, and make Washington state a less desirable place to start or grow a business.

House Democrats’ supplemental operating budget proposal | Senate Bill 5693 | February 26, 2022

Senate Bill 5693 would:

  • Make 2021-23 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
  • Increase spending to $65 billion in 2021-23, a $6.2 billion increase to current spending levels.
  • Provide no meaningful tax relief, despite our state’s $15 billion budget surplus.

House Republicans believe:

  • Washingtonians need and deserve real, substantial tax relief and introduced an amendment to cut the sales tax.
  • That state spending has exploded, nearly doubling since Gov. Jay Inslee took office.
  • This budget missed an opportunity to hire and retain police officers and provide body cameras to law enforcement agencies.
  • This budget should leave more money in the ending fund balance and rainy-day fund.

Learn more about the House Republican 2022 supplemental operating budget framework: SAFE Washington Budget

Transportation resources | Senate Bill 5974 | March 1, 2022

The Democrats’ transportation tax package, Move Ahead Washington (Senate Bills 5974 and 5975):

  • A 16-year, $16.8 billion transportation package that starts collecting fees in 2022.
  • Relies on drivers paying more but in less obvious ways than a state gas tax increase.
  • Includes $5.4 billion from auction proceeds from the Climate Commitment Act.
  • Raids the Public Works Assistance Account with a transfer of $100 million per year for the life of the package.
  • Includes ±$1 billion from a $50 license plate fee for new vehicles, $40 for used cars, and $20 for motorcycles.
  • Includes $189 million by raising the enhanced driver’s license price $7 per year.

House Republicans:

  • Oppose this partisan transportation package because it raises taxes and fees on Washingtonians, raids the Public Works Assistance Account, doesn’t prioritize Eastern Washington, and will be expensive for those who are struggling financially.
  • Proposed real solutions that would modernize transportation funding, preserve and maintain existing infrastructure, complete the backlog of projects, and redirect vehicle sales tax to transportation projects.
Gubernatorial emergency powers | Senate Bill 5909 | March 4, 2022

Senate Bill 5909 would:

  • Authorize the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, and the speaker and minority leader of the House (legislative leadership) to terminate a state of emergency (SOE) if it has been in effect for more than 90 days and the Legislature is not in session.
  • Authorize legislative leadership to terminate a prohibition in a governor order related to the SOE when the Legislature is not in session.
  • Make permanent the Joint Legislative Unanticipated Revenue Oversight Committee.

House Republicans believe:

  • This is a weak policy and agree with editorial boards that said the bill “does very little to change the status quo in Washington state” and “not adequate for the people of Washington.”
  • House Bill 1772, real emergency powers reform, would restore balance and trust in state government. Learn more.
  • What are House Republicans doing to reform the governor’s emergency powers? Find out here.
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in buildings | Senate 5722 | March 3, 2022

Senate Bill 5722 would:

  • Authorize Department of Commerce to regulate the energy use of commercial buildings between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet and multifamily residential buildings 50,000 square feet or larger by December 1, 2023.
  • Direct Department of Commerce to adopt energy management and benchmarking requirements for these buildings. The owners would have ongoing reporting obligations on their energy use. This data would be used to set progressively strict performance standards that would require less carbon intensity in the energy used by the building – essentially forcing the conversion from natural gas furnaces and water heaters to electricity.

House Republicans believe this bill would:

  • Burden residents of apartments and commercial building tenants with higher costs.
  • Create duplicative regulatory requirements.
  • Put unnecessary regulatory pressure on natural gas – an affordable source of energy that Washington residents and businesses rely on.
Large capacity magazines | Senate Bill 5078 | March 4, 2022

Senate Bill 5078 would:

  • Prohibit the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, and offer for sale of large capacity magazines, subject to exemptions.
  • Establish that violations of these restrictions are a gross misdemeanor.
  • Provide that distributing, selling, offering for sale, or facilitating the sale, distribution, or transfer of a large capacity magazine online, is actionable under the Washington Consumer Protection Act.

House Republicans believe this bill is:

  • Unconstitutional.
  • An attack on Second Amendment rights.
  • Fundamentally unfair to law-abiding citizens who want to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Cap-and-tax scheme | Senate Bill 5126 | April 23, 2021

Senate Bill 5126 would establish a cap-and-invest program for greenhouse gas emissions to be implemented by the Department of Ecology.

House Republicans believe this bill is:

  • Regressive. It will raise the price of gas, food, goods, and heating on working families.
  • Purely partisan and rushed through the House. There was no consideration of a revenue-neutral approach.
  • An ineffective way to reduce CO2 emissions and globally irrelevant.
  • Ignoring the will of the voters. It is similar to I-1631, which failed with 43.44% of the vote in 2018.
  • Creating a new, unaccountable bureaucracy in Olympia.
Income Tax on Capital Gains | Senate Bill 5096 | April 21, 2021

Senate Bill 5096 would create a new state income tax on capital gains (7% beginning on January 1, 2022).

House Republicans believe this bill is:

  • Unnecessary. State tax collections are strong and budget writers have been provided a large influx of federal funding.
  • Unpopular. Washington voters have told us several times that they do not want any form of a new state income tax.
  • Unstable. This type of tax is volatile, especially in economic downturns.
  • Unconstitutional. This new tax will be challenged in court and the state Supreme Court precedent is clear.
  • A major step toward a new state income tax.
Operating budget | Senate Bill 5092 | April 3, 2021

Senate Bill 5092 would make biennial operating budget appropriations for the 2021-23 fiscal biennium.

House Republicans believe this operating budget proposal:

  • Is unsustainable.
  • Violates the spirit of the Budget Stabilization Account (rainy-day fund).
  • Raises taxes unnecessarily, including an unpopular and unconstitutional income tax on capital gains.
Open carry of weapons | Senate Bill 5038 | March 28, 2021

Senate Bill 5038 would prohibit the open carry of firearms at or near permitted demonstrations, on State Capitol Campus grounds, and in other state legislative locations.

House Republicans believe this bill is ambiguous, unconstitutional, and an attack on Second Amendment rights.

Residential tenants | House Bill 1236 | March 7, 2021

House Bill 1236 would specify exclusive causes for eviction, refusal to renew, and termination of tenancy under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and make other changes to rights and remedies.

House Republicans believe this bill would:

  • Further stress the state’s housing market.
  • Take away property rights.
  • Make it harder and more complicated to be a rental housing provider in our state.
Uses Of Force By Officers | House Bill 1310 | March 6, 2021

House Bill 1310 would:

  • Establish standards for when law enforcement can use physical or deadly force.
  • Require the Attorney General and Criminal Justice Training Commission to develop model policies and training on use of force and de-escalation tactics consistent with standards provided in the legislation.

House Republican believe:

  • The bill fails to acknowledge the realities that police officers face every day and fails to incorporate a “reasonable officer” standard that accounts for these realities.
  • Our state should not defund the police and should not disarm the police.
  • Police officers are already held to a very high standard. We cannot make that standard an impossible one.
  • Our state needs to focus on real solutions that will bridge the gap of the already-fragile relationship between police officers and the communities they serve, not widen it.
Qui tam actions | House Bill 1076 | March 5, 2021

House Bill 1076 would:

  • Allow private citizens via attorneys to sue employers on behalf of the state to enforce labor and employment laws which state agencies are already responsible for enforcing.
  • Allow attorneys to claim a large portion of any recovery – up to 40% — plus attorney fees and costs while, at the same time, not provide attorneys’ fees and costs to employers if they prevail in a lawsuit.
  • Apply to local governments, which would add yet another unfunded mandate on them.

House Republicans believe this bill would:

  • Incentivize attorneys to seek out private citizens to sue the government so they could reap a portion of the financial award.
  • Create a system ripe for abuse, with no safeguards to prevent frivolous lawsuits.
  • Be another thing for employers to worry about as they try to comply with every-changing employment laws, rules, and proclamations from the governor.
  • Result in significant risks and an unfunded mandate for local governments as employers.
Low-carbon fuel standard mandate | House Bill 1091 | February 27, 2021

House Bill 1091 would:

  • Authorize the Department of Ecology to create a clean fuels program by rule to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels per unit (excluding aircraft, vessels, railroad locomotives, and military vehicles).
  • Eliminate the consumer protection provision in the 2015 Connecting Washington Transportation plan that said if a low-carbon fuel standard is adopted by rule, money would shift from other transportation accounts into the motor vehicle account (protected by the 18th Amendment to be used for highway purposes only).

House Republicans believe the low-carbon fuel standard mandate:

  • Is regressive and hurts low-income individuals and families.
  • Provides little benefit to the environment and air quality.
  • Is bad for businesses and our economy.
  • Increases the cost of gas and diesel without generating any new revenue for transportation projects.

Police tactics and equipment | House Bill 1054 | February 27, 2021

House Bill 1054 would:

  • Prohibits the use of chokeholds and neck restraints, police dogs to arrest or apprehend, tear gas, certain military equipment, and “no-knock” warrants.
  • Place restrictions on vehicular pursuits and limit the circumstances in which an officer can fire upon a moving vehicle.
  • Require law enforcement officers to wear proper identification on their uniforms.

House Republicans believe:

  • Our state should not defund the police and should not disarm the police.
  • We should not take away the tools police officers rely on to deescalate situations and avoid the necessity to use deadly force.
  • Police officers are already held to a very high standard. We cannot make that standard an impossible one.
  • Our state needs to focus on real solutions that will bridge the gap of the already-fragile relationship between police officers and the communities they serve, not widen it.
  • If we aren’t safe in our communities, then nothing else matters. Police officers keep us safe.
Restoring felon voting rights | House Bill 1078 | February 24, 2021

House Bill 1078 would automatically restore felon voting rights before completed sentences.

House Republicans believe this is wrong and unfair to crime victims.

COVID-19 Relief Package | House Bill 1368 | February 1, 2021

House Bill 1368 would appropriate $2.2 billion in federal stimulus funds for a variety of COVID-related programs. Learn more: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2021/ho2021Supp.asp. House Republicans offered six amendments to the bill, but the majority party only accepted one of them. Our amendments focused on safely reopening schools, assisting students who have fallen behind, providing rental and utility assistance, easing financial burdens on working families, helping child care providers, and supporting small businesses.

House Republicans also introduced a separate COVID-19 relief package, the REAL Recovery for Washington Act – House Bill 1334. Compare the REAL Recovery for Washington Act with House Bill 1368 here.

Comprehensive sexual health education | Senate Bill 5395 | March 4, 2020

Senate Bill 5395 would:

  • Mandate every public school to provide comprehensive sexual health education in all grades by the 2022-23 school year.
  • Mandate every public school to either select a curriculum from OSPI’s list or to select or develop a curriculum with OSPI and in accordance with online review tools developed by OSPI.
  • Allow school districts to grant a parent’s or legal guardian’s written request to have his or her child excused from any planned instruction in comprehensive sexual health education.

House Republicans fought hard for six hours on the House floor arguing that this approach would:

  • Be too much, too soon for students.
  • Ignore the concerns of parents.
  • Take away local control.

Learn more:

House Democrats’ supplemental operating budget proposal | Senate Bill 6168 | February 28, 2020

Senate Bill 6168 would:

  • Make 2019-2021 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
  • Offer no tax relief, despite a $2.4 billion budget surplus.
  • Overcommit extraordinary revenue, which sets our state up for a budget shortfall.
  • Increase state spending to around $53.8 billion – a state spending increase of 75% since 2013.

House Democrats rejected two House Republican striking amendments (alternative budget solutions):

  • House Amendment 1684 would have implemented most of the supplemental appropriations proposed by the governor (without tapping the state rainy-day fund), in addition to $30 car tabs, the Working Families Tax Credit, and some sales tax exemptions.
  • House Amendment 1685 would have also implemented most of the supplemental appropriations proposed by the governor, in addition to $600 million per year in property tax relief.

Opposing a B&O tax rate increase on thousands of employers | Senate Bill 6492 | February 6, 2020

Senate Bill 6492 will:

  • Eliminate the service B&O surcharge (0.3%) for certain industries created in House Bill 2158 in 2019.
    • Replace it with a B&O rate increase (0.25%) for all businesses with at least $1 million in gross service revenue per year.
  • Retroactively eliminate the advanced computing business surcharge (0.5% – 1%), $4 million tax liability floor and $7 million tax liability cap created in House Bill 2158.
    • Replace it with a flat, higher-rate surcharge (1.22%) with a $9 million cap.
  • Expand the tax to 4,400 new businesses that provide 465,000 jobs.
  • Affect a total of 14,000 businesses and 886,000 employees.
Fighting against a regressive, costly fuel mandate (low-carbon fuel standard) that could raise the cost of gas by 57 cents and raise the cost of diesel by 63 cents | House Bill 1110 | January 29, 2020

House Bill 1110 would:

  • Authorize the state Department of Ecology to create a clean fuels program, by rule, to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels per unit.
  • Eliminate the consumer protection provision in the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation plan that stated if a low-carbon fuel standard is adopted, by rule, money would shift from other transportation accounts into the motor vehicle account.

According to the Puget Sound Regional Transportation Fuels Analysis Final Report (September 2019), the new program could:

  • Raise the cost of gas by up to 57 cents per gallon by 2030.
  • Raise the cost of diesel by up to 63 cents per gallon by 2030.
  • Result in job losses.
  • Reduce Gross Regional Product.

House Republicans also believe the new program would:

  • Be an expensive and unaccountable state bureaucracy
  • Do very little to benefit our environment and air quality
  • Not generate any new revenue for transportation infrastructure projects
  • Increase the cost of construction and add to the cost of housing — at a time when our state has an affordable housing problem.
Pushing back against an $8 billion (18%) increase in state spending and $2 billion in new taxes increases | House Bill 1109 | April 28, 2019

The Democrats passed the 2019-21 operating budget in the last minutes of the legislative session. The budget spends $52.4 billion from near general fund, plus opportunity pathway accounts, and $99.6 billion in total funds. This represents an $8 billion – or 18% – increase over the current state spending level (2017-19 state spending before supplemental). The budget also relies on $2 billion in new taxes increases, despite the fact there was a budget surplus. On the House floor, we explained why this approach is fiscally irresponsible and sets our state up for major problems in the next economic downturn. We also argued that the budget could have been balanced, and priorities could be adequately funded, without several new tax increases on Washingtonians.

Facts:

Fighting against nearly $1 billion in new tax increases on businesses providing certain services | House Bill 2158 | April 27, 2019

House Bill 2158 will create a B&O surcharge on businesses providing certain services to pay for workforce education. This will negatively impact around 90,000 businesses and result in new costs being passed along to consumers. We made these arguments, and others, on the House floor. Despite bipartisan opposition, the bill passed 52-45.   

Advocating for lower property taxes and a fair and equitable school-funding system | House Bill 2140 | April 27, 2019

House Bill 2140 will:

  • Modify the amount of local levies that can be collected for K-12 enrichment programs, which will increase local property taxes for many taxpayers. 
  • Provide school districts with two different local levy policies, allowing districts to choose between a rate based levy lid or a per pupil levy lid. 
  • Modify local effort assistance (LEA) to provide tax relief to eligible districts.
  • Deposit the entire 2017 state property tax increase in the Education Legacy Trust Account instead of the general fund.

This approach will increase local levies and recreate the inequities that the Legislature worked so hard to fix with the McCleary solution. It will also result in wealthy school districts getting richer, while other school districts fall behind. This is unfair to both taxpayers and school districts, and sets our state up for more legal problems when it comes to funding education. We made these arguments on the House floor, but the measure passed 54-42.

Fighting against the new long-term care insurance program and payroll tax | House Bill 1087 | April 23, 2019

House Bill 1087 would create the Long-Term Care Services and Supports Program and establish a new payroll tax to pay for it. Every House Republican voted “no” on this legislation on April 23, 2019. To learn more about this issue, please visit this summary of the long-term care insurance program and payroll tax.

Fighting against $4.5 billion in new tax increases in the House Finance Committee | House Bills 2156, 2157 and 2158 | April 19, 2019

House Bills 2156, 2157 and 2158, collectively, would increase taxes by $4.5 billion over the next four years through:

Democrats advanced these measures out of the House Finance Committee, with every Republican voting “no.” We offered several amendments, but most were rejected. In our arguments, we explained why taxes do not need to be raised on anyone, how our state has a budget surplus, and why new tax increases would hurt families, employers and our economy.

Fighting to preserve union, family-wage jobs in our state | Senate Bill 5579 | April 15, 2019

Senate Bill 5579 will prohibit a facility from unloading or loading crude oil with a vapor pressure greater than 9 pounds per square inch (psi), which targets the cleaner-burning Bakken crude, and prohibit a facility from storing crude oil with a vapor pressure greater than 9 psi. It would only kick in when the volume of oil being transported over the rails increases 10% above 2018 levels. This could result in no crude oil being offloaded by rail in our state, which would negatively impact our refineries, curtail the supply to JBLM, and eliminate union, family-wage jobs in our state. When these workers came to Olympia to share their technical knowledge, safety records and pleas to save their jobs, Democrats moved forward in spite of overwhelming evidence against the policy. We fought for these workers, jobs and communities on the House floor. We also offered thoughtful amendments to improve the legislation, but they were rejected. The measure passed along party lines 53-40.

The so-called Clean Energy Bill | Senate Bill 5116 | April 11, 2019

Senate Bill 5116 will: require utilities to remove coal from their electricity production by December 31, 2025; require all retail sales of electricity be greenhouse gas neutral by January 1, 2030; create statewide policy that supply of retail electricity be 100% clean by January 1, 2045; and create penalties for noncompliance for Coal Elimination or Greenhouse Gas Neutral Standard. The bill passed 56-42, with every House Republican and one House Democrat voting “no.” On the House floor, we explained how this approach will increase energy costs for individuals, families and employers in our state, and how it fails to address proper forest management and wildfires. We offered a striking amendment, but House Democrats rejected it. Learn more about our alternative solution for clean energy here.  

House Democrats’ 2019-21 operating budget proposal | House Bill 1109 | March 29, 2019

House Bill 1109 would: make appropriations for the 2019-21 budget cycle; increase the operating budget by $8.6 billion (19.4%); and rely on $4.2 billion in new tax increases over four years, including a new capital gains income tax. The legislation passed 56-38, with every House Republican voting “no.” We made arguments for responsible state spending, and against new tax increases, on the House floor. In attempt to improve the bill, we also offered 33 amendments – with just 12 being accepted/adopted. You can learn more about some of these successful amendments here.

Regressive low carbon fuel standard bill | House Bill 1110 | March 12, 2019

House Bill 1110 would direct the Department of Ecology to adopt, by rule, standards to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of fuel energy in transportation fuels over time. This would follow California’s model, which has raised gas and diesel prices there and will continue to in the future. We think this new program is regressive, would raise the cost of gas and goods, and not do anything meaningful for the environment.

Anti-Janus bill | House Bill 1575 | March 11, 2019

House Bill 1575 is another response to the U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision. The measure would make it more difficult for public employees to exercise their right to not join a union, and to get out of a union. For example: it would allow employees to opt-in to union via recorded voice, electronic or written authorization, but they can only opt-out of a union via written authorization. We feel this approach is fundamentally unfair to public employees.

Governor’s public option health care bill | House Bill 1523 | March 8, 2019

House Bill 1523 would require the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (exchange) to develop standardized health plans. The measure would expressly limit choice over time in favor of one-size-fits-all plans meeting specific government requirements. We believe this approach would increase health care costs, reduce options and eliminate providers.