I discussed the ongoing issues regarding a fix for rural landowners who are unable to get access to water from wells due to a recent Supreme Court decision.
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 April 24, 2017 |
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 Greetings Friends and Neighbors,The 2017 legislative session ended over the weekend and today marks the beginning of a special session. Although the Senate has approved a balanced and funded budget, we have been waiting for the House Democrats to come to the table with an actual, complete budget proposal. They have a spending wish list, but have failed to pass the necessary $8 billion in tax increases to pay for it. With the state expecting $3 billion more in revenue through a combination of stable tax rates and increased economic activity, leaders of the House majority should be negotiating within the resources the state actually has. Instead, it appears that they are forcing the Legislature into another so-called “special” session. Inaction is not new for the House. There have been several pressing issues facing the Legislature this year that they have failed to act on. Despite bipartisan support and heart-wrenching stories from people around the state, the Democrat-controlled House did nothing to bring relief to families in need of water from small, household wells. My legislation, Senate Bill 5239, would have reversed the Supreme Court’s shortsighted Hirst decision, which has placed rural communities in jeopardy by prohibiting the installation of domestic wells without costly studies. The chair of the Senate’s Capital Budget recently sat down for an interview with the state’s public-access channel to discuss his work, and made it clear that rural communities must have a Hirst fix before any movement on the budget. You can watch that interview here.
My Video UpdateThis time of year is busy as we are working on the Senate floor approving bills that have made their way through the final stages of the legislative process. During a break in the action, I took an opportunity to make this video update discussing the legislative session. Please click here to watch. Afraid of TaxesThe Senate didn’t need new taxes to balance our new 2017-19 budget proposal, which will fund education and other critical state services. We relied on the considerable amount of additional new revenue – about $3 billion more – expected to come into the state treasury through the combination of stable tax rates and increased economic activity. The House spending proposal, in contrast, is predicated on $8 billion in taxes. It can’t be considered a real budget because the House majority is unwilling to vote for the new taxes necessary to implement their proposal. In an effort to get past posturing by the House majority and initiate serious negotiations toward a new state budget, our Senate majority introduced the same tax increases that the House and governor support in their spending plans. We wanted to bring them to a vote and see if there really is an appetite for raising taxes among any Democrat lawmakers in Olympia. As we expected, the Senate’s minority Democrats did everything they could to stave off votes on increasing taxes. You can watch the proceedings here. I’m pleased the Senate minority agreed with our position that new taxes are not necessary. Whether their Democrat colleagues in the House will now come to the table and negotiate during the upcoming special session remains to be seen.
It is an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your state government. Please watch your email, as I look forward to providing you with regular updates throughout the session.
Judy Warnick, 13th District Senator Contact MeOlympia Office:103 Irv Newhouse Bldg. P.O. Box 40410 Olympia, WA 98504 Olympia Phone:360.786.7624
District Phone:509.766.6505
E-mail:
Website: |
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oring our Police
As the 2017 regular legislative session winds down, the chair of the Senate committee that covers water issues said she is appalled that House Democrats have chosen to continue to allow rural families, workers and communities to suffer under the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision by failing to join the Senate in approving Senate Bill 5239. The Senate passed that bill on February 28.
In late 2016 the court issued its Hirst decision, which turned longstanding state water policy on its head, leading to new, severe restrictions on the use of household wells throughout the state. Because a household well is needed to obtain a building permit in areas without municipal water service, the court ruling has essentially halted rural development. Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who introduced SB 5239 to end the Hirst crisis, issued the following statement.
“We sent House Democrats a reasonable and affordable solution for Hirst weeks ago. But they killed our bipartisan remedy and didn’t pass any bills of their own, even though the situation around small, household wells continues to get worse for Washington families. In fact, despite their public promises to fix Hirst, House Democrats have still not reached out to me with a proposal. In light of their refusal to pass the Senate bill, it just looks like they don’t want to help.
“The epicenter of the Hirst decision, Whatcom County, just extended its building moratorium for another six months. Families in that county and communities around the state cannot wait any longer. This crisis continues to grow. I am daily hearing from people who are running into problems resulting from the Hirst decision. Even farmers who want to build farmworker housing for workers are facing new obstacles because of Hirst.
“I stand with the families, farmworkers, small businesses and workers across Washington who have to be stunned by the House Democrats’ failure to step up for them. We simply must deliver a reasonable policy that lets property owners have access to water on their property without undue burdens and costs that will make their lives harder. I am committed to approving this legislation again in the special session to help Washington families.”
On Wednesday the governor signed legislation from 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick and Rep. Tom Dent that would enable irrigation districts to enter into public-private partnerships for new energy infrastructure, including hydroelectric projects.
“This is a good piece of bipartisan legislation that is going to create jobs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our irrigation-district systems,” said Dent, R-Moses Lake, about Senate Bill 5261, which is identical to a House bill he introduced.
“We will be able to put a lot of people to work building the generating stations and then use the profits from the power to maintain and operate the irrigation systems.”
Irrigation districts have a long history as special-purpose districts in Washington. The law created by Warnick’s SB 5261 means they now have an added, market-based opportunity to improve the services they deliver and benefit the regions they serve.
“This is a creative way to deliver affordable energy by our irrigation districts,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “In addition to delivering water to our agricultural producers, irrigation districts are important contributors to our state’s energy profile. This law provides another tool to help these districts work cooperatively with private-sector partners in the energy arena.”
“This is the most beautiful piece of legislation I’ve seen all year, due to its simplicity and structure,” said Matthew Hepner, executive director of the Certified Electrical Workers of Washington and vice president of the North Central Washington Labor Council. “The passage of this bill will allow for the creation of thousands of family-wage construction jobs in rural central and eastern Washington communities, followed by up to a hundred full time permanent jobs, while putting up to 500 megawatts onto the grid in real, usable amounts. This will help keep power rates low and keeping central Washington industrially competitive.”
A new law will help tow-truck operators save on the cost of notifying the owners of vehicles they impound. Senate Bill 5343, sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, was signed by the governor Monday. The new law will allow registered tow-truck operators to send notices using first-class mail, instead of a more costly certified mailing.
“This bill allows for minor changes to protect tow-truck operators and consumers and save money,” said Warnick. “We are still ensuring proper records are kept for those whose vehicles are impounded or picked up when abandoned, while reducing the cost burden on tow-truck companies.”
During public testimony on the legislation, truck operators indicated that mailing a certified letters costs over $6, and in many cases the letter is returned. Allowing first-class mailing instead still creates a record of attempts to contact registered owners of abandoned vehicles — just at a fraction of the cost.
The law takes effect 90 days after the adjournment of the 2017 regular legislative session, scheduled April 23.
Sen. Judy Warnick’s legislation to limit liability for ranchers and farmers engaged in agritourism activities cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday. Minor changes made to Senate Bill 5808 by the House of Representatives received near-unanimous approval from the Senate. The measure now goes to the governor to be signed.
“Agritourism, in the form of opening up farming operations to the public, represents an increasingly popular and viable revenue stream for our agricultural producers,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake, chair of the Senate agriculture committee. “Farm work can be dangerous, and this bill clarifies liability when they open up their operations to the public to cut down their own Christmas trees, or pick their pumpkins for Halloween.”
Twenty other states have similar laws aimed at clarifying and limiting liability for agritourism. The industry provides millions of dollars to the local economies. Kittitas County, in Warnick’s district, is home to at least 15 such agritourism operations.
“Getting insurance for these kinds of activities can be unduly expensive,” said Warnick. “We need this clarification to help family farms be more economically viable, engage with broader audiences, and have some protections when they are acting responsibly.”
April 6, 2017 |
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Share my E-newsletterDo you know others who live in our district who may not be receiving my e-news updates? Please feel free to forward this e-mail invitation to them or click on the share button below. If you have received this without directly subscribing, please visit my website by clicking here and sign up to receive my e-newsletters!
Greetings from Olympia!This week brought another of the deadlines for bills to continue through the legislative process. The House Democrats unveiled their spending proposal to meet the state’s obligation to fund education and pay for other state services for the next two years. Unfortunately, it is just a spending wish list because it requires billions in more taxes that the House majority does not intend to bring up for a vote. While it does make investments in many areas of state government, the House proposal still spends less money on education – despite over $3 billion in new taxes – than the Senate’s complete and funded budget that does not include a general tax increase.
Our state is expected to collect $3 billion more in taxes generated from economic activity. Our budget prioritizes spending on education. As one of my colleagues noted, we put the first dollar, not the last dime, toward education, unlike the House Democrats’ proposal.
It is an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your state government. Please watch your email, as I look forward to providing you with regular updates throughout the session.
Judy Warnick, 13th District Senator Contact MeOlympia Office:103 Irv Newhouse Bldg. P.O. Box 40410 Olympia, WA 98504 Olympia Phone:360.786.7624 District Phone:509.766.6505 E-mail:Website: |
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On the day of the deadline by which policy bills must be approved to continue in the legislative process, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee failed to approve Senate Bill 5239, the “Hirst fix” legislation sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. This failure to act leaves rural residents hoping to drill a small, household well without access to water.
In late 2016 the state Supreme Court issued its Hirst decision, which turned decades of water law on its head and prevents future domestic wells from being used. Warnick, who chairs the Senate’s water-related committee, made the following statement in light of the House’s inaction.
“I am disappointed that the House committee was unable to move my legislation that brings needed relief to residents in rural areas of our state. I worked with stakeholders to address concerns and put forth a solution that actually works for the thousands of people who are left with no access to water on their properties.
“When the session began, the impacts of the Hirst decision became painfully clear. The lives of the people I represent and really, of all of Washington’s residents who don’t have the luxury of hooking up to city water systems, are being adversely affected and it demands action.
“This issue is not just about water. The inability for housing development in rural areas is crippling for county revenues, for school districts and for areas in our state that haven’t felt the economic recovery like the Central Puget Sound has. Families are hurting and they deserve relief.
“The next step to solve this crisis is on the House. The Senate approved a bipartisan solution to address the Hirst decision – the House failed to act. I listened to the people who had spent their life’s savings on a property to make a home, but the House ignored them.
“The bottom line is that we must deliver a reasonable policy that lets property owners have access to water on their property without undue burdens and costs that will make their lives harder.”