Author Archives: Laudan

Public safety, affordability and more

Greetings from Olympia,

Things are really starting to pick up here in Olympia as this past Friday we reached a milestone called the fiscal committee cutoff. This is first of a few deadlines that narrows down what legislation may ultimately become law. The work in the Ways and Means Committee, of which I’m a member, will help shape what the state’s next two-year budget will look like. Now, we are spending the day and into the evenings voting on legislation on the Senate floor before next week’s cut-off.

Entering the 2023 session, the state’s revenue has been surprisingly healthy, with a significant surplus. My Senate Republican colleagues and I have been pushing for policies that focus on addressing affordability in our state as it relates to higher costs for energy, food and housing. I firmly believe that the best stewards of taxpayer funds are you, the taxpayer! We don’t need more and bigger centralized state government programs. We need to make good on our current commitments and ensure they are working as intended.

Another area of focus that has been in the news quite a bit is public safety. At the eleventh hour, the House of Representatives was able to approve a watered-down version of a fix to the police pursuit legislation. That is good news because it at least keeps something moving that we can work on.

I want to again extend my gratitude to everyone that joined our joint legislative town hall the other week. It was nice to connect with people back home, answering their questions about what’s going on in the state Legislature and more importantly getting their feedback.

My first bill of the session will help Yakima-area health care

Barriers exist for out-of-state faculty moving to Washington to teach in various medical fields, including dentistry. Under Warnick’s legislation, accredited dental schools can request temporary licensure for faculty who have accepted employment at the respective school.

Access to health-care services in rural communities is desperately needed and with shortages across the board, I’m pleased the Senate has approved my proposal to help educate more dental professionals. Allowing this kind of licensure reform will help Pacific Northwest University of Health attract the talent they need to meet the needs of the Yakima area and beyond.

Click here to read more.

News Roundup

Below are links to a few news articles about the work I’m doing in Olympia and issues that I’ve commented on from public safety to water access.

A day in the life of a legislator (Columbia Basin Herald)

Commentary: Keeping our communities safe

Dent, Warnick bills would create assessment process for MLIRD

Sharing inmate information with immigration authorities

How to get involved:

Learn more about the Legislature | https://leg.wa.gov
Call the legislative hotline | 1-800-562-6000
A Citizen’s Guide to Effective Legislative Participation | leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/
EffectiveParticipation.aspx

Share your opinion on a bill | app.leg.wa.gov/pbc
Track legislation: Senate floor activity calendar | app.leg.wa.gov/far/Senate/Calendar
Committee schedules | leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/CommitteeListing.aspx
Testify remotely: app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate

Senate unanimously approves Warnick legislation boosting dental schools

Warnick’s first bill of the session will help Yakima-area program

As the Legislature begins its first stretch of floor votes on proposals, the state Senate today unanimously approved Sen. Judy’ Warnick’s first bill of the 2023 legislative session, Senate Bill 5113.

Brought to Warnick’s attention by the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences located in Yakima, the measure would make regulatory changes to licensing requirements for faculty of dental schools, expanding access to a critical health-care specialty.

Currently, barriers exist for out-of-state faculty moving to Washington to teach in various medical fields, including dentistry. Under Warnick’s legislation, accredited dental schools can request temporary licensure for faculty who have accepted employment at the respective school.

“Access to health-care services in rural communities is desperately needed and with shortages across the board, I’m pleased the Senate has approved my proposal to help educate more dental professionals,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “Allowing this kind of licensure reform will help Pacific Northwest University of Health attract the talent they need to meet the needs of the Yakima area and beyond.”

Under current state law, other dental schools in Washington are able to provide similar waivers for prospective faculty. Warnick’s proposal would create parity for this eastern Washington dental program. The temporary licensure would still maintain high standards, requiring approval by the Washington State Dental Quality Assurance Commission.

The measure now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. The 105-day legislative session ends on April 23.

Virtual Town Hall

Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, and Reps. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, and Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, are inviting citizens from the 13th District to join them for a one-hour Virtual Town Hall meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. to discuss issues related to the 2023 legislative session.

The remote town hall meeting will be conducted using the Zoom platform. Those who would like to participate must pre-register in advance.

The 2023 Session is Under Way…

Greetings Friends,

As a result of the 2020 census, the 13th District was recently redrawn to reflect changing demographics. That means for many of you receiving this e-newsletter, your representation in Olympia may have changed. The map below shows the previous district, which included all or parts of four counties. Now, it is comprised of portions of three.

Please allow me to introduce myself or get reacquainted. I’m Sen. Judy Warnick. I began serving as your 13th District state Senator in 2015. I grew up on a dairy farm in Deer Park and my husband and I live in Moses Lake, where we operate a small business and own a family farm.

I encourage you to visit my legislative website, www. SenatorJudyWarnick.org, to learn more about my work on your behalf in Olympia and how to stay in touch. Contact information for my office is also at the end of this e-newsletter.

It is an honor to represent you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have about your state government. I’m here to help as much as I can.

Judy Warnick,

Your 13th District State Senator

What’s Happening in Olympia

The 2023 legislative session is underway and there is no shortage of important issues facing our state that we must address as we simultaneously develop the next two-year budget.

From public safety reforms to taxation and rising costs of living, I want you to know that I’m working to ensure our state lives up to its obligations to support law enforcement and use your tax dollars wisely.

We continue to see proposals that are missing the mark when it comes to giving working families some financial relief. Unfortunately, too many bills are subtly ratcheting up costs by taking money out of the local economy to spend on growing state government.

Instead, we should be focusing on how we can restore public safety, return affordability and support students and families impacted by a steep learning loss. Over the 105 days of the legislative session that is scheduled to conclude April 23, I’ll be standing on these principles.

I’m pleased to report that I’ve been re-elected by my colleagues as the Chair of the Republican Caucus. In that role, I have the responsibility of overseeing the internal deliberations of my colleagues and support their efforts to effectively represent their constituents.

In addition to this leadership role, I will continue to serve on several standing committees that look at legislation important to our district, including the Senate’s agriculture and water-related committee, the budget committee, Ways and Means, and the Senate Human Services committee.

How to get involved:

What we learned from the 2022 Legislative Session

Bill passage sets stage for local silicon manufacturing

MOSES LAKE — A tax break for solar manufacturers championed by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, passed nearly unanimously during the recent legislative session and is sitting on Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk awaiting his signature.

“I don’t see where he is scheduled to sign it,” said Warnick about Senate Bill 5849, which would extend tax breaks for manufacturers of solar panels and components. “He has 30 days to sign it or it becomes law. I assume he’s going to sign it.”

The bill is one of several put forward this year intended to help promote local investment and possibly encourage the restart of silicon production at REC Silicon. The local plant halted production several years ago following a lengthy tariff and trade dispute with the People’s Republic of China over access to Chinese markets.

Read more: https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2022/mar/23/bill-passage-sets-stage-local-silicon-manufacturin/

Capacity grants for local meat processors now available

OLYMPIA… During the height of the COVID pandemic, State Sen. Judy Warnick worked to secure funding for a bourgeoning and much needed alternative to large meat processing facilities who were hit hard by the virus. Closures around the country led to shocks in the meat supply causing prices to spike and supply to plummet. In 2020, industry experts estimated that meat production, particularly of beef and pork, dropped 30 percent.

Warnick, R-Moses Lake, sponsored Senate Bill 5045, which the Senate approved, but the legislation died in the House. She was able to work the proposal into the state’s 2021-2023 budget which established a grant program to increase access to meat and poultry processing and inspection opportunities.

Now, the state Department of Agriculture has announced the grant application process is open, providing capacity-building funds to small and midsized operations.

“I’m pleased that this innovation is coming online and available to smaller producers in our state,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “COVID highlighted vulnerabilities in our food system that needed reform. Hopefully these grants will build that capacity we need to diminish the impacts of possible future disruptions. Done right, it will mean more opportunity for small business and more local options for consumers.”

According to a news release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), the grant is for, “entities that can offer increased availability of meat or poultry slaughter or processing services needed by direct-marketing Washington farms and ranches.” The goal is to make targeted investments to boost efficiency, improve food safety, livestock welfare and workforce training.

Warnick is urging producers to get their applications in. Grants for small projects of up to $150,000 are due Feb. 28 and larger projects from $150,000 to $750,000 are due March 7.

For more information you can visit the WSDA grant webpage for guidelines, forms and additional information.

WSDA is also hosting a virtual informational session this Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9.am. You can sign-up here to receive the Zoom link.

Unconscionable: WSDOT refuses help to clear snow from roads in Kittitas County

Central Washington Sens. Judy Warnick and Curtis King issued this statement regarding the state Department of Transportation’s refusal to let Kittitas County road crews help clear snow on state highways in the county after a major snowstorm last week:

“We are shocked and very disappointed that the state Department of Transportation refused Kittitas County’s offer to help clear snow off key highways because county employees are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The state, especially the governor, is putting political ideology and an inflexible desire to enforce vaccine mandates above public safety. This is wrong and foolish.

“A snowplow has just one person in the vehicle, so it shouldn’t matter whether the snowplow driver is vaccinated. Most people rightly are more concerned that our highways and roads are kept clear of snow this winter than the vaccination status of snowplow drivers and other winter road crew employees, who typically work in isolation.

“After the snowstorm hit last week, Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 97 through Kittitas County were closed for three days, making travel nearly impossible for county residents and others relying on these highways, keeping people from attending medical appointments or other important meetings on the west side of the Cascades, and delaying freight deliveries. WSDOT’s winter road crews have been working around the clock to try to keep our highways clear, but they are very understaffed – and exhausted – due to job losses caused by Governor Inslee’s COVID vaccine mandates. Kittitas County generously offered to have its road crews help clear the snow, but WSDOT leaders refused. And then WSDOT hired a private contractor to help clear highways in the county. Is WSDOT requiring that contractor to be vaccinated?

“We feared the vaccine mandate would hurt drivers and truckers this winter. Sadly, our fears have been realized. This is on the governor, not those WSDOT workers who lost their jobs.”

Warnick, R-Moses Lake, serves the 13^th Legislative District, which includes Kittitas County. King, R-Yakima, serves the 14^th Legislative District and is ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee.

King was interviewed about this issue today on KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show.

The Senate Transportation Committee is scheduled to hold a work session today at 4 p.m. on the state of transportation in Washington. WSDOT officials, including state Transportation Secretary Roger Millar, are expected to attend. King says he will ask WSDOT pointed questions about its refusal to accept Kittitas County’s offer to help plow highways in that county. The committee meeting can be viewed here.

Warnick to lead Republicans in Senate

Members of the Washington state Senate Republican Caucus on Thursday elected Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, as their caucus chair and Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, as caucus vice chair.

Warnick, representing the 13th District, has served as caucus vice chair since 2017, according to the Senate Republican Caucus. As leader of the group, Warnick will preside over internal meetings and help develop caucus strategy during the 2022 legislative session.

“It’s an honor to be chosen by my Republican colleagues as their caucus chair,” Warnick said in a release from the caucus. “My years as caucus vice chair have given me the experience to serve in this new position. I look forward to continuing to work with the rest of Senate Republican leadership on ways to help us reach our goals next session and beyond for the people of Washington state.”

Read More: https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/nov/19/warnick-lead-republicans-senate/