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.
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
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:
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
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/
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.
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 13th Legislative District, which includes Kittitas County. King, R-Yakima, serves the 14th 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.
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/
More and more people tangentially connected with state government are finding out that they are subject to Gov. Jay Inslee’s recently announced vaccine mandate – even 4-H volunteers.
In a letter sent to volunteers, the Washington State University Extension, which oversees the 4-H youth agricultural program, wrote that 4-H volunteer leaders must also be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 to continue to participate in any volunteer activities.
Agricultural leaders in the state Senate are worried what this policy will do to the program.
“It’s one thing for the state to mandate COVID vaccination requirements for state workers and education employees, but when this mandate is even imposed on 4-H volunteers, it makes you wonder where does this stop,” said Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “The end result could be fewer people volunteering in 4-H, which would hurt the kids who participate, and it will ultimately hurt Washington agriculture.”
4-H is a more-than-century-old youth development nonprofit that provides programs focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), in addition to civic engagement and agriculture. The organization relies heavily on community volunteers, and the latest requirements could mean a sharp decrease in participation, a serious blow to the popular program.
“I’m hearing a great deal of concern from 4-H leaders around my district. Like other problems many businesses are seeing with hiring staff, this mandate will make it harder for this program to run effectively,” said Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “Much of this program is conducted outside where safety protocols can be implemented without trampling on people’s conscience or medical decisions.”
The focus on youth during this time is greatly needed, says state Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside. “4-H is a valuable experience for young people already suffering setbacks from isolation and mental health challenges due to how the state has handled the pandemic. We shouldn’t be putting more obstacles in the way to their success,” Honeyford said.
While other states are working to boost vaccinations among their workforces, Washington remains an outlier with its heavy-handed approach.
“Our 4-H leaders have gone above and beyond to provide a safe environment for our kids during these unprecedented times and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so,” said Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy. “We have seen that Oregon and California have provided alternatives to vaccine mandates; we should do that here! This mandate ignores individual choice, and I am concerned that we will lose valuable volunteers because of it. Our young people have suffered immeasurably during the last 18 months. Losing their 4-H leaders will only add to their burden.”
Four Republican state senators from eastern Washington – 8th District Sen. Sharon Brown, 16th District Sen. Perry Dozier, 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler and 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick – were among legislators who opposed three bills creating or raising taxes or fees that were passed during the Legislature’s final weekend of its scheduled regular session.
Brown, Dozier, Schoesler and Warnick voted against:
Senate Bill 5126
Under this bill, starting in 2023, businesses producing more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon per year would be required to purchase “allowances” for emissions at auctions arranged by the Department of Ecology. End-user consumption would be included in emissions calculations, meaning refiners would be held responsible for tailpipe emissions. Money from these auctions would go to the state, and would be split between CO2 reduction programs and a transportation-related account called “Forward Flexible.” The price of allowances would grow over time until the state meets arbitrary emissions targets – 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and “net zero” emissions by 2050. The program’s details would be handled by the Department of Ecology. The program is expected to raise about $500 million annually.
Republicans said SB 5126 could cause fuel prices to rise by as much as $2.41 a gallon, based on recent report.
“This is another bill that would punish people and companies by sharply raising gas and diesel prices, without a guarantee that our roads and highways will benefit, and no proof of even helping the climate,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “The bill is called the Climate Commitment Act, but the only thing it will commit Washingtonians to is handing over more of their hard-earned money for an environmental plan that won’t work.”
Brown also took aim at the “Cap-and-Tax” bill, which she called extremely regressive and harmful to Washington families.
“There has been a lot of talk of equity from members of the majority this session, but they have not walked the walk,” said Brown, R-Kennewick, who serves as the Senate Republican Deputy Leader. “In my district, some of the best-paying, living-wage jobs for pipe-fitters, carpenters and other blue-collar workers are out in the furthest parts of the Hanford area. That’s an approximately 20-30-minute drive from many of our communities. The only options workers have to reach that area is to drive.
“Cap-and-Tax not only makes it harder for them to pay for gas to get to good-paying jobs, it also makes every item they need to provide for their families – from groceries to clothing – more expensive.
“If the majority really cared about equity and economic mobility, they would have never pushed this regressive tax that hurts the underprivileged and our working families the most.”
Dozier, a wheat farmer, said the “cap and tax” bill also would have a negative impact on Washington agriculture and would hurt the state’s economic competitiveness.
“This legislation all but ensures that family farms will no longer be able to operate in Washington state,” said Dozier, R-Waitsburg. “We’ll just see larger farms — not the little guy. Why would future generations want to be farmers? There are already so many barriers to farming that currently exist, this just continues to add unbearable costs that many won’t be able to afford.”
Warnick, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate’s agricultural committee, echoed Dozier’s sentiments.
“Ag producers have already had a target on them with all kinds of excessive regulations and fees. These kinds of proposals are just piling on,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “Legislation that has passed to supposedly help the environment, won’t even come close to doing for our farmers what they are doing for us when it comes to being a good steward of our natural resources and the environment.”
House Bill 1277
The four eastern Washington legislators criticized the bill for creating an expensive fee just for recording a wide range of documents at a county auditor’s office.
“It’s stunning that the Democrats think it’s no big deal to increase a recording fee by $100. This is just another example of Democrats showing that they have no bounds when it comes to raising taxes and fees on hard-working people in our state,” said Schoesler.
House Bill 1477
In 2018, Congress passed the “National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act,” which required the FCC to study the feasibility of a three-digit code. In August 2019, the FCC recommended “988” as the code. And in July 2020, the FCC issued a rule to require all telecom providers to route “988” to the 10-digit lifeline by July 16, 2022. The result is the creation of a new three-digit line (988) that will route people to the current infrastructure (and phone number) of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Telecom companies are required to have the routing in place by July 2022. States can – but are not required to – levy fees on phone service. Fees raised must go to call centers answering 988 or other activities such as mobile crisis teams, crisis stabilization units, and follow up calls.
In addition to imposing a “cell phone tax,” HB 1477 would require the Department of Health and Health Care Authority to collaborate to establish state crisis call center hubs and an enhanced crisis response system to prepare for implementation of the 988 crisis hotline.
“Our state’s wireless consumers already pay 29 percent of their bills in government taxes and fees, the third highest government tax and fee burden in this country. This new ‘cell phone tax’ likely will make Washington’s wireless consumers pay the most in government taxes and fees,” said Schoesler.
The 105-day legislative session ended today.
