Tag Archives: Agriculture

Warnick legislation to improve state food supply clears Legislature

The state legislature has approved a bill sponsored by state Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake that would formalize a public-private partnership to improve the state’s food-supply system. Senate Bill 6091 outlines goals of the Washington Food Policy forum, to include support for small farms, increasing the availability of food grown in the state, and reducing food insecurity.

“A system that ensures a secure, abundant supply of healthy food is vital to Washington’s economy,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “Agricultural products are worth over $10 billion to the state’s economy, supporting over 150,000 jobs on nearly 36,000 mostly family-owned farms and billions of dollars in exports. This group will provide valuable insights into improving our state’s food supply and support our agricultural producers.”

The food policy forum will be overseen by the state Conservation Commission and Department of Agriculture and include a broad group of stakeholders including legislators, industry experts, community groups and academicians. Under Warnick’s legislation, members of the forum will provide a report to the Legislature and governor by October 2021 and in odd-numbered years thereafter.

“The food-supply system is complex, and we need to ensure we have a broad base of expertise at the table. The forum members will be looking at ways to improve the regulatory environment for our producers, best use of farmland and ways to coordinate our agricultural efforts in the best way for our citizens,” said Warnick.

The bill was approved unanimously and now heads to the governor’s office for his signature.

Nearing the half-way point

Greetings from Olympia,

This past Friday the Senate had one of its first deadlines that we call the policy cutoff. It was the last day for bills that aren’t budgetary to receive a public hearing and move along the process. The Senate budget committee, Ways and Means, worked late into the evening looking at legislation with fiscal impacts to meet its deadline Tuesday. We have until Feb. 17 to vote on bills originating in the Senate and then we will start to consider legislation coming from the House of Representatives. That means we’re about at the half-way point of the legislative session. While all of this is happening, the majority is crafting a supplemental budget to address emerging needs since we adjourned last April.

The state is projected to collect nearly $1 billion more in revenue than we expected when we adjourned last year. That pushes the total budget to unprecedented levels. I continue to believe that we can and must find ways to provide tax and regulatory relief for families and small businesses. As I mentioned in my last update, the Senate approved a bill that increases the business and occupation tax on all kinds of industries. It was a “fix” because a similar tax increase approved last year was so complicated and convoluted that the state Department of Revenue wasn’t sure it could collect the money.

At a time when we have serious problems with rising health-care costs and a spate of nursing-home closures, the “fix” this year actually raised taxes on doctors and nursing homes! I opposed that bill.

Agriculture Update

Farm

In addition to my work on the budget, I continue to serve our district on the Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Parks Committee. Even though this is a short, 60-day session, there is a lot of activity relating to agricultural and water issues.

We have four big bills concerning water that are being discussed dealing with water-rights sales and transfers. Just before the session, The Seattle Times did an in-depth story on an emerging issue in which out-of-state investors are buying up water rights. That presents a challenge to balance the rights of people to do what they want with their property with our state’s broader needs for access to water in critical areas. We don’t want to craft laws that may cause other problems for work that is ongoing, especially in other parts of the state.

Water law is complex. Tackling this emerging issue isn’t something we can or should do quickly, and it can’t happen in a vacuum. That is why we’re making sure to include a broad group of stakeholders with an eye toward protecting water-rights holders.

Some other issues I’m watching relate to pesticides. I’m a member of a legislative task force that is looking into the use and application of pesticides in our state. There is a bill this session to do an outright ban of one particular product. This could have a severe impact on the tree-fruit industry.

From the looks of it, producers weren’t consulted about the use of the pesticide or what impacts a ban would have. It’s my understanding that the pesticide in question is only rarely used and in an emergency situation. It affects a particular pest that could wipe out an orchard in just a couple of days. If that is the case, our orchardists need tools to protect their crops. I will be fighting for them to have a voice at the table.

Making home ownership more affordable

Housing costs aren’t an issue only in urban western Washington, as extremely low vacancy rates also mean a short supply of affordable housing in many eastern Washington cities.

I introduced legislation to boost affordable housing production east of the Cascade Mountains under a local infrastructure investment program. Senate Bill 6328, which has strong bipartisan support and was approved by the Senate Housing Stability and Affordability Committee. Although my bill was not approved by the budget committee, there is a similar bill in the House that appears to be making its way through the legislative process.

We need to give local jurisdictions more tools to meet affordable housing needs in their communities. A significant cost driver for building housing is all the regulations and permitting costs. These proposals are a way to incentivize construction of more housing so that its affordable, not mandates or more taxes. Read more…

Improving our State’s Food Supply System

Warnick

Today, the state Senate approved legislation I sponsored that would formalize a public-private partnership to improve the state’s food-supply system. Senate Bill 6091 outlines goals of the Washington Food Policy forum, to include support for small farms, increasing the availability of food grown in the state, and reducing food insecurity.

The food policy forum will be overseen by the state Conservation Commission and Department of Agriculture and include a broad group of stakeholders including legislators…read more…

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have about your state government.

Sincerely,

Signature

Judy Warnick,

Your 13th District State Senator

Warnick seed certification bill signed by Governor

Thursday, the governor signed Senate Bill 6278. The new law, introduced by Sen. Judy Warnick, will provide greater flexibility to the state Department of Agriculture regarding how it uses fees collected for certifying agricultural, vegetable and flower seeds.

“It is vital to our state’s agricultural industry that we have a robust seed certification program,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who recently served as the chair of the Senate’s agriculture-related committee. “Giving flexibility to the state Department of Agriculture in how they use these funds will ensure quality crops by allowing the agency to take a holistic approach.”

The legislation came at the request of industry organizations.

“This law will strengthen our state’s Seed Act, which is in place to ensure consistency and uniformity of seeds coming into our state,” added Warnick. “The goal is to protect consumers and facilitate interstate commerce.

“Having flexibility over funding is critical to making that happen.”

The law goes into effect 90 days from the bill signing, on June 20.

Governor signs Warnick bill giving boost to Washington’s agricultural fairs

Sen. Judy Warnick’s bill to update state law concerning agricultural fairs and youth shows was signed Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee. Senate Bill 6368 makes broad changes to fair funding access, flexibility of funds and administrative oversight. The new law, which received unanimous support in the Legislature, will take effect June 7.

“State laws concerning fairs and youth shows haven’t been updated in 50 years,” said Warnick, who is Republican leader on the Senate’s agriculture committee. “There have been a lot of changes in how fairs come together and what they do for communities across our state. They are an important economic-development tool for rural communities and my bill will help support those efforts far into the future.”

The updates to state law create a more equitable funding process for the 64 agricultural fairs and youth shows held across Washington. In addition, the new law condenses term lengths on the state’s fair commission, and ensures that fairs won’t lose funding as a result of a natural disaster.

“There are some quirks in state law concerning fairs,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “This reform will keep fairs viable and give the state Department of Agriculture more flexibility in how it manages the fair fund.”

The state treasurer is required by law to transfer money to the fair fund, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture. That amount has dwindled in years past and permitted expenses have been limited. Under Warnick’s legislation, the fund will receive $2 million per year to support the expanded definition of fairs.

Warnick agritourism legislation approved by Senate

Bill would expand protections for agricultural producers who host tourists

Today the state Senate approved Senate Bill 5808, sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick, chair of the Senate agriculture committee, that would limit liability for ranchers and farmers engaged in agritourism activities. The legislation was approved 42 to 6 and goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“We want to promote our agriculture industry and agritourism as a great way for people to learn more about where their food comes from, and create better understanding of the life of our agricultural producers for those in urban communities,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “Life on a farm is hard, sometimes dangerous work, 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.”

Public testimony on the legislation indicated that in Kittitas County alone there are at least 15 such agritourism operations, providing millions of dollars to the local economy. Twenty other states have similar laws on the books aimed at clarifying and limiting liability for agritourism.\

“Insurance premiums for this industry have become very expensive, increasing by 400 percent in two years,” 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.”

 

Warnick bill would grant new protections for state’s cattle industry

Sen. Judy Warnick’s legislation to have air-quality rules treat cattle feedlots the same as other agricultural operations was approved today by the state Senate.

Agricultural operations are exempt from state clean-air rules; Warnick’s Senate Bill 5196 would extend the exemption to feedlots while establishing a process and guidelines for addressing activities that may be detrimental to the environment.

“I think this is a good compromise bill which balances the rights of our cattle producers with environmental concerns, although I am disappointed with the final vote,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who chairs the Senate Agriculture, Water, Trade and Economic Development Committee. “Other agricultural activities are exempt from these kinds of regulations, so this adjustment to state law makes sense. We are still ensuring best practices to keep our environment clean and providing a transparent process when a violation occurs. I wish we would have seen more bipartisan support for this common sense legislation.”

Cattle operations are still required to adhere to state Department of Ecology rules regarding dust control. The legislation would require that violations be clearly documented with evidence, setting a higher bar than current practice.

“In some areas of our state, raising cattle is a dusty business, but we know that impacts are temporary,” said Warnick. “If there are serious violations, then we want to deal with them, but this bill would provide for increased protections for our well-meaning cattle-industry partners.”

The bill was approved by a vote of 30-19 and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Warnick garners additional Senate duties, outlines legislative priorities

The 2017 legislative session began last week with Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, continuing to lead the Senate committee that addresses agricultural, water and economic-development issues. She also has been promoted to the position of vice chair of the Senate’s majority caucus.

Before legislators returned to the Capitol for their scheduled 105-day session, Warnick’s Republican-led Majority Coalition Caucus merged the committee she headed the past two years, which covered agriculture, water and rural economic development, with the committee that dealt with trade and economic development. The larger panel that resulted, dubbed by some as the “supercommittee,” is now known as the Senate Agriculture, Water, Trade and Economic Development Committee.

 

In addition, Warnick will act as a negotiator for the state’s capital budget.

“Communities around our state have benefited from wise investments through the capital budget,” Warnick said. “I spent years working on the capital budget in the House of Representatives, and look forward to continuing this valuable work.”

As the MCC vice chair, Warnick will help preside at internal meetings and coordinate committee activities as liaison between leadership and committee chairs.

“I am also excited to work with my Senate colleagues in this new leadership role,” Warnick added. “I am a consensus builder and hope I can lend my skills to move the conversation on policies we are considering.”

“This session there is a lot of focus on education – it is our state’s paramount duty,” said Warnick. “I am committed to making sure our state provides a quality education to all students. There are also other priorities that I hope to address such as the recent state Supreme Court ruling – the Hirst decision – that will impact rural home building and access to water. I will also be looking at local land-use planning as it relates to marijuana-growing operations and the work I did over the interim on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Children and Families.”

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