 Update from Olympia – October 1, 2015 |
Greetings,I hope that you have had a safe and fun summer. As fall arrives there is a lot going on throughout our area and in Olympia. I recently traveled with my House colleagues around our legislative district visiting local newspapers to discuss the recent court decisions on education as well as other issues facing our district and state.
Rep. Tom Dent and I speak with Editor of the Royal City Register, Ted Escobar over lunch
Recently the Supreme court issued two rulings. One places a fine of $100,000 a day on the Legislature (and ultimately taxpayers) for what the court views is a failure to adequately fund education. This is despite the fact that since the Majority Coalition Caucus began leading the Senate in 2013, the Legislature has invested $4.5 billion more in education. Education spending now makes up nearly half of the state’s budget. This ruling is concerning in that I believe the court has overstepped its authority. Our state constitution is clear that the legislative branch is responsible for making decisions on spending, not the judicial branch. The second ruling deemed voter-approved charter schools unconstitutional. This is simply an unfair decision to the thousands of students and parents who are already enrolled and excelling at new public charter schools. The court’s decision has been deeply criticized for its timing and lack of foresight which puts other successful education programs at risk as well. The state attorney general recently filed a motion for the court to reconsider its ruling and even former governor Christine Gregoire, who opposed charter schools, called the decision, “not right, not fair.” This particular case has raised many eyebrows because many of the justices that ruled in the majority received significant campaign contributions from the state teachers’ union who vehemently opposes school choice. I recommend you read a recent article about the case by clicking here.  Looking AheadAs the chair of the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee, I am mindful of the challenges our state – and particularly our area – face when it comes to water access and quality. This year those issues are compounded even more by the severe drought that has affected every corner of our state, but has hit our agricultural communities in eastern Washington the hardest. While I’m grateful the Legislature approved emergency funds to assist communities across our state that are suffering,, the fact remains that money can’t replace needed water. Thankfully, our farmers and citizens have done an excellent job of preserving and protecting our water resources. I have been closely monitoring the state Department of Agriculture’s new push to increase inspections for dairies and farmers using manure as fertilizer aimed at preventing run-off and ground water pollution. This may be an example of unneeded, burdensome regulations. Just this past Monday the governor’s office issued a list of businesses they intend to target with a new tax on their carbon output. The list included McCain Foods, a local food processor in Othello. Why are they included in a list among industries like oil refineries and power plants? The fact is that our state will reach its goals to reduce carbon without these types of risky interventions that burden businesses and working families. Around the District
Rep. Tom Dent, his wife and myself with a community member accessing the Citizenship Day in Moses Lake
In addition to meeting with our local newspapers, I recently attended an event at Big Bend Community College called the New Americans’ Citizenship Day. This was a free event to help current legal permanent residents apply for citizenship. Becoming a citizen is a lengthy and expensive process and this workshop provided help to immigrants seeking to achieve the American Dream by becoming citizens of our great country. The program is in part funded by the state Department of Commerce and was graciously hosted by Big Bend Community College. I commend these volunteers and the more than 70 people seeking to become American citizens from all over the world including Mexico, Denmark, and Argentina. It is an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions regarding state government.
Sincerely,
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
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Tag Archives: Agriculture
To 
meet the increasing popularity and demand for cottage foods, Sen. Judy Warnick, R- Moses Lake introduced Senate Bill 5603 which passed the Senate unanimously. The legislation increases the amount that kitchen to consumer vendors can make from $15,000 to $25,000.
“I am glad that we have been able to address the growing demand for cottage industries in our state,” said Warnick. “These are small, mostly family operations that are providing a service to their community and we should be supporting these entrepreneurs.”
Washington State allows for the sale of foods from home kitchens directly to consumers, licensed as cottage food by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Those small vendors only qualify if annual gross sales are below $15,000.
“This is a small change that could make a big impact by removing barriers for this growing industry. It gives the Department of Agriculture the ability to adjust the ceiling that these small business can make without needing future legislation.”
With thousands of jobs and billions of dollars on the line for Washington state, lawmakers representing the 13th District say the time for the president to act is now.
The three lawmakers signed a letter to President Obama this week, asking him to intervene in the West Coast port labor dispute. In the letter, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg and Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, cite the “devastating effect” the slowdown is having on Washington state employers, employees and the state’s economic stability.
The slowdown is currently costing U.S. agriculture millions of dollars, as representatives from the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union have not come to an agreement on a new contract for dockworkers.
“If a resolution is not reached quickly, not only will the national economy suffer, [but] our state’s operating budget could be well short of the tax collections expected from our trade and manufacturing sectors,” wrote the lawmakers.
Washington is the most trade-dependent state in the nation, and exports $15.1 billion annually in food and agriculture products through Puget Sound ports.
“We need immediate action if we are to salvage what remains of our market share for trade around the globe and to ensure our manufacturers can continue to produce high-demand products.”
To read the lawmakers’ complete letter, click here.
Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, has introduced three pieces of legislation aimed at preserving and clarifying the use of agricultural lands in the context of the state’s shoreline-management and growth-management laws. All three received public hearings Tuesday before the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee.
“Agricultural land cannot be created. It can be developed but it’s hard to get it back,” Warnick told the committee, which she chairs. “I wanted to start a discussion about how land use affects our farmers and looking at options to preserve these vital lands.”
Under the Growth Management Act of 1990 and Shoreline Management Act of 1971, local jurisdictions are required to adopt master plans relating to land use and development. Although preservation of agricultural land is a goal of the GMA much land designated as agricultural land is subject to conflicting rules.
Warnick’s bills are:
- Senate Bill 5168, which would clarify the definition of “agricultural land” and protect current and future agricultural use from wetland conversion, fish habitat creation or inundation.
- Senate Bill 5169, which would focus on preventing the conversion of agricultural land to wetland or fish habitat or making it subject to tidal inundation.
- Senate Bill 5170 – Clarifies the definition of “agricultural land” under the SMA and protects agricultural land.
“Conservation of our state’s natural resources is important and no one knows that more than our farmers,” Warnick said. “The GMA and SMA take into account the importance of preserving agricultural land but there are still challenges. We need a healthy debate on this issue but we also need to ensure a valuable resource like agricultural land is preserved.”