Tag Archives: E-news

Getting involved in the 2021 legislative session

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

The Legislature has officially convened for its 2021 session. This year we are meeting virtually, except for the few legislators in caucus leadership positions who must be physically present to comply with constitutional requirements. This first week wasn’t without its challenges, but I’m pleasantly surprised with how well it is working and the opportunities for those of us east of the Cascades to engage more conveniently in the legislative process. Instead of traversing the mountains during winter to the Capitol, you may stay safely at home and still make your voice heard before legislative committees by going online.

I do have concerns with how the Governor responded to protestors by physically shutting out the public from the buildings where legislators do their work. I understand the need for security in light of the breach of the fence at the governor’s official residence, and what happened in our nation’s capital, but the show of force we saw on the Legislature’s opening day was a bit of an overreaction to what turned out to be a peaceful and small group. During my time in Olympia, we’ve seen all kinds of groups seriously disrupt proceedings without receiving the same response.

What is the Legislature’s role?

Government belongs to the people and as such should be as open and accessible as possible. That is why I had serious concerns over new rules adopted by the majority, over objections from Republicans, that effectively stifle debate, and limit the asking of questions and making of motions to ensure we are representing our constituents.

An example was the recent adoption of SCR 8402, a measure that extends many of the governor’s emergency proclamations indefinitely and removes further legislative oversight. Some of those proclamations are helpful to small businesses that are continuing to struggle, but it is the Legislature’s role to have a check on the executive. Unfortunately, the majority decided to defer back to the governor, even though many of us had waited months to finally weigh in on the emergency orders that have been controlling our state.

There seems to be a trend toward consolidating power where it doesn’t make sense. I am leading efforts to push back on that, particularly when it comes to the COVID-19 lockdowns and closures. We need local control. There is some consideration being given to regionalizing health districts that would be even more disastrous than what we’ve seen already. You can read my letter to the governor by click here.

Have Your Say

There is an upcoming and important opportunity for you to lend your voice using this new remote approach. Senate Bill 5114, a bipartisan bill that would help safely reopen our state economy, is scheduled for a public hearing at 8 a.m. this coming Wednesday. Specifically, it would allow restaurants and other businesses covered by the governor’s latest restart plan to move immediately into Phase 2 of that plan. If you’d like to testify on the proposal, follow this link to sign up. The window to register closes one hour before the hearing. Please share this information with your family, friends, colleagues, and coworkers. It is important for Olympia to hear your views.

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

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

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,

Judy Warnick,

Your 13th District State Senator

Update from Olympia – Feb. 14, 2018

February 14, 2018

Share my E-newsletter

Due to election year restrictions, I will be limited in how I can communicate with you about what is going on in Olympia. Please be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you already haven’t. Visit my website by clicking here and sign up to receive future e-newsletters! You can also unsubscribe at anytime by clicking here.

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Greetings from Olympia,

The short, 60-day, legislative session is now more than halfway over. We are spending much of this week working late into the evening voting on bills that originated in the Senate. That work must be completed by Feb. 14 at 5 p.m.

Some in the majority party have made note of the significant number of bills introduced and passed as a measure of success. However, the types of bills that we have been addressing are cause for real concern. We spent the latter part of last week trying to debate a bill that creates a special deal for one of the state’s unions in an effort to circumvent workers’ constitutional rights. The Senate Republicans obtained a confidential memo from the head of the union to the Governor specifically discussing how they could write a bill to prevent workers from exercising their rights to join or not join the union.

Don’t get me wrong, unions serve a valuable purpose, but I am skeptical when their motives are so plainly contrary to the rights of workers and this legislation. Senate Bill 6199 was jammed through the Senate in the dead of night. That’s right, a bill that closes off necessary transparency was debated at 1 a.m. The majority party refused to allow any amendments to ensure workers are protected and that the state has proper oversight over these closed-door negotiations. Here is a link to a recent article on the legislation.

Higher costs to heat your home and fill your gas tank

One of the other issues facing the Legislature is the desire by Democrats to raise taxes. Late last week they introduced an all-encompassing tax bill, which includes things like a sugar tax. There is also a great deal of pressure by the media and the Governor to pass an energy tax, which would increase the cost of gas at the pump by over 20 cents and increase costs for natural gas and electricity. The Governor was recently in our district meeting with industry and utilities to promote his proposal. I met with him and heard some of those discussions, but I am not convinced that his approach is right for our district or state, especially when our hard-working farmers would be unfairly impacted while hauling their products to market.

The reality is that it is just another tax. If you are concerned about climate, this bill won’t do anything to address that. The state’s largest polluters have been able to garner exemptions from the tax, and in some cases can increase costs for consumers while still getting a tax break. Working families and minority communities will get hit with higher prices for everything and it won’t reduce the state’s carbon emissions. Washington is already one of the greenest states in the country, our economy is growing, but implementing this tax will be a burden on our community.

Visit Washington!

Over the weekend, a bill that I have been working on for several years finally cleared the Senate. Senate Bill 5251 creates a public-private partnership to boost our state’s tourism. We are the only state in the nation without a coordinated tourism plan after the state’s tourism office was closed in 2011. Under this proposal, industry leaders have come together to partner with government to promote Washington as a destination. While Seattle has been able to market itself in other states, many of our smaller and rural communities struggle to draw vital tourism dollars. Tourism affects more than hotels, restaurants and destinations. It benefits retailers, outdoor recreation, state parks, ports and cities – and ultimately the taxpayers of Washington. More than $1.8 billion in local and state tax revenue is generated directly from tourism. It’s one of the largest employers of women and minorities and is responsible for more than 177,100 jobs.

Juvenile Justice Reform

Late Monday evening the Senate approved a measure, Senate Bill 6160 that makes changes to how our court systems deals with juvenile offenders. While I was not a sponsor of the legislation, I worked with the sponsor to accept an amendment that provides for a sentencing enhancement for crimes committed by offenders affiliated with gangs. I have been working on the issue of gang violence in our community for a number of years and I felt it was important to add this sentencing criteria in the discussion of juvenile justice reform.

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.

Signature

Judy Warnick,

Your State Senator

Update from Olympia

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Do you know others who live in our district who may not be receiving my e-news updates? Please forward this e-mail invitation to them or click on the share button below.

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

We have finished the third week of the 2018 legislative session. Given the short, 60-day time frame, things are moving fast. I am glad that we have finally garnered a significant win for rural Washington on the Hirst, household well issue. Late last week, we approved a compromise bill that the governor has signed. It creates a framework for local control over water resources, plans for the future and importantly provides clarity on permit-exempt wells so that families that simply need water for a home can get it.

The media and urban lawmakers have been displeased about the connection between Hirst and the Capital Budget. Let me be clear, without that linkage, urban lawmakers would have been content with doing nothing to solve this problem. Borrowing money to grow government while rural Washingtonians’ property values plummet and economic development grinds to a halt seemed unfair to taxpayers. With the approval of a Hirst fix, the Capital Budget was also adopted allowing for investment in community projects.

Our caucus knew that some sort of investment would be needed in the Capital Budget to address the fallout from the Hirst decision. We needed a policy before we knew that dollar figure. However, the position of some that there is no connection was disingenuous. The framework that the Democrats unveiled in late December made the connection explicit. Without hundreds of millions of dollars in the Capital Budget, the underlying water policy was void.

You can read my press release on the Hirst fix and Capital Budget by clicking here.

Video Update

Please take a moment to watch my latest video update where I discuss what’s going on in Olympia and what I am working on. Click here or on the image below to watch.

My bills

I have introduced several bills this session ranging from seed certification to funding for agricultural fairs and expanding opportunities for retirement benefits of veterans.

Please click here to see a list of bills that I have sponsored.

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.

Signature

Judy Warnick,

Your State Senator

Contact Me

Olympia Office:

103 Irv Newhouse Bldg.

P.O. Box 40410

Olympia, WA 98504

Staff:

Legislative Assistant – Breanne Elsey

Session Aide – Charlie Kirry

Intern – Cynthia Banuelos

Olympia Phone:

360.786.7624

District Phone:

509.766.6505

E-mail:

Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov

Website:

Click here to visit my website

Sen. Warnick’s E-newsletter – April 7, 2015

April 7, 2015

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

On Friday the House of Representatives released their budget proposal. Unsurprisingly it increases state spending beyond our current resources and increases taxes by over $1 billion in this budget cycle alone and almost $2.5 billion in the next budget cycle. The Senate is firm in our commitment to fully fund education in our state without raising taxes. We have $ 3 billion dollars in more revenue to use. By prioritizing our spending we can make the necessary investments to keep our state and community moving forward.

I want to thank everyone back home for the opportunities to meet with you and discuss the important issues facing our district. Whether at the recent Lincoln Day dinners, after church, or in the grocery store, it is so important to connect with constituents.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state Senator.

Sincerely,

Judy Warnick

13th District State Senator

City of Sprague receives funding from state Dept. of Ecology

Recently the city of Sprague was awarded funding for a general sewer plan project. The funds are part of a program that grants low interest loans to cities as part of the Water Pollution Control fund.

The city will use these funds to identify needed improvements and deficiencies in the existing sewer system for future planning.

Congratulations!

Celebrating Washington State families’ out door heritage

I want to congratulate the Kittitas Field and Stream Club for their work this year to recognize the wonderful heritage of Washington’s outdoors. I sponsored a resolution that is Celebrating Washington State families’ outdoor heritage. You can read the resolution here.

This resolution recognizes the vast natural resources and beauty that enrich families’ lives across the state. I encourage you to get outdoors and see all that our great state has to offer.

Inside the Legislature

We are in the final weeks of the 2015 legislative session. This week much of our work is focusing on the budget. On Friday the House of Representatives released their budget that increases state spending by 15 percent, $5 billion and raises taxes by $1.5 billion. That is not sustainable.

In stark contrast, the Senate unveiled our budget proposal Tuesday that make significant investments in education, cuts tuition by 25 percent, protects the vulnerable without raising taxes. You can read more about our budget here. I am committed to using tax-payer resources wisely. With $3 billion more in revenue coming to the state we must prioritize state spending and live within our means.

This week we also had the last meeting of the Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee before cut-off. We worked on voting bills out of committee and discussed planning for after the legislative session.

Video Update

Please take a moment to watch my latest video update. I discuss the 2015 legislative thus far, the recent House budget proposal and legislation still making its way through the process.Click on the picture to watch.