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Warnick, Manweller join in re-commitment to employers and modern manufacturing in Washington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJan. 27, 2014

CONTACT:
Laudan Espinoza, Public Information Officer – (360) 786-7504

Warnick, Manweller join in re-commitment to employers and modern manufacturing in Washington

Lawmakers in Washington are determined to learn from California in the state’s treatment of cutting-edge employers. Reps. Judy Warnick and Matt Manweller co-sponsored House Bill 2671 to clarify Washington’s intention to welcome innovative employers in our state, one of which is located in the 13th District they represent. The proposal would change current law defining electric vehicles as those “directly” powered, instead of “exclusively” powered, by a clean alternative fuel. The bill also specifies that “‘Directly powered’ does not include auxiliary sources of power used to regenerate a battery that acts as a direct source of power to a drive train.” This would ensure buyers of this vehicle, partially made in Washington, would qualify for a sales tax exemption.

Automaker BMW was told its latest electric car, the i3, would not qualify as a purely electric vehicle in California even after it had worked with the state to design its low emission vehicle to compete with other automakers. California said the vehicle’s optional “range extender,” which provides a 2.4 gallon gas tank as a backup in case electric power is reduced to less than 5 percent, meant it was not purely electric. This setback meant drivers of the i3 would not qualify for carpool lane access in California or for the state’s $2,500 tax rebate, hurting BMW’s ability to compete effectively in the clean vehicle market.

When Washington lawmakers looked into it, they were told by the Department of Revenue that the i3 vehicles would not be classified for a sales tax exemption in Washington either, because the vehicle would not be “exclusively powered” by electricity if power was used from the optional onboard generator.

“SGL in Moses Lake provides dozens of jobs for people in our area to make carbon fiber for BMW’s lightweight electric cars. We appreciate them and other employers for locating in Central Washington to provide manufacturing jobs. I am supporting this legislation because it ensures the state is fair to employers who have taken a chance in Washington based on certain assumptions,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “We need to support products that are made in Washington, from apples to carbon fiber, and this legislation is one way we ensure this kind of manufacturing continues.”

SGL recently announced its expansion with two new production lines. Every BMW i3 made includes carbon fiber manufactured at the Moses Lake plant.

“I hope this bill is the first step in making Washington the preeminent carbon fiber producer in the world,” said Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “If Washington could become the Silicon Valley of carbon fiber, we would be leaving a high tech legacy to our children for generations to come.”

The legislation has bipartisan support and was referred to the House Finance Committee for consideration. The 2014 session is scheduled to adjourn March 13.
Rep. Warnick’s media:

Rep. Warnick’s Update from Olympia: Jan. 24, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This is the second week of session, and already things are moving fast in this short session.

Education

With the Supreme Court’s recent order to the Legislature that it is still not adequately funding education, there has been much discussion about the topic and the court’s balance of powers with the Legislature. I believe education funding is of paramount importance – that’s why I supported last year’s budget that included $1 billion in additional funding for education.

However, we need to ensure we are very strategic with how we fund education so we are not simply sending more money to schools and not expecting results with your hard-earned tax dollars. In a supplemental budget year, we should only be making minor adjustments to the budget – not making major policy decisions.

Watch this video where I describe my most influential teacher growing up:

Flexibility for rural school districts

This week in the House Education Committee, we heard a bill to provide flexibility for small, rural school districts. House Bill 1492 would allow (not require) just five school districts in the state to apply for a waiver to the state’s 180-day requirement for schools. This would help rural districts, with the support of the community, to save money and adjust to sports schedules. Unfortunately, opponents to the bill are blowing the provisions of the bill out of proportion. Currently, two school districts in Southwest Washington are using these waivers – the students’ test scores are good, and the community has embraced the new schedules.

Teleforum – please note phone number has changed

Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry will be joining myself and Rep. Matt Manweller for our telephone town hall on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The phone number for you to join the live event has changed – please call (877) 229-8493, then enter pin number 112393. Press star(*) 3 to ask one of us a question. I look forward to talking with you.

Recovery for fire damages

There is a concerning trend around the country where those negligent for wildfires are being sued for far above fair market value of the land destroyed. I’m co-sponsoring House Bill 2103 to require responsible parties pay for a reasonable standard of compensation for the land. National appraisal standards would apply, which includes looking at the value of timber, habitat, water resources and recreation – but intangible qualities of the land would not apply and allow people to sue for far more than a piece of land could be sold or condemned. This will help prevent lawsuit abuse by third-party groups against private landowners. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing today.

I appreciate hearing from you while I’m in Olympia. Please contact me anytime with questions, comments or concerns. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Judy Warnick

Rep. Warnick’s email update Jan. 15, 2014: Legislature is back in session

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am back in Olympia for the 2014 legislative session. This year, the constitution provides us with 60 days to make minor adjustments to the two-year budget we set last year. You can read more about all three of the state’s budgets and how they receive funding and spend funding here. The good news is that the state has brought in more revenue within current collections than originally expected. So for the first time since 2008, we have a little bit more and aren’t facing a massive budget shortfall. This leads many of us in Olympia to be hopeful we can accomplish our work on time!

Yesterday, Gov. Inslee provided his State of the State address – you can watch it here. I’m very concerned that this speech does not align with his proposed supplemental budget and that he provided very little detail as to how he would accomplish his lofty goals. Our economy is just beginning to recover, as evidenced by the slightly higher revenue forecast to the state’s coffers. Now is not the time to make things more expensive for middle class families or small businesses. Read about the solutions I’m supporting to help small businesses in this recent article in the Daily Record.

Telephone town hall Feb. 13

It’s important for me to stay connected with the people I represent while I’m in Olympia. Rep. Matt Manweller and I are hosting a telephone town hall on Thursday, Feb. 13 starting at 6:30 p.m. Anytime during the hour-long conversation, you can call toll-free (800) 762-1620 to listen in, or press * (star/asterisk) on your phone to ask us a question live. I hope to talk with many of you and hear what your concerns and priorities are for our work in Olympia.

Legislation I’m working on

This year I’m sponsoring or co-sponsoring just a handful of bills to help address some challenges we see in our state:

House Bill 2133 would help maintain the privacy of student records, like test scores, after federal student privacy laws were broadened to allow personally-identifiable student data to be shared with more companies and organizations. This bill would ensure parents and guardians provide consent before this data is shared. Teachers from Moses Lake shared their concerns with this issue to myself and Rep. Manweller, so we are co-sponsoring this bill.
House Bill 2204 is sponsored by Rep. Manweller, and I’m supporting it. This legislation would re-establish a rural county tax exemption which had expired and was replaced with another program that reduced the number of communities that qualified. This bill would extend the earlier, broader tax incentive program to encourage businesses to locate in rural counties and create jobs. The program was successful from 1994-2009 and I hope we can bring it back.

I’m working on a couple other bills that have not yet been introduced, but I’ll share more information about those later.

Student interns serving our district

I’m pleased to share that we have two college students who will be serving our district this year.

Evangelina Alvarez is from Quincy and attends Washington State University (WSU) and will be interning with the House of Representatives this year. She is majoring in Pre-Law and Business Management and Operations. Evangelina’s been assigned to work with several members, including myself. We’ll be sure to keep her busy with helping my office respond to your calls and e-mails and doing important research on legislation and issues facing the state.

Leilani Leach is also a WSU student and an intern reporter with the Murrow News Service. She’ll be covering legislative stories for the Columbia Basin Herald and the Wenatchee World, which includes occasionally interviewing me for my take on issues being discussed.

WSDOT survey

WSDOT is conducting a survey for drivers over Snoqualmie Pass. The agency specifically wants to know about visibility on the pass during rain, snow and ice conditions. You can take their survey here to have your voice be heard and help WSDOT improve visibility and safety for drivers.

News

I am pleased to hear that Moses Lake is being considered for jobs as a result of Boeing’s decision to build the 777X here in Washington: Boeing beginning search for Washington site for composite wing plant (The News Tribune). Central Washington is continuing to be known as the place to site a business and create jobs!

To stay up-to-date on statewide news, I encourage you to sign up for The Capitol Buzz, which is a daily morning compilation of news clips from across the state concerning statewide issues. To follow news from the Legislature, you can sign up for The Current, a weekly summary from House Republicans of the latest news and issues being discussed here in Olympia.

As always, if I can ever be of assistance, or if you have concerns, questions or suggestions, please contact my office. I’m here to serve you, and it’s an honor.

Sincerely,

Judy Warnick