 Update from Olympia – January 21, 2015
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Greetings Friends and Neighbors,I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. Things are already busy here in Olympia in the second week of the 2016 legislative session. With only 60 days in this “short” session, the Legislature must focus its work on the real priorities of state government like investing in education and reducing burdensome regulations. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to deliver results for the citizens of our state. The Legislature adjourned in 2015, after numerous overtime sessions, with a new budget that made history. Investments in our K-12 system are at all-time highs, with nearly 50 percent of state spending going to basic education. Our Senate majority led the way with the first college-tuition reduction in state history, giving needed relief to working families and students across the state. I look forward to building on these kinds of results in this legislative session.  Committee Highlights
I continue to serve as the chair of the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee. This year we have already begun looking at ways to comprehensively address our state’s water quality and access needs. Last year’s drought had significant impacts on our state’s farmers, families and small businesses. Although experts are not predicting a drought this year, we must work together to find ways to mitigate future drought problems. In addition, the Legislature must invest in communities affected by last year’s fire season so that they can rebuild and recover. Although our district was not directly impacted by wildfires, firefighters from our community and around the state lent a helping hand to our neighbors in need. Addressing wildfires means more than focusing on recovery. Our state must also push for better forest management to prevent the buildup of fuels on the forest floor. Continuing to improve education
Public school employees and me outside of my office in the Irv Newhouse Building in Olympia
Our Senate majority is working to reverse the effects of 30 years of budget decisions that put education at a lower priority than non-education programs. Since the formation of the Senate Majority Coalition in 2013, per-student funding has increased by over 33 percent and overall spending on K-12 education is at levels not seen in decades. That is strong progress. Along with these significant changes, the Legislature must also act to protect school choice. Late last summer the state Supreme Court ruled that the way public charter schools are funded is unconstitutional. Our Senate education committee has already approved legislation that responds to the justices’ ruling and would preserve school choice for over 1,000 students in our state whose needs aren’t being met in traditional public schools. I recently met with public school employees here in Olympia and I want to thank them for their hard work for our students and for taking the time to speak with me about their experiences.These kinds of meetings are invaluable as we work to improve education for children in our state. 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 Share my E-newsletterDo you know others who live in our district who may not be receiving my e-news updates? Please feel free to forward this e-mail invitation to them or click on the share button below. If you have received this without directly subscribing, please visit my website by clicking here and sign up to receive my e-newsletters!
Contact MeOlympia Office:103 Irv Newhouse Bldg. P.O. Box 40410 Olympia, WA 98504
Olympia Phone:360.786.7624
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Tag Archives: Sen. Warnick
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
E-mail:
Website:Click here to visit my website. Share my E-newsletterDo you know others who live in our district who may not be receiving my e-news updates? Please feel free to forward this e-mail invitation to them or click on the share button below.
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Controversial abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, has again garnered national attention with the release of another undercover video that indicates the organization may be continuing to skirt federal law with illegal abortion practices and by selling human body parts.
The videos, four in all, appear to show conversations that could suggest the nation’s largest abortion provider may be performing partial-birth abortions to . According to Planned Parenthood doctor, Deborah Nuctola in one of the videos, partial-birth abortion is “not a medical term, it doesn’t exist in reality.” Her comments hint that practices within the organization are in need of increased scrutiny since, indeed, partial-birth abortions are against federal law.
Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, has rallied her fellow legislators to sign a letter to Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson requesting an investigation into the allegations. Warnick and nine other state Senators are asking the attorney general to investigate after a previous letter by other lawmakers sent to Gov. Jay Inslee was dismissed out-of-hand.
Please click here to read the full letter.
13th District legislators applaud no-new-tax bipartisan budget that cuts tuition, boosts teacher pay
The Legislature approved a new two-year operating budget Monday evening that makes historic investments in all levels of education, cuts tuition at state-run colleges and universities and provides increases in teacher compensation, without raising taxes. Senate Bill 6052 was approved by a vote of 38-10 in the Senate and 90-8 in the House in time to take effect tomorrow and prevent any suspension in government services.
“This budget is a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together,” said Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “The Senate led with a basic principle: make higher education a priority. I am glad that our final budget demonstrates that with the first-ever tuition reduction in our state. This policy increases access to college for working families, easing the burden of student debt and tying future tuition growth to what families can afford.”
Education spending – meaning early learning, K-12 and higher education – climbs by 19 percent in the new budget, which puts $2.8 billion more specifically toward K-12 education. That will have K-12 districts receiving 47.5 percent of the state budget, a level not seen in 30 years.
“This is a very good budget that fully funds education, takes care of our most vulnerable citizens, and keeps our communities safe – while keeping the lid on taxes,” said Rep. Tom Dent, R- Moses Lake. “The budget makes historic investments in K-12 education, reduces K-3 class sizes, gives teachers cost-of-living adjustments, and makes major investments in early learning and the state’s mental health system.”
The budget invests in emergency drought funding, which is vital for the 13th District, and extends tax incentives for food processors and server farms, which bring significant revenue and jobs to the area.
“It is truly a great budget for the taxpayers of our state,” said Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “Citizens will not be asked to pay a new carbon tax, cap-and-trade tax or capital-gains tax as proposed by the governor and Democrats. We accomplished all of these significant policy goals, investing in the people of our state, without raising taxes.”
A critical piece of legislation for Washington State’s economic health has been resurrected during the 2015 second special session. For two years Sen. Judy Warnick has been working to boost rural economic development. Wednesday the Senate approved Senate Bill 5442 which makes needed changes to the Community and Economic Revitalization Board requirements to improve competitiveness and spur economic growth.
“This is a priority issue for communities across the state,” said Warnick. “I am pleased that the Senate has made job creation and competitiveness for rural communities a priority.”
Last year, then Rep. Warnick’s bill passed both chambers of the Legislature only to be vetoed. That bill would have provided for 50 percent of the projects awarded to be exempted from the median wage provision. The version passed by the Senate allows for 25 percent of the jobs to be exempted from the wage provision.
“This legislation faced opposition when I brought if forward in the House and I’ve worked with stakeholders to find a solution,” Warnick said. “This legislation will mean more jobs for my district and communities statewide. Having more job opportunities as a result of the change in CERB policy is better than no jobs.”
The Board offers financing and grants to local jurisdictions but requires that entities receiving funding demonstrate that permanent private sector jobs created exceed the county median wage. This poses a problem for many rural areas with high paying industries in a portion of the county but other economically depressed areas in the same county.
Today, on the final day of the Legislature’s special session, the Senate unanimously voted to allocate $18 million to the State Drought Preparedness Account, allowing the state Department of Ecology to begin emergency drought response as soon as the bill is approved by the House of Representatives and signed into law.
Sen. Jim Honeyford, chair of the Water Supply During Drought Joint Legislative Committee, sponsored Senate Bill 6125 in response to the expanded statewide drought declared by the governor on May 15.
“As lawmakers we need to do everything we can to assist the state’s agricultural community. I’m hopeful that the House of Representatives will act quickly to get this bill to the governor’s desk,” said Honeyford, R-Sunnyside.
To be eligible for funding, municipalities or entities must be connected with a water source that will receive less than 75 percent of normal water supply and that lack of water will cause an undue hardship to the entity or fish or wildlife.
Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who is chair of the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee as well as a drought-committee member, added the situation “is a serious issue that we are all in agreement needs to be addressed. An important part of this bill is not just the financial aspect, but also requiring ecology to consider how it prioritizes resources.”
Should drought conditions not be declared in 2016, any unused funds will be transferred to the state’s Disaster Preparedness Account.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5603 during a formal ceremony Thursday. The new law, sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, was introduced to meet the increasing popularity and demand for cottage foods such as baked goods, jams and fruit preserves. It increases the maximum amount of annual gross sales kitchen-to-consumer vendors may have, without losing their “cottage” status, from $15,000 now to $25,000 when the law changes in late July.
“This change in law is a boost for entrepreneurs across the state,” said Warnick. “We are giving the state Department of Agriculture needed flexibility in regulating these small businesses, and encouraging growth in this burgeoning industry. This legislation is good for rural economic development and can mean increased financial independence for families and more options for consumers. That is a winning situation for everyone.”
State law allows for the sale of foods directly to consumers from home kitchens licensed as cottage food operations by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
“I’m so happy that this bill is now law,” said Hannah Castro, local owner of a cottage food business, Hannah Bananas Cupcakes. “This allows me to expand my business while planning for future opportunities.”