Tag Archives: Senate

Warnick plans Tuesday hearing on collaborative approach to Washington rural development

The chair of the Senate’s water-policy committee has responded to an anti-rural ruling from the state Supreme Court by filing legislation concerning the availability of water for new household wells. Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, has scheduled Senate Bill 5239 for a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8 a.m. before the Senate Agriculture, Water, Trade and Economic Development Committee.

Warnick says the high court’s recent Hirst decision would effectively halt development in many of Washington’s 39 counties, hitting rural areas the hardest. It would have a chilling effect on rural economic development by requiring local governments to make legal determinations of water availability – work already done by the state Department of Ecology – and sets up a situation where local jurisdictions and the state could be at odds issuing permits for small, household wells.

Her measure would support development in rural areas by limiting the factors that drive up the cost of obtaining water supplies for new-home construction.

“Water is already a critical issue for our state,” Warnick said. “This court decision makes our problems even worse and shows a real disconnect between the court and everyday Washingtonians. Many in rural communities around the state view this action as a war on rural Washington because so many people rely on these household wells that previously have never been an issue.”

In practice, the case requires counties with already limited resources to conduct costly studies on water availability for wells that have for decades been exempt due to the extremely low amounts of water used for household purposes. The costs of the studies, which could add thousands of dollars to the cost of homebuilding in rural areas, likely would be passed on to homeowners.

“We face a situation where people in rural areas who don’t have the luxury of hooking up to city water now have very few options,” Warnick said. “We are one Washington, but the realities faced by the communities I represent sometimes don’t get the attention they deserve. We are talking about families who will now have to pay tens of thousands of more dollars to get water because the state Supreme Court has taken decades of water law and turned it on its head.”

“I am hopeful that my bill will provide a collaborative approach, needed relief, and certainty in the wake of this bizarre court decision,” Warnick added.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Senate approves Warnick rural economic development bill in special session

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.

Sen. Warnick’s E-newsletter – May 19, 2015

Update from Olympia – May 19, 2015

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

The special session is scheduled to conclude on May 28. Budget negotiators have been working to bridge gaps in the respective proposals for the state’s two-year operating budget. The governor released his budget in December which called for increased spending above existing resources by $1.5 billion. Since then, the state’s resource have increased by $1.1 billion. I have been consistent in my belief that we can meet the real priorities of state government, like education, without raising taxes. The recent news that revenues are again up nearly $400 million are further indication that the Legislature can budget within its means.

Session Successes

Bill Signing

From Left to Right: Staff from the state Dept. of Agriculture, Jack Fields from the WA Cattlemen’s Assoc., Monty Dent, Gov. Inslee, Dana Dent and Rep. Dent, myself, Hannah Castro, and Kyle Lynch

After months of hard work, some bills that I’ve sponsored have become law.

I sponsored Senate Bill 5603 to meet the increasing popularity and demand for cottage foods such as baked goods, jams and fruit preserves. The new law increases the maximum amount of annual gross sales kitchen-to-consumer entrepreneurs may have, without losing their “cottage” status, from $15,000 now to $25,000 when the law changes in late July.

Currently, cattle sales require onsite inspections for certain circumstances. The new law that recently took effect as a result of my legislation, Senate Bill 5733 would take advantage of cutting-edge technology by implementing an electronic livestock transaction system. The legislation allows for electronic reporting of cattle transactions as an alternative to mandatory cattle inspection requirements currently in place. The new law also requires the state’s Department of Agriculture to provide annual reports to the Legislature on the implementation of the new program.

Independent commission votes to increase legislator pay

Last week the Washington Citizen’s Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials voted to increase all members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government pay. In the late 1980s citizens passed a constitutional amendment to remove any appearance of impropriety in legislators setting their own pay. I’m disappointed by this recent decision that was made without any elected officials’ input and is so out of step with what other state employees receive.

The Commission is made up of citizens from around the state. You can click here to see who is currently serving on this body and how they are appointed. Click here to see more information on the pay increases adopted by the Commission. The backgrounds of the members serving on the Commission are diverse including a representative from organized labor groups. The first part of the salary increase will go into effect this year at the beginning of September.

Drought Expands

I serve on the Joint Legislative Committee on Water Supply During Drought. Earlier this year Gov. Inslee proclaimed a drought for the east side of the central Cascade Mountains. Last week the drought has been expanded statewide. With that proclamation the Dept. of Ecology requested emergency funding to deal with the drought. I have been working with stakeholders to make sure resources are available to affected communities. You can click here to read a recent article.

Signature

Judy Warnick,

13th District Senator

Contact Me

Olympia Office:

103 Irv Newhouse Bldg.

P.O. Box 40410

Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Phone:

360.786.7624

District Phone:

509.766.6505

E-mail:

Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov

Website:

Click here to visit my website.

Senate capital budget good for schools, jobs and community says Warnick

The state Senate released a bipartisan capital-budget proposal today for 2015-17 which builds over 2,100 classrooms, devotes $60 million to local-government infrastructure projects statewide and maintains and preserves parks and trails. The $3.9 billion plan would fund the construction and maintenance of capital assets across Washington – such as schools and projects with economic-development value.

“The capital budget is an important component for economic development statewide,” said Warnick- R Moses Lake. “This budget puts money toward building schools and make grants available to local governments to boost their economies. I’m glad to support a strong bipartisan proposal that puts our state’s future on the right track.”

With $254 million more directed to public schools than the House proposal, the Senate plan seeks to support student-achievement efforts by building additional classrooms, the largest chunk being aimed at kindergarten through third grade.

“We demonstrated in the operating budget that our kids come first. The capital budget does the same thing. We put nearly half of the funds toward educational projects like investing nearly $1 billion over the next six years to build over 2,100 classrooms for these students.”

All public-works-board list projects are funded through the Senate proposal, which supports local infrastructure and provides family-wage construction jobs.

“We need to make these investments in our communities if our state is going to continue to be successful. Our proposal protects and invests in our natural resources and will insure that our cities and counties have access to resources to grow their economies. That is critical as our state works to bring the economic recovery statewide. This capital budget is good for our schools, jobs, and community,” said Warnick.

The legislation will be a striking amendment to Engrossed House Bill 1115 which received a public hearing at noon today in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

You can click here to view a list of projects and locations that are funded in the Senate’s proposed capital budget.

Warnick supports Senate’s no new tax budget, looks for improvements

The Senate Majority Coalition’s budget proposal was approved Monday afternoon after vigorous debate before the weekend where lawmakers worked around the clock. The budget makes education the top priority and delivers tax relief and college affordability to families across Washington without raising taxes.

“This budget proposal prioritizes education spending after years of putting money toward other programs. With $3 billion in more projected revenue we do not need to ask tax-payers to send Olympia more money. This budget funds the real priorities of government and I’m glad that we can do so without raising taxes,” said Warnick

The Senate proposal puts job creation and families first compared to the House majority’s plan, which would raise state spending by 15 percent and require a $1.5 billion in tax increases.

“Our proposal puts educating our children first and ensures that we can continue to grow our economy. I do have some concerns about how our budget may impact county and local governments but I will be working to see what we can do to ensure that the final budget protects vital funds for our communities,” Warnick said.

Warnick notes that overall the Senate budget is good for 13th Legislative District by not increasing taxes and focusing on growing jobs in the community.

Budget negotiators will now begin reconciling proposals from the House and Senate no later than Sunday, April 26 for the Legislature to conclude its 105-day session on schedule.