Tag Archives: Waitsburg

Dozier asks for committee hearing on parental-rights initiative

OLYMPIA… Under Washington’s constitution, initiatives to the Legislature are to have precedence over all other measures before lawmakers except spending bills. Sen. Perry Dozier today added an exclamation mark to that requirement by formally asking the chair of the Senate’s K-12 education committee to hold a hearing on Initiative 2081 “as soon as possible.”

I-2081, certified to the Legislature this past week by the secretary of state, would establish a wide-ranging parents’ bill of rights. Dozier, R-Waitsburg, is prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5024, a parental-rights bill that received a hearing before the same committee in 2023. After I-2081 was submitted for certification with more than 454,000 voter signatures, prior to the start of the 2024 legislative session, he decided against advocating for a committee vote on his measure this year.

“As you well know, I am a strong advocate for parental rights in our state,” he wrote to the committee chair, Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island. “After three years of running my parental rights bill, I chose to step back and allow the citizens of our state speak to this issue.

“With over 400,000 signatures signed onto Initiative 2081, I believe they have done just that.”

It is standard for lawmakers to formally request hearings on bills they introduce. Dozier, who serves on the education committee, said he took it upon himself to request a hearing on I-2081 because the measure is more detailed than his legislation, and a public hearing would allow for an informative and objective comparison.

“The constitutional language that puts priority on initiatives should be enough to get I-2081 a hearing,” he explained. “Also, this initiative also stands out from the others before us in that it would not repeal an unpopular tax or an unworkable public-safety policy. Instead, it is broadly about a more open approach to operating our public schools, and helping parents gain access to important information that is either inconvenient or seems impossible to get.

“I appreciated the hearing on my bill a year ago, in the spirit of connecting parents and schools in a more productive way, and to me I-2081 is worth some of the committee’s time as well. Hopefully the chair will grant my request.”

 

From Article II, Section I of the Washington Constitution: “Such initiative measures, whether certified or provisionally certified, shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills and shall be either enacted or rejected without change or amendment by the legislature before the end of such regular session.”

 

Senator says Ecology must be open about program driving up fuel prices

OLYMPIA… While raking in more than $1 billion from the carbon-pricing program that is behind Washington’s crushingly high fuel prices, the state Department of Ecology isn’t being fully open about who is buying and holding the carbon credits. A state senator says that has to change.

The state’s Climate Commitment Act requires Ecology to post information about carbon-allowance holding accounts on a searchable public website. In a Sept. 26 letter to agency director Laura Watson, Sen. Perry Dozier points out how what is believed to be the first post fails to include names of account holders, making it “useless” to the public and lawmakers.

“To be clear, the very information that the Legislature intended to make available when it enacted the CCA is being withheld by the department as it enforces the CCA,” wrote Dozier, R-Waitsburg.

While Dozier is not a member of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, he notes the CCA is the lone topic on the agenda for the committee’s Monday meeting and expects concerns about the agency’s inadequate reporting will also be raised then. Ecology’s lack of openness is particularly troubling to Dozier because the agency has already broken the promise that farm diesel and fuel used by Washington’s maritime industry would be exempt from the CCA fuel surcharge.

Dozier’s request comes as Gov. Jay Inslee clings to a claim that his long-desired cap-and-trade policy is not the reason Washington motorists continue to pay more than $5 for a gallon of gasoline or diesel while prices are far less in neighboring Oregon or Idaho.

Carbon allowances function like permits to emit carbon, and may be bought, sold, traded, or transferred to another registered entity. Under the CCA, the allowances are held in accounts, and information about the contents of each holding account is to be public.

By providing the public with what his letter calls “the bare minimum” of information about those accounts, Dozier says, Ecology is adding to the controversy that has hung over the CCA since Democrat lawmakers pushed it through during the pandemic-lockdown 2021 legislative session. The distrust has increased as Washington gas prices began to soar this year.

“Unfortunately, the department’s holdings report is not searchable, does not allow the public to follow along, and provides no insight into the participation of various entities in the program, including general market participants…  In the presence of incessantly high gas prices, public perception of the CCA going forward will heavily depend on the program’s transparency,” Dozier’s letter continues.

In 2022 policy analysts outside the Inslee administration predicted the CCA would cause a significant increase in gas prices once the auctions of carbon allowances began this year. Inslee responded with the now-infamous claim that the new law would add “pennies” per gallon and might even lead to lower gas prices – yet the cost associated with the CCA is now estimated at 51 cents per gallon, as fuel suppliers continue adjusting their prices to recoup the growing cost of the allowances they purchase.

Dozier explained his request to Ecology is driven by a general interest in government transparency and holding state agencies accountable, plus his particular concern for how the CCA is being implemented.

“This is not about outing the private companies and public institutions that have been put over a barrel by the CCA and given no real choice except to pay up,” Dozier said. “At a fundamental level it’s about ensuring public access to the details of transactions involving government, the same way we should be able to see who holds any government-issued permit. These aren’t Swiss bank accounts, but Ecology is treating them that way.

“The CCA deserves special attention because it’s causing more pain at the pump and adding to the affordability crisis in our state while becoming a golden goose for state government. Turning carbon emissions into a commodity has enriched the state by over a billion dollars in a matter of months, with more sales to come this year. When a new line of business becomes that lucrative so quickly, it’s even more important to see the details so the public can keep a close eye on who is doing what.

“Instead of pushing for legislation to force a closer look at the oil industry’s finances, the governor should be more concerned that his own agency is flouting the law he wanted by failing to fully open its own books.”

Dozier noted the mandate for transparency was added to the CCA when it first came before the Senate, through a Republican amendment that was publicly endorsed by the bill’s Democratic prime sponsor.

“The senators who spoke in favor of this reporting requirement wisely said we need to follow this very confusing and cumbersome system to understand its full implications. Ecology is obstructing the public’s view. It needs to do better by following both the letter and the spirit of the law,” he said.

Dozier’s letter concludes by encouraging the agency director to reevaluate the holding-accounts report and upgrade the next version. While he did not ask for a direct response, the 16th District lawmaker said it’s disconcerting that more than a week has already passed without Ecology offering any meaningful response to his request, considering the agency is already in hot water over the fuel-surcharge issue and the public outrage over how the CCA is driving up fuel prices.

“I’m not expecting a thank-you note from Ecology for pointing out where it’s falling short. But seeing how the agency keeps fighting us on the fuel-surcharge promise, despite my proposing a bill, I hope my letter is enough to fix this new issue. There’s something very wrong when you keep needing more legislation just to get the executive branch to follow the law.”

E-News: Mid-interim update on fuel prices, ag issues, parents’ rights and more

September 2023

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from here at the ranch! Legislators refer to the months between our annual sessions as “interim,” and if you look at when the 2023 session ended (late April) and when the 2024 session begins (early January), we’re not much past the halfway point of this particular interim. That makes it a good time for an update, as my previous report to you was in July.

Now that summer is behind us, I hope it was a safe and productive season for you and your loved ones. It’s been a busy time at our place on top of harvest, the local meetings and community events that go with being your senator, and…welcoming a new family member. We’re happy and thankful to now have a daughter-in-law!

Also, it’s been nice to know how budget appropriations that were on my list when this year’s session began are already bearing fruit. I’m thinking specifically of the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery (formerly called the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center), which received $5 million in the new capital budget, and the SR 224 Red Mountain Vicinity project. The public works director for West Richland let me know recently how the additional $5 million put into the new state transportation budget is just what they needed to stay within budget and on schedule.

Climate Commitment Act still inflating gas prices

While Washington no longer has the highest gas prices in the nation, the average cost of regular gas in our state is still north of $5/gallon. That’s also true for the average price in Walla Walla County, although Benton and Franklin are averaging less.

The governor insists this is due to profiteering by the oil industry. If so, why could I have saved $1.30 per gallon for diesel this week by buying it south of the state line? If maximizing profits is truly the intent, it makes no sense to jack up prices in our state but not in Oregon… or Idaho, where the prices are lower still.

Governor Inslee’s argument doesn’t fly with me, but then again he also claimed the full implementation of his Climate Commitment Act would only increase the cost of gas by “pennies” – instead of the 50 or so cents that seems to be the reality.

It might be different if the cap-and-trade approach at the heart of the CCA truly put a cap on the price of carbon. However, at the latest quarterly auction of “carbon allowances” (by the Department of Ecology) on August 30, the “settlement price” was up 12% from the May auction, which in turn was up 16% from the February auction. By refusing to put a cap on the price, the state basically forces fuel suppliers to continue adjusting their prices to recoup the growing cost of the allowances they purchase… and that means more pain at the pump.

Since those auctions began this year, the state has already raked in more than $1 billion, with another auction coming in December. It’s a much bigger haul than was projected by legislative budget writers, and makes the CCA look less like a real carbon-reduction strategy and more like a backhanded gas tax.

Governor Inslee, who pushed for a cap-and-trade policy for years before the CCA was passed in 2021, also claims his approach is the “ultimate measure to cut the cost of gas” and gives people “the choice to be powered by something else” – a reference to things like electrified public transit.

The ag workers I see leaving the fields and orchards each day at this time of year don’t have the option to ride e-buses and don’t own electric cars to plug in at a publicly built charging station. The CCA’s effect on gas prices is gouging everyone, taking money out of the pockets of those who can least afford it. And that’s before you get to how prices at the grocery store are being inflated due to the CCA’s effect on shipping costs.

Ag update: fuel surcharge, overtime head list of issues

Speaking of the Climate Commitment Act, a pair of commitments made to the agricultural community are found deep in section 10 of the law… and unfortunately, the Department of Ecology isn’t holding up its end.

One states “motor vehicle fuel or special fuel that is used exclusively for agricultural purposes by a farm fuel user” is exempt from coverage by the law; the second requires Ecology to “determine a method for expanding the exemption to include fuels used for the purpose of transporting agricultural products on public highways.”

It became clear during this year’s legislative session that Ecology wasn’t complying, which caused me and other Republican senators to introduce SB 5728 in February. The bill went nowhere, and months later, Ecology is echoing the governor’s line; in this news report the agency blames fuel suppliers for the gouging of our ag community.

The broken commitment on the CCA fuel surcharge would have been an outrage even if this year had been a good one for Washington agriculture. But between the higher inflation rate driving up the cost of putting in crops, and the commodity prices and lower yields many have seen, the last thing our ag sector needs is more cost for simply operating equipment, and for trucking/shipping.

Washington agriculture also needs relief from the overtime law adopted in 2021. The farming operations I’ve visited say it’s a huge issue, and a seasonal exemption would be a big help… but a bipartisan bill to allow that went nowhere. As this NPR report explains – using a local asparagus operation as an example – workers who thought they would be helped by the change have come to a different conclusion. Unfortunately, labor advocates are acting like they know what’s best for the workers.

New school year, but no new rights for Washington parents

For three years I’ve proposed legislation that would, among other important things, require school districts and public schools to post certain assessment results online… instead of forcing parents to navigate this section of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website. Last year my bill finally got a public hearing in the Senate K-12 education committee, on which I serve, but the chair did not allow a vote.

After seeing the results of the student assessments from this past spring, I can understand why the state’s largest teachers’ union, the Washington Education Association, has SB 5024 on its list of proposals that “do not align with WEA’s priorities and present a concern.” The “at grade level” metric for students closest to graduating – this past year’s 10th-graders – shows students are far from recovering from the learning loss in English and math:

English:

  • Students meeting the standard for their grade level was unchanged from last year (50.7%)
  • In spring 2021, the figure was 47.7%, but pre-pandemic (spring 2019) it was 59.6%

Math:

  • 39.1% of students met the standard for their grade level, slightly higher than last year (37.7%)
  • In spring 2021, the figure was 30.4%, but pre-pandemic (spring 2019) it was 48.9%.

When SPI Chris Reykdal, the state’s top K-12 official, released the test results earlier this month, he offered almost no comment about the numbers, choosing instead to start with this: “Our students enter our school buildings each day and add new learning and skills to their toolbelt… Each and every student is learning year over year!”

Talk about stating what should be obvious. No wonder The Seattle Times recently criticized Superintendent Reykdal for “cheerleading mediocrity.”

Test results aside, my “parental bill of rights” legislation would also ensure parents and legal guardians have the right to:

  • Access to what their children are being taught, including but not limited to classroom and school-sponsored activities, access to curricula and instructional materials used within the curricula, and access to these materials for review either online or through an alternative method;
  • Information on who is teaching their children, including guest speakers and presenters who are not employed by the school;
  • Access to the names and organizations/affiliation of those with curriculum-related contracts with the school district or public school and are receiving public funding;

SB 5024 also would direct the Washington State School Directors’ Association (the statewide school-board agency) to update a model policy and procedure regarding accessibility through remote participation in and recordings of school board meetings, and encourage school districts to act accordingly.

K-12 funding in our state is based largely on enrollment, and many districts have had to tighten their belts because parents have gone elsewhere to get their children educated. Maybe that would change if districts made it easier for parents to be active and involved in their child’s education.

My bill is not about parents driving curriculum, but about schools being more transparent with parents… about creating better avenues for parents to access their children’s education and become better acquainted with district policies. Although powerful interests are opposing this legislation, I’ll keep trying.

Will court ruling force change in 16th District boundaries?

Our legislative district borders three others – the 9th, 14th and 15th. In the past several weeks, federal judges finally ruled on legal challenges filed last year regarding the boundaries of the 15th District, which shares a boundary with ours from west of Prosser to north of Benton City.

The upshot is that while the 15th is a “majority-minority” district, it falls short of the standard in section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act – meaning race was not considered enough when the boundaries were reset in 2021 (as part of the statewide redistricting that occurs following each federal census). The court says the boundaries must be redrawn.

A recent Tri-City Herald editorial does a good job of explaining the nuts and bolts of the situation, but since that was published, the majority leaders in the Senate and House have decided against having the state Redistricting Commission handle the job of redrawing the lines – even though state law clearly says that’s what should happen.

This is a mistake. Our Legislature has a civic duty to reconvene the Redistricting Commission – which was created by Washington voters 40 years ago, relieving the Legislature from the responsibility of redistricting and essentially eliminating opportunities for the “gerrymandering” that gives one party an advantage in elections.

Why would anyone think it’s better to let a single judge or a judge’s appointee redraw the map behind closed doors, instead of having a bipartisan committee do the job out in the open? As this might cause a change in our 16th District, I will keep you posted.

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Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Perry Dozier

Republican ag leaders highlight hypocrisy of Democrats on gas-price debacle

Sen. Perry Dozier

OLYMPIA… Agricultural-policy leaders from the Senate Republican Caucus are weighing in on attempts to gaslight the public on why Washington’s gas prices remain highest in the nation.

While Gov. Jay Inslee and other Democratic elected officials tried to lay blame on the oil and gas industry during a news conference today, Senators Ron Muzzall, Judy Warnick, Perry Dozier and Mark Schoesler pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats about their “cap-and-gouge” carbon-pricing scheme and its impact on the state’s agricultural producers. The carbon law was passed in 2021 but did not take full effect until 2023, triggering a steady rise in Washington gas prices. Washington overtook California for the nation’s worst gas prices a month ago.

“The governor and supporters of this money-grab are the only ones surprised that their carbon tax would result in higher prices at the pump,” said Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, the ranking Republican on the Senate’s ag-related committee. “There’s a great deal of unhelpful finger-pointing going on while our ag industry is hurting. It’s hypocritical that farmers are stuck paying nearly 50 cents more per gallon for gas in costs that they were legally exempted from, while the governor gets to be chauffeured in his taxpayer-funded luxury SUV.”

The row over a fuel-surcharge exemption for Washington’s agriculture, timber and marine industries is ongoing as state regulators seem unable to follow the law’s requirements. When pressed on the issue, Inslee has flippantly said that these affected groups should seek reimbursement from the oil and gas industry themselves.

“Proponents of this scheme promised to maintain the exemption for ag fuel and broke that promise,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “During recent town halls, I heard near-unanimous frustration and opposition to what the governor and these politicians are doing to rural and minority communities that I represent. Taking money out of working families’ pockets to line the state’s coffers doesn’t reduce carbon emissions, but it does make our state even more unaffordable.”

Washington has operated a similar state fuel tax refund program for the same industries for years, leaving Republican lawmakers and the public scratching their heads as to why the legally required rebates are unattainable.

“The governor has zero business talking about accountability on fuel prices. He hasn’t even held his own administration accountable for how his policy has gouged our state’s agricultural and maritime sectors. For months he and members of the Democratic majority ignored Republican efforts to end the surcharges on exempt fuels that are not only unfair but illegal,” said Dozier, R-Waitsburg, who prime-sponsored an unsuccessful piece of legislation to ensure the exemption is followed. “Farmers are price takers – they can’t be expected to absorb higher fuel costs while the governor and Ecology have dragged their feet on making things right. It’s completely unacceptable.”

The average price of regular unleaded gas in Washington is $4.928 today, compared to $4.588 in Oregon a gallon and $3.892 in Idaho. Assertions by Inslee and other Democratic lawmakers of price gouging and profiteering are debunked by the price disparity, while the effect of the higher fuel costs on overall business expenses puts Washington’s agricultural sector and other employers at a disadvantage.

“Even though the governor has been demonizing oil companies as the reason why our state has the highest gas prices in the nation, our neighboring states have much lower prices,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville, a co-sponsor of Dozier’s legislation. “Oregon and Idaho don’t have cap-and-trade. It’s obvious that Washington’s cap-and-trade program is why our state has the highest gas prices in America. While most of the nation is enjoying gas prices below $4 a gallon, people in our state have been forced to pay about $5 a gallon for several weeks, and prices in Washington likely are going to keep rising.”

 

E-News: Affordability crisis deepens in WA, between gas prices and new tax on workers

On Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of taking part in a memorable ceremony for the B5 Community Learning Center in Kennewick. Often the shovels are put in the hands of the elected officials and others who have had roles in getting a project to the construction stage; this time the ground was literally broken by the immigrant children who will be served at the new B5 center!

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from here at the ranch! It’s been almost two months since the Legislature adjourned for the second time this year… following a one-day “special” session to update our state’s drug-possession law. I’ve been busy catching up on ranch chores that couldn’t be done during our 105-day regular session, and some extra projects because we’re hosting a family gathering next month – many of you know how that is.

But I am your senator year-round, even when I am not at the state Capitol, which means attending meetings and community events, and continuing to listen to your concerns about government and the government policies that are affecting your life and family. I’m going to zero in on a couple of those in this newsletter. They unfortunately deepen the affordability crisis in our state, which has been a top concern for Senate Republicans for years.

‘Please do something to lower gas prices’

A constituent named Larry made a simple request in an email earlier this month.

“Please do something to lower gas prices. It is my understanding that Washington now has highest prices in the US. It is having an impact on me, and I can’t image the impact on those making minimum wages.”

He’s correct: Until about three weeks ago, California had the nation’s highest gas prices. Then Washington moved ahead – just in time for the extra driving many families do during summer vacation from school, as Senate Republican Leader John Braun noted in this public statement.

Another constituent, Michael, went more in-depth with his concern about gas prices.

“The state legislature needs to address this problem of rising gas prices immediately. Call a special session… Washington does not need the status of the state with the highest gasoline prices superseding California and Hawaii, let them reclaim this dubious distinction.   “THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW, NOT NEXT YEAR, NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION.”

Then there was this email from Helen, another constituent. Like Michael, she connected Washington’s high gas prices to a state law that was passed in 2021 but didn’t take full effect until 2023. It’s officially called the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) but known generically as “cap-and-invest,” “cap-and-trade” or “cap-and-tax,” depending on who is talking (to me it clearly functions as a tax):

“I am writing to urge you to act immediately to FIX Washington’s deeply flawed and enormously costly new cap-and-trade program that was launched earlier this year.

“Independent sources, such as Washington Policy Center and Washington Research Council (WRC) estimate that based on the May 31st auction price, the compliance costs for this program are adding 44 cents per gallon to the cost to manufacture gasoline and 55 cents per gallon to the cost to manufacture diesel.

“The Seattle Times reports that the Department of Ecology has collected almost $850 million in compliance costs so far this year. An independent analysis conducted by WRC also estimates the program could cost $1.5 billion by year-end. These costs are three times higher than originally estimated when the legislature voted cap-and-trade into law.

“I urge you to work with your legislative colleagues to fix this flawed program to make it work as intended in meeting our climate goals without placing enormous cost burdens on Washington families, small businesses, family farmers and working people across our state.”

The auction referred to in Helen’s message is how, under the cap-and-tax law, state government began selling carbon “allowances” this year. These “compliance costs” are passed on to us at the pump, which explains why Washington gas prices have continued upward all year while they’ve fallen in other states.

The message from Michael also suggested legislators had failed to ask, back in 2021, whether the Climate Commitment Act would cause gas prices to rise. I can assure him that many of us didn’t ask whether the proposed law would affect gas prices – we predicted it would.

I’ll also point out that this bill didn’t get a lot of attention outside the Capitol because that legislative session was held remotely, greatly limiting the public’s ability to be heard. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that controversial “reform” bills about law enforcement were slid through that session, as was the state’s capital-gains income tax.

As I replied to constituent Larry, I am careful about sounding overly partisan, but when it comes to gas prices in our state and the subject of energy/fuel in general, there is no getting around how there is a great difference of opinion between Republicans and Democrats.

In each of the past two legislative sessions, Senate Republicans have proposed lowering gas prices through a temporary suspension of Washington’s 49.4-cent state gas tax (Senate Bill 5897 in 2022, and this year, SB 5756, which I sponsored). Democrats have shown zero interest – meaning they would not even agree to hold a public hearing on either bill and listen to the valid concerns you and many others have.

To Michael’s point, I would definitely support having a special legislative session to address gas prices. However, I doubt our Democratic colleagues feel the same way, as they and Governor Inslee are denying the Climate Commitment Act has anything to do with Washington having the highest gas prices in the U.S. The reality is, too many of the people who control our state government don’t seem to care if you are paying more for gas, and see higher gas prices as the way to force people into public transit and electric vehicles. But I will not give up, as this is too important to the people I serve.

The state Department of Ecology is on point within the executive branch of state government for implementing the Climate Commitment Act; it’s also the agency failing to deliver on the CCA exemptions promised to the agricultural and maritime industries (and the fuel surcharge rebates now owed them due to that failure) Just this week I was among more than 40 lawmakers signing a letter to Ecology which offers a plan for bringing gas prices down. Click here to read it.

The state Department of Ecology is on point within the executive branch of state government for implementing the Climate Commitment Act; it’s also the agency failing to deliver on the CCA exemptions promised to the agricultural and maritime industries (and the fuel surcharge rebates now owed them due to that failure) Just this week I was among more than 40 lawmakers signing a letter to Ecology which offers a plan for bringing gas prices down. Click here to read it.

New payroll tax adds to affordability crisis in our state

As of this month, any paycheck cut in Washington is subject to the new long-term care tax, unless the paycheck goes to someone who has obtained an exemption from state government.

The law that is now making Washington gasoline so expensive was created in 2021; the payroll tax goes back even farther, to 2019. The Democratic majority delayed the tax collection until 2022, which kept the whole thing under the public’s radar. But as word got out about the tax and the many flaws in the so-called “WA Cares” program it support (like how people who choose to retire out of state would give up access to the long-term benefits they’d paid for), people wanted an opportunity to exempt themselves.

That opportunity came late in 2021, for a limited time, but exemptions weren’t granted unless you could show you had purchased separate long-term care coverage. The resulting controversy led Democratic legislators to delay the collection of the tax until this month and add four very narrow exemptions that are ongoing but still exclude most Washington workers.

That was last year. I had hoped the majority would make further adjustments during our 2023 regular session, but nothing happened – and with the tax now coming out of the paychecks of those who could not or have not obtained an exemption, I am hearing from people again, wondering what’s going on and what can be done about it. They don’t like giving up an average of $24 in pay each month indefinitely for a benefit that might pay for only a few months in an assisted-living facility.

An answer came from some of my Senate Republican colleagues this week. Knowing that our colleagues in the Democratic majority won’t repeal WA Cares, they’re proposing that Washington workers again be given the choice to opt out, this time with no time limit and no strings attached (meaning no need to show proof of purchasing a separate policy). You can see the latest draft of the proposal here and read the thinking behind it here.

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Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Perry Dozier
State Senator
16th Legislative District

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E-News: 2023 session ends on schedule, but a big problem remains

No one would have seen this in 2021 and 2022, because pandemic restrictions kept the public from being heard when legislators were in session. I’m glad that’s over! The people of Washington have the right to come to their Capitol and assemble peacefully, the way we saw last week from supporters and opponents of SB 5599 — one of the session’s most divisive bills.

 

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from…here in the 16th District! This year’s regular legislative session wrapped up on schedule this past Sunday, but unfortunately, I have to emphasize the word “regular.” There’s a chance we may be called back to the Capitol for an overtime session, to deal with a situation that was completely avoidable.

I’ll explain below and also touch on some of the other results from our 105-day session, but first, let me invite you to the town hall meetings we are holding in person next week. Both begin at 5:30 p.m., and I figure they’ll last an hour or so – or as long as people still have questions!

16th District Town Halls

Tuesday, May 2 – Walla Walla

Walla Walla Community College – Performing Arts Center

Wednesday, May 3 – West Richland

Libby Middle School, 3259 Belmont Blvd.

Even though the turnout was great for our “virtual” town hall on March 28, there is nothing like being able to visit face-to-face.

In fact, the ability to work with one another in person was one of the best takeaways from the 2023 legislative session. The COVID restrictions that had kept the public out of the Capitol – the “people’s house” – during the 2021 and 2022 sessions were gone. It was great to see and hear people testify in our committees on legislation (although the remote option was still available).

Also, sorting through policy issues with other legislators is much easier when you can simply step off to the side of the Senate chamber or out into the hallway and talk. It sure beats having to schedule a virtual meeting.

Many years ago one group of legislators committed to funding a project to widen U.S. Highway 12 into Walla Walla — but a few years later, another group went a different direction with the money. I made sure Sen. Curtis King of Yakima, Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee, knew our district needed the state to deliver on what had been committed… and the new state transportation budget does!

Lawmakers pass new budgets in closing days

Votes by the Senate on Saturday afternoon completed the Legislature’s work on the capital and transportation budgets for 2023-25. On Sunday afternoon it was the new operating budget’s turn.

Earlier in the session I had put in funding requests for 16th District needs, and many of those were met in the compromise budgets that were negotiated by the Senate and House these past few weeks, prior to the weekend votes.

Capital budget: The final version of Senate Bill 5200 includes $42.2 million worth of investments for the 16th District. A lot of projects to repair or remodel public buildings are on the list – this is the construction budget, after all. The appropriations also include money to expand the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Center; funding related to the Walla Walla Water 2050 water management plan; and support for community assets like parks and playgrounds, and greenhouse improvements at the WSU ag research station in Prosser. The Benton County seat will even get a new city entrance sign thanks to this budget. The capital budget was passed unanimously in the House and Senate.

Transportation budget: The “Connecting Washington” transportation package passed in 2015, back when I was a county commissioner, included money to complete the widening of U.S. Highway 12 between Wallula and Walla Walla. That money got diverted. I made a case to the Senate transportation leaders (the Democratic chair and his Republican counterpart) about the need to get those dollars back ($21 million), so we could leverage them to get around $200 million in federal dollars.

I’m proud to say the $21 million is in the final transportation budget approved by the Senate and House, as is an additional $13.4 million for improvements for the State Route 224 (Red Mountain, near West Richland) corridor project. I was a “yes” on the budget (House Bill 1125) because of these local investments.

I wish the same transportation budget did not include money for a study related to the effort to breach the four federal Snake River dams – but then again, I like to think such an analysis will end up demonstrating how very important the dams are to the movement of freight and goods. That’s among the many reasons to not breach them.

Operating budget: I did not support this biggest of the three budgets when it came through the Senate in March. It wasn’t an easy call, because that version of Senate Bill 5187 plan reflected a lot of Republican input. In the end, though, I couldn’t get past things like another appropriation related to the effort to breach the Snake River dams.

The final version of the operating budget that came before us Sunday, after it was passed by majority Democrats in the House, still checked boxes that are important to fiscal conservatives like me. Also, the threat of property-tax or real-estate excise tax increases did not materialize, which was positive. However, this compromise budget retains the Snake River dam appropriation, and went in the wrong direction on K-12, by failing to go far enough to help students recover from the “learning loss” they suffered because of pandemic classroom closures.

Also, it retains a long-overdue boost in funding for special-education services but dropped the money for dedicated special-education advocates that was in the Senate version. That was the last straw for me, as a member of the Senate education committee, and made my “no” vote an easier decision.

Republicans put priority on public safety; majority Democrats falter, especially on drug-possession issue

I hoped this session would undo the mistakes made in 2021 that essentially decriminalized hard drugs and weakened the ability of law enforcement to pursue suspected criminals.

In March, seeing how our state’s current misdemeanor drug-possession law has been a disaster, I supported legislation to make possession of fentanyl and similar drugs a gross misdemeanor. This would give more leverage when trying to get people with substance-use issues into and through treatment programs.

The majority Democrats in the House said no, they wanted to stay with a misdemeanor. Negotiations between the House and Senate produced a new proposal that tried to bridge the different positions held by the two chambers, but at 9 p.m. on Sunday – the final day of the regular session – that proposal failed to win enough House votes.

Here’s what this means: The current drug-possession law expires July 1, so if the Legislature does not replace it before then, it basically falls to local governments (counties and cities) to put their own drug-possession statutes in place. That means West Richland might have a different law than Walla Walla, but that’s the situation the Democratic majority in the Legislature has caused.

It is incredibly frustrating that the Senate Democrats and Republicans worked together across party lines to put a good solution on the table (SB 5536, which I supported) yet the House Democrats would not.

A change to the criminal-friendly pursuit restrictions was adopted but is really no more than a half-step forward. I had opposed Senate Bill 5232 the first go-round and because the House did not make it appreciably better, I was a “no” the second time as well. Officers still are prohibited from pursuing car thieves, for instance, unless they literally witness the theft of the vehicle – and we know how unlikely that is to happen.

There is one bright spot on the public-safety front: While my bill to replace the state’s Offender Management Network Information (OMNI) system stalled in the House budget committee, the policy from Senate Bill 5025 is supported in the new state operating budget. This includes a project to digitize the health records of state-prison inmates – formally creating what’s being called an EHR (Electronic Health Records) system at the Department of Corrections.

I’m not counting the three anti-firearm bills passed this year (and signed by the governor yesterday) in the public-safety category, in part because I expect legal challenges may invalidate each. However, I view the dismissal of sensible bills like SB 5049 and SB 5745 as adding to our state’s public-safety concerns friendly to criminals. These measures would have increased the penalty for firearm theft and committing a crime with a stolen firearm, and I co-sponsored both. While the governor’s own Office of Firearm Safety acknowledges many of the guns tied to “gun violence” aren’t obtained legally, the majority did not give either of the bills serious consideration.

I’ll look next time at what the 2023 session meant for making life in Washington more affordable, and for K-12 education. Those, along with public safety, are the priorities Republicans brought to Olympia this year.

 

Participating in
YOUR state government

Now that legislators are back to meeting in person, there are many events, hearings and activities happening on the Capitol Campus. Additionally, we will continue to offer virtual options which may be more convenient. To help you navigate the legislative website and external resources, I have provided the following frequently used links to make your participation in the legislative process a little easier:

Watch legislative hearings, floor sessions and press conferences – https://www.tvw.org/

Testify in a committee – https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Provide remote testimony – https://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/Pages/RemoteTestimony-RegisterToTestify.aspx

Comment on a bill – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/

Visit my website – https://perrydozier.src.wastateleg.org/

Senate Page Program. If you know a teen (between the ages of 14-16) interested in spending a week in Olympia learning about our state government, have them apply here – https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/Pages/default.aspx 

Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Also, I hope you’ll be able to join us next week at a town hall meeting!

Perry Dozier
State Senator
16th Legislative District

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E-News: Tax alert! Property-tax hike proposed as session nears end

At the edge of the Senate chamber with Sen. Nikki Torres of Pasco, foreground, and Sen. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver.

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from Olympia! As if there weren’t enough important decisions left for legislators to make, with just eight days remaining in our time at the Capitol, there is talk of raising your property taxes!

This totally unnecessary and unwelcome proposal came in two days ago, as the Senate and House of Representatives each reached the next-to-last deadline of the session – the “cutoff” for the Senate to act on bills passed by the House, and vice versa.

The session’s final phase started Thursday and will run through Sunday after next, when we’re scheduled to adjourn. This is when the two chambers settle (or attempt to settle) disputes between the versions of bills each has passed. I’ll explain in a moment.

Voter-endorsed cap on property-tax growth needs to stay

In 2001 the voters of Washington put a 1% limit on the annual growth of property taxes. Six years later, after the state Supreme Court ruled that the law created by Initiative 747 was unconstitutional, legislators met in a special session to pass a measure that reinstated the 1% cap.

Early in this session a group of Democratic senators proposed lifting the limit to 3%, but did not move that bill ahead. Then on Wednesday, which in practical terms was the final day to introduce new bills, the effort to lift the cap was revived when a larger group filed Senate Bill 5770.

The timing of this makes no sense, because the Senate and House have already approved their own versions of new operating budgets. They are balanced without new taxes, so the budget compromise now being negotiated between the two chambers should also balance without new taxes

Even so, we have to view this bill as a serious threat. In 2019 a big new tax was put on financial institutions through a proposal that was not made public until there were only 48 hours left in the session!

It’s puzzling how some senators talk about wanting “affordable homes for every Washingtonian” then push a plan that would increase housing costs. Government doesn’t need more money — it has plenty to continue existing services and programs.

 
This week legislators honored Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr., of Walla Walla. He had been ambushed and seriously wounded in the line of duty last fall in Walla Walla. and is still recovering from his injuries. Back in January I started working to get Trooper Atkinson to the Capitol, so we could recognize him, and glad it finally worked out!

Fate of public-safety bills less clear due to House changes

My March 31 report questioned whether and how the House would handle the two most visible public-safety bills of the session: Senate Bill 5536, which would be a new response to the Blake court decision on drug possession, and replace the disastrously weak state law created in 2021; and SB 5352, which would reform the criminal-friendly restrictions on police pursuits, also adopted two sessions ago.

This week the House Democrats did the same thing they had done in 2021, by taking the Senate’s bill to make possession of hard drugs a gross misdemeanor and downgrading it to a misdemeanor. That’s the same as the failed law in place now.

When the House makes changes to a bill passed by the Senate and sends it back, the Senate has to decide whether to “concur” (agree) with the changes, or not. If the choice is “do not concur,” then the House has to make a decision. It can “insist” on its position and ask the Senate to “recede.”

The Senate should not go along with the House this time, as it did in 2021. We should insist on our version of the bill, with the stronger leverage it offers to get people into and through treatment. Of all the disputes that need to be settled between the Senate and House before we adjourn on April 23, this is the most important for our state.

The House did end up voting to pass the police-pursuit bill, after making very minor changes at the committee level. I had voted against SB 5352 because it did represent progress but still didn’t go far enough, in my view. The version that came out of the Senate would still allow someone to steal a car without fear of being pursued, unless the theft was literally witnessed by an officer. That would do nothing about the auto-theft epidemic in our state.

I can’t say yet what will happen, or how I will vote, when the Senate is asked whether to agree or not with the slight changes made to SB 5352. I’ll take a slightly better policy over the law we’ve had since 2021, but clearly, this issue is going to be back before the Legislature in 2024.

 

ICYMI: My report on the Senate’s recent vote on its transportation budget, which includes details about funding I’m pursuing for an important highway project. Click on the image to view it!

Firearm bills moving forward, but will they make us safer?

The Senate was in session from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day before Easter Sunday, and one of the results was the partisan passage of a ban on the style of semi-automatic firearms that some label “assault weapons.”

House Bill 1240 would impose a ban on the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of more than 50 specific firearms, plus other firearms that have certain features (like a noise suppressor, even though those help keep a target range quieter and protect a shooter’s hearing).

The theme of the arguments I and other Republicans made during the lengthy debate on HB 1240 was that banning a certain category of firearm will not make our state measurably safer. We should instead address root causes of violence in general, such as the behavioral-health concerns.

If protecting schools is the concern, Democrats should join Republicans in supporting measures to “harden” our schools. To me that would do much more to discourage people who are intent on committing evil and looking for “soft” targets.

HB 1240 has not yet gone to the governor, pending a disagreement between the House and Senate about amendments made by the Senate. Meanwhile, two other firearm bills are both on their way to the governor:

  • HB 1143, which was passed by the Senate a week ago, would add to the requirements for purchasing a firearm, between the background check and a 10-day waiting period and mandatory firearm-safety training. Yesterday the House agreed with the changes to HB 1143 made by the Senate, which finishes the work on the bill.
  • SB 5078 would authorize “investigation and enforcement” of firearm-industry members by the state attorney general and stands to impact the more than 3,000 federally licensed firearm dealers in Washington, plus others in the industry. It was passed by the House on Monday and the Senate concurred yesterday with the House changes.

I expect all three of these measures could end up being challenged in court, as conflicting with the U.S. Constitution (and perhaps our Washington constitution, which is even clearer about firearm rights).

Participating in
YOUR state government

Now that legislators are back to meeting in person, there are many events, hearings and activities happening on the Capitol Campus. Additionally, we will continue to offer virtual options which may be more convenient. To help you navigate the legislative website and external resources, I have provided the following frequently used links to make your participation in the legislative process a little easier:

Watch legislative hearings, floor sessions and press conferences – https://www.tvw.org/

Testify in a committee – https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Provide remote testimony – https://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/Pages/RemoteTestimony-RegisterToTestify.aspx

Comment on a bill – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/

Visit my website – https://perrydozier.src.wastateleg.org/

Senate Page Program. If you know a teen (between the ages of 14-16) interested in spending a week in Olympia learning about our state government, have them apply here – https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/Pages/default.aspx 

Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Perry Dozier
State Senator
16th Legislative District

E-News: Yes to one budget, no to another — and the latest on public safety

April 2, 2023

On the floor of the Senate chamber this week with Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick. This is his first session as a senator, coming over from the House; we’re neighbors, as the 8th Legislative District is primarily the Kennewick and Richland portions of Benton County adjacent to our 16th District.

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from Olympia! Since my previous report the Senate has voted on two budgets, and another important deadline has come and gone. Also, we’re now just three weeks away from the scheduled end of the session. That means the biggest decisions are just around the corner, and most all of them fall into the public-safety category one way or another.

In the meantime, the state Supreme Court weighed in on what Republicans have viewed as the new state income tax. It’s hard to figure out how the justices came up their ruling – keep reading for that.

One ‘yes,’ one ‘no’ on Senate budgets

Let’s take the budgets first. The capital budget is mostly about construction – building, fixing and remodeling things – and other physical assets, like parks, land for recreation and wildlife habitat, and facilities for community activities. It is rarely controversial and often is passed unanimously.

I don’t know exactly how the Democrats go about providing input for that budget, but in the Senate Republican caucus we offer a list of requests based on discussions with constituents, and our capital-budget team fits in as many requests as it can.

I voted yes for the Senate’s version of the capital budget for 2023-25 (SB 5200), which contains nearly $10 million for projects throughout our legislative district. The biggest single item for our area is a major investment in behavioral health capacity, but there also would be support for library improvements, fish-passage projects, parks, recreational facilities, local schools and much more.

From a statewide perspective, the Senate capital budget would invest more than $500 million toward affordable housing, via the state’ Housing Trust Fund. That’s a far better approach to dealing with Washington’s shortage of housing (for prospective buyers, renters and people who are without homes) than the $4 billion housing referendum the governor has been pitching.

I haven’t looked in detail at what the House capital budget would offer locally, but over the next few weeks the negotiations between the two chambers will produce a final package for us to consider again.

The Senate operating budget is a different story. I like the fact that the majority Democrats were very inclusive of Republican ideas this time around, and as a result, the budget reflects our strong emphasis on restoring public safety, dealing with the affordability crisis and supporting some specific needs in K-12. As a member of the education committee, I am particularly glad to see a significant investment toward addressing K-12 learning loss ($70 million) and the extraordinary level of additional support it offers to special-education students and their families ($800 million!).

I also appreciate that the spending increase in the Senate budget is kept to 8% — which is still a lot, but far less than the average growth in spending over the past few cycles. Also, it balances without new taxes, and leaves a solid amount in reserve. Republicans deserve much of the credit for that restraint, which is tremendously important considering the uncertain times ahead for our state economy.

In the end, however, I had to withhold my support for this budget, even though it passed with a strong bipartisan vote. The $500,000 in the Senate budget for yet another state study involving the four lower Snake River dams was the main deal-breaker. To quote my southeast Washington neighbor, 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler, the Snake River dams in Washington have to be the “most studied dams in America.” Because they are federal dams, however, the state has no control over their future. I see no point in sinking taxpayer dollars into having the Department of Ecology look at how to support irrigation in our region should the dams be removed – because they should not be removed.

On top of that, there’s nothing in the budget to address the issue I and other Republican senators tried to get at with Senate Bill 5728. The state (Ecology, again) has failed to implement an exemption that would protect farmers, trucking companies, and barge operators from the higher costs connected to the majority Democrats’ so-called “Climate Commitment Act.”

As with the capital budget, the Senate and House will negotiate a final version of the 2023-25 operating budget for each legislator to consider. And within the next week we should see proposed transportation budgets from the two chambers.

 

Many thanks to the 60-plus people who took more than an hour out of this past Tuesday evening to “virtually” attend our 16th District town hall. The questions Rep. Rude, Rep. Klicker and I covered several important issues, particularly housing –which fits within the priority Republicans have put on affordability and the cost of living this year. If you couldn’t join us but want to view the 75-minute meeting, click here.

Major public-safety decisions still at hand

I’m very concerned that majority Democrats in the House are trying to derail the effort to strengthen Washington’s drug-possession law after two years of a disastrous social experiment.

Early this month I was among the majority in the Senate to support Senate Bill 5536, which would make possession and use of hard drugs a gross misdemeanor. In 2021, Democrats responded to the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision by knocking possession of fentanyl, meth, heroin and other controlled substances down to only a misdemeanor (from a felony) and only then on the third offense!

That lax approach is why so many people across Washington are dying from overdoses, and our homelessless situation is among the worst in the country. There’s no real leverage to compel people to seek and complete substance-use treatment.

This past week brought the deadline for policy committees in both chambers to complete their work. Before voting to move SB 5536 forward, the House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry Committee changed the bill to preserve much of what is in the failed current law – like a misdemeanor charge, and no mandatory penalty for failing to get treatment. That’s a huge disappointment.

Here’s the catch, with the end of the session coming soon. The weaker law passed in 2021 expires in July, and without a new law to replace it, the possession of hard drugs will automatically become legal in our state. Our families and communities cannot afford to have the Democrats fail them again.

The effort to reform Washington’s police-pursuit law, which was also seriously weakened by majority Democrats in 2021, is faring somewhat better. SB 5352 moved forward from the House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry Committee this past week, with minor changes. Although I didn’t support SB 5352 in the Senate, as it would not get at the auto-theft epidemic in our state, it’s still somewhat harder on criminals than the current law. I would consider voting yes if the bill comes back to the Senate.

The question is whether the bill will reach the floor of the House for a vote – because if not, there’s no chance of another vote in the Senate. This falls on the speaker of the House, because she already blocked a vote on a bipartisan pursuit-reform bill from House members. We’ll know the answer by April 12 when the deadline for the House to vote on Senate bills (and vice versa) arrives.

 

This past week I sponsored my first Senate page of this session… Cedar Stegall of Waitsburg! She’s a sophomore at Waitsburg High, the daughter of Justin and Lisa Stegall, and applied to serve as a page because her teacher recommended the program. Cedar is a delightful young lady, and because she worked on the floor of the Senate chamber as we passed legislation this week (including a pair of budgets), I asked Lt. Gov. Denny Heck to be in the photo. He also is President of the Senate, meaning all three of us spent several hours in the same room this week!

Amazingly, Supreme Court overturns 2022 ruling,
upholds new ‘excise’ tax on capital-gains income

On March 24 our state’s highest court weighed in on whether the capital-gains tax passed by the majority Democrats in 2021 is constitutional. I never saw the tax as being legal, and a superior-court judge had tossed it out a year ago. But our Democratic attorney general disagreed and appealed the decision.

Arguments in the case were made here in Olympia in late January. By a 7-2 vote, a majority of the justices bought the argument that the capital-gains tax is not an income tax but an excise tax. Washington is now alone in taking that position, as the rest of the world views the income from capital gains as taxable income.

The silver lining here is that the court did not hand the majority Democrats the prize that was admittedly behind their adoption of the tax two years ago: a ruling that would declare income is property, which would open the door to a full-blown income tax in our state. But watch out: the tax now is 7% on the portion of capital-gains income over $250,000, and doesn’t apply to assets like real estate. No one should expect it to stay like that, as Democrats can begin changing the rules to make more people pay the tax. We also should look for another attempt to get the income-tax question before this particular court.

 

Participating in YOUR state government

Now that legislators are back to meeting in person, there are many events, hearings and activities happening on the Capitol Campus. Additionally, we will continue to offer virtual options which may be more convenient. To help you navigate the legislative website and external resources, I have provided the following frequently used links to make your participation in the legislative process a little easier:

Watch legislative hearings, floor sessions and press conferences – https://www.tvw.org/

Testify in a committee – https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Provide remote testimony – https://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/Pages/RemoteTestimony-RegisterToTestify.aspx

Comment on a bill – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/

Visit my website – https://perrydozier.src.wastateleg.org/

Senate Page Program. If you know a teen (between the ages of 14-16) interested in spending a week in Olympia learning about our state government, have them apply here – https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/Pages/default.aspx 

***

Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Perry Dozier
State Senator
16th Legislative District

Session passes midway point; long-awaited drug-possession bill clears Senate

March 4, 2023

This is what a “meeting” often looks like when we’re working full-time on the floor of the Senate chamber, as has been the case all this week. Between debates and votes on bills you try to grab a moment to talk, as I was doing here with Sen. Mark Schoesler of Ritzville, left, and Sen. Curtis King of Yakima.

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from Olympia! Thursday was day 53 of a session scheduled for 105 days, meaning legislators are just past the midway point.

The state Senate is several days into what is probably best described as the third stage of our work.

My previous report explained how policy and budget committees winnow the number of bills in play. This new stage goes through Wednesday and has the full 49-member Senate considering bills that received the necessary committee endorsements and were placed on our voting calendar by another committee, called Rules.

Members of the Rules Committee are not obliged to put every available bill on the voting calendar, nor is the Senate obliged to bring every bill on the calendar to a vote. That means the bills we do vote on have cleared either three or four hurdles already.

Once a bill is passed by the Senate, it begins the process all over again in the House of Representatives. As I’ve mentioned before, it can be difficult to make laws – and more often than not that is a good thing.

I’m happy to report one of my prime-sponsored bills won unanimous approval yesterday afternoon: Senate Bill 5025, which would require the digitization of all records of those serving sentences in our state correctional institutions.

You can imagine how much time and trouble it would save to have all those paper-based medical records converted to electronic form, for easier management. Before the vote I related to my fellow senators a story about how having medical records in paper form once complicated an emergency medical situation involving a Washington State Penitentiary inmate — all the paper weighed so much that it became impossible to take the full record on a medical helicopter flight! That bill now moves to the House of Representatives, and the process outlined above.

Here are a few examples of other bills that moved through the Senate just this week. They help illustrate the importance and range of the decisions being made.

 

Fixing the state’s
lax drug-possession law

One of my video reports from the Capitol offered an update on how legislators need to deal with the drug epidemic in our state. Important progress on that has just been made.

I was among the bipartisan majority of senators that passed Senate Bill 5536 late last night (11 p.m.!). It’s very similar to a bill I sponsored in that it would make possession and use of hard drugs a gross misdemeanor. It also would do a lot to restore the legal leverage that can compel people to seek and complete substance-use treatment.

During my first session as your senator the state Supreme Court came out with a ruling in State v. Blake, a case out of Spokane involving a woman who was arrested for methamphetamine possession. Her defense was that she didn’t know the drug was in the borrowed blue jeans she was wearing. The case was appealed to the high court, which on Feb. 25, 2021, agreed and found Washington’s felony drug-possession law to be unconstitutional.

The first Blake bill passed by the Senate in 2021 was similar to what we approved last night. Unfortunately, that approach got watered down severely during negotiations between the Senate and House. What was signed by the governor that year effectively decriminalized the possession and use of drugs like heroin and methamphetamine. It required first- and second-time offenders to be referred to treatment services instead of jail. Subsequent offenses could be charged only as a misdemeanor.

The legislation passed last night is actually better than the first Blake bill I supported two years ago. Charging drug possession as a gross misdemeanor is the same, but this carries the added leverage of a minimum sentence and is more detailed about how treatment services would be provided. The priority now is to avoid a repeat of 2021, and make sure this improved policy proposal doesn’t get weakened before it reaches the governor.

Democratic majority is off-target
with ‘firearm duty’ bill

Almost every morning while I’m in Olympia it seems the television channels carry news of another shooting the night before, somewhere in the central Puget Sound area. Even worse, many of these shootings end someone’s life.

Common sense tells us the guns used in these crimes aren’t being purchased directly by the criminals from retailers. If we want to reduce this kind of crime, we should be taking action on bills that would increase the penalty for stealing a gun (SB 5049) and increase the penalty for using a gun to commit a crime (SB 5745). I am a co-sponsor of both.

Instead, it seems the Senate’s majority Democrats want to look the other way. On Thursday they passed SB 5078, a bill requested by both Governor Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The governor and AG have given the legislation a real mouthful of a name: “The Firearm Industry Responsibility & Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice Act.”

The people in our state who manufacture, import, market and (legally) sell firearms in our state are not the problem. Those who steal guns are the problem, those who sell stolen guns on the underground market are the problem — and, of course, those who point a gun at another human being and pull the trigger for a reason other than self-defense are the problem.

Prior to the vote, a Republican colleague noted how if someone breaks your window with a hammer, the person who swung the hammer should be held accountable – not the hardware store that sold it or the company that made it. But the majority stuck to its position and passed the bill. It has shown no interest in either of the bills I’m sponsoring to go directly after the person who commits the crime.

If SB 5078 becomes law, it will be challenged in court on constitutional grounds, and the state of Washington will likely lose. But in the meantime, it would probably put in limbo the more than 3,000 federally licensed firearm dealers in Washington… plus sellers at gun shows and swap meets… and others engaged in the manufacture, importation, or marketing of firearms. Besides, why should taxpayers have to pick up the tab to defend the state against a bill that clearly looks unconstitutional from the start?

New attack on parental rights moves forward

Back on Feb. 1, when my Parents’ Bill of Rights bill (SB 5024) came up for a public hearing in our Senate K-12 committee, more than 70% of the people who signed in to offer their opinion agreed with the point of my legislation: School districts can and should do more to involve parents.

I thought that was a pretty one-sided response. But it didn’t hold a candle to Senate Bill 5599, which would go in the opposite direction by eliminating an important parental right. When it received a hearing before the Senate Human Services Committee on Feb. 6, more than 4,700 people registered their opinion on the bill – and 98% were opposed.

If a teen runs away from home and ends up at a licensed youth shelter, the parents are supposed to get a notification call within 72 hours, preferably sooner. At least then the parents know their child is alive as opposed to being in a hospital or morgue or just plain missing. Since 2010 there has been one exception to the parental-notification rule, and it’s reasonable: if a child shows signs of parental abuse or harm, the parents don’t get notified, but the state Department of Children, Youth and Families does.

SB 5599 would create a new exception to the parental-notification requirement, and it’s got a definite slant: All children would have to do is show up at a shelter, claim they are seeking what the bill calls “protected health services,” and just like that – the “cone of silence” comes down around the child. No call to the parents is required.

Before the vote on this bill, which happened Wednesday night (which meant it couldn’t make the evening news) Senate Republican Leader John Braun did a great job of explaining why this bill is not only anti-parent but also not pro-child. Click here to view his remarks and here for a statement he issued afterward. Either will give you a fuller sense of the problems with this proposal, and why it needs to be sidelined rather than become law.

The state Senate has been approving a wide range of bills all week – and while some are supported only by majority Democrats, most have received bipartisan votes. An example of a bill that brought Republicans and Democrats together is SB 5569, which I am co-sponsoring. It would help kidney disease centers to offer more dialysis stations, and before it received a unanimous vote I explained to my fellow senators how access to dialysis several years ago is why my 86-year-old mother is still able to go out and work in her garden!

Co-sponsored bills still in play

No legislator has a corner on good ideas, so I am happy to look at legislation proposed by other senators and decide whether to co-sponsor or “sign on” to it.

Here are just a few of the bills I am co-sponsoring that have either been passed by the Senate or are still in a position to move forward by March 8.

Land stewardship – SB 5353 would give the rest of Washington’s 39 counties an opportunity to participate in the state’s Voluntary Stewardship Program – an alternative approach for protecting critical areas on lands where agricultural uses exist. I know about the stewardship program firsthand, as Walla Walla County was one of the 27 counties that signed up when the first opportunity was presented in 2012. It has produced great results in our area.

Besides opening up the program to the 12 counties that didn’t sign up the first time around, SB 5353 would also allow any counties joining the program to access funding for riparian projects. The unanimous vote from the Senate for this bill Thursday is great news to agriculture groups and tribes, after a bipartisan riparian-buffer bill many had supported failed to make it past the committee stage in the House.

Irrigation-district elections – Washington has many special-purpose taxing districts nowadays, but it all started with irrigation districts. Our state has around 100 irrigation districts that construct, operate, and maintain the infrastructure that supplies water for Washington agriculture. A fraud case involving an irrigation district in King County exposed how the election procedures for irrigation districts are out of date.

SB 5709 was approved unanimously this past Tuesday; it would allow for mail-in ballots to modernize ballot security and make some important changes to how one becomes a candidate to the board of directors.

School-maintenance money – For the third straight year, I’m sponsoring legislation that would help school districts in Washington address their building-maintenance needs.

Senate Bill 5403 was approved by the Senate yesterday. It would allow school districts to voluntarily create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2 percent of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. This bipartisan bill would provide such a path for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs.

 

 

Participating in YOUR state government

Now that we are back in person, there are many events, hearings and activities happening on the Capitol Campus. Additionally, we will continue to offer virtual options which may be more convenient. To help you navigate the legislative website and external resources, I have provided the following frequently used links to make your participation in the legislative process a little easier:

Watch legislative hearings, floor sessions and press conferences – https://www.tvw.org/

Testify in a committee – https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Provide remote testimony – https://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/Pages/RemoteTestimony-RegisterToTestify.aspx

Comment on a bill – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/

Visit my website – https://perrydozier.src.wastateleg.org/

Senate Page Program. If you know a teen (between the ages of 14-16) interested in spending a week in Olympia learning about our state government, have them apply here – https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/Pages/default.aspx 

 

Please remember I am here to serve you. Although we may not always be able to meet face to face, I encourage you to reach out to my office and to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. Please, if you don’t already, follow me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

Perry Dozier

State Senator

16th Legislative District

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