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Senate unanimously passes Wagoner bill to integrate Civil Air Patrol into state emergency response
The Washington State Senate today took a step toward bolstering the state’s emergency readiness by unanimously passing Senate Bill 6046. The measure from Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley, would formally establish in law the Washington Division of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) as an official branch within the state Military Department. Should Wagoner’s proposal become law,...
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TAX ALERT: Sign in “CON” and Oppose the new income tax!
The unconstitutional income tax (Senate Bill 6346) proposed by Democrats this week will be heard in the Senate Ways & Means Committee meeting at 1:30 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 6 in Senate Hearing Room 4 of the John A. Cherberg Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. We must act immediately to stop SB 6346 before it fundamentally changes...
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Wagoner legislation to protect educational benefits for children of disabled veterans receives hearing
On Thursday Sen. Keith Wagoner testified before the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee in support of Senate Bill 5954, his measure designed to ensure that the children of disabled veterans can access the state-tuition waivers they have earned without being penalized by administrative delays or restrictive state timelines. “This bill would guarantee veterans...
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TAX ALERT: Sign in CON on bills to raise your taxes
Do you want higher taxes to feed Olympia’s insatiable spending? I don’t! Five new tax bills will be heard on Monday in the Ways and Means Committee and now is the time to make your voice heard. Right now you have an opportunity to sign in, speak up and be heard. Click here to read...
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Your wallet and your rights as session reaches half-way point
A critical part of the legislative session has arrived – when among the flurry of bills on a variety of topics, the focus quickly pivots to the budget. The Senate Republicans jump started the conversation by rolling out our budget proposal on Tuesday. It’s an honest budget that invests in our priorities, makes government work...
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Wagoner bill to help veterans moves to House
Today the Senate unanimously approved legislation from Sen. Keith Wagoner that would expand the number of available long-term care beds for veterans, simultaneously helping to address Washington’s homelessness crisis while also alleviating the pressure on the medical foster home system. “So many of our nation’s men and women in uniform serve and sacrifice for this...
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Emergency-powers reform gutted in committee vote
One of the bills that is at the center of debate in Olympia this week is my measure addressing the governor’s emergency executive powers (SB 5434). I had worked hard on this measure, and the original version had bipartisan support, including from Governor Ferguson. However, the bill was gutted by the majority party in committee;...
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Battle over parental rights hits Senate floor
We have now wrapped up 26 days of the legislative session, or almost exactly one-quarter of the 105 days allowed. The full Senate met on Wednesday to approve several (mostly) non-controversial bills, but the majority of our time was focused on working legislation at the committee level. The big news of the week was the...
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2025 session begins with cautious optimism
The 2025 Legislative Session is underway, and there is reason for cautious optimism. In contrast to outgoing Governor Inslee’s partisan farewell address, Governor Ferguson delivered a pragmatic, collaborative message. Frankly, I was astonished as the Governor outlined reasonable proposals that align with my own values. Citing issues from affordability to crime, he painted a realistic...
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