Keith Wagoner

Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley, issued the following statement addressing the COVID vaccine deadline. “Governor Jay Inslee’s mandate has removed the choice for hundreds of thousands of people to decide for themselves whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine. To make matters worse, these individuals are now in fear of losing their...

Dear Neighbor, Earlier this year, the state Office of Insurance Commissioner (OIC) issued an emergency rule prohibiting the use of credit scores in determining insurance premiums. I have heard from many of you who have or will soon be seeing significant increases in your insurance premiums because of this ruling....

Dear Neighbor, Some of you may remember receiving a newsletter from me earlier this summer regarding the newly formed WA CARES Fund and the payroll tax that comes with it. For more information on this new program, I invite you to read my previous newsletter here. As a follow-up, I want...

Read full report here With goal of ‘reducing incarceration,’ governor and Legislature create new public safety risks As if new restrictions on law enforcement weren’t enough, an effort by Washington lawmakers to empty prison cells and return convicted felons to the street is creating new public safety risks across the...

Dear Neighbor, I have recently heard from some of you regarding the payroll tax to fund long-term care that will be implemented next year. I know many of you have questions and concerns regarding this new tax so I wanted to provide you with information based on some of the...

Dear Neighbor, Finally! The 2021 legislative session has come to an end. While there were some positive outcomes during this mostly virtual session – the poor policies that made it to the governor’s desk far outweigh the good things we achieved. We completed the 105-day session only after enacting record...

Senate Republican leaders released the following remarks as the 2021 legislative session came to a close as it prepared for the traditional “Sine Die” adjournment.   Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia: “Throughout this session Republicans have consistently offered ideas and taken positions that come from listening to the people....

Dear Neighbor, As we enter the final month of the 2021 legislative session, our attention shifts to passing state budgets. In odd years, the legislature creates three separate two-year budgets: An operating, transportation and capital budget. Today I’m going to address the operating budget. 2021 Operating budget – you name...