Opinion
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Olympia Update
As you read this, House Bill 1498, approved unanimously by both the House and Senate, is on its way to the governor. This is the bill I authored that would ensure our local fire departments are...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–With the April 23 conclusion of this year's legislative session just days away, it sadly appears the Legislature will not pass a bill to implement the exemption for farm fuel and certain o...
Olympia Update
House and Senate budget writers released their 2023-25 state operating budget proposals recently. It was a reminder that taxpayers have been very kind to the state's coffers as revenue forecasts over the past few years have continued to increase. As...
Commentary
The Washington State Supreme Court bucked the Constitutional standard and interpretation by ruling overwhelmingly to uphold the politically motivated Capital Gains Tax, a synonym for the new Washington State income tax, that will negatively impact...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–In my 30 years as a state legislator, there have been times when I have correctly predicted that something Olympia did would turn out badly for Washingtonians. The "cap-and-tax" program r...
OPINION
It is Sunshine Week–a national observance of transparency in government. It is fitting, then, that I got the first installment of public records requested from the Governor’s office regarding the buffer bills of the last two years late last wee...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–As Washington state seeks to find a financial solution to fund road construction projects, address backlogs in transportation maintenance and preservation needs, and fix crumbling infrastructure like bridges, one idea that has gained t...
Guest Commentary
By Eric E. McKeirnan Guest Columnist Since this administration has yet to have one good idea, let us kick around forgiving student debt for a while, because the odds are, in this deluded person’s favor, that someday he will get something right, if on...
OPINION
Masking requirements for Washington’s health care, long-term care and correctional facilities will end April 3, says the Washington state Department of Health. The ability for those facilities to continue mask precautions and the ability for individu...
Olympia Update
Too many Puget Sound lawmakers never look beyond their grocery stores to understand the struggle of our farmers to keep those stores supplied. It's why Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick, and I...
Guest Comment
By Eric E. McKeirnan Guest Columnist I like to think that at least for the time being, we have the legal right to politically satirize the things we read in the papers and see on television. Satire is a form of entertainment. If it hurts your...
OPINION
By Congressman Dan Newhouse WASHINGTON D.C.–After the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took major heat last month from considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves, the Biden Administration quickly reversed course, saying they would n...
Olympia Update
We all have heard the phrase, "The good, the bad and the ugly." It also applies to the many bills before the Legislature each year. Nearly 1,600 bills (754 from the Senate, 843 from the House) had...
OPINION
Ever since gray wolves returned to Washington state, they have been a lightning rod for ranchers, environmentalists, and the Governor. No matter what your thoughts are on the apex predators, they are a fully entrenched species in our state now. The...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–Growing up on the farm, I heard grandma's sage advice in just about every situation imaginable. "A trouble shared is a trouble halved." "This isn't my first rodeo." "Many hands make light work." When hearing about Kaiser Permanente's c...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–There are some hard-core Western Washington groups that want you to believe that if we breach Snake River dams, it will boost our state's salmon population and we can save the Southern R...
Olympia Update
After Washington drivers endured record-high gas and diesel prices for much of last year, fuel prices dropped substantially across the state during the final months of 2022. But you may have noticed...
OPINION
As noted by Benjamin Franklin, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” For some taxpayers in just a few states, that quote can be changed to include taxes for dying as well. Washington is one of just 12 states that impose an est...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–Various surveys conducted around the state over the last year continue to show that public safety is high on the list of concerns for the average Washingtonian. It doesn't matter if it's s...
OPINION
OLYMPIA–The State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Chris Quinn v. State of Washington on Thursday, January 26, the case challenging the constitutionality of the state's new income tax on c...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Equal Justice in Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties. A former Judge was convicted last summer for Assault in the Third Degree with Sexual Motivation and Assault in the Fourth Degree with Sexual Motivation in Asotin County Superior...
OLYMPIA UPDATE
By John Sattgast OLYMPIA–Rep. Mary Dye has introduced legislation that would create a new Washington State Commission on Boys and Men tasked to address the well-being of boys, male youth and men across the state. "There are many issues that impact m...
Olympia Update
By Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick and Rep. Mary Dye OLYMPIA–We are back at the state Capitol for the 2023 legislative session, which began Jan. 9 and is set to last 105 days, ending April 23. A...
McMorris Rodgers opposes Biden gas stove ban
Washington, D.C.–Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) responded to reports that the Biden Administration is considering banning natural gas stoves nationwide, saying "The r...
