Author Archives: Laudan

The end of the 2018 session

March 12, 2018

floorGreetings from Olympia, 

The 2018 legislative session is finally over. I’m looking forward to getting back in district to meet with you and discuss the mostly low points of the session. It was a bad year for taxpayers, for the legislative process and common sense. The new majority wasted no time implementing budget gimmicks and ramming through half-baked legislation to appease special interests and grow government.

Even though the state is bursting at the seams with your hard-earned tax dollars (over $2 billion more than we expected), the majority spent all the extra money. Then they diverted $700 million from the voter-approved rainy-day fund, circumventing the law against the advice of our state Treasurer. This move risks our state’s bond rating which could result in higher interest rates. I guarantee the current majority will be looking for a tax increase next years to cover increased costs of borrowing.

Using a shell game to give you back 40 cents on a dollar?

We had the resources to provide needed property tax relief of $1 billion this year, increase education funding for McCleary, and deposit $700 million into the rainy day fund savings account. The majority chose a different path – voting down our budget proposal for 1 billion in tax relief this year, choosing instead $400 million next year. They spent much more than we needed and set a “dangerous precedent” regarding the state’s savings account.

Imagine, you get a bonus, and instead of paying down your debt, you take out another mortgage on your house, deplete your savings, buy a bunch of stuff and then spend your bonus – that is what the majority did.

2AYour Second Amendment rights

I warned early on that the new majority would make a big deal about guns. The recent tragedy in Florida gave them an impetus to act. Fortunately, they could not muster the votes to significantly impact your ability to exercise your rights. I was able to get the original bump stock bill amended so it only applied to the actual piece of plastic, not all semi-automatic firearms. The ban is just symbolism over substance. My question is how does that make our students any safer tomorrow? All the proposals that have now died in Olympia would just add more layers of bureaucracy without fixing the problem. Click here to watch one of my video updates on the subject, and a proposal that I was championing in the wake of the Florida shooting to keep our students safe.

Process matters

pages

Aside from poor budgeting, the majority also took great liberties with the legislative process this year. They chose to debate important bills in the dead of night, limited debate on other bills and circumvented the legislative process to rush through legislation for special interests. Late in the evening, the majority even pushed through legislation that no one had even read! It was supposed to be a simple concurrence with the House but devolved into a dispute because changes were made to the bill without anyone knowing what was in it. Since they have the votes, the bill was approved. My seat on the Senate floor is near where the Senate pages sit. I make a point to discuss the legislative process with these young students who have taken an interest in state government. The last night of the legislative session provided quite the lesson.

Government needs to get out of the way!

Sometimes in Olympia, there are far too many solutions in search of a problem. The reality is that government often just needs to get out of the way. Here are a couple examples. We teach motorcycle riders to back into a parking spot, but local jurisdictions have been fining people $125 for doing what they are taught! The fact is we needed a law change that (I sponsored Senate Bill 6070), instead of just using common sense.

Taxpayer money is still taxpayers money no matter which budget it comes out of!

We have a problem bridge in our district between Buckley and Enumclaw.  In the last 10 years, the bridge has been hit three times with over height construction equipment. The transportation budget that was approved included repainting that bridge for $2 million (from transportation budget). I had an amendment to stop the painting until we determine if the bridge could be replaced. The response? “We have to protect our infrastructure.” When the bridge is repaired, it is a 17-mile detour for emergency services to get the hospital.  The solution? Upgrade a proposed pedestrian trail bridge to handle emergency vehicles. That costs $8 million (from the capital budget). How much is a new bridge? $10 Million. So, we are painting a bridge before we replace it. Your tax dollars at work!

You can see a complete list of transportation and capital projects by clicking here.

It’s an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns about your state government.

Sincerely,

Fortunato Signature

Phil Fortunato,

Your 31st District State Senator

Contact Me:

Mail: PO Box 40431 Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Office: 201 Irv Newhouse Building Olympia, WA 98504

Phone: (360) 786-7660

Email: Phil.Fortunato@leg.wa.gov

www.SenatorPhilFortunato.com

Committee assignments

During the 2018 legislative session, I am serving on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

Government guide

We have updated the 31st Legislative District government guide to make it easy for you to contact your federal, state and local officials. It’s a one-stop tool that gives you the phone numbers, emails and information you need for everything from schools and senior centers to members of Congress and the President.
You can access the online version of the guide anytime by clicking here or you can call my office for a physical copy while supplies last.

SB 6617 Public Records Disclosure

Many have written to my office about the public records bill, Senate Bill 6617. The media has been whining that the passage of the bill usurped their lawsuit, which they filed this past fall in Thurston County. They claimed the Legislature improperly denied their requests for records, which would include constituent correspondence and e-mails and my negotiations with other members about legislation, which is exempt under the 1972 Public Records Act.

To clarify what records should be disclosed and what shouldn’t, SB 6617 was drafted. The outrage came when the majority party rushed the bill through without a hearing, jammed it through the legislative process, and rushed it to the Governor’s desk.  While there was nothing especially controversial about the bill, the process the other party used sent a message that there was something to hide.

I want to protect the privacy of constituents. Unlike the Seattle Times and News Tribune, I do not want my constituents’ information disclosed in their newspapers. Public disclosure requests in the past have sought to disclose signers of the traditional marriage initiative and concealed carry permit holders.

Let’s have coffee

Coffee

I always appreciate constituents coming down to Olympia to visit. It is my pleasure to meet with you and hear about your concerns. When the 60-day legislative session concludes, I want to connect back in district. Feel free to reach out to my office to schedule a time to grab coffee and talk.

STAY CONNECTED!

Due to election year restrictions, I will be limited in how I can communicate with you about what is going on in Olympia. Please be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you already haven’t. You can also unsubscribe at anytime by clicking here. Feel free to share this with others that live in our district.

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Connect with me on Facebook!

Please follow me @SenatorPhilFortunato to receive updates on my work here in Olympia. Invite others in our district to follow and like my new page!

I want to hear from you!

February 26, 2018

I want to hear from you!

Floor

I am introducing legislation to address student safety in our state. This Wednesday, I will be holding a news conference with stakeholders to discuss the Student Safety and Protection Act. It is a simple concept that will make our students safer, tomorrow!

My legislation is not a mandate to arm teachers. It simply gives grant funding to school districts that choose to participate. They can send any interested staff to be trained to respond to an active shooter threat. The training could include de-escalation, firearms training, and psychological evaluation. Again, this is completely voluntary, but when seconds matter, having an armed and trained staff on campus can make all the difference.

I am proposing that we provide funding to the Criminal Justice Training Commission, the organization that trains our police, to develop a voluntary program to train teachers and administrators to protect our students. There are already schools in Washington that are doing this at their own expense.

We protect our banks, politicians and celebrities with guns, but we put up a “gun free zone” sign on school grounds to “protect” our students. That is unacceptable.

I want to hear from you. If you are a teacher, administrator or school staff, or know someone who is, please have them call my office at  (360) 786-7660. Leave me a voice mail or send me an audio file with your thoughts. You can remain anonymous if you’d like, but I’d like to share these with the media at our news conference.

STAY CONNECTED!

Due to election year restrictions, I will be limited in how I can communicate with you about what is going on in Olympia. Please be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you already haven’t. You can also unsubscribe at anytime by clicking here. Feel free to share this with others that live in our district.

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It’s an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns about your state government.

Sincerely,

Fortunato Signature

Phil Fortunato,

Your 31st District State Senator

Contact Me:

Mail: PO Box 40431 Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Office: 201 Irv Newhouse Building Olympia, WA 98504

Phone: (360) 786-7660

Email: Phil.Fortunato@leg.wa.gov

www.SenatorPhilFortunato.com

Committee assignments

During the 2018 legislative session, I am serving on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

Government guide

We have updated the 31st Legislative District government guide to make it easy for you to contact your federal, state and local officials. It’s a one-stop tool that gives you the phone numbers, emails and information you need for everything from schools and senior centers to members of Congress and the President.

You can access the online version of the guide anytime by clicking here or you can call my office for a physical copy while supplies last.

Let’s have coffee

Coffee

I always appreciate constituents coming down to Olympia to visit. It is my pleasure to meet with you and hear about your concerns. When the 60-day legislative session concludes, I want to connect back in district. Feel free to reach out to my office to schedule a time to grab coffee and talk.

Connect with me on Facebook!

Please follow me @SenatorPhilFortunato to receive updates on my work here in Olympia. Invite others in our district to follow and like my new page!

Taxpayers deserve property tax relief now, says Fortunato

 

In a news conference Wednesday, Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, expressed his desire to return taxpayer money in the form of relief from the Democratic property tax increases as part of the state’s biennial budget that was adopted in 2017. Fortunato spoke in support of Senate Bill 6439, which seeks to reduce property taxes for 2018 and 2019.

“Hard-working taxpayers gave us their tax dollars last year to implement a budget and pass their laws,” said Fortunato. “We constantly see the tax-and-spenders wanting to do nice things for people when we have surplus tax dollars, like we do now. We should give them back their own money and let them do something nice for themselves.”

The legislation fixes the budget compromise adopted last year that fully funded education statewide but resulted in a property tax “blip” during a transition to the new education funding plan.

“The opposition insisted on extending the overreliance on local levies to fund education into 2018 as part of the implementation of the education plan,” said Fortunato. “That is why property owners are getting sticker shock with their bills. We have the money now and should return it to the taxpayers so they can get some relief.”

It’s time to ‘Fully Fund Transportation,’ says Fortunato

My bold proposal on transportation funding has received public hearings in previous legislative sessions and demonstrated that it can work.

The measure, Senate Bill 5743, would fundamentally change how the state pays for transportation infrastructure projects by providing a stable and fair alternative to the unpopular vehicle mileage tax proposal. The plan, ‘Fully Fund Transportation,’ uses existing state sales tax dollars on the sale of motor vehicles to provide additional funding for the gas tax account to build roads.

The transportation infrastructure needs of the state are staggering. From the need to replace the Columbia River Bridge to the two small bridges I need for my district, there is a huge need for more funding. At the current rate of expenditure, projects are obsolete before all the connecting projects are done. Rather than reach into the pockets of the people for more tax dollars when they are already taxed to death, especially with the looming carbon tax and income tax proposals on the horizon, we need an innovative solution like the one I’m proposing.

The proposal uses existing revenue and details a plan to demonstrate how expenditures can return more revenue back to the state to help pay for the proposal. Similar to the assumptions used to justify the recent 11.9-cent gas tax increase, the economic impacts and revenue returns justify the expenditure.

Some argue that if you just raise the gas tax, it will do all this great stuff for the economy. Well, if that’s true, why do you need to raise my taxes?

An analysis by the Office of the State Treasurer notes that as more people move to electric vehicles, which the state already subsidizes, gas tax revenue will decline. If gas tax revenue fails to cover the cost of outstanding transportation bonds, the general fund will have to cover the difference. My FFT is a planned and controlled process rather than a panicked reaction to the impending shortfall, he noted. An economic analysis of the proposal is available here.

Update from Olympia – Feb. 1, 2018

February 1, 2018

STAY CONNECTED!

Due to election year restrictions, I will be limited in how I can communicate with you about what is going on in Olympia. Please be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you already haven’t. You can also unsubscribe at anytime by clicking here. Feel free to share this with others that live in our district.

Bookmark and Share

Connect with me on Facebook!

Please follow me @SenatorPhilFortunato to receive updates on my work here in Olympia. Invite others in our district to follow and like my new page!

A win for rural Washington

Dias

The Senate finally approved a Hirst fix for our district’s water troubles. Senate Bill 6091, which was a bipartisan compromise, was signed into law.

I had some concerns about the bill, but our community fares well under the proposal. People will be charged a bit more to drill a well, but the solution really puts us back to the status quo, allowing rural residents to get water. It also includes an exemption for livestock. They imposed some new limits on water usage in areas without a way to actually measure it, but don’t tell anybody.

Click here to read my press release.

Fighting for the most vulnerable

Things are moving fast in Olympia and the new majority is working hard to jam through controversial legislation aimed at pleasing special interests. This week I spoke out against a law that mandates abortion coverage for insurers in our state. I view this as an anti-choice bill that takes away constitutional rights of religious organizations and silences the voices of those who want a choice about what their money buys in the insurance market. I offered an amendment and spoke in support of others that sought to protect the most vulnerable, stopping practices that target minority communities and abortions targeting gender and the developmentally disabled. Unfortunately, the other side didn’t want to protect these vulnerable communities, instead choosing to side with special interests that wrote the bill.

ABATECommon sense laws that need to be passed

Sometimes government needs to get out of the way. We have to pass laws to fix what should be common sense. The Senate approved my legislation, Senate Bill 6070, that would allow motorcycles to park in angle spots and permits more than one motorcycle to park in a stall. Some cities have been issuing $125 tickets to riders for doing what they are supposed to – that is ridiculous!

Bump Stock Ban, SB 5992 limited in scope

As with many bills that don’t actually do what they are sold to do, this bill would have banned any trigger job to improve performance and semi-auto firearms.  I worked to mitigate the damage by working with other members to limit it just to an actual bump stock.  This is what happens when the other side has control and lawyers that have never pulled a trigger write gun laws.

I will be vigilant in protecting state preemption of gun laws and magazine bans.

It’s an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns about your state government.

 

Sincerely,

Fortunato Signature

Phil Fortunato,

Your 31st District State Senator

Contact Me:

Mail: PO Box 40431 Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Office: 201 Irv Newhouse Building Olympia, WA 98504

Phone: (360) 786-7660

Email: Phil.Fortunato@leg.wa.gov

Committee assignments

During the 2018 legislative session, I am serving on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

Government guide

We have updated the 31st Legislative District government guide to make it easy for you to contact your federal, state and local officials. It’s a one-stop tool that gives you the phone numbers, emails and information you need for everything from schools and senior centers to members of Congress and the President.
You can access the online version of the guide anytime by clicking here or you can call my office for a physical copy while supplies last.

Coffee

Let’s have coffee

I always appreciate constituents coming down to Olympia to visit. It is my pleasure to meet with you and hear about your concerns. When the 60-day legislative session concludes, I want to connect back in district. Feel free to reach out to my office to schedule a time to grab coffee and talk.

Finding government waste

Everybody knows government wastes money. The question is, where is the waste? That’s why I introduced legislation, Senate Bill 6332, that would reward state employees with a sizable bonus for finding government waste.

My bill was passed out of committee. It would establish the Productivity Board, which enlists state employees to help find the waste. This encourages the thousands of state employees to turn in suggestions on finding savings.

The Office of Secretary of State testified that for every dollar in cost, there was $10 in savings. I expect we could save $8 million next year which would compound year after year!

Do we Need a Lawyer on Fish & Wildlife Commission?

Part of the problem with government is that we have decision makers regulating things they have no idea about. Take, for example, Governor Inslee’s latest appointment to the Fish and Wildlife Commission. This state entity is in charge of making policy on hunting and fishing, so you’d think they’d want more hunters and fishers on the Commission. The latest appointee is anything but. She’s an attorney and former policy staffer for the House Democrats. I’m sure she won’t let partisan ideology influence her decision making. Her general lack of understanding and experience on these issues is concerning.

Income tax on the horizon, warns Fortunato

During the 2017 legislative session, Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, sponsored a state constitutional amendment to prohibit the imposition of an unpopular income tax on citizens in Washington state. Although the measure had bipartisan support, Senate Joint Resolution 8204 needed a two-thirds majority to pass. Most Senate Democrats voted against the measure while all 25 members of the then-Majority Coalition Caucus supported it.

“When I introduced this proposal, people scoffed,” said Fortunato. “During debate, the opposition said we were wasting valuable time on something no one was talking about. I guess he wasn’t paying attention because the counterparts in the House introduced income tax bills, the City of Seattle was trying to implement an income tax, and now they’ve reintroduced another proposal to create a state income tax on capital gains again.”

Using verbal camouflage, they are trying to redefine income tax, arguing that a tax on capital gains is an excise tax. However, state revenue departments across the country disagree. Even progressive California, “taxes capital gains as an income tax and taxed at the same rate and ordinary income.”

“The fact is that some in Olympia just want more of your money, regardless of where it comes from,” said Fortunato. “Pro-tax legislators constantly want to raise taxes to do something nice for the people. I say give them their own money back and let them do something nice for themselves. The people of Washington have been clear, even in progressive parts of the state; they don’t want an income tax.”

Fortunato votes for Hirst fix and capital budget

Fortunato sounds alarm on new development rules

Senator Phil Fortunato cast his vote to approve a legislative fix for the flawed 2016 Hirst decision and approved a capital budget late Thursday evening. Senate Bill 6091 was approved in the Senate by a vote of 35 to 15 and in the House by 66 to 30.

“I some concerns about the bill, but our community fares well under the proposal,” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “People will be charged a bit more to drill a well, but the solution really puts us back to the status quo, allowing rural residents to get water. It also includes an exemption for livestock.  They imposed some new limits on water usage in areas without a way to actually measure it, but don’t tell anybody.”

The legislation authorizes new wells with some new conditions depending on the watershed and clarifies the permitting authority to provide greater certainty for applicants. In typical government fashion, the bill also creates local planning committees that would determine water-related projects to be funded by the Legislature and other regulations, which Fortunato opposed. In addition to a task force to examine water availability for municipal growth and pilot projects allowing for additional granting of water rights.

Fortunato offered several amendments to protect property owners and to remove a low-impact development provision that will come back to haunt the state in a few years. “People will be shocked at how LID requirements will drive up housing costs. I had a constituent who was required to put in a pervious driveway on his one-acre parcel that cost over $50,000.”

Sen. Fortunato also garnered $1.5 million for water and sewer projects in Carbonado via the Capital Budget.

That didn’t take long – News from Olympia

January 16, 2018

STAY CONNECTED!

Due to election year restrictions, I will be limited in how I can communicate with you about what is going on in Olympia. Please be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you already haven’t. You can also unsubscribe at anytime. Feel free to share this with others that live in our district.

Bookmark and Share

swearing inFriends, 

It was a busy first week of the 2018 legislative session. We convened the session this past Monday and it was eventful, to say the least. Climate activists interrupted the opening ceremonies and Democrats who now control the Senate were unable to adopt their own rules for the session. Protecting taxpayers will be a tough job this year. It was no surprise that Democrats removed the Senate rule requiring a 2/3 vote to pass tax legislation.

Before the legislative session, I sent out a survey asking for your priorities this year. Thank you to everyone who participated. I have put together the results so that you can see what our community thinks I should be focusing on. Please click here to view the results.

Protecting your rights

Gun rights

Interview

I am very concerned that the privacy of law-abiding citizens will be infringed. I predicted before the session that anti-gun legislators who now control all levels of state government could be problematic for gun owners in our state. The fact that a state agency is seeking guidance on whether they can share private information when state law is clear necessitates legislative action.

Senate Bill 6173 would clarify state disclosure laws concerning information of concealed pistol license holders. The state Department of Licensing recently asked the less-than-gun-friendly state attorney general for guidance on whether the personal information of concealed pistol license holders is subject to the state’s public disclosure laws. Read more…

I am standing firm protecting your gun rights. The proposed bump stock ban is just camouflage for semi-auto and trigger job bans.

It’s an honor to serve as your state Senator. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns about your state government.

Sincerely,

Fortunato Signature

Phil Fortunato,

Your 31st District State Senator

Contact Me:

Mail: PO Box 40431 Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Office: 201 Irv Newhouse Building Olympia, WA 98504

Phone: (360) 786-7660

Email: Phil.Fortunato@leg.wa.gov

www.SenatorPhilFortunato.com

Committee assignments

In the 2018 legislative session, I will serve on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

Government guide

We have updated the 31st Legislative District government guide to make it easy for you to contact your federal, state and local officials. It’s a one-stop tool that gives you the phone numbers, emails and information you need for everything from schools and senior centers to members of Congress and the President.

You can access the online version of the guide anytime by clicking here or you can call my office for a physical copy while supplies last.

Finding government waste

 Everybody knows government wastes money. The question is where is the waste? That’s why I introduced legislation that would reward state employees with a sizable bonus for finding government waste.

Senate Bill 6332 would reestablish the state productivity board, also referred to as the employee involvement and recognition board. They would be tasked with developing an employee suggestion incentive program. State employees could be eligible for bonuses for suggestions generating net savings, revenue or both. Read more…

        Taxpayer Relief          from ST3

Now that Democrats are in control of the Legislature, relief from outrageous car tab fees is unlikely. In fact, the latest proposals will do anything but help those struggling to afford the steep increases. A bill being championed by Democrats creates payment plans and actually increases the car tab costs! While some in Olympia are working to protect Sound Transit, I am fighting for you. Click here to read a recent article on this issue.