Author Archives: Laudan

Town Halls

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Before the Legislature convenes, I need to know what you think I should be working on for our district. A lot of changes are coming our way, new policy battles and possibly a changing district due to redistricting. That is why I’m holding some virtual town halls. We did quite a few
of them during session and I was able to get some great feedback. So, here is your chance to do it again.

Join me for upcoming virtual legislative town halls! Register at the links below.

Thursday, November 11 – 7-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 13 – 7-8:30 p.m.

 

Senate majority’s obstruction disastrous for jobs and public safety

Law enforcement leaders weigh in on vaccine mandates

The Senate Democratic Majority has all but ensured that the Legislature will not be able to call itself into a special session in time to stop the governor’s plan to terminate hundreds, maybe thousands of state employees on Oct. 18 who have not received their COVID-19 vaccinations.

After missing a critical deadline to vote on a historic legislative special session, state Senate leadership finally responded to official inquiries from Senate Freedom Caucus members, who have been leading the effort. Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig said in an email that he does not support even convening the committee for a vote.

“Washington families are suffering and Democrats in Olympia refuse to allow a special legislative session to address the many pressing problems we face,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale.  “Now is not the time for leaders to hide in their basement collecting their paychecks while others suffer, while others are losing their jobs, while inflation is escalating, while energy prices are skyrocketing, while our communities are seeing spiking crime rates, while a failed long term care tax needs to be repealed, while home/auto insurance rates are going up by double digits, and while constituents are demanding answers. Leaders do not hide. Leaders rise up to the challenges of our day. We need a special emergency session now.”

New issues continue to arise ahead of the 2022 legislative session that Freedom Caucus members say must be addressed sooner rather than later. In a resolution submitted Aug. 31 to the Senate Rules Committee, the first step in the process, the Legislature was to convene briefly to address the state’s COVID vaccine mandate, and critical public safety policies.

“I’m deeply disappointed that the Senate majority doesn’t have the political courage to convene the Rules Committee so that members can openly debate and vote on the issue,” said Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn. “We are now going on 600 days without any meaningful oversight of the state’s executive and seeing the effects of so many bad policies that can’t wait to be addressed. Doing nothing means that livelihoods of families are in jeopardy and communities will continue to see higher crime.”

Local law enforcement groups are expressing their frustration with local mandates and the inaction of the Legislature. Public safety professionals from around the state have denounced the recent reforms that are viewed as tying the hands of police, putting the public at greater risk.

“It is disappointing that the legislative majority isn’t interested in a special legislative session to address our state’s profound public safety issues,” said Mike Sloan, the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild president. “Recently passed police reform bills have left law enforcement confused and hesitant to police. This situation has led to low morale and has unfortunately played a role in our critical staffing shortage. Sadly, this has been amplified with the vaccine mandate. I’m fearful that if these issues do not get addressed, our public safety crisis will further deteriorate and our quality of life will suffer.”

“The King County Police Officers Guild is saddened by the loss of the brave men and women whose employment will be terminated for deciding not to take a vaccine,” said Bob Lurry, the Guild’s vice president. “We are losing experienced law enforcement officers that are very difficult to replace. This heavy handed and ill-timed mandate will accelerate the staffing crisis we are already seeing in policing around the state and will make us all less safe.”

Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley and ranking member on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, agreed, saying the Inslee Administration has taken one of the most extreme positions in the nation on vaccine mandates by not even allowing for testing as an alternative.

“Rather than listening to the concerns of law enforcement organizations, Governor Inslee is actually doubling down on his top-down approach,” said Padden. “Firing dedicated public safety personnel, who are already-stressed, not only impacts them but also their families who are dependent on them for food and shelter.”

The impeding employment, social service, and public safety crisis precipitated by the mass layoffs means that the Legislature can’t wait until the regular session in January 2022.

“The case for a special session gets stronger and stronger,” said Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. “The new restrictions on policing passed by this year’s Legislature are clearly unworkable, and now we face the chilling possibility that law enforcement and other public employees will be fired by decree of the governor. When will our colleagues finally be ready to admit they have a problem?

www.WAFreedomCaucus.org

Update from Olympia

“We must continue to push back” is my mantra. I recently admonished my colleagues for failing to take up a resolution that would have called the Legislature back into session. I’m hearing from constituents and people all over the region, from each end of the political spectrum, that what the governor is doing with these unilateral mandates is wrong.

Under my proposal, the Legislature should have called itself into a special session by Sept. 14, but the Senate Rules Committee had not met for a procedural vote. It’s unlikely that the governor would call a special session to curb his own emergency powers, but under the state constitution the Legislature can call itself into session

The House and Senate early this year adopted joint rules, which begins with a resolution submitted to the Senate Rules Committee, something that has never been done in state history.

We set up this process, but it seems that the majority party is more concerned with protecting the governor’s autocratic powers than representing the people. My constituents are clear that they want the Legislature to act to curb the governor’s vaccine mandates and emergency powers, and protect local control in schools and fix flawed police reform legislation. We can’t do that if the majority refuses to even get on the record.

It appears, however, that rules we just put in place are flawed by requiring a specific date for commencing a special session, with no timeline for when the Rules Committee must convene to vote. On Aug. 31, I sent the resolution for consideration, but legislative leaders have yet to respond.

I want the people I represent to know that I am doing everything in my power to make their voices heard on these issues. All we are seeing is obstruction and delay from the majority. It’s not just my district either. These issues aren’t partisan. My advice to people frustrated over the erosion of their civil liberties and our democracy is to contact Democratic legislators and urge them to support this special session effort.

This isn’t a debate about being pro or anti vaccine. Sadly, it seems we’ve lost the ability to have any rational discussion about these policy issues and how the state should be responding. I’m approaching this from a pro-freedom perspective. If people want to get the vaccines, they should. But the state shouldn’t coerce, force, or threaten people who choose not to. I’m deeply concerned what these mandates will do. While they are meant to reduce virus deaths, are they going to cause more deaths because of lack of nursing staff in hospitals or harm public safety?

Senate Democrats miss deadline on special session vote

State Sen. Phil Fortunato is admonishing his Democratic colleagues for failing to take up a resolution sent to the Senate Rules Committee for a vote. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, who chairs the committee, Fortunato notes that the Legislature should have called itself into a special session by Sept. 14, but the Rules Committee had not met for a procedural vote.

It’s unlikely that the governor would call a special session to curb his own emergency powers, but under the state constitution the Legislature can call itself into session. Fortunato’s letter started the process outlined in joint rules adopted this year by the House and Senate, which begins with a resolution submitted to the Senate Rules Committee, something that has never been done in state history.

“We set up this process, but it seems that the majority party is more concerned with protecting the governor’s autocratic powers than representing the people,” Fortunato exclaimed. “My constituents are clear that they want the Legislature to act to curb the governor’s vaccine mandates, emergency powers, protect local control in schools, and fix flawed police reform legislation. We can’t do that if the majority refuses to even get on the record.”

Fortunato is concerned that the joint rules are flawed by requiring a specific date for commencing a special session with no timeline for when the Rules Committee must convene to vote. The resolution was sent for consideration on Aug. 31, but legislative leaders have yet to respond.

“I want the people I represent to know that I am doing everything in my power to make their voices heard on these issues,” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “All we are seeing is obstruction and delay from the majority. It’s not just my district either. These issues aren’t partisan. My advice to people frustrated over the erosion of their civil liberties and our democracy is to contact your Democratic legislators and urge them to support this special session effort.”

Participate in Redistricting

Every 10 years the state’s Redistricting Commission is charged with redrawing the shapes of Congressional and Legislative districts based on changes in population. All the districts are supposed to be similar in population. One of the changes being considered is cutting off parts of our district that are South of Hwy-410 and eliminating Sumner. This would split most of the cities along 410 in half.

If you feel it is as important as I do to maintain the Hwy-410 corridor in one district, consider participating in the process. There is still time to let your voice be heard.

Here are some things to consider:

  • It is important to maintain the continuity of all the cities in the 31st District along the Hwy-410 corridor and the Chinook Scenic Byway as the gateway to Mount Rainier.
  • Many businesses rely on the important tourist trade, and splitting the corridor in multiple districts will make coordination of WSDOT and Capital Budget projects more difficult.

Leave your comments here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/participate/describe

Inslee’s extreme actions demand stronger, historic response from legislative branch, Freedom Caucus members say

Since Gov. Jay Inslee announced renewed masking requirements and vaccination mandates, legislative offices have been flooded with messages in strong opposition. The Freedom Caucus is backing a resolution for a historic legislative special session that would cover key policy areas being voiced by their constituents:

  • Public safety;
  • Emergency-powers reform;
  • Vaccine mandates; and
  • Local control over masks schools.

“I feel very strongly that we should send a clear, concise message about personal freedom to the people we represent.  Vaccine mandates and other state edicts should be local decisions. Our constituents don’t want legislative double speak,” state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn said. “They are asking us to ‘do everything in our power’ to protect against losing their jobs because of their personal health decisions.”

“The governor has one of the harshest mandates in the country,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Even many of those who have taken the vaccine and are supportive of the vaccine effort in general are opposed to this overreaching order. It threatens our workers in state government, K-12 schools, the health-care sector, childcare, and other fields of public service with the destruction of their livelihoods.

“The governor is saying that he will end your career, take food off your table and prevent you from feeding and providing shelter for your family unless you agree to comply with his order to inject a relatively new vaccine into your body. That is an unacceptable encroachment on individual liberty that all lawmakers have an obligation to address.”

Freedom Caucus members point to a lack of legislative consultation and oversight of the governor’s actions. Other states’ legislatures have acted to rein in executive powers. Washington remains an outlier, having been under a state of emergency for more than 550 days with no signs of the executive branch relinquishing its unilateral control.

“This new abuse of power further confirms that the Legislature erred when it allowed the governor to continue his COVID emergency powers,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. “This has resulted in cruel and harsh punishment to the citizens of Washington. The governor’s actions continue to demonstrate he has no desire to share the decision-making process by keeping other elected officials on mute.”

Underscoring the varying differences in how COVID-19 is handled around the country, state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale noted, “The science in Florida and the science in Washington is the same. Only the governors are different. They have much greater freedoms in Florida than Washington while health statistics are similar.  We need a legislative session now in Olympia to let the voices be heard of those who the freedoms enjoyed in other states.”

As Inslee’s mid-October deadline for forced vaccinations looms, some political allies of the governor and legislative majority are voicing their opposition, even going as far as filing a lawsuit to delay the mandate on state workers. Numerous first responders around the state and nation also are taking a similar stance in opposition to a heavy-handed vaccine mandate as a condition of employment.

“I will stand in solidarity against any vaccine mandate for our children, police officers, firefighters, medical workers, state workers and private-sector workers,” Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham added. “I’m 100% for medical freedom and constitutional rights. The governor does not have the authority to mandate vaccines under state law. Let’s stand together against this overreach.”

Strong Republican support for Fortunato special session resolution

A historic legislative special session could be one step closer to becoming reality. State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn has been leading efforts to have the Legislature call itself into session in an unprecedented move. The resolutions would allow lawmakers to address the seemingly endless state of emergency, unilateral COVID responses, and the public safety fiasco created by legislative Democrats.

Twelve Republican senators signed Fortunato’s letter to the Senate majority leader urging a procedural vote in the Senate’s Rules Committee.

“The governor is, of course, content in his undemocratic power grab, but the people we represent are not,” said Fortunato. “We have a process by which the Legislature can get into a special session along very specific parameters, and I want my Senate Democrat colleagues to be on the record supporting this autocratic takeover of our democracy. We left important work undone in the regular legislative session and the majority passed some bad policies that we are seeing the effects of. We need to reconvene and fix this mess.”

Fortunato is alluding to major spikes in crime and calls from law enforcement to fix “public safety” legislation that is seen to tie the hands of police around the state. While attempting to dismiss criticism, proponents of the reforms initially said the laws were being misinterpreted, but they now have indicated the new laws need a legislative fix.

“It’s OK to admit you’re wrong, and so far, I’ve been right about how wrong the majority’s policies would be,” Fortunato said. “We cannot wait any longer and most of my Republican colleagues agree. The Legislature should act now, and we need our Democratic colleagues to do the right thing and let the Senate Rules Committee meet and start this process.”

Under the state constitution, the Legislature has the power to call itself into session. In joint rules adopted this year by the House and Senate, the process begins with a resolution submitted to the Rules Committee.

“We hear all the time how we are living in unprecedented times. Well, now is the time to do something actually unprecedented and speak up for the citizens of this state. This nearly two-year experiment of one-man rule needs to end,” added Fortunato.

Fortunato submitted two versions of the special session resolution for consideration.

Version 1 – Covers public safety, reforming emergency powers, vaccine discrimination, and mask mandates in schools.

Version 2 – Covers public safety and reforming emergency powers.

Schools must stand against unconstitutional funding cuts says Fortunato

As Washington schools prepare for the return of nearly 1 million children this fall, new mandates from Olympia are presenting challenges for local districts. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction indicated that districts would face funding cuts if they don’t comply with state public health orders.

State Sen. Phil Fortunato is urging the state’s 295 independent school boards to stand up against the threat and do what’s best for their communities, arguing that the state’s constitution is clear about school funding.

“We just spent nearly a decade in court over school funding. The state has a clear constitutional obligation to fund our schools and educate our children,” Fortunato said. “That doesn’t stop because a politician throws a tantrum and tries to override local control. The state superintendent may think it’s appropriate to punish students by cutting funding, but I don’t, and the courts likely won’t either.”

In a letter to districts, Superintendent Reykdal wrote, “Boards or districts that intentionally disobey, dismiss, or shun an explicit law, including a Governor’s executive order, which has the power of law, will see an immediate halt to their basic education apportionment, and their federal funds that come through OSPI.”

Some districts are pushing back. The Okanogan School District sent a detailed letter to the governor asking him to reverse course, wanting instead to implement optional mask wearing in schools.

“These decisions should be at the discretion of locally elected school boards,” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “I believe that our schools should stand up to bullying and do what they think is best. Threatening to withhold funding from students who’ve already lost so much learning due to the pandemic is appalling.”

The U.S. Department of Education said Monday it would continue financial support for school districts that defy state-level orders where bans on mask mandates are in effect.

Legislature must convene itself to protect public employee privacy, rein in Governor’s powers

As Washington faces a looming public safety crisis, Governor Inslee’s latest pronouncement mandating vaccinations as a condition of public employment is a step too far for state Sen. Phil Fortunato. The Auburn Republican representing the 31st District is calling for an historic legislative session to address these issues, as well prevent further unilateral actions by the governor.

“A resolution is being introduced for the Legislature to convene itself and stand up for the rights Washingtonians,” Fortunato said. “I’m not content allowing one person to continue to rule by fiat. It’s antithetical to our Republic and our state. In this current economic climate with worker shortages and businesses shuttering, we should not be forcing more people out of work for the sake an experimental vaccine. The governor wants to talk about a rational conversation on this issue, what he is doing is the opposite.”

In accordance with the state constitution and rules adopted by the Legislature, the special session resolution must first be taken up by the Senate Rules Committee. Fortunato is pushing for a formal vote immediately.

“Senate leadership must be on record on this issue whether we will stand up for our constituents or ceded the peoples’ authority to the governor,” said Fortunato. “Making people choose between feeding their families or being a lab rat for pharmaceutical companies is a false choice. I want to be clear. I’m not saying don’t get vaccinated. I’m not downplaying the impacts that COVID has had. But I am not going to threaten people with the force of government to comply.”

In addition to protecting workers’ rights, Fortunato wants the Legislature to act urgently in the special session to address vaccine and mask mandates in schools and fix problematic public safety legislation from the regular session.

“As the year has gone on, we are seeing significant problems that the Democratic majority and governor have created,” added Fortunato. “We have to address these now.”