Author Archives: Laudan

Fortunato opposes impractical Capitol campus gun-ban

Designating the Capitol as an insane asylum would have the same effect

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, a strong supporter of protecting Washingtonians’ right to bear arms, voiced his opposition to a measure that would crack down on protests by constitutional activists peacefully holding rallies on the steps of the Legislative Building while openly carrying firearms.

Fortunato noted that instead of adopting the convoluted and impractical proposal, Senate Bill 5038, Democrats could just designate the Campus an insane asylum to have the same effect, referring to existing state law that prohibits firearms in a mental institution.

“There are a ridiculous number of provisions, such as being within 75 feet of a demonstration, permitted or an unpermitted gathering of 15 or more people,” said Fortunato. “So, are you going to require people to have someone else measure the distance from the Capitol steps?”

Anti-Second Amendment legislators in the Senate approved the measure Thursday night. The proposal would essentially ban open carry of firearms on the Capitol campus and other “legislative locations” and make the violation of the law a gross misdemeanor.

“This bill turns legal gun owners into criminals and will criminalize a legal protest and activity protected under the state constitution. We are an open carry state,” Fortunato exclaimed.

Fortunato pointed to existing state laws concerning threatening behavior or brandishing a firearm that should be sufficient to address concerns of the bill’s proponents. Simply banning citizens from carrying a firearm in a particular location violates the spirit of both state and federal constitutional protections.

“Washington’s constitution has stronger protections for gun owners than the Second Amendment,” Fortunato added. “It says it shall not be impaired.”

You can watch Fortunato’s speech by clicking here.

Freedom Caucus delivers sustainable, taxpayer-friendly transportation plan

In a Wednesday news conference, members of the Senate Freedom Caucus unveiled their new transportation-funding proposal, pushing back on a package recently put forth by the Democratic Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and building on the plan from the ranking Republican on the committee. Senators Phil Fortunato, Doug Ericksen, Mike Padden, and Jim McCune are pushing for a comprehensive shift in how the state pays for transportation altogether by utilizing the existing sales tax on motor vehicles and ending the state’s reliance on the gas tax. A nonpartisan analysis done in 2019 shows that the plan would result in more than $10 billion in funding over the next decade, create tens of thousands of jobs and yield tens of billions of dollars in economic benefit for the state.

“As cars become more fuel efficient, commuting patterns change and new technology comes online, existing methods to fund the state’s transportation infrastructure are failing,” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “Proposals being discussed in Olympia continue an unsustainable cycle of project lists and taxes, including a new cap and tax proposal, carbon taxes and an intrusive mileage tax. All these approaches fail to address underlying cost-drivers for transportation projects – inflation.”

Portions of the plan have received hearings over the years and even the Democratic chair of the Senate Transportation Committee noted that it was “probably the right thing to do…”

“Voters are tired of paying more taxes just to be stuck in traffic,” Ericksen, R-Ferndale said. “It’s time to do the right thing by taxpayers and ensure their money is being spent on what it’s intended. We can get more resources for roads and bridges without new taxes under our proposal. It’s the responsible and sustainable policy for our state’s transportation needs.”

A Democrat-proposed mileage tax, also known as a road usage charge, is currently in a pilot project phase in Washington. To function as a replacement for the gas-tax, Washington drivers would have to install a GPS tracker in their vehicles, which would then report miles traveled to a third-party. Freedom Caucus members warn this is an unacceptable invasion of privacy by the government and a costly one. As much as 30 percent of the collected mileage tax would go to the third-party vendor.

“Our approach avoids an intrusive and inefficient mileage tax,” explained Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “It’s unconscionable that the state would require a GPS tracker in your car, track your movements through a third-party who in turn charges exorbitant fees to collect the tax. The mileage tax is bad for eastern Washington and will drive up costs for commuters and consumers without any guarantee our roads will be any better. This is the only package that meets the ever-growing transportation needs of Spokane County.”

The Freedom Caucus’ proposal includes protections for the redirected revenues and asks voters to weigh-in with a state constitutional amendment.

“We cannot wait any longer to make these investments and we cannot afford to saddle future Washingtonians with more taxes only to have their investments wasted while they drive on crumbling roads,” said McCune, R-Graham. “That is why part of our plan includes a constitutional provision to protect that money.”

Virtual Town Hall

This coming Wednesday, I’ll be holding a virtual town hall again to discuss what’s happening in the Legislature and ask for your perspective on bills that are moving. You can register for the town hall by clicking here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Update from Olympia

Friends and Neighbors,

We are nearing the halfway point of the 2021 legislative session. Monday is what is called the policy cutoff. This means that all bills in the Senate must be approved in their respective committee to continue in the process and then we will begin voting on bills to send to the House of Representatives for their consideration. March 9 is the last day to vote on bills that originated in the Senate. If you’re following legislation that is in the House, I won’t get an opportunity to really see it until after then.

Since the Legislature’s business is being conducted remotely, I’ve gathered resources to stay involved in the process. Click here to find more information on how to provide input on bills during the committee hearings, track legislation and more.

Click here to register

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Stark contrasts revealed in approach to state’s transportation needs

Transportation policy leaders have been working to address Washington’s ailing infrastructure since the passage of the last 11.9 cent gat tax increase, known as “Connecting Washington,” in 2015. Despite record increases in the state gas tax and other transportation-related fees and charges, the state’s transportation needs have remained woefully underfunded.

I’m continuing my 20-plus-year push to fund transportation with existing revenue rather than raise taxes and I’m pleased that my proposal has been adopted as part of the recently unveiled Republican budget. What is being discussed right now won’t ensure safe bridges or less congested roads. We are just putting an expensive Band-Aid when the state should be looking at creative ways that address the main cost-driver… Find out more…

Announcing the formation of the ‘Freedom Caucus’

Freedom is the watchword for the new Senate Freedom Caucus. Lawmakers will advocate for lower taxes, responsible state spending, individual liberties and a government that gets out of the people’s way.

Learn more about this effort…

Constitutional amendment expanding protections for citizens’ right to bear arms

While many policies coming from Olympia concerning the right to bear arms focus on restricting Second Amendment protections, I’m pushing to expand them. Senate Joint Resolution 8205 would amend Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington Constitution by adding, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state includes the right to possess firearm magazines and firearm loading devices of any size.”

Continuing tax-relief efforts for seniors

Seniors and disabled people are particularly affected by rising property taxes and health-care costs – and that was before the economic uncertainty related to COVID-19. This issue is one that I hear about at almost every town hall. I’ve sponsored a slate of bills that are awaiting hearings in the Senate’s budget committee to provide needed relief.

The focus of my three property tax reduction bills are to help expand access to existing state programs for those most in need. The ‘age wave’ is here and its effects are going to be significant. See what I’m working on…

It is an honor to serve you and my office is here to help you with any questions you may have about your state government.

Sincerely,

Phil Fortunato,

Your 31st District State Senator

Homelessness crisis requires different kind of action, Fortunato says

As the ranking member on the Senate’s housing committee, state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn has been looking at innovative ways to address the state’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis.

Despite billions of dollars being spent on the problem, homelessness and housing insecurity continue to rise. In a recent hearing on Fortunato’s SHELTER Act, advocates for the “homelessness industrial complex” came out of the woodwork to say why his approach wouldn’t work but offered few solutions aside from the same policies that have left countless people to languish on the streets.

“The recent court decision in Martin v. Boise basically says you cannot remove people from the streets if they do not have a place to go and this bill solves that problem,” said Fortunato. “My proposal provides the homeless on our streets security and services so that we can help them work their way out of homelessness. They can focus on recovery knowing that they and their possessions will be safe while they’re accessing treatments or finding employment. Unless we provide drug and alcohol treatment, we are not breaking the cycle.”

Fortunato offered an amended version of Senate Bill 5107 that removes criminal penalties for camping in public spaces. Under his legislation, cities and counties with a population of at least 50,000 must have an emergency overnight shelter to accommodate the unsheltered homeless equal to the last point-in-time count.

“I’ve worked to improve this legislation, but I’m open to suggestions to make it even better. However, simply saying ‘No’ without addressing the underlying problem for taxpayers and the homeless is unacceptable,” Fortunato said. “I’m working to ensure that families can safely take their kids to parks without finding needles all over the ground by providing a safe and secure place for the homeless to go. To me, it is not compassionate to let people sleep in cardboard boxes, on the side of roads or in public parks. We have to do something different.”

In addition, Fortunato’s bill stipulates that the sites must provide treatment for substance abuse as well as mental health and employment counseling. It would prohibit use of alcohol or other unprescribed drugs and require a police presence for security.

“Much of the opposition to this proposal focused on the requirement for treatment,” Fortunato added, “but I cannot take taxpayer money to fund someone’s continued substance abuse that could be contributing to their struggle with homelessness.”

Stark contrasts revealed in approach to state’s transportation needs

Transportation policy leaders have been working to address Washington’s ailing infrastructure since the passage of the last major package, known as “Connecting Washington,” in 2015. Despite record increases in the state gas tax and other transportation-related fees and charges, the state’s transportation needs have remained woefully underfunded.

State. Sen. Phil Fortunato is continuing his 20-plus-year push for a reset on how transportation projects are funded altogether. This on the heels of a new, massive tax-increase plan, dubbed “Forward Washington” by the Democratically controlled Senate Transportation Committee. The funding proposal, largely crafted to appeal to Democrat legislators, not taxpayers, held a work session on the proposal.

“Everyone testified that they loved the project list without much mention of the tax package to fund it.” said Fortunato, R-Auburn.

“The Legislature has bought into this ‘Project List – Tax Package’ concept as a sales tool for tax increases to the public,” said Fortunato. “Twenty years ago, while on the House Transportation Committee as a 47^th District state representative, I made the observation that in the future people are going to buy more fuel-efficient cars and electric cars, gas tax revenue will flatten out and the cost of right of way and construction will continue to rise with inflation. My solution was to take the then $512 million in sales tax from the sales of motor vehicles and put that into the gas tax account to provide an inflation-linked funding source. While the state sales tax rate has remained the same, 20 years later revenue is now more than $2 billion, keeping up with inflation.”

The package unveiled last Thursday includes projects throughout the state but relies on nearly $16 billion in new taxes, including unpopular proposals to tax carbon and another gas-tax hike, bringing the state’s portion to 55.4 cents per gallon.

“What is being discussed right now won’t ensure safe bridges or less congested roads. We are just putting an expensive Band-Aid when the state should be looking at creative ways that address the main cost-driver of transportation costs – inflation,” Fortunato said. “My proposal includes an inflation-linked funding source and would yield more money for transportation without raising taxes. Telling drivers they’ll have to pay almost a dollar in taxes per gallon at the pump to drive on the same roads is wrong. We must put the brakes on this Forward Washington tax plan and fund it with existing revenue. Every dollar we take from the taxpayer is one less dollar in our economy to create jobs and return sales tax to the General Fund.”

A nonpartisan estimate in 2019 showed that Fortunato’s “Fully Fund Transportation” methodology would result in nearly double the amount of money for projects in the same time frame being proposed now. In addition, Fortunato’s proposal would result in $54.4 billion in economic benefit to the state, while returning almost $4.6 billion is direct sales tax revenue back to the state by keeping more money in taxpayers’ wallets to spend.

Republican senators announce formation of ‘Freedom Caucus’

Freedom is the watchword for the new Senate Freedom Caucus, announced Thursday by lawmakers to advocate for lower taxes, responsible state spending, individual liberties and a government that gets out of the people’s way.

The Freedom Caucus will advocate for core conservative principles. Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, said the new caucus will tackle big-picture issues that often cannot be encompassed by broader political caucuses that must represent a wide variety of views.

The new caucus will put its emphasis on the direction and role of government. Key issues include the rights of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution, with a particular emphasis on the economic freedoms that underpin the free-market economy. Top concerns include the sweeping agenda being pushed by Gov. Jay Inslee and majority Democrats this year as the public is excluded from Olympia by COVID precautions. Also of concern are arbitrary edicts from the governor’s office regarding the shutdown of the Washington economy, and the lack of public input into decision-making.

Founding members of the Freedom Caucus are Ericksen, Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, and Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham.

“Never has the need for a Freedom Caucus been so great,” Fortunato said. “Legislative Democrats this year are pushing one of the most radical agendas in Washington history. While the public is forced to stay home, a narrow band of urban activists are pushing an income tax, measures to increase gas prices, and legislation to erode the people’s rights under the Constitution. Rather than working to make these bad ideas somewhat better, we need to draw the line and make ourselves heard. We don’t want to throw a drowning person a life preserver. We want to pull people out of the water.”

Fortunato files state constitutional amendment expanding protections for citizens’ right to bear arms

While many policies that emanate from Olympia concerning the right to bear arms focus on restricting Second Amendment protections, state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is pushing to expand them.

He’s filed a state constitutional amendment to enshrine an individual right to own high-capacity magazines, a popular target for anti-gun advocates. Senate Joint Resolution 8205 would amend Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington Constitution by adding, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state includes the right to possess firearm magazines and firearm loading devices of any size.”

“Arguments for banning high-capacity magazines focus on preventing a mass shooting. However, banning these magazines only puts the public at more risk,” said Fortunato. “An outright ban ignores the number of magazines already on the market. A conservative estimate based on gun ownership of the types of rifles that use them is about 50 million with each owner having an average of 5 magazines. Add handguns and the total number of magazines is over 250,000,000. The reality is that a person intent on killing innocent people is not going to be concerned about a law that bans some kinds of magazines.”

A 2019 study on shootings shows that trained police officers have about a 25 percent accuracy rate with firearms, typically using a 9mm due to the larger magazine capacity. With the highest accuracy rate of 35 percent, about 14 rounds would need to be fired to stop one threat. Fortunato argues that average citizens exercising their rights deserve every tool to protect themselves as outlined in the state constitution.

“All citizens deserve to have every means of protection at their disposal,” Fortunato added. “In no other area do we have a conversation about restricting rights enshrined in our constitutions. This should be no different. As technology advances, we should be looking at ways to expand protections for law-abiding citizens, not constrain them.”

Fortunato thanks Biden for ESD commissioner promotion

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, offered the following statement on the news of Washington’s Employment Security Department commissioner leaving to join the Biden-Harris administration.

“There is a strategy in corporate America that if you have an incompetent manager, you promote them to a job where they cannot do any harm,” said Fortunato. “I’d like to thank President Biden because it seems he’s helping our state by promoting incompetence. I didn’t see what position the outgoing commissioner will be taking in the new administration, but perhaps she’d fit well as the ambassador to Nigeria.”

Fortunato continues tax-relief efforts for seniors

OLYMPIA… State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is keeping his promise to some of the state’s most vulnerable.

“Seniors and disabled people are particularly affected by rising property taxes and health-care costs – and that was before the economic uncertainty related to COVID-19,” said Fortunato. “This issue is one that I hear about at almost every town hall.”

The focus of Fortunato’s three property tax reduction bills filed this session are to help expand access to existing state programs for those most in need.

“The ‘age wave’ is here and its effects are going to be significant,” Fortunato said. “Seniors have worked all their lives and saved for retirement, only to be hit with property and other tax increases that severely hurt when on a fixed income. I believe that at some point in time you have paid enough property taxes and under this legislation, that time is your 75^th birthday.”

Senate Bill 5289, would exempt people 75 and older from paying property taxes on their primary residence.

Existing senior and disabled property tax programs are based on income qualifications, with a combined income limit of $40,000 or less per household. Senate Bill 5290 would change how eligibility is determined for a property-tax reduction. Under the bill, if one member meets the eligibility requirements, the household would qualify.

“A single person making $40,000 a year after deductions may be able to live on that, but a couple cannot. This means that a couple could be eligible for the deduction if one of their incomes is $40,000 or less.”

The third proposal, Senate Bill 5305, has bipartisan support and would permit applicants to deduct Medicare supplemental insurance premiums from their income calculations to qualify for property-tax programs.

“Seniors deserve every bit of help the state can provide to make their later years comfortable,” added Fortunato. “Property values are rising, the cost of everything is going up, and the state’s tax policies aren’t making it easier to live in this state. I’m hoping at least one of these proposals will pass so that seniors and disabled residents can stay in their homes, hopefully easing their financial burdens.”

All three bills have been referred to the Senate’s budget committee (Ways and Means) and are awaiting public hearings.