Please join me and our 31st District neighbors on Wednesday, May 12 for my end of session virtual town hall. I’ll go over what happened and answer any questions you have about your state government.
Register in advance for this webinar by clicking here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
OLYMPIA – The new income tax passed by majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature earned top honors in the first annual Galloping Gertie Awards, presented by the Senate Freedom Caucus to honor the biggest fails of the 2021 legislative session.
The income tax earned the Gertie for Worst New Tax in a Leading Role to Promote Big Government, and picked up two special awards for its sponsors, legislative Democrats and Gov. Jay Inslee, who advanced the new tax during the just-finished legislative session.
The awards are named for “Galloping Gertie,” the famed state-highway bridge that briefly crossed the Tacoma Narrows before it collapsed in a 1940 windstorm. A recording of the Wednesday awards ceremony can be seen on TVW, at https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2021041339.
Lawmakers concluded their 105-day regular session Sunday evening after passing an unconstitutional income tax, measures that impose state government control on local law enforcement agencies, and precursor bills for steep new taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Lawmakers are expected to be called back for a special legislative session on transportation later this year, for final passage of those fuel taxes and others.
“It was the most radical agenda Washington has ever seen, and this was a dizzying session,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, who hosted the Wednesday awards ceremony. “It was just as dizzying as Galloping Gertie, the state’s biggest-ever engineering blunder. Those of us in the Senate Freedom Caucus realized we really should do something to recognize everyone who made this nightmare possible.”
Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, said, “We’re calling this the ‘first annual’ Galloping Gertie Awards. But honestly, we would be very happy if we never have to hold an awards ceremony like this one again.”
Other presenters were Sens. Jim McCune, R-Graham, Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, and Jeff Wilson, R-Longview.
Wilson said, “It was as if the Seattle City Council got itself elected to the Legislature and decided the rest of the state should share in the benefits of chaos and dysfunction.”
Padden said, “Taking all these bills together, this was a great session for economic development in Idaho and Montana.”
McCune said, “We’re trying to see the humor in this year’s session. But when the people understand what happened this year, I don’t think anyone is going to be laughing.”
The new income tax on capital gains, likely to be expanded to the middle class if it survives court challenges, earned the special False Narrative Award for legislative Democrats. For his work in promoting the new tax, after an election promise to oppose all new taxes, Gov. Jay Inslee was awarded the Suzi Levine Award for Executive Branch Excellence.
A tie was awarded for the Green Delusions Award for Worst Legislation in the Name of the Environment. Honors went to this year’s legislation creating cap and trade and low-carbon fuel standards programs, which could increase the cost of a gallon of gas by $2 or more.
The Worst Legislation on Public Safety award went to the majority’s “Blake Fix” bill, which addresses the state Supreme Court’s decision overturning drug laws, by turning former felony charges into simple misdemeanors. The special Handcuffs for Law Enforcement Award went to this year’s legislation imposing restrictions on police tactics, which could force escalation.
Majority Democrats also were honored with the Silence of the Mask Award, for running their sweeping agenda through the statehouse at a time when the public was excluded from the Capitol due to COVID restrictions, and for their disinterest in the top issue for the people of the state, bringing balance and reason to lockdown restrictions and getting the state back to work.
Nominees for the Missed Opportunities Award included multiple failures to pass property tax relief, tough DUI legislation, sensible approaches to transportation funding and tax incentives for manufacturers. All were declared winners.
It is my honor to sponsor local religious leaders in my district to provide the opening prayer for during the legislative session at the start of our day’s proceedings. We hit a roadblock when the Lieutenant Governor’s Office rejected prayers because they mentioned Jesus’ name. As it was turned out the Lt. Gov himself was unaware of this practice. I am pleased that a local pastor in our district pushed back and brought this to my attention.
You can watch the various opening ceremony invocations at the links below.
Please join me for a virtual town hall this evening starting at 7PM. It’s not too late to register. I’m looking forward to giving 31st District residents an update on the 2021 legislative session and get your feedback on what I’m working on.
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://leg-wa-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tJNB_hQgQkO4_HTZxUmiyg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
On the final day to pass bills that originated in the state Senate, lawmakers gave unanimous approval to a bill sponsored by state Sen. Phil Fortunato to clean up Washington’s littered highways.
Known as the “Welcome to Washington Act,” the bipartisan measure, Senate Bill 5040, would prioritize litter control on state highways and require coordination between the various state agencies overseeing cleanup, including the Department of Ecology, Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol.
“Traveling a lot for work, I notice our roadways are a mess,” said Fortunato. “There are bumpers and tires, sometimes even couches on the side of our highways. Heck, you could almost furnish a house with what you find. When you come into Washington from Oregon, there is big, beautiful sign that says, ‘Welcome to Washington,’ and you’re greeted with trash on the highway.”
The cleanup utilizes the little-known litter tax that exists on products considered proximate to the litter problem, such a beer cans, household paper products or glass containers. Fortunato’s bill would direct the state Department of Ecology, which manages distribution of the litter-tax funds, to prioritize them for state highway cleanup.
The increased coordination under the proposal means the agencies would step up anti-litter public awareness campaigns and emphasize enforcement against litterbugs by the State Patrol. In addition, the measure would permit inter-agency cooperation during road work or maintenance to conduct debris pickups.
Local governments would also be eligible for financial help under Fortunato’s legislation for doing their part. Senate Bill 5040 would allow jurisdictions to apply for reimbursement related to litter control activities on state highway ramps in their localities.
“This simple proposal gets these agencies to communicate with each other and use their resources to keep our highways beautiful and protect our environment,” Fortunato said.
As majority Democrats sought to impose a state income tax with Senate Bill 5096, state Sen. Phil Fortunato fought to ensure taxpayer fairness by offering four amendments to slow the bills progression through the Legislature and ensure any new revenue collected would benefit working families in Washington.
“Let’s be clear, no matter what the proponents of this tax want to call it – excise, capital gains, billionaire, millionaire tax – it’s an income tax. Every state in the country calls it that, the IRS calls it that. Let’s get out of the alternative reality and gaslighting that’s going on,” said Fortunato. “The overwhelming majority of people that I represent know that and are opposed to this new type of income tax. My amendments present the best of both worlds by making this voluntary, preventing local jurisdictions from imposing a similar tax, getting rid of the sales tax on food and clothes, and incentivizing assistance for vulnerable Washingtonians.”
Amendment 405 would make the new capital gains tax voluntary. Fortunato argues that a small group of hyper-progressive billionaires have been lobbying for this new tax so he wants to ensure they can contribute as much as they want while protecting his constituents from the Olympia money-grab.
“Those that feel like they aren’t paying enough taxes can simply write the state a check that will go into this taxpayer fairness dedicated account,” said Fortunato. “Instead of wasting money on growing government, we’re going to get rid of the sales tax on food and clothes for working families.”
Amendment 406 would use new revenue collected from the income tax that is deposited into the Taxpayer Fairness Account to offset the sale and use tax exemption for food and clothing to the state’s General Fund.
Amendment 407 would create a state preemption on local jurisdictions implementing their own income taxes.
“The bottom line is that we don’t need more taxes, especially an unconstitutional form of income tax, but since the majority is hell-bent on it, we ought to have some other provisions to protect taxpayers,” Fortunato stated. “We’ve seen some local jurisdictions attempt to go down this road, but this should be under state control. We can’t have a patchwork of different income taxes throughout the state depending on your zip code.”
Finally, Fortunato wants to incentivize support of the disabled community. Amendment 404 would provide a deduction against a capital gains income tax for contributions specifically to nonprofits serving those with disabilities.
“Despite record revenues coming to the state and having one of the most stable tax structures, vulnerable Washingtonians are continually left behind,” added Fortunato. “Before all this money is taken out of the state’s economy to grow government, I want to incentivize supporting organizations serving the disabled community and reduce people’s tax burden.”
Fortunato’s amendments to the underlying income tax legislation were not adopted. The Democratic majority approved the bill, which was amended to remove the emergency clause, by a vote of 28 to 21. It now heads to the state House of Representatives.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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. Information on how to participate is also available on my website.
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.
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 seniorsSeniors 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
