Phil Fortunato

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, voted against the final passage of the 2025-27 operating budget Sunday, warning that the real threat to Washington’s economy isn’t just the spending plan itself, but the damaging policies that have led to the state’s growing budget shortfall. While others debated the budget’s specifics, Fortunato...

Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is urging the Legislature to reverse course on what he calls misguided sanctuary policies that are forcing Washington taxpayers to shoulder the cost of incarcerating undocumented immigrants while federal authorities are sidelined. Fortunato introduced Senate Bill 5818 in the final days of the 2025 session that...

Just weeks after Senate Democrats rejected an amendment from Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, to include political affiliation in Washington’s hate crime law, a violent incident at Washington State University (WSU) underscored exactly why those protections are needed. House Bill 1052 was approved by the Legislature late last week, expanding the...

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is calling for an end to Washington’s sanctuary state policy following a violent assault in King County that left a 58-year-old woman hospitalized after she was kidnapped, tortured, and left for dead. One of the suspects reportedly has ties to Tren de Aragua, a violent...

Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, continues to voice strong opposition to House Bill 1163, calling the proposed firearms permitting law “a blatant and dangerous assault on constitutional rights.” Despite his broader objections to the bill, one amendment sponsored by Fortunato was adopted by the Senate. HB 1163 would require Washington residents...

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, issued the following statement Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting American Energy from State Overreach,” which could upend Washington state’s controversial Climate Commitment Act (CCA), also known as cap-and-trade. “President Trump’s executive action is a critical step toward reining in...

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Senate rejected amendments proposed by Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, that aimed to expand the state’s hate crime statute to include protections for individuals targeted based on their economic choices—such as driving a Tesla—or political affiliation. “If we are serious about protecting people from targeted...

Dear Friends, As we enter the final weeks of the 2025 legislative session, we’ll be working late into the evenings voting on bills and negotiating the various budgets (operating, transportation, and capital). This past Saturday the Senate adopted the majority party’s $78.5 billion proposal, funded with over $20 billion in...

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, voted against the Senate Democrats’ proposed two-year, $78.5 billion budget and issued the following statement: “Today’s budget vote is a stark example of fiscal irresponsibility. Instead of addressing the $7 billion budget shortfall caused by their own poor planning, the legislative majority has chosen to rely...