Phil Fortunato

March 23, 2018 Greetings Friends and Neighbors, What a difference one vote makes. Last year I was the 25th vote in the 49-member Senate, giving the Republicans the majority. Taxpayers were safe from the proposed income tax, carbon tax and mileage tax. All the anti-Second Amendment bills never saw the...

In the wake of the Florida school shooting, I introduced legislation that would make our students safer tomorrow. While others are focusing on long-term proposals that may have an effect on student safety years in the future, I proposed that we implement training for schools and staff on how to...

March 12, 2018 Greetings 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...

There’s just one day left in the legislative session and the Democrats, who have the majority and control the agenda, are pulling out all the stops. They want to approve a supplemental budget, with what Republicans think is an illegal budget gimmick, ignoring state law and using a shell game to...

Sen. Fortunato discusses student safety and his legislation to provide training for an active shooter response.

February 26, 2018 I want to hear from you! 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...

  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...

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....

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...

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...