Washington State Representative Vicki Kraft (R – 17th LD) is one of the great Republicans in Olympia who is fighting for the people’s best interest, and not special interests. Following is an excerpt about what she’s working on in Olympia.
- Governor’s emergency powers: When the Legislature created the governor’s emergency powers many years ago, lawmakers never intended to give the governor extended one-man rule for nearly a year or longer. For nearly 10 months, the governor has dictated through emergency proclamations, how our state is run, picking winners and losers along the way. I will be introducing reform legislation that reins in the governor’s emergency power. My bill will remove the imbalance that has occurred these past months between the executive and legislative branches by requiring two-thirds of the Legislature to approve any continuation of a state of emergency. I will also continue to work to safely reopen our state now for our citizens, small businesses and property owners impacted by the shutdown, so we can promote the overall health of all Washingtonians.
- The K-12 Education Scholarship Program – On Friday, I reintroduced my school choice measure, House Bill 1215, that would give parents the ability to choose the learning environment that best meets their children’s needs. The K-12 Education Scholarship Program would provide $7,000 per student to be used for costs related to private school or homeschool instruction. I believe parents should be able to decide how and where their children are educated — not government. The measure has been referred to the House Education Committee. Read my opinion-editorial on this issue.
- Right to refuse vaccinations – I believe individuals should have the right to decide whether or not to be vaccinated, regardless of whether it is a vaccine against the coronavirus or any other vaccine on the market. No one should be required to be vaccinated, and no one should be denied services, employment or access to public places if they choose not to be vaccinated. This week, I introduced House Bill 1305, which would allow individuals the right to refuse any vaccination or related health measure, so they maintain control of what goes into their own bodies. The measure has been referred to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.
Bad bills already moving forward
It didn’t take long for majority Democrats to roll out a series of bad bills to increase the governor’s emergency powers, raise taxes and expand abortion coverage. Since much of this session is being conducted online and not as open to the public as before, it’s really important that every citizen become involved in their Legislature this year, so we can stop bad bills from becoming law. Feel free to contact my office if you’d like to be added to my email update concerning bills coming through the House so you can sign up and testify on those measures.
Here’s a list for this week:
- Senate Concurrent Resolution 8402 – Democrats in both the Senate and House swiftly passed this bad measure — so quickly, the public was mostly unaware. It indefinitely extends the governor’s authority to operate under certain emergency proclamations he has issued in response to COVID. This means until the state of emergency is revoked or if legislative action occurs, the governor simply continues to have the power to keep those proclamations in place indefinitely. Republicans argued against the measure, but it passed the House on Friday with a vote of 54-44. The Senate passed it last Wednesday.
- Senate Bill 5096 would enact a 9% income tax on capital gains as small as $25,000. Imagine this scenario: A restaurant owner is forced out of business due to the governor’s extended shutdown orders. If this bill passes, that owner would face a new income tax when trying to sell the property. In other words, government would make money forcing such closures — very shameful! A public hearing was held on this bill last Thursday in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
- House Bill 1009 would require student health plans provide coverage for the voluntary abortion of a pregnancy. This measure passed out of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee last Thursday and could be on its way to the House floor for a vote.
- House Bill 1091 would authorize the state Department of Ecology to create a clean fuels program, which could increase the cost of gasoline by 57 cents per gallon and diesel by 63 cents per gallon. This would increase costs to the consumer, hurt our economy, and add to the cost of housing. A public hearing was held last Wednesday in the House Environment and Energy Committee. It is scheduled for a committee vote this Thursday, Jan. 21.
Our focus this session should be on getting people back to work, reopening businesses, and getting kids back in school. Above all, as people and businesses are suffering from the COVID shutdown, the Legislature should NOT add to their burdens with higher taxes and more government regulations. There is no need for tax increases. I encourage you to get involved in the remote testimony process and help us fight these bad bills!
All House floor action and committee meetings will be conducted this session via Zoom. They can also be viewed on TVW. Although the Capitol grounds will be closed to the public, there are still ways for you to be involved and influence the legislative process. Here is a good guide to help you participate: Accessing the Legislature Remotely. Please note that you can sign up in advance to remotely testify on a bill during committee meetings. You may also submit written comments. Here are some other helpful links:
- Washington State Legislature
- How to comment on a bill
- Committee schedules, agendas and documents
- How a bill becomes a law
- The Ledger – a legislative news aggregator
- Capitol Buzz – Daily news clips
NOTE: You can also use www.washingtonvotes.org, which offers much information about the legislators, the bills that are moving forward, and a direct link to read more on the legislative website as well as comment on them.
