Author Archives: ericlafontaine

Amelia Barabe and Sen. Drew MacEwen

Amelia Barabe serves as page for Sen. Drew MacEwen

Amelia Barabe and Sen. Drew MacEwen

OLYMPIA, WASH. – Amelia Barabe, an 8th grader at Oakland Bay Junior High from Shelton, spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. Barabe was one of 13 students who served as a Senate page for the third week of the 2024 Legislative session.

Barabe was sponsored by 35th Legislative District Senator Drew MacEwen, who represents Mason County, and parts of Thurston and Kitsap counties.

“Amelia did a great job as a page,” MacEwen said. “It is always exciting when I see our young generation wanting to become involved in the legislative process.”

The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Students are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock session.

“My favorite part was working in the Gallery and being able to meet new people while assisting the Senators and security,” said Barabe. Barabe also stated that being able to learn more about the process hands-on was a really special experience and would absolutely recommend this experience to other future pages.

Barabe, 14, enjoys reading, learning, and studying art, playing Unsolved Case Files games, and has been playing Softball for the past three years as a second baseman/outfielder. Amelia’s parents are Mike and Crystal Barabe.

Students interested in the Senate Page Program are encouraged to click here.

 

 

Washington State Senator Drew MacEwen

Sen. MacEwen calls on committee chair to hear I-2117

OLYMPIA, Wash – On January 16, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs certified I-2117, an initiative to repeal provisions of the Climate Commitment Act by prohibiting any carbon tax credit trading. The initiative received about 420,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

As ranking member and lead Republican on the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, Washington State Senator Drew MacEwen requested the Committee Chair, hold a public hearing.

Article II, section 1(a) of the Washington State Constitution states, “The first power reserved by the people is the initiative” and “Such initiative measures, whether certified or provisionally certified, shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills and shall be either enacted or rejected without change or amendment by the legislature before the end of such regular session.”

“Article II gives people the power to reject laws passed by the legislature,” MacEwen said. “The people have spoken, and the initiative should take precedence. The chair needs to hold a public hearing.”

Prior to the certification, during a January 8 TVW Inside Olympia taping, the committee chair stated he would hear the initiative if it were certified.

The Climate Commitment Act places several taxes on consumers. The increased costs on fuel recipients and fuel suppliers raise prices at the pump, the grocery store, and on home heating bills, impacting the pocketbooks of all Washingtonians.

“The Climate Commitment Act has been extremely hard on working-class families. They are upset and deserve their voices to be heard,” MacEwen said. “The administration has failed in transparency. They knew there would be significant increases in fuel costs, just like California has realized. Instead, they claimed the tax would ‘have a minimal impact.’ How could they not know the financial impact of this legislation? After all, it was modeled after California’s carbon laws.”

According to AAA’s state-by-state gas price averages, Washington’s average gas price is $4.01 a gallon, which is $0.94 higher than the national average. It is estimated that the Climate Commitment Act has increased gas costs by $0.25 to $0.50.

“They need to be transparent with voters,” MacEwen said. “At the end of the day, families are suffering from the increased costs of the Climate Commitment Act. We need to find a better way to achieve collective goals and it starts with a public hearing on I-2117.”

Washington State Senator Drew MacEwen

MacEwen introduces legislation to strengthen penalties for unlawfully obstructing traffic

OLYMPIA, Wash – On Jan. 6, the Washington State Patrol was caught off guard when a group calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war shut down the northbound lanes of I5 in the heart of Seattle for nearly five hours on a Saturday afternoon.

It was estimated that the protest caused traffic to back up for 6 miles. Washington State Senator Drew MacEwen, R-35th believes the State Patrol did not have the political backing it needed to disperse the crowd.

“Those people who blocked the highway and shut it down for hours on end, infringed on other people’s rights. And they don’t have the right to do that,” MacEwen said.

MacEwen has sponsored SB 6160, a bill related to penalties for unlawfully obstructing traffic.

Under current statute, when a group of three or more people refuse to disperse when instructed by law enforcement, it is a misdemeanor. MacEwen’s bill makes it a Class C felony if they fail to disperse from a public roadway when instructed to do so.

“Every person has the right to peacefully protest on whatever issue they feel passionately about, but they do not have the right to infringe on other’s rights, including the ability to travel freely,” MacEwen said. “What if there was an ambulance with a patient needing critical hospital care that was held up? Or a working mom or dad needing to pick up a child from daycare, who just burned a tank of gas sitting on the highway. There’s a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck who needed to get to their job that day.”

Senators Nikki Torres, R-15th, Jeff Wilson, R-19th, and Lynda Wilson, R-17th have all signed on as co-sponsors.

“It’s time to restore law and order. People have had enough. If you want to protest, do it appropriately and do it in a manner that doesn’t infringe on other people’s rights,” MacEwen said. “I’m here to speak up for the state’s citizens who have had enough with a complete disregard for public safety and law enforcement.”

MacEwen’s bill, introduced on Jan. 11, has been referred to the Law and Justice Committee.

A similar bill in the House, HB 2358, was sponsored by House Representative Andrew Barkis, R-2nd. The soon-to-be companion bill has 35 cosponsors and looks to increase penalties for obstructing highways, create felony charges for endangering public safety, and create mandatory minimums for repeat offenders.

“First and foremost, law enforcement needs to arrest the folks that are doing this. These are not peaceful protests. The problem in this instance was the State Patrol was the lead agency, and the State Patrol ultimately answers to the governor,” MacEwen said. “This administration tends to look the other way when there are far-left protests. I think there is some fear from the governor that there could be major political blowback if law enforcement were allowed to do their job. What about the rights of the other 8 million people in the state?  We need to be an orderly society. Let’s enforce the law.”

Judah Cushman and Sen. MacEwen

Judah Cushman serves as page for Sen. MacEwen

OLYMPIA, WASH. – Judah Cushman, a homeschooled 9th grader from Rochester, spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. Cushman was one of 13 students who served as a Senate page for the first week of the 2024 Legislative session.

He was sponsored by 35th Legislative District Sen. Drew MacEwen, who represents Mason, and parts of Thurston and Kitsap Counties.

“Judah did an excellent job paging,” MacEwen said. “I was excited and honored that he chose to be a part of this opportunity and learn more about the legislative process.”

The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Students are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock session.

“I really enjoyed learning in detail the legislative process and how bills are written because I didn’t know how in-depth it is,” Judah said. He also stated his favorite part was doing the deliveries because it felt important to him.

Cushman, 14, enjoys playing the violin, reading, and hiking. His parents are Joe and Erika Cushman.

Students interested in the Senate Page Program are encouraged to visit:

http://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/