Tag Archives: Email Updates

While the 2022 legislative session was largely disappointing, there were some key wins for our district

The 2022 legislative session came to a close last Thursday. As with every session, good and bad bills advanced to the governor’s desk, but the biggest story of all may have been what the Legislature didn’t do.

Despite having a $15 billion budget surplus to work with, the majority opted against providing any tax relief for you and your family. House Republicans pushed hard for a permanent half-point sales tax cut to be funded in the $65 billion operating budget we passed, but our efforts were rebuffed. At the end of the day, the majority didn’t even end up passing their own bill to provide a three-day sales tax holiday in September to help families with back-to-school costs. They simply ended up spending nearly all of the $15 billion surplus.

It is hard to imagine a bigger missed opportunity at a time when Washingtonians are dealing with skyrocketing inflation (now at a 40-year high), the highest gas prices we’ve seen since 2008, and ongoing supply chain challenges. We had more than enough money in state coffers to fund our shared priorities and provide meaningful tax relief. That just wasn’t a priority for Democrats this session.

As I shared in my last update, I don’t believe the budget we passed puts us in a good position to weather a serious economic downturn in the future. Spending $65 billion in state funds while only leaving a four-year ending fund balance of $348 million is a mistake that I can only hope doesn’t come back to haunt us down the road.

No emergency powers reform yet again this session

One of the other major disappointments of the session was the Legislature’s failure to pass emergency powers reform. It has now been 748 days since Governor Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID pandemic.

Republicans in the Legislature have always said the executive branch needs to have the ability to respond quickly to pandemics, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies. At the same time, we have argued no person in state government should have indefinite unilateral authority to change lives and livelihoods on a whim. That is why for the past two sessions, we have pushed so hard to implement emergency powers reform. We believe it is critical to ensure the Legislature has a role to play in all future states of emergency.

Before session even began, we introduced an emergency powers reform bill that would have restored the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. While that bill received a public hearing, it was ultimately killed by House Democrats. Over in the Senate, Democrats advanced their own emergency powers bill (SB 5909) that editorial boards around the state called ‘ineffective,’ ‘weak,’ and ‘milquetoast.’ It simply wasn’t true reform.

When that bill came to the House floor for a vote, House Republicans introduced an amendment in an attempt to make it stronger. After several of our members spoke in favor of the amendment, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins abruptly stopped debate on the bill and never brought it back up for a vote.

When asked why she made that decision, Jinkins said we talked too much.

I was asked about that during a Republican media availability on March 7. Here was my response:

https://youtu.be/dnqWwV2CTQg

Seeing as we had the time to pass a bill making pickleball the state’s official sport, it was somewhat surprising to hear Jinkins blame us for talking too much on an issue of actual importance.

In any case, tomorrow will be day 749 of the governor’s one-man rule.

Some wins for the 35th District in the 2022 supplemental capital and transportation budgets

In terms of good news, the $1.5 billion 2022 supplemental capital budget approved by the Legislature this session is set to build on the 2021-23 capital budget and make further investments in housing, infrastructure, mental health facilities, broadband, and school seismic safety.

In addition to the more than $25 million in local project funding Rep. Griffey and I secured in the 2021-23 capital budget, we were able to secure another $5.3 million in this year’s budget.

Some of the investments for our district include:

  • $3.25 million to upgrade the headworks at the Shelton Water Reclamation Plant (WRP), which provide screening for the removal of debris and grit to protect pumps and membranes used in downstream treatment processes. Completion of this project will eventually allow the City of Shelton to end discharges into Oakland Bay, decrease negative impacts to our local shellfish industry, and improve overall water quality in the area.
  • $1.28 million for the design and construction of modular buildings and the creation of office space and confidential mental health screening booths for incarcerated individuals at Washington Corrections Center (WCC) in Shelton.
  • $550,000 for Rustlewood Water System upgrades, which will provide much-needed water system reliability improvements and help reduce downstream risk of potential damage to lower elevation properties.
  • $400,000 for improvements to water systems being operated by the Port of Allyn.
  • $300,000 toward the new Allyn Community Center.
  • $250,000 to upgrade the HVAC system at the Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center in Shelton.
  • $206,000 to provide secure parking for the Shelton Police Department and Municipal Court in order to improve overall safety for officers and employees.

The capital budget was approved 49-0 in the Senate and 98-0 in the House. It is currently on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature.

The 2022 supplemental transportation budget approved by the Legislature this session will provide $11.6 billion for the 2021-23 transportation budget. Funds in the budget are allocated for the maintenance and preservation of current transportation systems, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Washington State Ferry system, the Washington State Patrol, and other state transportation agencies.

In both budgets, Rep. Griffey and I were able to retain funding for all existing Connecting Washington transportation projects in the 35th. We also worked to ensure several items, including those listed below, were incorporated into the budget. For a complete list of projects, click here.

  • $12 million for the Highway 3 Freight Corridor, also known as the Belfair Bypass.
  • $2.6 million for US 101/Lynch Road intersection improvements.
  • $2.54 million in funding for Mason Transit Park and Ride development.
  • $2.3 million in additional funding for the future Silverdale Transit Center.
  • $650,000 for Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and Shelton Springs Road intersection improvements.

In addition, we both voted in favor of Senate Bill 5488, which will allocate more state funding for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge account. With this new infusion of funding, the Washington State Transportation Commission is expected to be able to reduce tolls on the bridge.

The 2022 supplemental transportation budget was approved 45-4 in the Senate and 93-5 in the House. It, too, is on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature.

Contacting me

Although this year’s legislative session is now over, please know I am here to serve you year-round. I encourage you to contact me anytime with your comments, questions, and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

Highlights from the 2022 supplemental operating budget debate; I’ve introduced a bill that would require Washington to divest from Russia

This year’s 60-day legislative session will be coming to a close one week from today. While we’ve done some good things this session, it also feels like we’ve missed some big opportunities. For example, despite our state’s $14+ billion budget surplus, the supplemental operating budget we passed on Saturday doesn’t provide any meaningful tax relief for you and your family. House Republicans introduced a budget amendment that would have permanently cut the state sales tax by a half-point, but it was rejected. In my remarks on the amendment, I reminded my colleagues that the budget surplus we have is because of you, not us. It’s your money, and we should have taken the opportunity to give some of it back to you through a tax cut.

https://youtu.be/lHCDyRpRHSE

During the budget debate, I introduced two amendments of my own. One would have significantly bolstered our state’s rainy-day fund. The other would have allocated $100 million in unspent stimulus funds to fund the police through:

  • $5,000 signing and retention bonuses.
  • $90,000 grants to local law enforcement agencies for body camera costs.
  • Funding for 10 additional Basic Law Enforcement Academy classes in each fiscal year, for a total of 25 classes per year.
  • $150,000 for a study and recommendations on police officer recruitment and retention efforts, police staffing levels and how those compare to recommended levels, how much is spent on policing in Washington as compared to other states, and how to address police recruitment and retention over the long term.

At a time when crime is rising and our state ranks last in the nation in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people, we have to get serious about improving public safety. I was deeply disappointed this amendment was rejected because we have an obligation to ensure all communities in Washington are safe.

Below is a mashup of our speeches on the amendment:

On final passage, I expressed deep reservations about the fact that we are not putting ourselves in a good position to weather a serious economic downturn in the future. The budget we passed spends $65 billion in state funds, an increase of $6.2 billion (10.5%) over current 2021-23 spending, but only leaves a small four-year ending fund balance of $221 million. I believe that’s a mistake, and made that clear in my remarks on final passage:

https://youtu.be/Yfi9dFBGRZE

You can view a mashup of House Republican speeches on final passage here.

Washington must immediately divest from Russia

Like the rest of the world, I am appalled by the recent actions of the Russian government and Vladimir Putin. Invading Ukraine under false pretenses is an affront to human rights, attacks the principle of self-governance, and threatens the very existence of a free Ukraine. Yesterday, Rep. Drew Stokesbary and I introduced a bill that would require all state agencies in Washington to cancel their outstanding contracts with Russian companies. It would also require the State Investment Board to divest from its pension and other investments in Russian companies. It is critical we ensure Putin’s government does not profit from Washington taxpayers as it carries out an unprovoked and unjust war.

House Bill 2135 has been referred to the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

Three weeks to go

It’s hard to believe just three weeks remain in this year’s 60-day legislative session. House of origin cutoff was on Tuesday, meaning that all bills that did not advance out of the chamber in which they were introduced are now considered “dead” for the year. The exception are bills deemed NTIB, or necessary to implement the budget. I talked about this critical session deadline and more in a video update I recorded yesterday morning. Take a look:

https://youtu.be/8cpXA9Qqjuk

Whether in committee or on the floor, House Republicans will continue fighting for you and your family in these final three weeks of session. We want to make progress in making daily life more affordable, especially in light of rising inflation and the highest gas prices we’ve seen since 2012. We want to make our communities safer and enable our law enforcement officers to do their jobs effectively. We want to see a more accountable government that is results-oriented and serves you well. And finally, we want to empower parents to help their children succeed in school and in life. We can make all of this a reality. We just need the majority to work with us. We’ll keep inviting them to do so until the final gavel comes down on March 10.

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902. I also encourage you to sign up for text alerts from our caucus, which will help keep you updated on major developments this session.

It is an honor to serve you.

My thoughts as we near the midway point of session

Our state is facing a growing number of challenges, including:

  • A homelessness crisis that has only gotten worse.
  • A police officer recruitment and retention crisis.
  • A bottom 10 ranking in housing affordability.
  • Drug overdose deaths at an all-time high.
  • Violent crime at a 25-year high.
  • A child care affordability and accessibility crisis.
  • Heartbreaking outcomes for children in our foster care system.
  • An increase in data breaches, including a 500% increase last year.
  • 2.7 million acres of unhealthy forests, which contribute to catastrophic wildfires.
  • Significant cost overruns for transportation projects.

Despite all of these challenges, many of which have gotten worse due to bills passed in previous sessions, very little progress is being made to fix them. In my last update, I shared the bills House Republicans have sponsored this session to provide tax relief and make life more affordable, make our communities safer, hold state government accountable, and empower parents to help their children succeed in school and in life. Most of our bills have been ignored by the majority. Of those that have been given a public hearing, many will not survive cutoff.

Losing votes and seeing bills killed is part of being in the minority in the Legislature, but I would hope the majority’s reason for killing them is because they believe they have more compelling solutions. That would make sense to me. However, I’m not seeing their compelling bills to fix the homelessness crisis, lower taxes, crack down on crime, make housing more affordable, improve accountability at our state agencies, and so on. I’m seeing a majority content to punt on major problems that are affecting people’s lives and livelihoods.

Take the long-term care program and payroll tax, for example. One of the first actions the majority took was to delay the program and tax for 18 months. While that buys them some time, it’s not a solution. As I mentioned in my last update, based on the 2020 actuarial analysis, the program will only be solvent until 2075. And that 2075 projection was based on a higher payroll tax rate and the assumption that 105,000 employees would opt out of the program. Instead, 450,000 employees have opted out and are now paying for private plans they likely never wanted. Meanwhile, those who stayed in the state program get to enjoy an 18-month delay. That’s fundamentally unfair. The majority doesn’t seem to have answer for that, or for those who are wondering how they’re going to make this unpopular and inadequate program solvent in the next 18 months.

Let’s talk about public safety. Earlier this year, Republicans unveiled the Safe Washington Plan, which contains a suite of bills focused on stopping crime, supporting law enforcement, and putting victims first. Of the following bills in the plan, only HB 1788 is still making its way through the legislative process.

  • House Bill 1737 would roll back the harmful provisions in last year’s police reform legislation that created confusion and made volatile situations more dangerous.
  • House Bill 1788 would allow law enforcement to engage in vehicular pursuits when there is reasonable suspicion someone has committed, or is committing, a criminal offense.
  • House Bill 1656, offered by my seatmate, Rep. Dan Griffey, would amend the definition of theft to include concealment. Last year, Washington lost $2.7 billion due to retail theft. This bill would make a major difference going forward.
  • House Bill 1787 would provide funding for the recruitment, retention, and support of law enforcement. For the past 11 years, Washington has ranked dead last in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people.
  • House Bill 1873 would address the growing problem of catalytic converter theft.

Every one of these bills would make our communities safer, yet only one is alive. How is that possible? Our job as lawmakers is to fix problems, not punt them away to future Legislatures. Once session is adjourned, we’re not going to be called back to address public safety in a special session. This is our chance to take action.

This is also our chance to pass emergency powers reform. Rep. Chris Corry has a bill that would limit the amount of time a governor can make emergency decisions without legislative oversight to 60 days at a time, starting from day one. Surprisingly, the majority party also has a bill on this issue, though it doesn’t go nearly as far as Rep. Corry’s. Even so, after blocking our efforts last year, I’m glad to see them express some interest in restoring the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.

Now, if we could just get them to join with us in tackling the rest of the problems we face.

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902. I also encourage you to sign up for text alerts from our caucus, which will help keep you updated on major developments this session.

It is an honor to serve you.

The 2022 legislative session is underway; House Republicans are focused on the issues you care about

The 2022 legislative session is now underway. While I had hoped the Capitol would be open to the public this session, we are once again operating in a remote environment. This is far from ideal, but I will make every effort to be as accessible to you as possible. Please feel free to call or email me anytime with your questions, comments, concerns, ideas for legislation, or anything else that’s on your mind. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

I encourage you to stay engaged in the legislative process this session by following House Republicans on Twitter and Facebook, routinely visiting The Ledger, and utilizing the resources listed in this document. Finally, please bookmark my legislative website, where you can find my latest press releases, video updates, interviews, and more.

During the interim, I spent a lot of time working with my fellow members on the House floor team, Reps. Chris Corry and Jacquelin Maycumber, to develop an agenda that solves the major problems facing our state and meets the needs of all Washingtonians. Earlier this week, I recorded a video update in which I discussed our agenda and the main priorities for House Republicans this session. You can watch it here or by clicking below.

https://youtu.be/V2-rzTC1A5M

We are working hard to advance bills that provide tax relief and make life more affordable, make our communities safer, hold state government accountable, and empower parents to help their children succeed in school and in life. An overview of our bills that fit within these four main priorities is below:

Providing tax relief and making life more affordable for all Washingtonians

House Bill 1898: Reducing state property tax levies

Returns $2 billion back to taxpayers through a reduction and rebasing of the state levy from overcollections from 2018-2022, occurring because property values have risen much faster than anticipated when legislation was passed in 2017. If House Bill 1898 is not adopted, an additional $3 billion in overcollection will occur between 2023-2027.

House Bill 1594: Repealing the long-term care trust act and payroll tax

Repeals the payroll tax and wholly inadequate and insolvent benefit from the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Act. Learn more about the program and payroll tax here.

House Bill 1913: Repealing and replacing the long-term care trust and payroll tax

Repeals the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Act and associated payroll tax, replacing it with a privately-managed program that leverages the state’s existing revenue to make long-term care coverage both affordable and optional.

Note: After House Democrats refused to give House Bills 1594 and 1913 a public hearing, we attempted to bring both bills to the House floor for a vote yesterday. Our motion was denied. As it stands, there will be an 18-month delay to a program that, based on the 2020 actuarial analysis, will only be solvent until 2075. And that 2075 projection was based on a higher payroll tax rate and the assumption that 105,000 employees would opt out of the LTSS program. Instead, 450,000 employees have opted out. Unless fundamental changes are made, insolvency may come much sooner than originally projected.

House Bill 2015: Expanding the Working Families Tax Credit

Expands and enhances the Working Families Tax Credit by expanding income eligibility, doubling the base payment, and increasing the minimum benefit for working families with children.

House Bill 1858: Reducing manufacturing tax rates

Lowers Washington’s main business tax rate for manufacturing and trucking by 40%, and extends and expands an existing tax preference for food processing.

Strengthening communities by making public safety a priority and supporting effective community policing

House Bill 1737: Restoring balance and common sense to police reform

Rolls back a number of harmful provisions passed in last year’s “police reform” bills, restoring tactics and tools to help police bring criminals to justice and keep communities safe.

House Bill 1788: Allowing law enforcement to chase suspects

Eliminates the disastrous probable cause requirement for vehicular chases of criminal suspects, allowing peace officers to engage in a vehicular pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a person in the vehicle has committed or is committing a criminal offense.

House Bill 1787: Putting more police officers on the streets

Provides funding for signing bonuses, retention bonuses, body cameras for local agencies, and additional Criminal Justice Training Commission classes to get officers trained and ready more quickly.

House Bill 1656: Protecting our retailers from theft

In Washington, it is not against the law to hide stolen retail goods under one’s clothing. This bill amends the definition of theft to include the concealment of the property of another when the intent is to deprive the other person of its use or benefit.

House Bill 1873: Stopping catalytic converter thefts

Requires that catalytic converters be added to the list of items for which sales records must be kept by scrap metal dealers, prohibits the sale of catalytic converters by anyone other than a commercial enterprise or the private owner of the vehicle, and increases the seriousness of repeated offenses.

Holding state government accountable, improving outcomes, and enacting emergency powers reform

House Bill 1772: Adopting emergency powers reform

Modeled after a variety of emergency powers statues utilized in almost every state in the nation, this bill increases legislative involvement during states of emergency, allowing for legislative oversight on states of emergency that last longer than 60 days.

Note: This is a bipartisan bill, which is a good thing.

House Bill 1541: Increasing funding to cities for homelessness solutions

Provides $200 million per year to cities to combat homelessness, provided they ban injection sites and clean up encampments near schools and parks.

House Bill 1177: Implementing the periodic review of state spending programs

Requires every new state spending program that meets certain criteria to include an expiration date, performance statement, and data requirements to measure the effectiveness of the program.

House Bill 1178: Improving state budgeting through zero-based budget reviews

Requires agencies to regularly “zero-base” their budgets to better prioritize spending , and then submit that analysis to the governor and Legislature. This bill would help constrain the growth of government and improve outcomes.

Transportation solutions: Reprioritizing Existing Appropriations for Longevity (REAL) Act

A suite of bills to make Washington’s transportation system safer and function better for travelers. Instead of raising taxes, these bills reprioritize our current budget surplus to pay for transportation projects.

Empowering parents by providing transparency and the necessary financial and educational flexibility to help their children succeed in school and in life

House Bill 1973: Requiring school board meetings to be recorded

Requires regular and special meetings of school boards to be recorded, and must include the comments of the board and members of the public if testimony was taken at the meeting. Recordings must be provided to the public upon request.

House Bill 1633: Promoting school choice through the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program

Establishes an educational scholarship program of $10,000 for 100,000 homeschooled and private school students to cover costs associated with alternative education, such as books and learning materials, transportation, and tuition fees.

House Bill 1215: Establishing an education scholarship program to promote equity

Establishes a homeschool and private school voucher program of $7,000 for 130,000 students to cover costs associated with alternative education. One quarter of these scholarships would be awarded to students within special populations, such as students experiencing homelessness.

House Bill 2056: Increasing transparency in the classroom

Requires teachers to make syllabi and primary materials available on the school district’s website to promote transparency in our public school system.

We need term limits in Washington state

In my September email update, I asked you to weigh in on whether or not you would be in favor of a bill to limit state House and Senate members to 12 consecutive years in one chamber and state executives to two total terms in office. Here was the response I received back:

My bill idea is now House Joint Resolution 4207, which is currently in the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee. Earlier this month, I spoke with KGNW’s Tim Gaydos about this issue:

Contacting me

I encourage you to continue contacting me with your comments, questions, concerns, and ideas for legislation. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

House Republican priorities for the 2022 legislative session

Throughout the year, you’ve heard me talk a lot about the need for emergency powers reform. That’s been a top priority for me, and for our entire caucus, ever since Governor Inslee declared a state of emergency 640 days ago in response to the pandemic. Our concern has always centered around the belief that one person should not have the indefinite unilateral authority to change the lives and livelihoods of Washingtonians. It doesn’t matter if that person is a Republican or a Democrat.

Without checks and balances, the governor was able to go from offering a carrot (prizes for vaccinations) to a stick (imposing a vaccine mandate that cost more than 2,000 Washingtonians their jobs) in a matter of months. We simply believe the time has come to restore the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.

In addition to pushing for emergency powers reform, House Republicans will be introducing other bills focused on government accountability and improved outcomes. Of the many failures we’ve seen in state government in recent years, perhaps none is more heartbreaking than our ineffective response to a homelessness crisis that has only gotten worse over time. From The Seattle Times:

“Washington saw one of the biggest estimated increases in people experiencing homelessness in the country between 2019 and 2020, according to new national figures from an annual report to Congress. Overall homelessness across the U.S. grew by more than 2% that year, according to the report’s estimates, but Washington saw an overall increase of 6.2%, or 1,346 people — the third largest increase in the number of homeless people among all 50 states.”

With existing solutions falling short, we believe it’s time for a new approach. Our idea is to send roughly $400 million per biennium directly to cities and counties so they can pursue the best solutions for their communities. In exchange, municipalities would have to remove encampments near schools, parks and playgrounds, and refrain from opening supervised injection sites. The majority may balk at that second provision, but it is my hope they will at least work with us on a comprehensive bill to fix this crisis. The status quo cannot continue.

While improving government accountability and outcomes is a major priority for us, we’re going to have three other main areas of focus during the upcoming 60-day session:

  1. Public safety
  2. Life affordability
  3. Empowering parents

Public safety

In my August update, I discussed the need for the Legislature to fix the deeply flawed police reform bills the Democrats passed earlier this year. As a reminder, these are just some of the headlines we’ve seen as a result of House Bills 1054 and 1310 becoming law:

While we should hold our men and women in law enforcement to the highest possible standard, we cannot have laws on the books that create confusion, make volatile situations more dangerous, and enable criminals to escape justice.

As I’ve shared before, Washington already ranks 51st out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people. It’s been that way for 11 consecutive years. If we continue demonizing our law enforcement personnel and taking away the tools they need to bring criminals to justice, we will continue losing them to other professions and our communities will become less safe. To ensure that doesn’t happen, we need to fix these bills. We also need to pass legislation that allocates significant state funding for the recruitment of new police officers and the retention of officers already on the job. I was glad to see a recent SurveyUSA poll that showed 49% of Washingtonians believe the police need more funding, while just 16% saying they need less. Now we need to act.

Life affordability

Due to tax collections remaining strong, the Legislature is expected to enter the 2022 session with a four-year budget surplus of around $10 billion. With such a large surplus, it is time for us to provide meaningful tax relief, whether through a property tax cut, an expansion of the working families tax credit, or by some other means. We also need to repeal the Democrats’ long-term care insurance program and mandatory payroll tax. Long-term care insurance is a good idea, but this program is deeply flawed as our health care lead, Rep. Joe Schmick, explains:

“This program creates the false hope that people’s long-term care needs will be satisfied, when in fact, it will be woefully inadequate for the majority of those who eventually need long-term care. People who live out of state but work in Washington, those who are within 10 years of retirement, and workers who eventually move out of state, will be forced to pay into this program, but will likely never receive a benefit.”

Rep. Schmick and Rep. Peter Abbarno have already drafted legislation to repeal the program. I believe the majority knows it’s unworkable, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to act to change it.

If you were able to obtain your own long-term care insurance plan by the November 1 deadline, I strongly encourage you to apply for an exemption from the state plan as soon as possible so it’s processed before the new year.

Empowering parents

In addition to the above priorities, we are going to be focused on empowering parents to become more involved in their children’s education. We believe parents have a right to know what is being taught in the classroom and that transparency is crucial to ensuring trust in our K-12 education system. To that end, we have two proposals.

  1. Require the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to seek public input and provide an opportunity for public comment when developing learning standards and grade-level expectations.
  2. Require each school to disclose a listing of the actual instructional materials, including supplemental materials, used during the past academic year on a publicly accessible part of its website and have that link sent directly to parents. This would be modeled after the Goldwater Institute’s Academic Transparency Act.

We will also be looking to expand the number of charter schools in our state. While 40 charter schools were authorized by Initiative 1240 and subsequent reauthorization legislation, just 16 are currently in operation. That’s unfortunate because charter schools are meeting the needs of students who have struggled in their assigned public school. The results we’ve seen so far have been excellent, with charter schools outperforming traditional public schools in reading and math. Our goal is to expand these opportunities for more families across the state.

Contacting me

Due to legislative restrictions that begin tomorrow, I won’t be able to send out another email update until the 2022 legislative session begins on Jan. 10. However, I’ll still be able to respond to your emails and phone calls, so please continue contacting me with your comments, questions, concerns, and ideas for legislation. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

Two virtual tax town halls tomorrow! Make your voice heard!

Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., the bipartisan Tax Structure Work Group (TSWG) will be holding virtual tax town halls for residents of several legislative districts, including the 35th.

The TSWG is comprised of state lawmakers, as well as representatives from the Governor’s Office, the Washington State Department of Revenue, the Washington State Association of Counties, and the Association of Washington Cities. The goal of these town halls is for the TSWG to hear from individual taxpayers and business owners about the state’s tax structure in a quest to make it “more equitable, adequate, stable, and transparent.”

While House Republicans have been looking to cut taxes—something we will continue to focus on during the 2022 legislative session—Gov. Inslee and legislative Democrats have ignored the will of the people and passed new tax increases over the last three years.

I believe it is critical for lawmakers to keep tax burdens low to ensure our economic recovery continues and Washington remains an attractive place to raise a family, start a business, or retire. We have more than enough revenue to fund our state’s needs and priorities without asking for more from you and your family.

If you have time tomorrow, I encourage you to sign up for one of the town halls and make your voice heard.

West Region | Legislative Districts: 2, 22, 23, 24, 26, 35
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
2:30 – 4:00 p.m. | Sign up here
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. | Sign up here

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

The Legislature must restore the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches

Throughout this year’s 105-day legislative session, one of our top priorities as House Republicans was pushing to implement emergency powers reform. Out of concern the governor would continue to rule by proclamation and executive order indefinitely, we introduced several bills that would have ensured adequate legislative involvement in long-lasting states of emergency. Unfortunately, the majority party wasn’t interested in advancing any of our bills through the State Government and Tribal Relations Committee. As a result, nine days before the end of session, I made a motion on the House floor to pass a resolution that would have waived previously established cutoff dates and allowed my emergency powers reform bill to receive a vote. Here was my speech:

https://youtu.be/J-JK5IKgdws

Unfortunately, my motion was rejected on a party-line vote, ending the opportunity for the Legislature to pass emergency powers reform before session adjourned. Ironically, a number of Democrats eventually did choose to speak out against the governor, but only after we were safely into interim.

As I’ve said before, I firmly believe our executive branch needs the ability to respond quickly to pandemics, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies. However, I also believe there must be limits on emergency powers to ensure one person is not ruling on their own for months or years on end.

As it stands, Washington continues to rank near the bottom of all states in terms of governmental balance of power.

As we look ahead to the 2022 legislative session, emergency powers reform will remain one of our top priorities. We are not going to give up on this issue, I promise you that.

Term limits: I want to hear from you

One of the bills I’m working on ahead of the upcoming legislative session deals with the issue of term limits for all state elected officials. I believe we should limit House and Senate members to 12 consecutive years in one chamber, and limit state executives to two total terms in office. Agree? Disagree? Take my survey and let me know.

Police reform survey results

In my last update, I asked you to weigh in on whether you believed a special session should be called so the Legislature could fix the police reform bills championed by the majority during this year’s legislative session.

As a reminder, these headlines are a direct result of the new laws created by House Bills 1054 and 1310.

Here are the survey results:

I’m glad to see these results. As I mentioned in my last update, our state is ranked 51st out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people. In fact, we’ve ranked dead last for the past 11 years. If we want to solve this problem, we cannot continue to demonize law enforcement and take away the tools they need to bring criminals to justice and keep our communities safe.

Public safety will be a huge emphasis for our caucus during the 2022 session. We are going to work hard to fix these disastrous new bills and solve our police officer recruitment and retention crisis.

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.

Interim update: My thoughts on the governor’s vaccine mandate, the majority’s police reform legislation, and the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan

Many of you have been contacting me regarding the governor’s recent decision to mandate vaccination for most state employees, health and long-term care workers.

It’s unfortunate the issue of vaccination has caused so much polarization in our state and country. It shouldn’t be this way. I chose to get vaccinated for a number of personal reasons, including a conviction I had that the potential reward outweighed the risks. For you and your loved ones, however, that may not be the case. I respect that, and believe it’s important for all of us to respect the personal medical decisions of our fellow Washingtonians.

According to the governor’s press release highlighting his proclamation, “individuals included in the proclamation’s mandate must receive the final dose of their vaccination no later than October 4 so as to be fully vaccinated two weeks later on October 18 to comply with the proclamation.”

There are two paths forward for those of you who wish to be exempted from the mandate. One is a religious exemption and the other is a medical exemption. The governor’s vaccine mandate FAQ states:

State employees may work with their agency’s human resources office if they need a reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons. Private sector employers may choose a different process.

The proclamation itself goes into more detail on the religious exemption:

To the extent permitted by law, before providing a sincerely held religious belief accommodation to the requirements of this Order, individuals or entities for which Health Care Providers work as employees, contractors, or volunteers and State Agencies must document that the request for an accommodation has been made and the document must include a statement regarding the way in which the requirements of this order conflict with the religious observance, practice, or belief of the individual.

I have grave concerns about the state deciding whether or not someone’s religious objections are sufficient enough to exempt them from the governor’s mandate. Our federal and state constitutions clearly prohibit the government from defining religion. However, this is a path you can and should take if appropriate for your circumstances. In the meantime, I will be reaching out to the governor’s office regarding this clear violation of your first amendment rights.

The proclamation also touches on the available medical exemption:

Health Care Providers and Workers for State Agencies are not required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they are entitled under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), or any other applicable law to a disability-related reasonable accommodation.

[…]

To the extent permitted by law, before providing a disability-related reasonable accommodation to the requirements of this order, individuals or entities for which Health Care Providers work as employees, contractors, or volunteers and State Agencies must obtain from the individual requesting the accommodation documentation from an appropriate health care or rehabilitation professional authorized to practice in the State of Washington stating that the individual has a disability that necessitates an accommodation and the probable duration of the need for the accommodation.

I believe the governor could have handled this entire situation in a much more constructive way that probably would have yielded better results without the division we’re seeing. Unfortunately, he didn’t, and the divide is growing larger. Going forward, it’s up to each one of us to come together and unite, and I hope we will.

The majority’s police reform bills are making our communities less safe

One of the biggest issues the Legislature focused on during this year’s 105-day session was police reform. While I believe it’s important to hold our men and women in law enforcement to the highest standard, I did not support the efforts by the majority to make it more difficult for them to do their jobs. It’s simply unacceptable that criminals are now escaping justice because of the new laws created by House Bills 1054 and 1310.

These headlines tell the story:

This is an unmitigated disaster of the Legislature’s making. I agree with the appeals that have been made by my Republican colleagues for a special session to be called so we can fix the many problems in these bills.

I also want to make one other point. Our state is already ranked 51st out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people. If we continue to demonize law enforcement and take away the tools they need to bring criminals to justice and keep our communities safe, we will lose more officers and crime will increase even more than it did last year. We can’t afford to wait for the 2022 legislative session to convene to fix these bills. We have to act now.

Agree? Disagree? I’d like to hear from you. Take my police reform survey by clicking on this link.

A word on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan

Like so many of you, I am deeply concerned for the Afghan people, the thousands of Americans stranded across Afghanistan, and our military personnel and their families who are watching the Taliban take over.

My heart breaks for our veterans who fought in Afghanistan and are now watching terrified Afghans cling to U.S. military planes as they take off from Hamid Karzai International Airport. I know a number of these fine men and women. Some have been shot, some have lost limbs, and still others suffer terribly from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of us also know those who lost their lives.

For those of you who served in Afghanistan, I want to say thank you. Please know your service was not in vein. For 20 years, you took the fight to the enemy over there instead of letting them coming here. For 20 years, you helped keep America safe. I salute you, I stand with you, and you have my utmost respect.

In closing, I want to echo the calls I’ve heard from others about the need for our state and nation to welcome with open arms the many refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Many of these individuals risked their lives helping us fight the war on terror. The least we can do is help them escape and provide them the gifts of freedom and opportunity we all cherish.

Contacting me

Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov, and my phone number is (360) 786-7902.

It is an honor to serve you.