Tag Archives: MacEwen

2024 sessions ends with victories for Washingtonians

Dear friends and neighbors,

The 2024 legislative session has ended in Olympia. We made progress on many fronts, and of course, there were some disappointments.

Highlighting this year’s session were the six initiatives presented to the legislature by the state’s citizens, the most in state history. Each of these initiatives garnered over 400,000 signatures and reflected individuals from all political affiliations. While it was exciting to see citizens’ efforts to make their voices heard, it was disappointing that the legislature only acted on three of the six. In what I believe is  a disservice to the public, the three initiatives were only given 1-hour public hearings,  limiting public input. Fortunately, the three that were acted on were passed, and they are I-2081, Parental Rights in Public Education; I-2111, Banning Personal Income Taxes, and I-2113 Concerning Vehicular Pursuits by Peace Officers. The three initiatives not acted on by the legislature will appear on the November Ballot: I-2117 Concerning Carbon Tax Trading, I-2124 Concerning Long-term Care Insurance, and I-2109 Concerning Taxes on Long-term Capital Assets.

One of the most significant achievements was defeating Senate Bill 5770, which would have allowed cities and counties, without a vote of the people, to raise property taxes at  a factor of 3% annually rather than the current rate of 1%. In a time when everyone is reeling from inflated costs of food, fuel, and energy, this bill was unwanted. The Senate Republicans held a press conference inviting their constituents to come and voice their opposition to this legislation which ultimately led the majority party to scrap the bill altogether. Although this was a significant win for the people, it was ironic to see a bill presented that would make housing more unaffordable during an affordability crisis.

The most significant disappointment, and one that will undoubtedly have significant impacts on future utility and housing affordability, was the passage of House Bill 1589. When presented in the Senate, this bill had to be redrafted in its entirety after it was ruled to be unconstitutional during the floor debate by the lieutenant governor. After an all-night redraft, legislatures were given a mere four hours to review this monumental bill before the debate resumed. After narrowly passing in the Senate, it was moved to the House, where it was passed at around 2 am. Once again, its constitutionality was brought into question, but the majority party ignored this and moved the bill forward. This means that the bill will likely be heading to the courts after it is signed into law by the governor. Key points to this bill that should concern everyone. It was passed with an emergency clause, meaning the people of this state cannot file a referendum on the action; how democratic is that? It also allows a foreign-owned company, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), to pass all related costs on to its consumers during the transition from Natural Gas to Electricity. Should PSE decide to ban natural gas altogether, it is estimated the costs to retrofit existing homes will range from $40K to $74K, once again increasing the cost of housing. In addition, one can expect food and energy prices to grow with this bill. All central food warehouses and grocery stores are heated and cooled with natural gas; retrofits will be in the tens of millions. Lastly, the capacity to produce electricity with alternative sources such as hydro, wind, and solar is currently limited and removing the natural gas option will create demand issues. Ultimately, this policy  will force everyone’s utility rates to skyrocket.

This year was like the previous ten, with large budget surpluses and a legislature that wanted to raise taxes again. Although this year was like many others, something proved to be very different: public sentiment and pushback against the ever-growing desire to tax and spend. There were six initiatives by the people, and the first session in my twelve years was when this legislative body did not pass a new tax. I would say this is a win for the people and, hopefully, an indication of what will come.

Sincerely,

 

Drew MacEwen

State legislature passes 3 initiatives, 3 remain for November ballot

OLYMPIA… The Washington State Legislature passed three of the six initiatives presented to the legislature by the people of Washington. The passage of these three initiatives marks the most ever enacted into law by the legislature. Initiatives passed by the legislature do not require the governor’s signature and will become law 90 days after the session’s close.

“Although the passage of these three initiatives was an enormous victory for Washingtonians, I believe the legislature should have taken the time to consider all initiatives before the legislature,” Sen. Drew MacEwen said.

It’s important to note that the initiatives brought before the legislature were made possible by hundreds of thousands of citizens signing petitions expressing their concerns with previously enacted laws and the current direction of the legislature. These signatures were collected from citizens representing all political parties, Democrat, Republican, and Independents alike. The initiatives that passed the legislature are:

I-2111 bans the adoption of personal income tax. The initiative passed with a vote of 38-11, with all 20 Senate Republicans and 18 Democrats voting yes.

I-2113 passed 36-13, with yes votes from all Republicans and 16 Democrats. This initiative restores the reasonable suspicion standard for police pursuits and takes stronger steps to protect our communities.

I-2081, passed the Senate unanimously and creates a parental bill of rights related to K-12 education.

As previously mentioned, not all initiatives presented to the legislature during this session were acted on. These three initiatives will be on the November ballot: I-2109 repeals the capital gains excise tax, I-2117 repeals the Washington Climate Commitment Act, and I-2124 allows employees to opt out of the Washington Care Act.

I-2117, which would repeal the state’s costly climate policy that was enacted by majority Democrats in 2021 and took full effect early last year.

I-2109, to repeal the state capital-gains income tax that was passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021.

I-2124, which would allow individuals to opt out of the mandatory payroll tax for the state-run long-term care program called “WA Cares.”

Washington State Senator Drew MacEwen

MacEwen to host telephone town hall Feb. 22

OLYMPIA… State Senator Drew MacEwen will host a telephone town hall on Thursday, February 22 starting at 7 p.m. He invites constituents from the 35th Legislative District to call in with questions and concerns about state government and legislation being considered during this year’s legislative session.

With the end of the session approaching there are many items of importance to discuss, including the six initiatives that will be appearing on the November ballot.

“No need to travel, all you need to do is mark your calendar and call in with the number provided. I encourage you to join me and your fellow constituents from all over the 35th district as we discuss issues related to this year’s legislative session,” MacEwen said.

Constituents will receive a phone call on the date and time of the event inviting you to join. If for any reason you do not, you can still join the town hall by calling (360) 249-7921 at 7 p.m. on February 22nd. Once you have joined the meeting and would like to ask a question or make a comment, simply hit the STAR * key on your telephone.

“I look forward to hearing from you and discussing your questions and concerns about state government and decisions being considered during this year’s legislative session,” MacEwen said.

Read more 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.”