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In my previous legislative update, I talked about how Initiative 8021, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, is under attack by Democrat-sponsored legislation, House Bill 1296. We fought this bill on the House floor for over six hours and offered more than 50 amendments to try and make this horrible bill just a little bit better. The debate lasted until almost 3’oclock the next morning and when the bill passed, no Republicans voted for it.
However, HB 1296 must still go through the Senate. It has already had a public hearing but has yet to clear the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. I encourage you to contact Democrat committee members (which you can find here) and implore them to kill this bill.
Budget and Taxes Update
Overspending during the past decade has resulted in a significant state budget hole:
Democrats in the House and Senate introduced their tax increase proposals last week and their budgets this week. It doesn’t look good for hard-working taxpayers. Instead of prioritizing spending, redoing recent collective bargaining agreements (which they knew would make the budget hole worse when they were agreed upon), and introducing zero-based budgeting, they are once again going after your wallets.
Majority party budget writers are proposing the largest set of tax increases in state history. Senate Democrats want $20 billion in taxes increases over the next four years and House Democrats want almost $15 billion in that same timeframe. They want an increase in property taxes, B&O taxes, a payroll tax, and a so-called “wealth tax” which will not bring in near the amount they assume because the ultra-wealthy can – and will – move to a state with a more friendly tax environment.
You can read my press release on the Democrat tax proposals here.
My fear is that House Democrats will want their taxes and budget, the Senate Democrats will want theirs, and Gov. Bob Ferguson will want his. The result could be a special session with Democrats trying to decide which taxes to raise as they negotiate with themselves and with little input from Republicans. It could be a long summer.
Hey, Chris! What have you been up to?
As a member of the House Republican Caucus leadership team, I take part in most of our media availabilities each week. You can watch those here:
- Republican leaders highlight declining trust in public education, call for fiscal responsibility (Feb. 11)
- Democrats face backlash for fiscal mismanagement, threaten tax hikes to cover deficit (Feb. 25)
- Democrats prioritize criminals over public safety, push costly tax hikes to fund reckless spending (March 5)
- Democrats block public safety funding and undermine parents’ rights (March 18)
I have also been on several radio programs. You can listen to those here:
- Rep. Corry joins KVI’s John Carlson for a legislative update on property taxes, the RUC, and rent control (Feb. 24)
- Rep. Corry joins Lance Tormey, Brian Stephenson, and Dave Ettl from KIT Radio to discuss the state’s budget shortfall and the overspending of the ruling party for the past decade (March 5)
- Rep. Corry joins KONA’s Robb Francis live at the state Capital for a legislative update. They discuss the Parents’ Bill of Rights, keeping women’s sports for women, and Second Amendment protections (March 7)
You can also read a recent Op-ed of mine:
15th District Virtual Town Hall
I invite you to join me and my 15th Legislative District seatmates for a Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. You can scan the QR code below to register, which is required to join the event. By doing so early, you can submit questions. I hope you can join us and let us know your thoughts on legislation and the issues important to you.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my legislative update. It is a privilege to serve all of the great residents in the 15th!
Sincerely,
Chris Corry
