Eighth District lawmakers Sen. Sharon Brown, Rep. Brad Klippert and Rep. Matt Boehnke will host a virtual town hall meeting Monday, May 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. It will be the lawmakers’ second virtual town hall of the year.
During the 90-minute event, Brown, Klippert and Boehnke will provide a recap of the 2021 legislative session and take questions from attendees. Those who would like to participate must pre-register in advance.
Details are as follows:
Date: Monday, May 24, 2021 Time: 6-7:30 p.m. Location: Virtual
The remote town hall event will be conducted using the Zoom platform. The conference can only accommodate the first 500 attendees, so participants are encouraged to register early.
Constituents seeking more information may contact the legislators’ offices:
During the final two weeks of this year’s legislative session, which adjourned this past Sunday, the majority party rejected emergency powers reform, approved an income tax on capital gains, and adopted two proposals that will significantly increase the price of gasoline. I’ll be recapping all of that and more in this update, but first, I want to invite you to sign up for the virtual town hall meeting I’m hosting with Rep. Klippert and Sen. Brown on May 24. It will function exactly like the virtual town hall meeting we held last month, which was a lot of fun and really well-attended. If you would like to join us, please click here to pre-register. You can also submit questions in advance on that page.
We must stay vigilant in the fight against COVID-19
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout Tri-Cities, I want to encourage you to stay vigilant in the fight against this deadly virus. As you have likely heard, the governor recently moved three counties back to Phase 2 because they were unable to meet the necessary metrics for reopening activities. To stay in Phase 3, Benton County must continue to meet at least one of the two following metrics:
Our rate of new cases per 100,000 residents must be below 200 over a period of 14 days. We are currently at 213 per 100,000.
We must have fewer than 10 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 residents over a period of seven days. This number has not been updated since April 12, but we were meeting the goal at that time. We do know hospitalizations continue to climb, however.
The next evaluation of Benton County’s metrics will happen on Monday, May 3. Let’s all do our part to make sure we can stay in Phase 3 and then move forward as quickly as possible to Phase 4. As a reminder, all Washingtonians 16 years of age and older are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine. If you are interested in making an appointment with a provider, I encourage you to use to the tool on this website.
Democrats say ‘no’ to emergency powers reform
With Benton County in danger of moving back to Phase 2, it’s important to remember that the governor continues to have unilateral authority to move counties backward and forward as he sees fit. House Republicans made several attempts during session to convince the majority party to adopt emergency powers reform, but we were unsuccessful. That’s unfortunate because this should not be a partisan issue. One of our bills, House Bill 1557, would have simply ensured adequate legislative involvement in long-lasting states of emergency. It would have caused states of emergency to expire after 60 days unless renewed by the Legislature, and also would have allowed the Legislature to terminate, on its own authority, an emergency declaration.
I believe our executive branch needs the ability to quickly and effectively respond to emergencies. However, there must be limits on the exercise of emergency powers. Whether Republican or Democrat, no governor should be able to rule by proclamation and executive order for months on end. Editorial boards across the state have agreed with our position on this issue for months.
In an editorial published earlier this month, The Tri-City Herald wrote: “People have suffered enough, especially those in the hospitality industry, and many are wondering how much longer they can keep their businesses running. Landlords are wondering if they should sell their rental properties if they continue to lose money on them. People planning big events like weddings and anniversary parties are anxious to know if the rug will be pulled out from under them like it was last summer. It would ease people’s minds to know their legislative representatives have some say in how the state re-opens. And it would make Washington state’s three branches of government work together as intended. No one leader is supposed to have so much power for so long over so many.”
Even before session got under way on January 11, it was clear one of the top priorities for the governor and majority party was passing an income tax on capital gains. They got it done on the final week of session.
It’s hard to believe the majority would want to get rid of one of our state’s biggest competitive advantages. Prior to session, we were one of nine states without this tax. With its passage, many investors and entrepreneurs who live in Washington are going to leave for greener pastures. And non-Washingtonians who have been looking for somewhere to start a business are going to choose another state.
We need investment, entrepreneurship and job creation now more than ever. During session, Democrats said passage of this new tax would fix Washington’s regressive tax system. However, they then passed a low-carbon fuel standard (House Bill 1091) and cap-and-tax scheme (Senate Bill 5126), two regressive policies that will increase the cost of gas, food, goods, and heating for families across our state.
House Republicans fought hard against both of these bills, which are going to create financial harm for a lot of people. You can watch the arguments we made against Senate Bill 5126 by clicking on the image below.
2021-23 operating, transportation, and capital budgets
The $59 billion operating budget for the 2021-23 biennium will do a lot of good things for our state, but it also relies on revenue from the income tax on capital gains I discussed above. Additionally, it grows spending by $7 billion, an increase of 13.6% over 2019-21. Astoundingly, state spending has grown by 74% since the governor came into office. This spending growth is unsustainable and will inevitably lead to devastating cuts or even more burdensome new taxes down the road.
The 2021-23 transportation budget passed on a 90-6 vote. The $11.8 billion budget will fund the basic transportation needs of our state by providing funding for the maintenance and preservation of current transportation systems, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Ferry system, the Washington State Patrol, and other state transportation agencies.
$849 million for preservation and $520 million for maintenance.
$550 million for Washington State Patrol, including an additional trooper class.
$541 million for operating costs and $505 million for capital costs for Washington State Ferries.
$224 million for Transportation Improvement Board.
$101 million for County Road Administration Board.
The 2021-23 capital budget passed with unanimous support. The $6.3 billion budget will fund various construction projects throughout the state, making significant investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure with the help of one-time federal funds. In addition to local projects, which can be found here, other highlights include:
$733 million for the state’s four-year institutions.
$730.6 million for 2021-23 School Construction Assistance Program.
$512 million for the community and technical college system.
$326 million for State Broadband Office for broadband infrastructure projects, including $50 million in bonds to leverage other federal funding.
$200.7 million to begin construction of the behavioral health teaching hospital run by the University of Washington.
$129 million from the Public Works Assistance Account to issue grants and loans to local governments for infrastructure projects.
$95 million in behavioral health capacity grants for community mental health services.
My manufacturing jobs bill signed into law
This session, I sponsored a bipartisan bill to support our hard-hit manufacturing sector. House Bill 1170, which has been signed into law, will provide a framework for the state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs and double the number of small manufacturing firms and the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing firms over the next 10 years. With the Department of Commerce leading this effort and business, unions, and the building trades working in solidarity, I truly believe we can double the number of manufacturing jobs in Washington by 2031.
Under the bill, the state Department of Commerce will be tasked with:
Preparing a biennial report to the Legislature on the state of the manufacturing and research and development industry and workforce in Washington.
Convening a manufacturing council to advise and consult on the development of the report and recommendations.
Granting funding for initiatives that accelerate the development of regional clusters in manufacturing and research and development.
Appointing a workforce innovation lead to coordinate needs identified by the manufacturing, clean technology, and aerospace sector leads.
House Bill 1170 will go into effect July 25.
Contacting me
Although session is now over, please know I am here to serve you year-round. I encourage you to continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
Joining KONA Radio’s Ed Dawson, Rep. Matt Boehnke discusses a bill of his that was recently signed into law that seeks to double manufacturing jobs in Washington state by 2031. Boehnke also talks about recent efforts by House and Senate Republicans to limit the governor’s emergency powers. He also reviews a few tax increase proposals from House Democrats that are scheduled to come up for a vote during the final week of session.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Boehnke that seeks to double the number of manufacturing jobs in Washington by 2031 has been signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee.
House Bill 1170, the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (BEST) Act, will provide a framework for the state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs and double the number of small manufacturing firms and the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing firms over the next 10 years.
Boehnke, who serves as the ranking Republican on the House Community and Economic Development Committee, says he’s optimistic the bill’s goals can be achieved.
“Washington’s manufacturing sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The goal of House Bill 1170 is to restore it by providing a pathway to double the number of manufacturing jobs in our state over the next 10 years,” said Boehnke, R-Kennewick. “With the Department of Commerce leading this effort and business, unions, and the building trades working in solidarity, I truly believe we can hit our jobs target and position our state as a manufacturing powerhouse for decades to come.”
Under the bill, the state Department of Commerce will be tasked with:
Preparing a biennial report to the Legislature on the state of the manufacturing and research and development industry and workforce in Washington.
Convening a manufacturing council to advise and consult on the development of the report and recommendations.
Granting funding for initiatives that accelerate the development of regional clusters in manufacturing and research and development.
Appointing a workforce innovation lead to coordinate needs identified by the manufacturing, clean technology, and aerospace sector leads.
House Bill 1170, which has 23 Republican and Democrat cosponsors, received unanimous approval in both the House and Senate. It will go into effect July 25.
This Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m., I will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting with Sen. Sharon Brown and Rep. Brad Klippert. The three of us will provide a brief session update and then take questions from constituents. If you would like to participate, please pre-register here. You can also submit questions in advance on that page. There is much to discuss, including the governor’s recent announcement that the entire state will be moving to Phase 3 on March 22, so I hope you’ll be able to join us via Zoom on Saturday.
For those of you who can’t be in attendance, please know you can always call me at (509) 315-2315 or send me an email with your comments, questions or concerns. I always look forward to hearing from you!
We’re in the second half of session
Today is day 66 of this year’s 105-day legislative session. Last Tuesday marked a critical deadline that meant the end of the road for a lot of bills – at least for this session. All bills that did not advance out of the chamber (House or Senate) in which they were introduced are now considered dead for the year. The exception to this are bills considered necessary to implement the budget, or NTIB.
I’m happy to report my manufacturing jobs bill survived cutoff, passing 96-0 in the House last week. If signed into law, House Bill 1170 will provide a framework for the state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years. The bill would also seek to double the number of small manufacturing firms and the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing firms in Washington. With the Department of Commerce leading this effort, I truly believe we would be able to hit our jobs target and meaningfully increase diversity in our manufacturing sector.
House Bill 1170 has been referred to the Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee.
Bills to keep tabs on and a major battle ahead
There are a number of bills that have been proposed by the majority party this session that would hurt Washington families and small businesses.
House Bill 1091 would regulate the carbon intensity of transportation fuels (known as a low-carbon fuel standard mandate). Such a policy, which would have almost no environmental benefit, could drive up the price of gas by as much as 57 cents per gallon and diesel by as much as 63 cents per gallon.
Senate Bill 5096 would create a new income tax on capital gains. As the Tri-City Herald editorial board recently wrote: “This bill is attempting to lay the foundation for a statewide income tax. That is the end-goal.” That is correct, and it’s why House Republicans are fighting so hard against this proposal.
House Bill 1076 would authorize qui tam lawsuits, incentivizing trial attorneys to seek out private citizens to sue on behalf of the government so they could reap a portion of the financial award. Such a system would be ripe for abuse, and there are no safeguards in the bill to prevent frivolous lawsuits against small businesses should it become law.
Aside from these three bills and a handful of others, the biggest battle ahead is going to be over the 2021-23 operating budget. As I mentioned in my last email update, House Republicans have offered our own proposal, which would fund all of our state’s needs and priorities without raising taxes or cutting vital services. For their part, the majority party continues to back a tax-and-spend approach.
The bottom line is there is simply no case to be made for tax increases. While families have struggled throughout the pandemic, state tax collections have continued to increase. The latest state revenue forecast, which was unveiled this morning, projects a $3 billion surplus for our state by the middle of this year.
The debate ahead should be about tax relief, not tax increases. Period.
Preventing state agencies from profiting from the sale of your personal data
Last week, I introduced House Bill 1552, which would prohibit all state agencies from selling your personal data to third-party vendors. Under the bill, agencies would be required to certify compliance with the state Office of Privacy and Data Protection on an annual basis. Furthermore, the bill would compel them to be more transparent with you by requiring them to disclose the categories of personal data being collected, the data being shared with third parties, and the purposes for which the data is being shared.
Quite simply, Washington state should not be in the data broker business. House Bill 1552 is designed to protect you and your loved ones from harm and hopefully restore a bit of your trust in state government after the disastrous failures we’ve seen. It’s the right policy for our state, and I hope we can get it to the governor’s desk this session.
Contacting me and staying involved in the legislative process
Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
I also encourage you to stay involved in the legislative process by following House Republicans on Twitter and Facebook, 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.
The remote town hall event will be conducted using the Zoom platform. Those who would like to participate must pre-registerin advance for the conference by visiting RepresentativeBradKlippert.com or RepresentativeMattBoehnke.com. Both website homepages have a drop-down that links to the registration for the virtual town hall meeting.
The conference can only accommodate the first 500 attendees, so participants should register early. You may also submit questions early via the registration page.
Constituents seeking more information may contact the legislators’ offices:
Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, has introduced a bill to prevent state agencies from profiting from the sale of Washingtonians’ personal data.
Under House Bill 1552, all state agencies would be prohibited from selling such data to third-party vendors, and would also be required to certify compliance with the state Office of Privacy and Data Protection on an annual basis. Furthermore, the bill would compel agencies to be more transparent with Washingtonians by disclosing the categories of personal data being collected, the data being shared with third parties, and the purposes for which the data is being shared.
Boehnke, who serves as the director and lead professor of the cybersecurity division at Columbia Basin College, says it’s time for the state to end a practice that violates its obligation to respect and protect Washingtonians’ personal property.
“Washington state should not be in the business of profiting from the sale of its citizens’ personal data,” said Boehnke. “House Bill 1552 is designed to protect Washingtonians and restore their trust in state government, while also increasing transparency and accountability at our state agencies. If signed into law, this bill will signal to our citizens that we believe their data privacy is more important than profit. It’s the right policy for our state, and I hope we can get it to the governor’s desk this session.”
The 2021 remote legislative session is scheduled to adjourn April 25.
With a 96-0 vote Tuesday, the state House of Representatives approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Boehnke that seeks to double the number of manufacturing jobs in Washington by 2031.
Washington’s 6,600 manufacturers are responsible for more than 265,000 jobs and generate more than $63 billion annually in economic output. Substitute House Bill 1170, the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (BEST) Act, would provide a framework for the state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years. The bill also seeks to double the number of small manufacturing firms and the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing firms in Washington.
“As we continue to recover from the global pandemic, this bill offers hope for our economy and the middle-class in Washington state,” said Boehnke, R-Kennewick. “With the Department of Commerce leading this effort, I truly believe we can hit our jobs target and meaningfully increase diversity in our manufacturing sector.
“I want to thank my co-sponsor, Rep. Dave Paul, for working with me on this bill every step of the way. Our collaboration is proof of what we can accomplish when we put aside party labels and partisanship and simply focus on delivering results for the people of Washington state. I encourage the Senate to adopt this bill and send it to the governor’s desk so business, unions, and the building trades can begin working in solidarity to create jobs, grow our economy, and position our state as a leader in this critical sector for decades to come.”
If signed into law, SHB 1170 would:
Provide that it is the goal of Washington state to double the state’s manufacturing jobs, double the number of small businesses in manufacturing, and double the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing businesses over the next 10 years.
Direct the state Department of Commerce (Commerce) to identify the strategic initiatives needed to achieve the goals laid out in SHB 1170.
Require biennial reporting to the Legislature on the state’s progress in achieving these goals, and require policy recommendations from a broad-based manufacturing council.
Assist Commerce in forming strategies tailored to each region of the state to grow the manufacturing workforce.
Direct Commerce to appoint a workforce innovation sector lead to identify needs and coordinate with state agencies to meet them.
Direct Commerce to report to the Legislature on how to strengthen the research and development sector that supports manufacturing innovation.
Boehnke’s bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
The 2021 remote legislative session is scheduled to adjourn April 25.
Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, joins “The Bottom Line” on KONA to discuss an appeal from legislators to Gov. Jay Inslee requesting accelerated reopening of the state. Boehnke also talks about his efforts to work with Democrats as the ranking Republican on the Community and Economic Development Committee. Finally, he answers questions about the 2021-23 House Republican operating budget proposal and a House bill that would ban the use of Native American names and symbols in public schools.
Our plan would fund all of our state’s needs and priorities without raising taxes or cutting vital services. We would fund the working families tax credit for the first time in its 12-year history, provide sales tax exemptions for basic necessities, help low-income families defray the cost of remote learning, safely reopen our schools, take bold steps to actually solve the homelessness crisis, make critical investments in behavioral health, provide B&O tax relief for our small businesses, and more. At the same time, we would reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, fix inefficiencies in government, eliminate programs that aren’t working, and replace bad policies with better ones.
It’s a budget that aligns perfectly with our priorities as a caucus to safely reopen schools and businesses, oppose new taxes and fees, hold the governor and state agencies accountable, and protect our communities.
House passes two COVID relief bills
Since my last update, the House has passed two COVID relief bills.
Senate Bill 5061, which was signed into law by the governor earlier this month, will limit the massive unemployment insurance tax increases businesses are facing. That’s important, but I believe we should have done more to provide relief for our job creators. House Republicans offered three amendments to do so.
Amendment 20, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Vick, would have suspended all unemployment insurance tax increases until the governor’s termination of the current state of emergency.
Amendment 21, sponsored by Rep. Larry Hoff, would have allowed business owners to defer unemployment insurance tax payments for two quarters.
Amendment 22, sponsored by Rep. Drew MacEwen, would have authorized a one-time $500 million transfer from the state’s rainy-day fund to the unemployment trust fund, which has been depleted as a result of the pandemic and last year’s $600 million theft by foreign fraudsters. Currently, our small business owners are on the hook to replenish that fund. That’s wrong.
Unfortunately, all three amendments were rejected.
The other COVID relief bill that came to the floor was House Bill 1368. While Rep. Drew Stokesbary’s REAL Recovery for Washington Act would have provided $4 billion in relief, the majority’s HB 1368 is set to provide roughly half that amount. You can review a comparison of the proposals here.
House Republicans again offered a number of amendments that would have taken bold steps to safely reopen schools, assist students who have fallen behind, provide rental and utility assistance, ease financial burdens on working families, help child care providers, and support small businesses. All but one of our amendments was rejected.
House Appropriations Committee approves my manufacturing jobs bill
A bill I’ve sponsored to double the number of manufacturing jobs in our state by 2031 was unanimously approved by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this week.
House Bill 1170, the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (BEST) Act, would provide a framework for the state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years. The bill also seeks to double the number of small manufacturing firms and the number of women- and minority-owned manufacturing firms in Washington.
Rebuilding our economy and revitalizing struggling communities around the state is going to take a multifaceted approach focused on real solutions. My goal with House Bill 1170 is to unite business, unions, and the building trades around one specific vision: that Washington be the best place in the world to make things. I know we can achieve the goals laid out in the bill, and appreciate the support it’s received from members on both sides of the aisle. I look forward to continuing to advocate for its passage as it moves through the legislative process.
Following the latest data breach, it’s clear we must take a different approach to cybersecurity
Earlier this month, I joined the Lars Larson Show to discuss the latest statewide breach that exposed the personal data of at least 1.4 million Washingtonians who filed for unemployment last year.
What’s abundantly clear is that our state needs to modernize it software systems and implement stricter accountability measures to stop these breaches from happening. As I told The Seattle Times, our state agencies are simply being too lazy when it comes to cybersecurity. It’s unacceptable and needs to change.
Contacting me and staying involved in the legislative process
Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
I also encourage you to stay involved in the legislative process by following House Republicans on Twitter and Facebook, 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.
