May 21, 2024

Great accomplishments for the Mighty 8th District

As a first-term senator, I am excited about how much we accomplished for the people of Washington and the Mighty 8th District during the 2024 legislative session. As the Republican leader on the Human Services Committee, I am steadfast in my efforts on behalf of our developmental disability families, protecting...
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May 21, 2024

Defensive wins for the Senate and House Republicans

As a minority party member, many of our accomplishments are not about bills we passed but about bad bills we prevented from becoming law. This session, Senate Bill 5770 would have allowed local governments to more than double property taxes – from 1% to 3%. Without direct voter input, this...
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May 21, 2024

Capital budget highlights and local projects

The final supplemental capital budget allocates $1.33 billion, including $130.6 million in bonds. The plan entails significant investments throughout the state in K-12 school construction, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment facilities, and early learning facilities, leaving $547,000 in remaining bond capacity. With this budget’s unanimous approval, we are delighted...
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May 21, 2024

State legislature passes operating and transportation budgets

OPERATING BUDGET The final supplemental operating budget appropriates $72 billion (NGF-O), a $2.2 billion increase over current 2023-25 spending. While the budget pays for many important core services, it once again contains no meaningful tax relief for working families. The state has a moral imperative to provide tax relief. The...
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May 21, 2024

Attacks on energy affordability

A pair of bills that will make energy more expensive in Washington were signed into law. House Bill 1589 allows Puget Sound Energy to end natural gas services for its customers. While this will directly affect our neighbors to the west, it represents a concerning trend toward eliminating an important...
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May 21, 2024

Citizen Initiatives

During the 2024 session, Washingtonians brought six initiatives before the Legislature, all aimed at tackling important issues. We are happy to report that the people of Washington scored a big win with approval of three of these initiatives, which are: I-2113 restores police officer’s ability to pursue suspected criminals, a...
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April 10, 2024

6 Boehnke bills signed into law

OLYMPIA… In a remarkable feat of legislative prowess, Senator Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, saw six of his bills signed into law by Governor Inslee in March. This achievement, the highest number of bills he’s successfully passed since his tenure in the legislature began in 2019, is a testament to his dedication...
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March 13, 2024

Boehnke school bus trespass bill clears Legislature, awaits Governor’s signature | AUDIO

Keeping trespassers off school buses is the aim of a bill passed out of the state Legislature. Tracy Ellis tells us the measure is named after a real-life hero. #waleg LISTEN HERE
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March 08, 2024

D’Aquila serves as page for Sen. Matt Boehnke

OLYMPIA… Jason D’Aquila, a 9th-grader at South Ridge High School, recently spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. D’Aquila was one of 32 students who served in the Senate during the Ninth week of the 2024 legislative session. He was...
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March 08, 2024

5 Boehnke bills pass legislature

OLYMPIA… Washington State Senator Matt Boehnke has been very active in representing the 8th district this legislative session, with 28 bills introduced or retained from the 2023 legislative session. As the 2024 session ended today, Boehnke had five bills pass the House last week, all unanimously, and concurred by the Senate...
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