Due to election-year restrictions that begin on Monday, this will be my last email update to you until after the November election results are certified. The exception is if we go into a special session. However, I am still able to respond to constituents who contact me throughout the year, so please feel free to email or call anytime. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315. Additionally, if you would like to meet with me in district, please email my legislative assistant, Dinah, to set up a time.
8th District Legislative Update
Rep. Brad Klippert and I recently finished writing a six-page legislative update, which will be hitting mailboxes soon. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it and let me know what you think.
Clicking on the image below will open the full PDF version.
It is an honor to serve you. I hope to hear from you soon.
For the first time since February 22, 2020, Rep. Brad Klippert and I are set to host an in-person town hall meeting in Richland. We’re really looking forward to meeting with all of you to share our thoughts on this year’s 60-day legislative session, take your questions, and discuss the most important issues facing our district and state.
Details are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Time: 7-8 p.m. Location: The Arc of Tri-Cities Address: 1455 SE Fowler St., Richland
Earlier this year, we held a virtual town hall meeting that was really well-attended, so we’re hoping to see similar attendance on Tuesday. We’re fortunate enough to have 610 KONA’s Robb Francis as our moderator. If you have any questions about the town hall, please feel free to send me an email at Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov.
A look at the three supplemental budgets the Legislature passed this session
As I shared in my last email update, there were a number of missed opportunities this session, including the Legislature’s failure to deliver tax relief. Instead of using some of our record $15 billion budget surplus to provide a permanent half-point sales tax cut, which is what House Republicans proposed, Democrats chose instead to spend nearly all of that money. In the end, they 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. With inflation at a 40-year high, the most expensive gas prices we’ve seen since 2008, and ongoing supply chain shortages, we should’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to ease some of your financial burdens. The majority simply has no excuse for their failure to prioritize tax relief.
The state’s operating budget has more than doubled in size since the 2011-13 biennium. I don’t know anyone who has seen their household budget increase 111% in the last 10 years. It’s unfortunate the prevailing priority for the majority is growing the size and scope of government instead of returning your tax dollars back to you.
While bipartisan collaboration and agreement on the state’s operating budget is difficult due to our differing approaches on taxes and spending, the same cannot be said for the capital budget, which funds various construction projects throughout the state. In recent years, the budget has made significant investments in mental and behavioral health, water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, affordable housing, school seismic safety, and more.
The 2022 supplemental capital budget spends a total of $1.5 billion, building on the $6.3 billion 2021-23 capital budget the Legislature passed last year. Highlights include:
$300 million for rapid capital housing acquisition for quick conversion into shelters, permanent supportive housing, or transitional housing.
$120 million for the Public Works Board to issue grants and loans to local governments for infrastructure projects.
$114.5 million for the Housing Trust Fund, including $25 million for projects benefiting first-time home buyers.
$100 million for broadband infrastructure grants.
$100 million for seismic safety retrofits to school buildings at high risk of severe earthquake damage.
$60 million for grants to expand and add capacity for crisis triage and crisis stabilization facilities for adults, including $12 million for at least two residential crisis stabilization facilities for youth.
$26.3 million in Behavioral Health Capacity grants for community mental health services, including long-term civil commitments, triage, diversion, detox, and adolescent services.
Here locally, highlights include:
$1.5 million in additional funding for the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center project, which will fill a major unmet need in our region upon completion. In the 2021-23 capital budget, $2.75 million was provided for planning-related costs. The funds allocated in this year’s supplemental budget will be used to acquire an existing hospital facility that is no longer used and is suitable for renovation to accommodate the new behavioral health facility.
$500,000 for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. Funding will allow for an additional 2,000 dental appointments to be made by residents.
$270,000 for a replacement boat for Columbia Basin Dive Rescue, which is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer agency that provides water rescue and recovery services to law enforcement, fire, and other emergency service agencies.
The 2022 supplemental 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. The 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.
In addition to the 2022 supplemental transportation budget, there was a separate transportation package the majority pushed through this session without bipartisan cooperation. It’s a 16-year, $17 billion package that is heavily focused on the Puget Sound region. As with the operating budget, important projects are funded in it, but I had to vote no out of respect for Washington taxpayers. Not only does the package raise fees on Washingtonians, but it uses fees from policies that will further increase the cost of fuel.
I’m looking forward to talking about all of these spending plans, and more, on Tuesday.
Contacting me
Although session is now over, please know I am here to serve you year-round. I encourage you to continue contacting me with your comments, questions, or concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my office number is (509) 315-2315.
It is an honor to serve you. I hope to see you on Tuesday!
We just passed the final major deadline of this year’s 60-day legislative session, which is scheduled to adjourn next Thursday. Tonight marked the final opportunity for lawmakers in the House to pass bills that originated in the Senate, and vice-versa. The only bills exempted from this deadline are those deemed necessary to implement the budget.
While House Democrats found the time tonight to pass a bill that would make pickleball Washington’s official state sport, they did not find the time to pass the Senate’s emergency powers reform bill. Instead of voting to take power away from the governor, they instead voted to take power away from law-abiding gun owners through Senate Bill 5078. If signed into law, the bill would—after going into effect on July 1—prohibit the sale, manufacture and distribution of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. That clearly violates the Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 24 of our state’s constitution, which reads: “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.” It is deeply disappointing that the last major bill the majority passed before cutoff is one that would infringe on responsible gun owners’ rights and their ability to defend themselves in life-threatening situations.
Tonight was the latest in a string of long nights spent debating bills on the House floor, including the 2022 supplemental operating budget and a $16.8 billion transportation package. The operating budget we passed last Saturday contains a lot of good things, as most budgets do. However, we missed an opportunity to use our record $15 billion budget surplus to provide meaningful tax relief for you and your family. House Republicans introduced an amendment that would’ve cut the state sales tax by a half-point, but it was rejected. The budget we passed spends $65 billion in state funds, an increase of $6.2 billion (10.5%) over current 2021-23 spending, but does nothing to alleviate the financial pressures so many of you are facing due to skyrocketing inflation, the highest gas prices we’ve seen in years, and supply chain shortages.
We also missed an opportunity to allocate $100 million in unspent federal 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.
Our amendment to allocate these funds was rejected, which makes me concerned that we will not see a decrease in crime or more police officers joining the force any time soon. It is unacceptable that our state ranks last in the nation in terms of the number of police officers per thousand people. We have to support our men and women in law enforcement and we have to get serious about public safety. There is no other option.
I mentioned we also passed a $16.8 billion transportation package. Much like the operating budget, it too will do some good things for communities in our state. However, it’s very focused on western Washington. That’s not surprising since the majority never reached out to any House Republican members to get their input. The worst thing about the package is that it levies a number of new taxes and fees on Washingtonians. Again, we should be cutting taxes, not raising them or adding new fees that make life more expensive.
Last year, House Republicans introduced a plan to modernize transportation funding by utilizing the general fund, preserve and maintain our existing infrastructure, complete the state’s backlog of projects (including Connecting Washington projects), and redirect vehicle sales tax to transportation projects across the state—all without raising taxes and fees on anyone or anything. I believe that would have been a better way forward for our state.
An update on my bills
In my last email update, I provided an overview of House Bills 2019 and 2044, both of which were unanimously approved by the House earlier this session.
House Bill 2019, which is designed to grow Washington’s workforce and strengthen the retail industry, also received unanimous approval in the Senate. As I’ve said before, as we attempt to navigate an ever-changing landscape due to the pandemic, our focus must be on creating an economic environment that’s favorable for business and job growth. House Bill 2019 would help us develop additional pathways for Washingtonians to find jobs in retail, while also developing the education and training necessary for employees to succeed and achieve greater upward mobility. I’m grateful for the support it received in the House and Senate, and am glad it’s now on the governor’s desk.
Unfortunately, House Bill 2044 (ransomware protection) did not receive a hearing in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. That surprised me because businesses, agencies and other entities in Washington experienced more ransomware attacks than ever before last year. According to the Attorney General’s 2021 Data Breach Report, ransomware attacks accounted for 61% of all cyberattacks (150 of 245) and more than half of all data breaches (150 of 280). It is clear we have a cybersecurity problem in Washington. At some point, we have to get serious about protecting Washingtonians and safeguarding their personal data.
Washington must divest from Russia
My heart breaks over what we’ve been seeing in Ukraine since February 24. Earlier this week, I signed on to a bill sponsored by House Republican Reps. Drew Stokesbary and Drew MacEwen that takes a stand against Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian regime. It would require all state agencies in Washington to cancel their outstanding contracts with Russian companies, while also requiring the State Investment Board to divest from its pension and other investments in Russian companies.
Part of the bill declares: “Washington stands firmly in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and strongly condemns Russia’s military actions against Ukraine.” It is important for us to make that declaration as lawmakers, but we also must go a step further by ensuring Vladimir Putin’s regime doesn’t receive a dime of Washington taxpayers’ dollars.
House Bill 2135 has been referred to the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.
Honored to be recognized by the Washington Economic Development Association
Two weeks ago, I received an email from the executive director of the Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA) letting me know I had been named one of their Legislative Economic Development Champions. While it is a tremendous honor to be recognized in this way by WEDA, I know I could not do this job as successfully without the support and guidance I continually receive from legislative staff, community leaders, small business owners, and all of you. Working on public policy is truly a team effort, and I am so grateful to be in a position to make a positive difference for the mighty 8th District and communities across the state. As the ranking member of the House Community and Economic Development Committee, I have been and will continue to be intently focused on growing jobs and revitalizing communities as our state continues to recover from the pandemic.
Contacting me
Please continue contacting me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my office number is (509) 315-2315.
Today marks the end of the fifth week of the 2022 legislative session. We have 27 days to go and a lot of things left to tackle. Before I get to legislative updates, however, I wanted to offer my deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Justin Krumbah. His senseless murder was a shock to me, as I know it was to all of you. I want to thank those of you who took the time yesterday to gather at Howard Amon Park to remember Justin and support his family. Please keep them in your prayers, as well as Mark Hill, who was shot by the perpetrator and is currently in critical condition.
While the police are still gathering details, one thing we know about the gunman is that he suffers from serious mental health issues. The Tri-City Herald editorial board put it perfectly yesterday when they wrote: “Our community needs to surround the families and friends of Krumbah and Hill with comfort and support. And then we need to work harder to ensure the Tri-Cities has the resources to help those at risk of hurting themselves and others.”
Mental and behavioral health care must become more of a priority here locally and around the state. A lot of people are in crisis and not able to get the help they need in a timely manner. That needs to change, and I am committed to doing everything I can to make sure that it does. I will work with anybody and everybody on this issue.
Town hall recap and an update on my bills
Last Monday’s virtual town hall meeting was a success thanks to the strong participation we had. Rep. Klippert and I spent just over 90 minutes providing a session update and taking your questions. We tackled a lot of different topics, including tax relief, long-term care, public safety, emergency powers, and more. Hopefully we can hold an in-person town hall later this year. I’ll keep you posted on that.
As far as session goes, February 3 marked policy committee cutoff and February 7 marked fiscal committee cutoff. Unless deemed necessary to implement the budget, bills that have not advanced out of their respective committees by now are considered “dead” for the session. Thankfully, two of my bills survived cutoff.
House Bill 2019, which was approved 94-2 by the House last week, is designed to grow Washington’s workforce and strengthen the retail industry, which accounts for 42 percent of the state’s revenue and is its third largest employer. The bill would require the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to work with statewide retail employer organizations to identify existing gaps and then engage with stakeholders to make recommendations on:
Strategies to develop additional courses, pathways, and apprenticeships to make retail certifications and credentials available for job seekers and current retail employees;
Strategies to build a network for students and job seekers who complete retail certification courses to connect with potential employers;
Options for engaging and partnering with retail employers to provide courses to incumbent frontline workers for the purpose of upskilling and promotions, including in-demand, higher paid, non-industry specific positions within the retail industry; and
Options for increasing training and job opportunities in the retail industry for underserved communities and previously incarcerated individuals.
As we continue navigating an ever-changing landscape due to the pandemic, our focus must be on creating an economic environment that’s favorable for business and job growth. House Bill 2019 would help us develop additional pathways for Washingtonians to find jobs in retail, while also developing the education and training necessary for employees to succeed and achieve greater upward mobility.
House Bill 2044 was unanimously approved by the House earlier tonight. It’s focused on stopping ransomware attacks in our state. Ransomware is a unique type of malware (malicious software developed by cybercriminals) that holds data hostage in hopes of receiving a ransom payment from the breached entity. Last year, Washington businesses, agencies and other entities experienced more ransomware attacks than ever before. According to the Attorney General’s 2021 Data Breach Report, which was released in November, ransomware attacks accounted for 61% of all cyberattacks (150 of 245) and more than half of all data breaches (150 of 280).
My bill would:
Require the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to design, develop, and implement enterprise technology standards for malware and ransomware protection, backup, and recovery.
Require the OCIO to establish a ransomware education and outreach program to educate employees of public agencies on the prevention, response, and remediation of ransomware.
Require certain state agencies to perform an assessment of their applications and resources containing data and provide the OCIO with a confidential list of prioritized applications based on mission criticality and impact to constituents in the event of system failure or data loss.
Require various reporting by the OCIO on information relating to mission critical applications, business essential applications, the status of immutable backups for each application, and the breadth of threat landscape.
This is a crisis that requires immediate action and effective solutions, which is why I’m glad House Bill 2044 is advancing. We must do a better job thwarting cybercriminals and safeguarding Washingtonians’ personal data.
One bill I introduced this session that did not advance is House Bill 1864, the Advanced Technology Leadership and Security Act. The bill is designed to help Washington achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions future through technological innovation and research and development tax credits. If we’re going to reach our greenhouse gas reduction goals and achieve net-zero climate pollution by 2050, we’re going to need to speed up the innovation cycle. Starting businesses, launching strategic initiatives, and taking risks all require a strong business climate that encourages innovation and development. My bill seeks to position Washington as a leader in the clean technology sector, not through mandates, but incentives. I want to help bring the best research talent to our state, keep that talent here, and help train up the next generation of innovators, all while cutting taxes for small businesses so they can create the technology and jobs of the future. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the year for HB 1864.
Democrats shutting down Republican solutions this session
One of the biggest disappointments of session so far has been the lack of willingness by Democrats to work with Republicans to fix the major problems facing our state. These problems include:
A homelessness crisis that has only gotten worse.
A child care affordability and accessibility crisis.
A bottom 10 ranking in housing affordability.
Drug overdose deaths at an all-time high.
Violent crime at a 25-year high.
Heartbreaking outcomes for children in our foster care system.
2.7 million acres of unhealthy forests, which contribute to catastrophic wildfires.
Significant cost overruns for transportation projects.
In my last update, I provided an overview of the bills we sponsored this session to provide tax relief and make life more affordable, strengthen public safety in our communities, hold government accountable, and empower parents. Most of these bills did not make it out of their respective committees.
Unfortunately, it appears there won’t be any significant tax relief this session despite our massive budget surplus. In fact, Democrats are going in the opposite direction. The $16.8 billion transportation plan they introduced earlier this week would raise 14 licensing taxes and fees. The plan includes:
increasing fees for an enhanced driver’s license by 75%;
increasing fees for a state identification card by 75%;
increasing fees for vehicle license plates by 500%;
increasing fees for motorcycle plates by 500%;
increasing fees for a new photo for a driver’s license or ID card by 100%;
a potential 2% tax increase on heating homes with natural gas;
a potential 2% tax increase on telephone landlines; and,
a potential increase in the state sales tax by another tenth of a cent.
With regard to public safety, Democrats have not made it a major focal point so far. 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, 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.
As far as government accountability goes, it remains to be seen whether Democrats will advance a bill to curb the governor’s emergency powers and restore the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches. Even if they do send a bill to the governor’s desk, I’m not sure he won’t veto it. I talked about that and more during a radio interview I had on KONA earlier this week.
Leading the Supply Chain Legislative Caucus
One of the most critical issues facing our state and nation is the ongoing supply chain crisis. In December, I helped form the Supply Chain Legislative Caucus (SCLC), of which I’m currently serving as chair. The SCLC, which is bipartisan and bicameral, is working in conjunction with the Department of Transportation, Department of Licensing, local governments, and supply chain stakeholder groups, such as growers, manufacturers/processors, transporters (e.g., trucking, rail, air, and waterborne cargo interests), retailers, ports, labor organizations, and other supply chain-impacted associations. There are a lot of bright people working hard to develop solutions that would bring more resilience to Washington’s supply chain. We will continue meeting throughout the year.
Contacting me
Please continue contacting me with your comments, questions and concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my office number is (509) 315-2315. I look forward to hearing from you!
It’s hard to believe we’re already in the fourth week of the 2022 legislative session. We’ve seen some interesting developments so far, which I’m looking forward to discussing tonight during the virtual town hall meeting I’m hosting with Rep. Klippert and Sen. Brown. If you would like to join us, you can do so by registering here. We’ll kick things off at 6 p.m., provide a session update, and then take your questions until 7:30 p.m.
For those of you who can’t join us, 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!
After a long interim, it’s nice to finally be in session and working on issues that are not only critical to us here in the 8th District, but to everyone across the state. Although this year’s 60-day session is being conducted remotely, there are many ways you can stay engaged in the legislative process. I encourage you to follow House Republicans on Twitter and Facebook, visit The Ledger, and utilize the resources listed in this document. Finally, please bookmark my legislative website, where you can find my latest press releases, videos, interviews, and more.
I also encourage you to register for the virtual town hall meeting I’m hosting with Rep. Klippert and Sen. Brown on Monday, January 31, from 6-7:30 p.m. The three of us will be providing a session update and taking your questions. To join us, please register by clicking here. I hope to see you on the 31st!
House Republican 2022 priorities and bills
In my last email update, which I sent out in late November, I provided an overview of the four main priorities House Republicans would have during this year’s 60-day legislative session. Now that session has begun, I wanted to share some of the bills we’ve introduced that fit within these four main priorities.
Providing tax relief and making life more affordable for all Washingtonians
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.
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.
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 motions were 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Requires each educational service district to establish two apprenticeship programs for high school students in different industries based on input from local programs and industries. Each ESD will have two FTEs to help implement this 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.
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.
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.
Requires teachers to make syllabi and primary materials available on the school district’s website to promote transparency in our public school system.
Contacting me
I welcome your thoughts on these bills or anything else that’s on your mind. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my office number is (509) 315-2315. I look forward to hearing from you!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and were able to take some time to reflect on what and who you’re thankful for. As I did my own reflecting, I thought about this job and how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve you in the Legislature. From day one, my goal has been to make a positive difference for the 8th District and our state. I want to help make Washington the best place in the nation to live, go to school, raise a family, start a business, and retire. I am confident we can get there, but only if we as a Legislature start focusing on real solutions that benefit all Washingtonians. In this update, I want to provide an overview of the solutions we’ve come up with as House Republicans to make communities safer, provide meaningful tax relief, hold government accountable, and ensure parents have more of a say in their children’s education.
Note: Due to legislative restrictions, I won’t be able to send out another update until after the 2022 legislative session begins on Jan. 10. However, I’ll still be able to respond to your emails, phone calls and letters, so please feel free to contact me anytime. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
2022 House Republican agenda
While there are so many important issues we need to tackle, House Republicans are going to have four main areas of focus during the upcoming 60-day session:
Public safety
Life affordability
Government accountability
Empowering parents
Public safety
We have a lot of work to do when it comes to public safety. The police reform bills passed by the Democrats earlier this year have created confusion, made volatile situations more dangerous, and enabled criminals to escape justice. As a reminder, these are some of the headlines we’ve seen as a result of House Bills 1054 and 1310 becoming law:
It’s clear these bills are deeply flawed, so we will be working to pass legislation to provide immediate fixes. We simply cannot have laws on the books in Washington that make it harder for our men and women in law enforcement to do their jobs. Their work is challenging enough as it is. I am confident we can hold them to the highest possible standard while also making sure we’re not taking away the tools they need to effectively serve our communities.
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 passing harmful bills that make their lives more difficult, we will continue losing them to other professions and our communities will become less safe. That cannot happen, which is why in addition to fixing the Democrats’ flawed police reform bills, we’re also working on bills that would allocate state funding for the recruitment of new police officers and the retention of existing officers already on the job. I was glad to see a recent poll that showed 49% of Washingtonians believe the police need more funding, while just 16% say they need less.
Life affordability
With tax collections remaining strong, per the latest state revenue forecast, the Legislature is expected to enter the 2022 session with a four-year budget surplus of around $10 billion. With that large of a surplus, there is no reason why we can’t pass meaningful tax relief during the upcoming 60-day session. In my view, we must do everything we can to alleviate financial burdens that exist due to the pandemic or because of policies passed by the majority party. To that end, we would like to do three things next year: provide a large property tax cut, expand the working families tax credit for those with children under 18 years of age, and repeal the Democrats’ long-term care insurance program and mandatory payroll tax. House Republican Reps. Joe Schmick and Peter Abbarno have already drafted legislation to repeal the state program. Why, you ask? I’ll let Rep. Schmick explain:
“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. Nearly 63 percent of voters said last year during an advisory vote this should be repealed. And many people weren’t aware until it was too late to opt-out that they would be forced to surrender a portion of their wages to the state through a long-term care payroll tax.”
It’s simply bad policy. We need fewer of those and more policies that let you keep more of your hard-earned money. That will be our message throughout the 2022 session.
Government accountability
It’s been 640 days since Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On day 597, nearly 2,000 Washingtonians were fired or forced to quit due to the vaccine mandate he put in place for state workers. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No one in state government should have the unilateral authority to do whatever they want for months or years on end. It doesn’t matter if that person is a Republican or a Democrat.
During this year’s 105-day session, House Republicans worked tirelessly to pass emergency powers reform. We sponsored several bills and repeatedly argued it was critical for the Legislature (and for you!) to have a role during this ongoing state of emergency.
Even if some in the majority party agreed with us privately, they stuck together and decided to block our efforts to restore the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. This signaled to the governor that he could continue ruling unilaterally without having to worry about checks and balances. As a result, he later instituted a vaccine mandate and hard-working Washingtonians lost their jobs.
I have made it clear that I want people in the 8th District to get vaccinated. This isn’t about vaccines. This about ensuring we have a functional three-branch state government that serves you well. Incidentally, many major media outlets around the state have agreed with us on this issue:
In addition to emergency powers reform, the other major issue we’ll be focused on as it relates to government accountability is the state’s homelessness crisis. 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.”
House Republicans believe there is a better approach than the one we have now. We’d like to send roughly $400 million per biennium directly to cities and counties so that they, not Olympia bureaucrats, 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.
That seems like a fair trade to me. We’ll see if the majority agrees.
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.
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.
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
I would love to hear from you regarding these priorities or anything else that’s on your mind as we move closer to the start of the 2022 session. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with your comments, questions or concerns. My email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
It is an honor to serve you. I’ll be back with another update in the new year!
I sent my last email update out on June 25, five days before our state was set to fully reopen. On June 30, Governor Inslee was in a celebratory mood, declaring: “We are open big time in the state of Washington.” Days later, he told a reporter: “We’ve won the Super Bowl of the COVID pandemic.”
Fast-forward to today, and the mood in Washington is anything but celebratory. As the pandemic continues, prizes for vaccinations have been replaced by the governor with a strict mandate that threatens vaccine-hesitant state employees, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and others with termination for noncompliance. We recently learned 600 more state workers have signed on to a lawsuit against the governor that seeks to overturn his mandate.
This outcome wasn’t always inevitable. House Republicans worked tirelessly during this year’s legislative session to pass emergency powers reform. We argued it was critical for the Legislature to have a role during this ongoing state of emergency, which is now in its 18th month. Majority Democrats disagreed, signaling to the governor that he could continue ruling unilaterally without having to worry about checks and balances. He has happily done so.
While I believe the governor’s new mandate is wrong, I want to make one thing clear: I want people in the 8th District and around the state to get vaccinated. We need to win this battle and for life to get back to normal. I simply believe compulsion is a misguided strategy that will sow distrust and resentment.
No one in state government should have the unilateral authority to do whatever they want whenever they want. For Washington state to rank near the bottom of all states when it comes to governmental balance of power during emergencies is a serious problem, and it needs to be addressed during the 2022 legislative session.
This is far from the only major problem we face, however.
The police reform bills the Democrats passed during this year’s session, House Bills 1054 and 1310, have created confusion, endangered our men and women in law enforcement, and enabled criminals to escape justice.
For months, Republicans have been calling on the majority to hold a special session so we can fix the glaring problems in these bills. Our calls have been ignored, which means we’ll have to wait until the start of the 2022 session to enact fixes. In the meantime, I fear we’ll continue to see headlines like the ones above.
For more information on this ongoing crisis, click on the image below.
I also want to touch on one other point as it relates to these new police reform bills. If we continue to demonize our men and women in law enforcement and take away the tools they need to bring criminals to justice, we will continue to lose them to other professions and our communities will become less safe. 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. We need to focus on solutions to solve this crisis instead of making it worse through bills like HB 1054 and 1310.
Two virtual Tax Town Halls tomorrow, Sept. 29
Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., the Tax Structure Work Group (TSWG) will be holding virtual Tax Town Halls for residents of the 8th Legislative District, as well as those in LDs 12, 13, 14 and 15.
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, Gov. Inslee and legislative Democrats have passed new tax increases over the last three years – including a new payroll tax and a new income tax on capital gains. And they’re not likely to stop there. You can find the complete list of their tax hikes here.
If you have time tomorrow, I encourage you to sign up for one of the town halls and make your voice heard.
Central Region | Legislative Districts: 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 Wednesday, September 29, 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 Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov, and my district office number is (509) 315-2315.
After nearly a year and a half of restrictions, closures and lockdowns, Washington is finally set to fully reopen next week. I know how difficult this time has been for all of you, so I want to thank you for your resilience. It’s been nothing short of extraordinary. I’ve never been prouder to serve the Mighty 8th. As we continue to recover from the pandemic and life increasingly gets back to normal, please know I’m here to serve you 24/7. If there’s anything you need or anything we can collaborate on to make our communities stronger, please reach out to me day or night. My phone number is (509) 315-2315, and my email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov.
Last month’s virtual town hall
Last month, Sen. Sharon Brown, Rep. Brad Klippert and I held our second virtual town hall meeting of the year. During the 90-minute event, we were able to provide our perspectives on this year’s legislative session (my session recap is here), but more importantly, we were able to hear directly from you. I’ll make sure to keep you posted on when our next town hall will be. I’m looking forward to hosting it at a physical location and seeing all of you in person!
Touring the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington
During this year’s legislative session, I sponsored a bipartisan bill to provide a framework for our state to add 300,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years. One of the provisions in House Bill 1170 requires the Department of Commerce to appoint a workforce innovation sector lead to coordinate with leaders in industries such as manufacturing, clean energy, and aerospace. To gain a greater understanding of where our clean energy industry is at and where it’s going, I recently visited the Clean Energy Institute (CEI) and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the University of Washington.
Founded by the Legislature in 2013, CEI’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of a scalable clean energy future that will improve the health and economy of our state, nation, and world. The testbeds, which were established in 2017, allow innovators and investors to come together to develop critical new technologies in the clean energy space. During my visit, I had the privilege of meeting with CEI’s leadership and a number of researchers to learn more about the ongoing work taking place, including research and development of solar energy, batteries, the electrification of transportation, and grid integration and resilience. We also discussed the Institute’s efforts to support clean energy startups and economic development in Washington.
As the ranking member of the House Community and Economic Development Committee, my goal is to help make our state number one in job creation in as many industries as possible, while also working to revitalize communities across the state. I want to thank CEI for everything they’re doing to develop groundbreaking technologies and grow the workforce of the future. I look forward to seeing what they’re able to accomplish in the years ahead!
Honored to be recognized as one of AWC’s City Champions
Last week, I received an email from Candice Bock, Director of Government Relations at the Association of Washington Cities, letting me know I had been chosen asone of their 2021 City Legislative Champions. I told Candice that I was honored to be recognized, and that it means a lot to me to support our cities. I was also happy to see Sen. Brown recognized as a City Champion. Here’s what AWC wrote on its website:
AWC’s City Champion Awards acknowledge the hard work and dedication of legislators who championed critical city issues during the 2021 legislative session.
RepresentativeMatt Boehnke (R–Kennewick) Rep. Boehnke is an important voice for cities in his caucus. As a big supporter of local economic development, Rep. Boehnke was the cosponsor of this year’s Tax Increment Financing proposal and a key supporter in helping the bill to pass into law. As a former city councilmember, he appreciates the challenge of making city budgets work and he’s always willing to look for solutions that help cities.
Senator Sharon Brown (R–Kennewick) Sen. Brown has been a long-time supporter of economic development tools. Her strong backing of the economic development efforts in her district and around the state have helped to ensure continued legislative focus. As a former city councilmember, she knows the importance city officials place on economic vitality for their communities. She has historically sponsored bills to authorize Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in Washington. Her consistent and ongoing support was key to ultimately passing the TIF bill this year.
I know I speak for Sen. Brown when I say what a privilege it is to serve the Mighty 8th. We’ll continue working hard every day to make our district the best place to live and work in Washington state.
Contacting me
Please continue reaching out to me with your comments, questions and concerns. My district office number is (509) 315-2315, and my email address is Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov.
I wanted to send out a quick reminder about the virtual town hall meeting I’m hosting tonight with Sen. Sharon Brown and Rep. Brad Klippertfrom 6-7:30 p.m. The three of us will provide our perspectives on the 2021 legislative session (you can read my session recap here) and then take your questions. If you would like to participate, please pre-register at this link. You can also submit questions in advance on that page.
For those of you who can’t join us, 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!
