Hearing on Tax Fairness – February 16 (tomorrow!)

Public Hearing on Property Tax Relief Friday, February 16, 8am House Committee on Finance Public Hearing on HB 2967 House Hearing Room A John L. O’Brien Building

Last session, Democrats were forced to compromise with the Republican controlled Senate when we accepted their property tax structure. We needed to do this so we could meet the finding of the Supreme Court that the state was not fully funding education. Washington has one of, if not the most, regressive tax codes in the nation.  We are still committed to finding a fairer tax system in Washington while fully funding K-12 education. Our colleague and House Finance Committee Chair, Rep. Kristine Lytton has introduced legislation that replaces a significant portion of state property taxes with a capital gains tax on the sale of corporate, bonds, investment property, and other high end assets. It also expands the property tax exemption for low-income senior citizens, disabled persons, and veterans. This is very similar to the proposal she made last year. Both of us have signed on to co-sponsor this critical measure. Tomorrow, February 16, the House Finance Committee is hearing this important bill. This year, we need todo everything possible to start to fix the tax structure as a whole and generate the revenue necessary to pay for our kids’ education.

Initiative 940 Public Hearing – February 20

Joint Committee Public Hearing on Initiative 940 House Public Safety / Senate Law & Justice House Hearing Room A John L. O’Brien Building 1. HI 940 – Law Enforcement 2. SI 940 – Law Enforcement

I-940 is a People’s Initiative to the legislature. Supporters gathered just shy of 360,000 signature from every corner of this state. If passed, I-940 would require law enforcement to:

• Receive additional ongoing violence de-escalation, mental health and first aid training.
• Mandate completely independent investigation and tribal notification in use-of-force cases.
• Require that police render first aid at the scene when force is used.

Additionally, it amends the standard for justifiable use of deadly force by law enforcement, striking “malice” and creating both an objective and subjective “good faith” legal standard that must be met to justify force.

Passing I-940 means that the police will have the training, understanding and tools they need — and deserve to have — to better deal with the very challenging situations they face on a daily basis.

Let your voice be heard! Town Hall – February 22

We will be holding our 22nd Legislative District town hall meeting next week! Thursday, February 22, 6:30-8pm SPSCC Lacey Event Center 4220 6th Ave SE Lacey, WA 98503 *Doors open at 6pm for a social half hour – this will give everyone plenty of time to say a friendly hello to their neighbors, grab a snack, and get situated in their seats.

We are here to serve you. Your feedback is important to us. Please call, write, email, or visit with your questions, comments, or concerns.