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Rivers will not seek another term in state Senate

LA CENTER… Sen. Ann Rivers has decided not to run for re-election to the state Senate from Washington’s 18th Legislative District.

Rivers, R-La Center, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, appointed to the Senate in mid-2012, then won three four-year terms.

Her decision was driven by an increase in her workload at the city of Longview, where she is assistant city manager, as well as a desire to spend more time with her family.

“Serving the people of Clark County has been such a privilege. This was not an easy choice, but I believe in giving my all to those who have placed their trust in me for so many years. Although my ‘day job’ has been compatible with my legislative service to this point, I can’t promise that will be true going forward, so it’s time to step away,” Rivers said.

Her major accomplishments as a legislator include bringing order to Washington’s medical- and recreational-marijuana laws; updating the state’s law on distracted driving; addressing a significant backlog of rape-kit processing; and negotiating the landmark reform of the state’s outdated school-funding system, in connection with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary ruling.

She is a longtime member of the Senate’s budget and health-care committees, where she has been a staunch advocate for tax relief and protecting and increasing access to basic health care, particularly in rural Washington.

When Rivers went to work for Longview as community development director in October 2021, she announced her intent to step down from the Senate. That changed when city leaders worked with her to figure out how she could handle both positions.

“It turned out I was able to fulfill my commitments to both the city and the people of the 18th District, and I will be forever grateful for how Longview treated me then – just as I’m forever grateful to my family, particularly my husband Fred, for giving me so much encouragement and understanding over these many years.

“This isn’t the end of my public service – there is important work to do in Longview, and it’s a challenging time for the city. But it’s time to close the legislative chapter, at least for now, and I will do that knowing that I always put the people foremost when working on issues,” Rivers said.

“There’s a reason I’ve held around 100 town-hall meetings over the years, and almost all of them in person – I value the personal interaction and believe it makes for better decisions. That’s one of the things I will miss most.”

Cutoff highlights refusal to address emergency powers — one of many majority Democrat failures, say top Senate Republicans

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican leaders released the following remarks after Sunday’s legislative deadline for bills that passed in their house origin to be considered by the opposite chamber.

Bills that did not pass in both chambers by Sunday’s cutoff are considered ‘dead’ except for those considered necessary to implement the budget, such as the income tax proposed by Democrats. Bills passed in both chambers without further modification head to the governor’s desk to be considered for signing. Those that now contain additional amendments head back to their house of origin where legislators can either accept or refuse the changes before sending the bills to Gov. Jay Inslee.

Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ann Rivers, R-La Center:

“Actions speak louder than words. I hear my colleagues in the Democratic majority talk about being ‘progressive’ and ‘putting people first’ and applying an ‘equity lens’ – then they pass bills that are regressive, and put government first, at the expense of the poor and the historically marginalized communities they claim they want to help. That was really brought home when they passed the cap-and-tax bill and the high-cost fuel standards bill. We’re talking an increase of at least 55 cents per gallon in the cost of fuel, without any real improvements in air quality or roads. Who does that help? It’s going to drive up the cost of everything that involves a truck or a van.”

“So much of what we’ve seen this session, from the lack of access to democracy to these unnecessary new taxes and regulations, is due to nothing more than pure political opportunism. They’ve finally got 25 members who will vote for some of their pet policies, and this is the result.”

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia:

“We figured the Democrat majority would stand with the governor, instead of listening to the people, on his income tax, his cap-and-tax scheme and his high-cost fuel standards bill. We didn’t expect the majority would refuse to join us in making simple, bipartisan improvements to the emergency-powers law, now that we’ve all seen how it has been applied to our constituents. It’s stunning to realize that in less than two weeks the people will be right back where they were for most of 2020, with one person able to control the most fundamental aspects of daily life — and with the people’s direct representatives having limited ability to intervene. I don’t understand why the Democrats seem afraid to insist that the legislative branch must have authority to review not just some, but every single one of the emergency proclamations that affect their constituents. Add in the new policies that would hinder law enforcement, and families have even less reason to feel secure.

“Some of what we’re seeing has been on the Democrats’ wish list for years, but these policies simply don’t work for all of Washington. It’s no coincidence that this is happening while Democrat leaders have put themselves in a virtual bubble, with a fence conveniently separating them from the faces and the voices of the people.”

Senate Republican Deputy Leader Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick:

“There were so many quality bills that didn’t make the cutoff deadline, which makes it even more stunning that the Majority used this session to focus on increasing taxes on Washingtonians.

“With so much money coming into the state through increased tax revenues and billions in federal relief dollars, there was clearly no reason for tax increases this year. I am disappointed that Democrats have used their majorities in the House and Senate to push the creation of a new and most-likely unconstitutional income tax on capital gains, a cap-and-tax scheme that will increase the cost of gas and groceries for working families, and other policies that put our state economy and family household budgets at risk.

“The majority’s insatiable desire for more of the people’s money is nothing short of government greed.”

How is the majority failing the people?

  • Passed a ‘High Cost Fuel Standard’ and a ‘Cap & Tax’ (see accompanying chart). These are toxically regressive bills which will harm those who can least afford to see their gas costs increase by 55 cents/gallon by 2028. Another 9.8-cent increase is expected to be passed in the form of a gas tax. This total increase of 64.8 cents/gallon nearly doubles our current gas tax,  which would give Washington the dubious distinction of having the highest gas tax in the country.
  • Providing lip service to a goal of equity while passing bills that will harm rural communities, including those who grow our food, inevitably resulting in the collapse of many farms that are barely surviving now. Farm donations to food banks will go down and farmworker unemployment will go up. The price of food will go up, harming lower-income individuals already suffering from food insecurity including children and the urban poor.
  • Continued inaction by legislative Democrat leadership to exert appropriate legislative oversight over the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Hospitals are not in danger of being overwhelmed, and vaccine distribution is progressing statewide. But Democrat legislative leadership continues to allow the executive branch to operate under emergency powers with no end in sight. This is in contravention to other states with one party control both Democrat (Connecticut) and Republican (Idaho) where the legislatures have announced that emergency powers must be reformed to reestablish separate and coequal powers of the legislative branch.  Pass Senate Bill 5039.
  • Insufficient legislative action on returning the most vulnerable Washington kids back to in-person school. It is SCANDALOUS that union leaders for adults are allowing our children to be harmed – potentially for their entire lives – by not following the science used by the Centers of Disease Control to call for the safe return to the classroom. This is the equity issue of our time. Pass Senate Bill 5464.
  • Inaction by the majority to a decision handed down by a Supreme Court which continues to act as a super legislature and has effectively legalized the possession of hard drugs in the Washington. It is hoped that Democrat leaders will agree that drug legalization would be disastrous. Pass SB 5471.
  • The indefinite lockout of the public from directly observing THEIR elected representatives making laws that affect their lives. Sunday was Day 93 — this is beginning the FOURTH MONTH of this lockdown. To put a fine point on it, the Democrats have allowed an ugly cyclone fence and concrete barriers to stay up and have made it clear that while the public might find a way into the campus during the day, they really are not welcome by the Democrat legislative leaders.
  • Continued erosion of public safety and the vilification of law enforcement. This includes wanting to legalize hard drugs that drive the mental health and homelessness epidemics in Washington, letting some career criminals who are in jail under the ‘3-strikes’ law out on the street, and taking tools away from peace officers who must handle violent and resistant suspects.

 

Worst Bills Moving Forward (As of cutoff – opposite house)

  • 8402: Abdicating legislative power to review emergency gubernatorial proclamations (Liias)
  • 5096: Implementing an income tax on capital gains – a ‘starter’ income tax (Robinson) NTIB
  • 5126: Cap & Tax, allowing wealthy polluters to pay to continue to pollute (Carlyle) NTIB (transportation)
  • 1091: Implementing a ‘High Cost Fuel Standard’ (HCFS) that will cripple agriculture in Washington and harm those who must drive more than others (Fitzgibbon)
  • 5141: Implementing the recommendations of the Environmental Justice Taskforce (Saldana)
  • 5399: Creating the Universal Health Care Commission (Randall)
  • 5121: Expanding eligibility for the graduated reentry program (Darneille)
  • 5051: Improper expansion of state authority over police departments.
  • 5036: Conditional commutation by the clemency and pardons board (Dhingra)

 

2021 Opposite House Cutoff Totals

 Senate Bills in House

Senate passed 208 bills to the House

  • 155 D (74.5%)
  • 53 R (25.6%)

House passed 150 Senate bills

  • 116 D (77.3%)
  • 34 R (22.7%)

  

House Bills in Senate

House passed 221 bills to the Senate

  • 178 D (80.5%)
  • 43 R (19.4%)

Senate passed 166 House bills

  • 131 D (78.9%)
  • 35 R (21.1%)

 

Senate Republican bills that have passed the House (opposite house cutoff):

Bill Title Status Original Sponsor
2SSB 5000 Hydrogen/electric vehicles H Passed 3rd Hawkins
SSB 5009 Public expression protection H Passed 3rd Padden
SB 5016 All-terrain vehicles H Spkr Signed Warnick
SB 5018 Acupuncture and Eastern med. H Spkr Signed Rivers
ESSB 5024 Condominium construction H Passed 3rd Padden
SB 5027 Television closed captions H Passed 3rd Padden
SB 5031 Aviation revital. loan prg H Passed 3rd Honeyford
SB 5040 State highway litter control H Passed 3rd Fortunato
SB 5063 Invasive species council exp H Passed 3rd Honeyford
SB 5077 Mortgage loan originators C 15 L 21 Dozier
SB 5131 County clerks/recall H Spkr Signed Holy
SSB 5157 Behavioral disorders/justice H Passed 3rd Wagoner
ESB 5158 Utility wildland fire cmte. H Passed 3rd Hawkins
SB 5159 WDFW payments/property tax H Passed 3rd Warnick
ESSB 5172 Agricultural overtime H Passed 3rd King
ESSB 5190 Health care workers/benefits H Passed 3rd Holy
SB 5198 Ambulances in rural areas C 17 L 21 Schoesler
SSB 5230 Groundwater agreements H Passed 3rd Dozier
SSB 5236 Certificate of need exempt. H Passed 3rd Warnick
ESSB 5251 Tax and revenue laws S Pres Signed Schoesler
SSB 5271 Health care injury/COVID-19 S Pres Signed Wagoner
SB 5296 WSP retirement/index def. H Spkr Signed Schoesler
SSB 5325 Telemedicine H Spkr Signed Muzzall
2SSB 5331 Early childhood court prg H Passed 3rd Gildon
SB 5338 Fire districts/education C 19 L 21 Wilson, L.
SB 5345 Industrial waste program H Passed 3rd Brown
SB 5347 Cooperatives/member voting H Spkr Signed Padden
ESB 5356 Public works/bidding H Spkr Signed Short
SSB 5361 Drug offenses/resentencing H Passed 3rd McCune
2SSB 5362 Agricultural fair funding H Passed 3rd McCune
2SSB 5368 Rural economic development H Passed 3rd Short
SSB 5384 Volunteer firefighters H Spkr Signed Warnick
SSB 5423 Telemedicine consultations H Passed 3rd Rivers
ESB 5454 Prop. tax/natural disasters H Passed 3rd Schoesler

 

Rivers’ ‘more salmon for all’ bill set for Thursday public hearing

Adapting Alaska’s innovative hatchery approach could help feed orca sooner

Legislation that could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of salmon in Washington waters and boost the food supply for Puget Sound’s southern resident orcas will come before the Senate’s natural-resources committee at 1:30 Thursday afternoon.

The bipartisan bill is aimed at supporting the creation of a new private-public salmon hatchery in Bellingham, modeled after an approach that has proven to be productive and financially self-sustaining in Alaska.

Sen. Ann Rivers is prime sponsor of Senate Bill 6509, known as the Salmon Repopulation Act. She sees it as the most effective action lawmakers can take on behalf of the endangered orca as well as the commercial fishers, sport fishers, tribes and others in Washington who would benefit from having more salmon return to the state’s waterways.

“So far the things that have either been approved or proposed in the name of helping the orca tend to be restrictive, like putting more limits on whale-watching tours, or destructive – meaning the idea of breaching dams,” said Rivers, R-La Center. “I think the bipartisan support for this bill is due to its positive approach. What could be divisive or controversial about producing more fish in a way that would respect the environment and be a good investment for taxpayers?

“Our state has a robust hatchery program but the operation I saw in Alaska this past summer is at another level. I have no doubt this is the fastest and also the smartest way to make more salmon available for the orca to eat,” she added. “I’m convinced it can be adapted to our state, and the Port of Bellingham has the ideal location. The people who can make this happen have come to the table in recent weeks. The Legislature simply needs to say yes – and it needs to be this year, so the pilot project can get going. The orca can’t wait.”

18th District lawmakers set Jan. 4 town halls ahead of 2020 session

Residents of the 18th Legislative District are invited to town-hall meetings Saturday, Jan. 4, shortly before their legislative team heads to the state Capitol for a 60-day lawmaking session.

The meetings continue a tradition for Sen. Ann Rivers, Rep. Brandon Vick and Rep. Larry Hoff of engaging with their constituents in person ahead of the session’s opening day – which will be Jan. 13 in 2020.

The town hall times and locations are:

“This will be an important day for the legislators of the 18th District,” said Vick, R-Vancouver, who will be participating in his eighth legislative session in 2020. “Holding three separate meetings in three locations will allow us to receive important input from constituents throughout our district. I can use this valuable information as I continue to push for more government accountability and fiscal responsibility in Olympia. There will also be a number of other important issues to discuss this year, including transportation, education, and new tax proposals. Hearing from our constituents before the session begins, on these and other issues, is very helpful.”

“Meeting with our constituents and hearing their feedback on the issues they care most about helps us do our jobs more effectively as lawmakers,” said Hoff, R-Vancouver. “That’s why we held nine town hall meetings earlier this year, and are holding three more before the 2020 session gets under way January 13. From taxes to transportation, homelessness to affordable housing, there is much to discuss. I hope 18th District residents will come out and make their voices heard.”

“I’m a big believer in town halls because the people of our district do such a great job of sharing their thoughts. I never fail to come away with a list of ideas and issues that guide my work in Olympia,” said Rivers, R-La Center. “At this upcoming round of meetings I’ll also be ready to share some proposals – including one that would provide more money for transportation projects without any added taxes, and another to expand the state’s approach to salmon management in a way that would mean more fish for everyone. It’ll be great to get input on those.”

Residents seeking more information may contact any of the legislators’ offices:

Sen. Ann Rivers
Email: Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 786-7634

Rep. Brandon Vick
Email: Brandon.Vick@leg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 786-7850

Rep. Larry Hoff
Email: Larry.Hoff@leg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 786-7812

Sexual-harassment data within state government needs tracking, senators say

OLYMPIA…Legislation introduced today would require all three branches of state government to track and submit data regarding sexual harassment of employees for detailed annual reports that would be public.

Sen. John Braun and Sen. Ann Rivers come at Senate Bill 5845 from different directions but are sponsoring it with the same goal: learning the extent of sexual-harassment claims made by state employees and how those are addressed. If the bill becomes law, the initial report would look back three years to provide context for future tracking.

“It’s obvious that sexual harassment happens within state government – until yesterday, there was a vacant seat in the Senate for that reason. I know the Legislature has been stepping up its efforts to address workplace conduct, and maybe the other branches have also. But without better data, it’s going to be a challenge to tell whether any of this is having the desired effect,” said Rivers, R-La Center, who has been out front for Senate Republicans on the issue since the #MeToo movement emerged in late 2017.

For Braun, R-Centralia, the bill is his second try to get the requirement into law. The idea was part of budget legislation he proposed in 2018.

“My first concern is about the human cost of sexual harassment – this behavior is just plain wrong. We need to shine the brightest possible light within state government to make sure we are leading the way in eliminating sexual harassment from the workplace.

“But as sexual harassment is a management issue, it also can come with a financial cost. This bill would get at that by requiring the reporting of settlements or judgments as well as the claims themselves,” said Braun, who recently exposed more than $500 million worth of management missteps within the state’s executive branch.

“To paraphrase a saying, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. My hope is that tracking the data regarding sexual harassment will reveal any trends, and making the annual reports public will help improve policies and management where needed. For those of us who value the work our state employees do, this bill is a way to demonstrate it.”

The two lawmakers said their legislation is modeled after a proposal in California, requested by its governor after a series of newspaper reports revealed the state did not know the extent of sexual harassment claims or costs brought by state employees.

Rivers’ advocacy for early learning earns Crayon Award

In recognition of her commitment to advancing policies that support early learning, Sen. Ann Rivers has been selected to receive a Crayon Award on behalf of the Early Learning Action Alliance.

“Every child in our state needs to be ready to start school regardless of what street they live on or what their family structure looks like. I’m proud to stand up for our youngest residents and do everything in my power to ensure that they are ready to learn and succeed,” said Rivers, R-La Center.

Crayon Awards are presented every two years to policymakers who support investments that are critical to closing the school readiness gap. Sen. Rivers received a Silver Crayon Award in 2014. A formal ceremony to present the award will be scheduled later this summer.

“We are delighted that once again Senator Ann Rivers is a recipient of the Crayon Award and is being recognized as an early learning champion and advocate for her work on behalf of young children and their families during the 2016 legislative session.  Access to high quality early learning programs are essential for closing the opportunity gap many of our children experience.  We appreciate Senator Rivers for her continued dedication to the infants, toddlers and preschoolers growing up in Clark County,” said Debbie Ham, director of the Southwest Early Learning Regional Coalition.

The Early Learning Action Alliance is a broad coalition of Washington nonprofits, professional associations and business with the shared belief that opportunities and support provided in first five years of life are critical to school preparedness and successful outcomes.