Friends and Neighbors,
I am pleased to report that the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives voted today to pass three of the citizen initiatives to the Legislature. They will become law 90 days after March 7 — the day we adjourn.
And because they are initiatives, the governor can’t veto them.
This shows the impact that citizens can have when they are fed up with the Democrat majority. The initiative process is direct democracy in action, and it’s been an honor to be a part of it this year.
To remind you, majority Democrats only agreed to hear and vote on three of the six initiatives.
Today, they passed:
- I-2081 to protect parents’ rights in K-12 education
- I-2111 to ban an income tax
- I-2113 to restore “reasonable suspicion” as the standard for police pursuit
Watch my short video about today’s vote.
This is the culmination of a lot of work by people who were determined to make your voice heard and more than 400,000 people per initiative who signed the petitions.
If Democrats continue to refuse to hear or vote on the following initiatives, they will go to the ballot in November, where you will have a chance to pass them. These are:
- I-2109 to repeal the income tax on capital gains
- I-2117 to repeal the cap-and-tax program that is raising gas prices and home heating bills
- I-2124 to allow you to opt out of a payroll tax to fund the state-run long-term care program
If, by some chance, the Legislature is given the chance to hear and vote on the remaining initiatives, I will vote to pass them all.
Watch for this week’s newsletter, where I will give you a more complete session wrap-up. The final day of the 2024 Legislative Session is this Wednesday.
Sincerely,
Sen. John Braun
