Author Archives: Laudan

Working for strong investments in housing, infrastructure, and mental health

The day before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn, the state’s updated construction budget was unanimously approved, providing over $3 million for projects around the 10th District. Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor worked to collaboratively secure funding for critical community projects and other investments in affordable housing, infrastructure. and mental health capacity across Washington.

“The Capital Budget provides needed resources to our community that otherwise wouldn’t be available,” said Muzzall. “This budget is a lifeline for local governments and community organizations providing valuable services in our communities. It’s an area where the state can and should leverage its spending on long-term value for our schools, hospitals, public safety and more.”

Projects funded in the 10th District include:

$100,000 for design and permitting of pump station modernization in Mount Vernon;
$640,000 to the La Conner Library;
$200,000 in safety improvements for the Island County Jail.

Click here for a complete project list.

We need more salmon not more salmon conflict

Ensuring a robust salmon recovery has become a daunting and politicized task.The latest proposal championed by the Office of the Governor is an example of the bad practice of creating more conflict rather than offering real solutions. The legislation amounts to an unethical taking of private property that will do nothing to aid salmon recovery, while allowing politically connected interests who are doing more harm to those efforts off the hook. The proposals also conflict with the Growth Management Act’s goals of preserving valuable farmland.

The bills working their way through the Legislature, Senate Bill 5727, SB 5665 and a House companion bill all have the same language with the stated goal of increasing riparian habitat. They operate under the faulty assumption that these buffers are the universal solution to increase salmon populations. Studies show, however, that other issues are likely having a more significant impact on salmon returns and riparian buffer zones are far removed from these causes.

It makes no sense to require property owners along the Skagit River to create and pay for large buffers of up to 200 feet on both side of a body of water. Failing to adhere to the onerous requirements in the legislation could mean significant financial penalties of $10,000 a day per instance of violation, according to the bill. Private property owners will be burdened with an extreme cost to achieve an ideological goal that will not help our salmon recovery efforts. It completely ignores the progress and outcomes of a voluntary stewardship program by those who call the Skagit River delta home.

There is a larger issue being ignored that could more immediately help salmon along the Skagit River. Namely, that Seattle City Light’s three dams along the Skagit River have no fish passages to allow spawning salmon to return home. An area tribe is currently suing the public entity over this issue and, incredibly, City Light continues to obfuscate and shirk the responsibility of having salmon recovery requirements imposed on their dams.

Rather than the government taking people’s property rights away, Seattle City Light could practice what they preach and build the infrastructure to help salmon get through their dams, opening approximately 40% of the river that is currently inaccessible for spawning. Putting the onus on private citizens, without any evidence that this approach will work while remaining silent about the complete inaccessibility of the watershed caused by Seattle City Light, is the height of hypocrisy. What is more, the governor’s proposed budget grants millions in state taxpayer money to City Light without any sideboards on how they should spend it to finally address the salmon passage issue.

Those whose lives and livelihoods are so intimately connected to the bounty the Skagit River provides know what they are doing. They’ve been doing it without the heavy hand of state government. Instead of acknowledgment and consultation they are met with contempt. Now more than ever, we need a rational, evidence-based approach to solve these issues so that we can have more salmon, not more conflict.

Muzzall urges accountability at failure-plagued agency

Paid family leave program running out of cash

There may be a COVID-baby boom, but expectant parents may be out of luck getting benefits they’ve paid for after news that the state agency managing the program is running out of money.

The Employment Security Department, responsible for collection of the taxes and payment of benefits, let legislators know late last week that the Paid Family Medical Leave fund will have a cash deficit by the end of March or April.

State Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, says more scrutiny is needed for high-profile agencies plagued by failures.

The fund, paid for with a payroll tax, provides new parents or people caring for sick loved ones a financial lifeline, but demand has outpaced supply despite the rate increasing at the beginning of 2022, and raising the tax rate again isn’t an option before the account goes in the red.

“I can’t say I’m shocked, but certainly frustrated with how this agency overseeing billions of tax dollars continues to fail people when they need it most,” said Muzzall, the Senate Republican Caucus vice chair. “Since joining the Senate, I’ve focused my efforts on nonpartisan issues of structure, discipline, and accountability – something sorely missing from how our state government functions for the people it serves. The pandemic has highlighted the need for more of that.”

Muzzall, who sits on committees providing oversight to various state social programs, points to repeated missteps at ESD over the nearly 700-day COVID-19 emergency. The agency came under fire near the beginning of the pandemic when out-of-work Washingtonians couldn’t receive unemployment benefits in a timely manner.

“This agency has been plagued by one failure after another and this is another example of some pretty disappointing mismanagement. I’m wondering when Washingtonians will be able to actually count on these costly programs,” said Muzzall. “There is a serious need for the Legislature to impose some strict accountability going forward.”

The agency simultaneously sent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to overseas scammers. Adding insult to injury, ESD began cracking down on desperate unemployed workers who had been targets of identity theft. The Democratic megadonor overseeing the agency quit her post in state government to take a job in the Biden administration doing similar work.

ESD also had a hand in the rollout of the wildly unpopular WA Cares long-term care program, charged with processing exemptions only to be dogged by website crashes and lengthy delays.

In a presentation to legislators, ESD noted that only 40% of calls ever were answered, with an average wait time over an hour. Since increased staffing, those numbers have improved, with 70% of calls now reaching staff and wait times down to 14 minutes.

“The rosy picture painted about customer-service improvements is not in line with the reality what families in need are experiencing,” Muzzall added.

Tuesday afternoon, ESD announced a special, off-calendar meeting regarding trust fund projections. The agenda and how to join the meeting can be found by clicking here.

Skagit legislators call out hypocrisy on salmon recovery proposal

Ensuring the robust recovery of salmon has become a daunting and politicized task. The latest policy proposal championed by the Office of the Governor is facing sharp criticisms from Skagit County-area lawmakers who view it as an unconstitutional taking of private property that will do nothing to aid the salmon recovery while allowing politically connected interests that are doing more harm to salmon-recovery efforts off the hook. The governor’s solution directly conflicts with provisions of the Growth Management Act that require preservation of farmland.

Senate Bill 5727 and SB5665 are nonstarters for 10th District state Sen. Ron Muzzall and 39th District state Sen. Keith Wagoner, whose districts include parts of the Skagit River Basin. They argue that the proposal to require property owners along the Skagit River to create and pay for large buffers is an unethical land grab.

“If the policies in these bills are adopted, private-property owners will be burdened with an extreme cost to achieve an ideological goal that won’t help our salmon-recovery efforts,” said Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor. “It’s indefensible.”

Earlier this year, the state Department of Ecology moved to implement a policy that would have taken away livestock owners’ ability to water their livestock by requiring additional water rights. Similarly, this salmon recovery-related legislation seeks to take away private-property rights by requiring non-use of an estimated 200 feet of land on either side of a body of water.

Under the governor’s request legislation, new programs are established with onerous requirements for compensation to restore riparian habitat along targeted watersheds. Muzzall and Wagoner point to a larger issue being ignored that could more immediately help salmon along the Skagit River.

An area tribe is currently suing Seattle City Light over three dams it owns on the Skagit River that have no fish passages to allow spawning salmon to return home. The public entity has lobbied to stop salmon-recovery requirements from being imposed on their dams, including seeking exemptions from federal regulators.

“There is a simple solution here that doesn’t require a new, complex program modeled off an existing one that’s failing,” said Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley. “Rather than taking people’s property rights away, Seattle City Light could live by what they say and build the infrastructure to help salmon get through their dams; approximately 40% of the river is currently inaccessible for spawning.”

Currently, riparian lands are managed voluntarily under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and by working forestland owners under the Forest and Fish program. Agriculture land and open space are regulated at the county level. The new bill removes local jurisdiction and gives enforcement authority to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Putting the onus on private citizens, without any evidence that this approach will work while remaining silent about the complete inaccessibility of the watershed caused by Seattle City Light, is the height of hypocrisy,” added Muzzall.

In the governor’s budget, Seattle City Light is to receive millions in state taxpayer money to finally address the salmon passage issue.

“The state is taking away land from farmers and other private citizens to give to a public entity that’s swimming in money, and the state taxpayers have to foot bill. It’s just plain wrong,” said Wagoner.

You can watch the news conference here.

Ferry Town Hall

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

As you know, many communities in the 10th District are heavily dependent on the state’s ferry system. Recent reductions in sailings, especially on the Clinton-Mukilteo route, have led to unacceptable disruptions of service. I am hearing the frustration from constituents and am looking for answers. That is why my seatmates and I are putting together this urgent virtual town hall. The Government Relations Director from the Washington State Ferries will be a guest and provide an update on what’s happening.

Our goal is to understand the current state of ferries situation, how we got here, and what the path back to normal service looks like. How long will it take? What is being done to mitigate the situation in the meantime? What is needed? How will restoration be prioritized?

Click here or on the image below to register. I hope that you can join us.

Joint statement on governor’s vaccination mandate for state employees and health care workers

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee recently announced that most state workers in Washington, as well as private health care and long-term care employees, will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination by Oct. 18, or lose their jobs.

10th District lawmakers Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Whidbey Island, and Rep. Greg Gilday, R-Camano, issued the following joint statement on the governor’s announcement:

“Governor Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state employees is yet another example of the imperative need for emergency powers reform. Throughout the pandemic, the governor has made these decisions without the consultation of the very people he serves. The public deserves a voice in the process. That’s the role of the Legislature. Currently, Washington state ranks near the bottom in terms of the governmental balance of power. It’s time the majority party agrees to call a special session to address this critical issue.

“Personally, after consulting with our families and doctors, we both made the choice to be vaccinated. While we encourage others to consider getting vaccinated, it is a personal health care decision. Masking and vaccination should not be mandated by the heavy hand of government. The government should respect those with concerns and focus on education and incentives rather than mandates.”

End of Session Virtual Town Hall

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I want to reconnect with you one more time to review the 2021 legislative session. While we adjourned the 105-day slog on time, there was a flurry of activity in the final days that I think needs to be unpacked. So, I hope that you can join me and my House seatmates for a virtual town hall as we discuss the Legislature’s work and answer your questions.

Ours is one of only 4 of the 49 legislative districts in the state that is represented by both parties. I’m committed to working across the aisle to serve the best interests of our constituents and hope you can participate.

Please register in advance for this webinar by clicking here.

You can submit questions in advance by entering them in the ‘Questions & Comments’ box during registration.

Senate Republicans establish first-of-its-kind initiative

Offer principled stance on outreach and equity work

The 2021 legislative session saw an emphasis on bills aimed at addressing racial inequities. Democratic leaders early on had indicated that in the constrained virtual session, bills would be limited to a few critical areas, equity being one of them. However, proposals claiming to help disadvantaged communities were largely special interest-driven policies to grow state government.

On the final day of the legislative session, Senate Republican Caucus leaders announced the creation of the new Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion to address these same issues in a principled, authentic, and holistic way.

The office will be headed by a small group of community advocate-senators and overseen directly by the SRC leadership structure. Sens. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, Ann Rivers, R-La Center and Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, comprise the core group that will drive the CEI office’s work.

“This is something that we need to do,” said Muzzall. “Our state is very diverse and getting more so, and we need to make sure we are hearing from and working for all Washingtonians. While the other side does a good job talking about these issues, the actual policies coming from Olympia aren’t helping disadvantaged communities. I believe our principles will win out with groups who are not engaged in the process. We just need to make the more concerted effort to listen.”

“We welcome this effort by the Senate Republican Caucus to truly engage marginalized communities and organizations like ours,” said Linda Yang, Director of Washington Asians For Equality. “During this past session, we were shut out, and ignored. Public hearings became a staged show for special interest groups and organizations. The public and grassroots organizations were denied opportunities to meaningfully participate in the process, and our repeated requests to draw attention to anti-Asian racism were ignored. This office will be a valuable resource for marginalized groups to be heard.”

“We have had an informal outreach capacity for several years in our caucus, but this new office is a demonstration that we are serious about addressing these issues,” said Rivers, who chairs the Senate Republican Caucus. “We aren’t going to be about messaging bills or photo ops; we are getting to work on real policies that empower disadvantaged communities in our state.”

“Institutionalizing policy work for the broader communities of color in Washington state that includes real engagement and discussions of inclusion is a big step,” said Frank Lemos, President of the National Minority Business Advisory Council, (MBAC), a nonpartisan policy think-tank focused on advocacy for the minority business community in public contracting. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Senate Republican leaders on issues of concern of our communities of color and the creation of this office demonstrates they are serious about the work that lies ahead. Since the passage of Initiative 200 in 1998, small minority businesses in our state have been devastated. I’m looking forward to meaningful dialogue on addressing proven disparate impacts in state public contracting that violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964.”

The Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion will work with community groups and legislators to develop a plan for the remainder of the year, including guiding principles and policy opportunities in advance of the 2022 session.

Attend our Joint Virtual Town Hall

In these physically-distant times, getting together to hold a town hall can be a challenge. So, my seatmates and I will be jointly holding a virtual one to provide an update on the 2021 legislative session and get your feedback.

As I’ve noted before, the 10th District is just one of only 4 of the 49 legislative districts in the state that is represented by both parties. Though we may not agree all the time, I’m committed to working across the aisle to serve the best interests of our constituents. I hope that you can join us.

Please register in advance for this webinar by clicking here.

You can submit questions in advance by entering them in the ‘Questions & Comments’ box during registration.