Senate delivers a ‘no-new-taxes’ budget proposal, cuts college tuition 25 percent
OLYMPIA…”This is a bold budget proposal that delivers on the promise to make education the top priority and to live within our means. The Senate budget delivers tax relief for families, fully funds K-12 education and protects the most vulnerable – all without raising taxes. “This budget sends the message...
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Auditor needs to come clean
This post originally appeared on the leadership blog of the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus, Exit 105. What do you do when the state’s top investigator finds himself under investigation? That’s the uncomfortable question before us this week as state Auditor Troy Kelley hunkers down in his office and addresses enormous public...
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Will House budget play by the rules?
This post originally appeared on the leadership blog of the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus, Exit 105. Some things go without saying. It’s a good idea to obey traffic signals, you ought to pay your taxes, and you should always eat your vegetables. Some things here in the Legislature are just...
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Senate delivers on college-tuition cap, jobs and critical transportation reforms
OLYMPIA…Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, offered this statement following today’s cutoff for voting on Senate bills, except for measures specifically tied to a new state operating budget: “The Senate continues to lead the way on this session’s most important and anticipated policy initiatives. We said we would deliver on...
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Distaste for debate is ominous message from House
This post originally appeared in the Majority Coalition Caucus leadership blog, Exit 105. Maybe this is the sort of thought that occurs when you’ve been at the statehouse for the last 23 sessions, like I have, and you’ve seen just about everything. But over the last week the state House...
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Senate delivers on transportation – can we avoid a political detour in the House?
It took three long years, but after bipartisan negotiations, public meetings in 10 cities, extensive study and much debate in Olympia, the state Senate delivered on its promise to reform Washington’s broken transportation system. With a bipartisan vote Monday we passed a statewide transportation package that creates 200,000 jobs, gets...
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Schoesler invites 9th District residents to March 11 telephone ‘town hall’
Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler will hold a telephone-based “town hall” with 9th Legislative District residents on the evening of Wednesday, March 11. The conversation will begin at 7 p.m. and last approximately an hour; Schoesler will participate from the state Capitol, where lawmakers are meeting for the 2015 legislative...
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Schoesler honored with regional ‘Excellence in Agriculture’ award
One of Washington’s leading agricultural organizations today presented its top honor to Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler. The second-annual “Excellence in Agriculture” award from the Spokane-based AgriBusiness Council went to Schoesler in recognition of his “significant and positive influence on the agricultural industry in the Inland Northwest” during 2014. “Who...
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Schoesler votes again for change to help budget talks start sooner
The Senate today launched another attempt to get state-budget negotiations with the House of Representatives going a month sooner than usual. Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler was among those voting to have the first state-government revenue forecast of each year delivered on Feb. 20, rather than March 20. Legislative budget-writers...
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