Tag Archives: Sen. Mark Schoesler
With the 2026 legislative session just four weeks away, Sen. Mark Schoesler has filed legislation that aims to make lubricants for vehicles and other machinery more affordable.
Senate Bill 5856 would exempt emissions associated with lubricants from coverage under the state’s “cap-and-tax” policy, formally known as the Climate Commitment Act enacted by legislative Democrats in 2021.
Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said his bill would have Washington join California and Oregon in exempting lubricants, including motor oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid and grease, from surcharges created by each state’s carbon-pricing system.
“California and Oregon don’t impose a carbon-pricing surcharge on vehicle and machinery lubricants but Washington does,” said Schoesler, a member of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. “Removing this surcharge wouldn’t only help our state’s agricultural industry, which can’t pass along these extra costs – it also would improve affordability for Washington drivers whether they have conventional, hybrid or electric vehicles. Changing the oil and other fluids is part of routine maintenance, and the hidden carbon taxes add up.”
Schoesler said SB 5856 would not harm the state’s general fund, considering how much the state is collecting by auctioning carbon credits.
The 2026 legislative session begins Jan. 12 and is scheduled to last 60 days.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Spokane and Whitman counties.
Two months after the state’s controversial release of the late Kevin Coe, the “South Hill Rapist” who terrorized Spokane before his arrest and conviction in the early 1980s, state Sen. Mark Schoesler has filed a bipartisan bill that would make it harder to release serial rapists.
“Kevin Coe was one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals in our state’s history,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. His bill was “prefiled” and will be formally introduced when the 2026 legislative session convenes Jan. 12.
Coe was suspected of violently raping as many as 40 women and girls as young as 14 before being arrested in 1981 and ultimately found guilty of first-degree rape.
“It’s still shocking and unbelievable that the state released him this year,” said Schoesler, who was a college student in Spokane in the late 1970s when Coe was suspected of having committed his rapes. “During his years in confinement, Kevin Coe refused treatment and he never apologized or showed remorse. He should not have been released by the state.”
In early October, the state Department of Social and Health Services released Coe from the Special Commitment Center, on McNeil Island in Puget Sound. Schoesler opposed the move and vowed to introduce legislation in response.
After his release from the SCC, Coe briefly lived in adult-family homes in Federal Way, Auburn and Federal Way again before he died on Dec. 3.
“I hope the Legislature will make it a priority next session to pass this bipartisan bill to prevent or at least make it harder for DSHS or other state agencies to release people guilty of such heinous crimes. We need to place the public’s safety above the freedom of a serial rapist who was unrepentant to the end. After news spread of Coe’s release, several of his victims approached me and told me how angry they were about it,” said Schoesler.
Under the proposal, if a convicted rapist who is confined in the SCC is seeking release from confinement and the state produces sufficient evidence proving the convict refused to participate in sex-offender treatment while in total confinement and has not expressed remorse for the sex offenses of which they were convicted, a release to a less-restrictive alternative placement may not be ordered for the convict.
The proposal has 16 co-sponsors. The leading co-sponsor is Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane.
Coe was arrested in March 1981. A jury convicted him later that year on four counts of first-degree rape, resulting in a sentence of life plus 75 years in prison.
In 1984, the state Supreme Court overturned Coe’s four rape convictions partly because three of the four rape victims were hypnotized before identifying Coe as the rapist. In 1985, a second trial was held, this time in Seattle. That jury found Coe guilty of three counts of first-degree rape. In 1988, the state Supreme Court overturned two of the convictions and upheld the third.
In 2006, state Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a petition to have Coe committed as a sexual predator, blocking his scheduled release that year from the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Two years later a Spokane County jury declared Coe to be a sexually violent predator. This designation gave the state the right to hold Coe indefinitely at the SCC.
The 2026 legislative session is scheduled to last 60 days.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Garfield, Lincoln, Spokane and Whitman counties.
State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, released this statement on the death of former 9th District Rep. Don Cox.
“I’m very saddened to learn that Don passed away. Of all the legislators I ever had the pleasure of serving with, Don ranks as one of the nicest and kindest.
“Don was not someone who gave many floor speeches, so when he did stand up to speak, you paid attention because you knew what he would say mattered.
“I worked closely with Don on a number of district-related issues and projects. I enjoyed collaborating with him on them. During our years serving together, Don and I often crossed paths at parades, fairs and other community events throughout the 9th District. I always enjoyed catching up with him and sharing the latest about our families and mutual friends.
“Don was a fine public servant who represented our district with dignity and distinction. He was a true gentleman who treated everyone with kindness and respect. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Cox served two stints in the House of Representatives. The first resulted from a January 1999 shuffle that saw 9th District Sen. Eugene Prince step down, and Rep. Larry Sheahan appointed as the district’s senator, opening the seat to which Cox was appointed.
He chose not to seek a fourth full House term after winning elections in 2000, 2002 and 2004, but returned to serve the two years remaining in the term of his successor, Rep. Steve Hailey, who had died just prior to the 2009 session.
Schoesler was elected to the Senate in 2004 when Sheahan did not run for another term. The 9th Legislative District covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Garfield, Lincoln, Spokane and Whitman counties.
State Sen. Mark Schoesler says he is outraged that the state might release Kevin Coe, the “South Hill Rapist” who terrorized Spokane before his arrest and conviction in the early 1980s.
“Kevin Coe is one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals in our state’s history,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “He was suspected of raping many women and girls as young as 14 before being arrested in 1981 and ultimately found guilty of first-degree rape. It’s unbelievable that the state would even consider releasing him.
“The Legislature needs to act next session to prevent or at least make it harder for DSHS or other agencies to release people guilty of such heinous crimes. We need to place the public’s safety above the freedom of a serial rapist who is unrepentant to this day,” added Schoesler, who said he would introduce or co-sponsor such legislation.
Last week Schoesler and several other legislators received an email from a Department of Social and Health Services official about Coe’s possible release. Part of the email reads:
The Department of Social and Health Services would like to make you aware that a high-profile resident of the Special Commitment Center (SCC), Kevin Coe, is scheduled for an Unconditional Release hearing on October 2, 2025.
The SCC forensic evaluator as well as the State’s expert concluded to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty that Mr. Coe no longer meets civil commitment criteria as a sexually violent predator. The parties are in agreement that the case should be dismissed, so it is highly likely that it will be. Upon an order for unconditional release, Mr. Coe will be released as soon as within 24 hours and will be going to a licensed adult family home in the 30th Legislative District.
Mr. Coe was a Spokane County resident, as were many of the individuals he victimized. Law enforcement was notified yesterday, and enrollees of the department’s Victim/Witness Notification Program will receive notice of the anticipated release tomorrow. In the past, Mr. Coe received media attention throughout the country and we anticipate that his release may prompt additional attention.
Coe was arrested in March 1981. A jury convicted Coe later that year on four counts of first-degree rape. Coe was sentenced to life plus 75 years in prison. In 1984, the state Supreme Court overturned Coe’s four rape convictions partly because three of the four rape victims were hypnotized before identifying Coe as the rapist. In 1985, a second trial was held, this time in Seattle. The jury in the second trial found Coe guilty of three counts of first-degree rape. In 1988, the state Supreme Court overturned two of the convictions and upheld the third.
In 2006, state Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a petition to have Coe committed as a sexual predator, blocking his scheduled release that year from the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Two years later a Spokane County jury declared Coe to be a sexually violent predator. This designation gives the state the right to hold Coe indefinitely at the Special Commitment Center, on McNeil Island in Puget Sound.
Schoesler noted that since regaining control of both the House and Senate in 2018, Democrats have passed numerous crime-friendly bills, including the “Blake bill” in 2021 that basically decriminalized many drugs (Senate Bill 5476), an expansion of eligibility for early release from corrections centers (SB 5121, passed in 2021), and similar changes related to partial confinement programs that allow inmates to be released sooner (SB 5219, passed this year).
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Garfield, Lincoln, Spokane and Whitman counties.
Peak season for agricultural fairs has arrived – get those exhibits ready, says 9th District senator
RITZVILLE… More than 40 county, community and regional agricultural fairs will happen across Washington in August and September, and fairs mean exhibits – which has Sen. Mark Schoesler offering friendly and timely reminders to exhibitors and fairgoers alike.
“We know the local fair is a place to find great food and something fun and interesting to do, but to me the heart of the fair is in the exhibits,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.
“It’s easy for entry deadlines to sneak up on people, so if you’re planning to enter something in your local fair, take a moment to go online and double-check the information for exhibitors. For the many fairgoers across our state, this is the time to mark your calendars – and if you haven’t been to a fair lately or at all, go see what you’ve been missing.”
The Washington State Fair Association’s list of fairs for 2025 is available at this link. While the majority take place this month, the 9th Legislative District served by Schoesler is home to more fairs in September than any other district in the state.
While livestock exhibits are always popular, Schoesler said, typical categories also include fruits and vegetables, plants and flowers, and other farm-rooted traditions like food preservation, baking, clothing and woodworking. There are arts and crafts galore, and exhibits related to mechanics and machinery.
“Whoever first described fairs as the ‘state’s largest classroom’ sure got it right, because a fair might have everything from A to Z on display. Someone can touch the wool while it’s still on the sheep, or see a stalk of wheat before it becomes flour, and get a sense of how far agriculture – our state’s largest employer – has come in the past century or more.
“But again, that education doesn’t happen without exhibits; check the rules and deadlines so you can be ready to share your efforts for the enjoyment and education of others,” he said.
Schoesler, a fifth-generation wheat farmer, is also Republican leader on the Senate’s capital-budget team. While majority Democrats cut the state fair fund by 35% in the new operating budget for 2025-27, he successfully pushed for a record $9 million in the new capital budget to support health- and safety-improvement projects at fair facilities.
“Many legislators attend their local fair to see constituents. When they see more exhibitors and strong attendance, they can better appreciate how fairs are good citizens and economically important. That can only help to keep the support from Olympia coming.”
The new two-year state capital budget passed unanimously by the Legislature today includes funding for key water-infrastructure projects throughout eastern Washington, including some benefiting the Columbia Basin, according to 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler and 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick.
The capital budget provides $69 million for the Columbia River Water Supply Development Program, of which $44 million is for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, also known as the “EL 22.1 Project.”
It aims to provide surface water to deep-well irrigators and farmers in the declining Odessa Aquifer Subarea north of Interstate 90 and east of Moses Lake. The capital-budget money will help pay for completing the Odessa aquifer recharge for Othello, which will help store more water in the aquifer.
“This capital budget is a big win for water-infrastructure needs in the Columbia Basin and other parts of eastern Washington,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville and Republican leader on the Senate capital budget. “The EL 22.1 Project is extremely important for this region, especially agriculture. Three generations of farmers in the Columbia Basin are still waiting for irrigated water. Thanks to the funding in this capital budget, these farmers won’t have to wait much longer.
“Securing this funding has been a major priority for our region,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “The Odessa aquifer has been in serious decline for years, and farmers have been anxiously waiting for relief. This project will bring critical water resources to help sustain agriculture and our local communities for generations to come.”
The Odessa water project also will receive $40 million in matching funds from area growers, said Schoesler and Warnick. The senators noted that the long-awaited project will bring water to 17,000 acres in the area and will take 36 irrigation wells offline.
“With this capital budget funding and the matching money from growers, this project is ready to start,” Warnick said.
Warnick had an essential role in “letting other legislators know how important the Odessa water project is and helping to ensure it received the needed funding,” added Schoesler.
Schoesler and Warnick pointed out that 42 groups, nearly all of them in the Columbia Basin, wrote letters in recent weeks expressing support for funding of the EL 22.1 Project. They included Grant County commissioners, Adams County commissioners, Washington Farm Bureau, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Grant County Economic Development Council, Adams County Development Council, City of Moses Lake, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, City of Othello, Grant County Public Utility District, Port of Moses Lake, Port of Warden, Port of Othello, Town of Odessa, Town of Lind, City of Harrington, Big Bend Community College, Lincoln County Economic Development Council, Inland Northwest Partners, AgWest Farm Credit, Columbia Basin Railroad and EL-22.1 Landowner Association.
The new capital budget also provides $52 million for the Yakima River Basin Water Supply Program and $8.5 million for the Yakima-Tieton Canal to start fixing damage caused by a wildfire.
Construction and maintenance of state buildings, public-school matching grants, higher-education facilities, public lands, parks, water infrastructure and other assets all are funded by the capital budget.
“This final version of the capital budget helps pay for projects across the entire state. It lives within our means while doing a good job of addressing needs throughout Washington,” said Schoesler. “Many K-12 education projects are funded. It strongly funds fish hatcheries and also is a good budget for water projects, as well as housing and other needs. Our capital budget has something for every part of our state.”