Tag Archives: Sen. Mark Schoesler

Senate passes Schoesler’s bill to improve firefighter, law enforcement officer retirement benefits

The Senate today unanimously passed a measure introduced by 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler that would increase firefighter and law enforcement officer retirement benefits.

Senate Bill 5791 would provide Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System Plan 1 members with a one-time lump sum equal to $100 per month of service for retirees and a minimum of $20,000 for catastrophic and duty disability retirees, and duty death beneficiaries.

“This bill would help our courageous law enforcement officers and firefighters who put their lives on the line year after year,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “Using the budget surplus to give LEOFF 1 pension members a one-time payout would give our law enforcement officers and firefighters some more money for their retirement years. Providing them with this extra money would make only a very small dent in the state budget surplus.”

Schoesler added that increased benefits would create incentives for law enforcement officers and firefighters to stay longer in their jobs.

The Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System (LEOFF) provides retirement benefits to full-time, fully compensated law enforcement officers and firefighters employed by the state, cities, counties and special districts. Law enforcement officers and firefighters who entered service between 1969 and October 1, 1977, were enrolled in LEOFF Plan 1. Those entering service after that date are part of the LEOFF Plan 2.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

9th District legislators to host virtual town hall on Tuesday, Feb. 22

Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick and Rep. Mary Dye are inviting citizens to join them Tuesday, Feb. 22, for a 9th District virtual town hall meeting.

The eastern Washington lawmakers will provide an update of the 2022 legislative session and then take questions from participants. Citizens may also submit written questions during the registration process.

During the town hall meeting, the 9th District legislative team will discuss several issues, including:

The Democrats’ mandatory long-term care insurance tax.
The state’s $8.8 billion surplus, including $2.2 billion in reserves and $1.2 billion in unspent federal stimulus.
Whether the majority party will allow for any meaningful tax relief.
Updates to last year’s failed law enforcement reform bills.
Emergency powers reform.

The event will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The remote event will be conducted using the Zoom platform.

Preregistration is required by going to tinyurl.com/9thDistrictTownHall. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent about joining the webinar. Space is limited, so people are advised to register early.

Senate again passes Schoesler bill improving irrigation-district elections

A proposal prime-sponsored by 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler that would improve irrigation district elections has been unanimously approved by the Senate for the second time in nearly a year.

The Senate today unanimously passed Senate Bill 5342, which would allow mail-in ballot elections for irrigation districts and identify qualified district electors for irrigation districts. It also would create a gross misdemeanor violation when election-security requirements for irrigation-district elections are violated.

“Irrigation-district elections have become outdated, which has become a concern,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “This bill provides an overdue update to irrigation-district elections and it increases election security for them. A work group created a couple of years ago reviewed election policies and procedures used by irrigation districts and concluded that many of the state laws that deal with these elections needed to be updated. This bill reflects the final recommendations of that work group.”

Last March, the Senate passed the bill 48-0, but the House did not take action on it, sending the proposal back to the Senate at the end of the 2021 session. On Jan. 13, the Senate Housing and Local Government Committee amended and then passed the bill.

Senate Bill 5342 now returns to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Senate again passes Schoesler bill to help school districts address maintenance needs

For the second time in nearly a year, the Senate has approved a bill introduced by Sen. Mark Schoesler that would help school districts in Washington address their building maintenance needs.

Senate Bill 5202 would allow school districts to create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2 percent of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

After originally passing the bill 44-4 last February, the Senate today again approved it, this time on a 46-2 vote.

“This bill would provide another path for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. Establishing this subfund is a way to help students learn in a healthy environment since school buildings would be in better condition.

“School administrators have recognized the value of this proposal, and I’m pleased that nearly all of my Senate colleagues again approved this bill today.”

Senate Bill 5202 now returns to the House of Representatives for further consideration. During the 2021 legislative session, the bill was passed by the House Education Committee but did not reach the House floor for a vote. After that session ended, Schoesler’s bill reverted to the Senate, prompting today’s revote.

Schoesler introduces bill to reduce pollution in Puget Sound

For many years, environmentalists and others have decried increasing pollution in Puget Sound, pointing out how it is harming water quality and the wildlife that relies on the sound.

Even though he lives hundreds of miles from the waterway, 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler has introduced a proposal that aims to help make Puget Sound cleaner.

“It’s no secret that Puget Sound has become more polluted over the years, and one key reason is the recent raw sewage spills from publicly owned domestic wastewater treatment plants,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who pointed to last January’s accident in which 11 million gallons of storm water and untreated sewage escaped from Seattle’s West Point Treatment Plant into Puget Sound. “Governor Inslee and others make a big deal about having stream buffers to protect water and fish and keeping untreated stormwater and runoff out of the sound, but I think they haven’t given raw sewage spills from treatment plants the same level of concern. This is a serious problem that should be addressed now. This bill would help us get there, and it is a better policy approach to protecting salmon than stream buffers and breaching the Snake River dams.”

Schoesler’s measure, Senate Bill 5786, would aim to protect Puget Sound from wastewater pollution by requiring the state Department of Ecology to strengthen the sound’s nutrient general permit. The measure has been referred to the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee for consideration.

“The sewage entering Puget Sound is not only unhealthy and dangerous for humans, it also is unhealthy and dangerous for the fish, shellfish, marine animals and birds that live in or near the sound,” said Schoesler. “If we really care about Puget Sound and the wildlife that relies on it, we need to start focusing on keeping raw sewage from polluting the sound.”

Schoesler said Ecology has identified publicly owned domestic wastewater treatment plants as a significant source of excess nutrients, such as nitrogen, which contribute to low oxygen levels in Puget Sound. However, the department’s Puget Sound nutrient general permit, which took effect on Jan. 1 this year, will not sufficiently protect Puget Sound from pollution caused by raw sewage.

Schoesler calls for Inslee, Democrats to provide tax relief in light of historic inflation

Following today’s national inflation news that shows prices are 6.8% higher than a year ago, the highest inflation increase since June 1982, 9^th District state Sen. Mark Schoesler is calling for Gov. Jay Inslee and legislative Democrats to offer tax relief to Washingtonians to help offset the financial struggles caused by inflation.

“Consumers throughout the U.S. have had to pay higher prices on many items over the past year,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “Food prices have risen 6.1 percent, energy prices have skyrocketed 33 percent, new vehicles are 11.1 percent higher, medical care is 2.1 percent higher and shelter is up nearly 4 percent. While salaries have risen for many, they haven’t come close to keeping up with rising inflation, and it’s making it harder for families and individuals to make ends meet. At a time when the state has a huge surplus, now is the time for the governor and the Legislature to provide tax relief to hard-working people who are struggling because of inflation.”

Inslee is expected to unveil his state supplemental operating budget proposal next week.

Schoesler serves on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which addresses budget and tax issues.

The 2022 legislative session begins Jan. 10 and is scheduled to last 60 days.

Schoesler files bill to protect workers from new payroll tax

More than a month before the start of the 2022 legislative session, 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler has filed a bill that would look into private-market alternatives to the state’s new long-term care program, supported by an unpopular payroll tax set to go into effect Jan. 1.

Schoesler’s proposal, Senate Bill 5503, would authorize a joint legislative committee to study the financial products available through the private market to replace the long-term services and supports trust program.

“It’s easy to see why this new long-term care tax is so unpopular,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “First of all, many workers won’t be able to afford it – people earning an average wage will lose hundreds from their paychecks each year. Too many people would pay the tax yet never receive benefits. Some can’t take advantage of the one-time opt-out from the program this year. People who live in other states but work in Washington would have to pay this payroll tax without being eligible for benefits. Finally, this long-term care plan isn’t portable, so if you move out of Washington, you receive zero benefit, even if you’ve paid the tax for years and years. Talk about unfair!

“Who trusts state government – especially the state Employment Security Department – to manage a program like this effectively? It’s time for the Legislature to create a joint committee to examine private-market alternatives to this program and look for a better way to provide long-term care in Washington,” added Schoesler.

The WA Cares Fund, passed in 2019 by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, creates a 0.58% payroll deduction on employees, set to begin Jan. 1. If someone earns $50,000 a year, they will pay $290 a year for this tax until they quit, retire or leave the state. Starting in 2025, eligible beneficiaries could then start claiming up to a lifetime maximum of $36,500 to help pay for home care, meal delivery, assisted living or other needs.

As of Dec. 1, about 430,000 people had requested an exemption from both the new long-term care program, known as WA Cares Fund, and the payroll tax to fund it.

Schoesler’s bill will be assigned to a Senate committee when the Legislature convenes Jan. 10. His measure is one of several bills, already prefiled, that focus on the long-term care program and the payroll tax funding it.

The 2022 legislative session is scheduled to last 60 days.

Schoesler says Washington drought emergency declaration “long overdue”

State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, says he is relieved that Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration today finally announced a drought emergency declaration for eastern Washington as well as most of the west side of the state, but Schoesler pointed out the governor should have declared a drought emergency for eastern Washington several weeks ago.

“While the governor’s drought declaration is welcome and expected news, it is long overdue for our part of the state,” said Schoesler, a wheat farmer whose 9^th Legislative District includes several counties that have faced drought conditions for months. “Farmers throughout eastern Washington have known since early this spring that we are facing a serious drought problem in our region, and the very hot and dry summer so far has just made it worse. It’s nice that the governor is finally recognizing how serious this problem really is for both sides of our state. But it’s disappointing and frustrating that it’s taken him this long to recognize and act on a problem that we’ve seen and endured in our region for months.”

According to a news release today by the state Department of Ecology, which issued the drought emergency declaration, a drought emergency means water supply is projected to be below 75 percent of average. A formal drought declaration authorizes DOE to take certain measures for the purpose of providing emergency drought relief:

Expedite processing for emergency drought permits.
Process temporary transfers of water rights.
Provide funding assistance for public entities.
Hold public education workshops.

“Several weeks ago, wheat officials wrote to the governor, asking him to declare a drought emergency for eastern Washington, but DOE responded by saying the state wouldn’t make a drought declaration. During the news conference today announcing the drought emergency declaration, the governor was asked why he previously rejected farmers’ requests for such a declaration. He said he needed to wait for scientific information on it to ‘mature.’ His response is ridiculous, because over in our part of the state, we’ve seen the effects of the drought for months. While I’m glad Jay Inslee is finally taking action on this drought, he should have acted much sooner.”

Inslee said the Everett, Seattle and Tacoma metro areas are excluded from the drought emergency declaration. The DOE news release said the three central Puget Sound cities “are expected to have sufficient water storage to meet residential and commercial needs through the summer, and to maintain adequate water levels in nearby rivers to protect fish.”

Schoesler bill would help stabilize UI rates for employers amid call for rate hike

Following yesterday’s announcement by the state Employment Security Department that it will raise both minimum and maximum weekly unemployment benefits for jobless workers, 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler pointed out that legislation he introduced would provide relief and help stabilize unemployment-insurance rates for Washington employers who pay UI taxes.

Schoesler’s proposal, Senate Bill 5197, would offer relief by adjusting the calculation used to determine UI taxes. Much like a tuition cap gives certainty to families and students about the costs of higher education, his bill would create a cap on the maximum UI wages subject to tax to provide welcome stability for employers when it comes to this particular cost of doing business. It was introduced during the 2021 legislative session and received a public hearing in the Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee but was not passed by the committee.

“Employers in Washington will be forced to pay more in unemployment-insurance taxes for reasons that aren’t their fault,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “My bill is eligible for consideration again during the next legislative session. It would at least provide some needed stability at a time when employers really need it.

“One of my concerns about ESD’s proposed increase in unemployment benefits is that it will cause jobless workers to have less incentive to search for a new job and rejoin the workforce. There are certain sectors of our economy, especially restaurants and retail, that really need more workers. We need to get our unemployed back to work, not make it easier for them to stay unemployed when more workers are needed,” added Schoesler, a member of the Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee.

The Employment Security Department yesterday announced that Washington’s average annual wage grew by 10.1 percent in 2020 to $76,741. According to ESD, the average annual wage is used to calculate unemployment benefits for jobless workers and Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits. The minimum weekly unemployment benefit, calculated at 20 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $94 to $295, for new claims opened on or after July 4. At the same time, the maximum weekly benefit, which is the greater of $496 or 63 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $85 to $929.

Schoesler, who owns and operates a wheat farm near Ritzville, says the past 15 months have been especially difficult and unusual for most Washington employers.

“Soon after COVID-19 reached Washington, our state government forced many businesses to close, driving up the number of unemployment claims and draining the fund that pays those claims. Many businesses in our state are still struggling, and the last thing they need right now is a sharp increase in paying UI taxes. My bill would provide needed relief and stability.”