Tag Archives: Sen. Mark Schoesler
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued this statement on Senate Bill 6228, a Democrat-sponsored proposal that received a public hearing this morning and is scheduled for a vote Friday by the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations and Elections Committee. SB 6228 would automatically restore voting rights for felons as soon as their confinement in a state Department of Corrections facility has ended.
“The bill’s proponents argue that denying felons the right to vote discriminates against people of color who have been convicted of crimes, but victims of crimes are also predominately people of color. The rights of felons should not be valued more than the rights of victims, regardless of their skin.
“Prison time, community custody and restitution are all reasonable penalties for our courts to include in a sentence. Punishment for a crime in Washington does not automatically end at the prison gate, so we should not restore voting rights for convicted felons until they have completed their sentences, including their period under DOC supervision and paying restitution to victims.
“When this committee held a work session on this issue last fall, at least two convicted murderers expressed support for this bill. One of them, who testified via phone from a prison in Grays Harbor County, had beaten a couple with a hammer and robbed them and later beat a separate victim to death with the hammer. The other had been convicted of aggravated first-degree murder in gang-related shooting deaths. It should bother people that convicted murderers are backing a bill that Democrats seem to be fast-tracking this session. That tells me this bill is actually a step toward letting all inmates vote. Imagine allowing a block of people who have no ties to a community having influence over how much people pay in taxes or who is elected to serve us – even before they’ve paid their own debt to society.”
With the Seattle Seahawks’ playoff game at Green Bay just days away, the top two leaders in the Washington State Senate are eager to make a friendly wager on the game with one of their Wisconsin Senate counterparts.
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, today sent a joint letter from him and Senate Democratic Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, to Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott L. Fitzgerald, offering to present the Wisconsin Senate with two of Washington’s most popular products – a box of apples and some Cougar Gold cheese.
Schoesler said he and Billig eagerly await a response from Fitzgerald.
“We’d like to know soon what Wisconsin goods that Senator Fitzgerald is willing to send us if the Seahawks beat the Packers this Sunday,” said Schoesler.
Here is the text of the letter from the Washington Senate leaders:
Senator Fitzgerald,
We look forward to the upcoming contest between the Seattle Seahawks versus the Green Bay Packers.
Congratulations on the fine season your Packers have put together. One of us even roots for them when they aren’t playing the Seahawks.
However, we are sorry that your Packers’ season will be ending this Sunday.
We are confident that Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Jadeveon Clowney, Bobby Wagner and Marshawn Lynch will secure the victory. However, in the highly unlikely scenario that your Packers best our Seahawks, the Washington State Senate stands ready to present the Wisconsin State Senate with some of Washington’s finest.
We would like to present you with the finest apples ever developed in Washington state: the brand new Cosmic Crisp. Alas, these fantastic apples have been largely snapped up by consumers from around the globe. However, we would send a box of some other tasty Washington apples. ln addition, we would also send you some incredible Washington State University Cougar Gold cheese. ln the unlikely event you receive that gift, we are certain that you will find it to be the best cheese in the land, which is saying something since Wisconsin is renowned for its cheese.
Go ‘Hawks!
Respectfully,
Senator Andy Billig
Senate Majority Leader
Senator Mark Schoesler
Senate Republican Leader
Until nearly a decade ago, people could visit Washington’s state parks for free. Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler hopes to make access to state parks free again for Washingtonians and others.
Schoesler, R-Ritzville, has prefiled legislation, Senate Bill 6174, that would eliminate the need for people to purchase a Discover Pass if they wish to enter a state park with a vehicle.
The Legislature authorized the creation of the Discover Pass in 2011 as a way to help fund Washington’s state parks following the Great Recession, said Schoesler. The pass is required for vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. An annual pass is $30 and a one-day pass costs $10.
“At that time, the state faced a severe budget crisis, so those who used our state parks were asked by Governor Gregoire and the Legislature to pay a user fee in the form of the Discover Pass,” said Schoesler. “The recession has been over for many years, but nobody has done anything to help taxpayers who like our state parks. In fact, state park attendance has gone down dramatically. I think our state parks are a treasure to enjoy, not a revenue source. It’s time we give something back to those hard-working taxpayers who want to use our state parks.”
Schoesler said the state can afford to eliminate the Discover Pass, pointing out the state is expecting to receive an additional $850 million in revenue since the current two-year state operating budget was passed last April.
“Meanwhile, the Legislature has raised taxes or fees many times in recent years. But nothing has really been done to lower people’s taxes, even at a time when state revenue is coming in like gangbusters. Let’s give outdoor lovers, families and our seniors something they can enjoy for their tax dollars, without requiring them to buy a Discover Pass to enjoy it.”
Schoesler said there has been a decline of about 7 million visits per year to Washington’s state parks and state-owned recreation lands compared to the visitation rates in the two years before a Discover Pass was required. He points to the Discover Pass as a reason why many people, especially low-income residents, choose not to visit a state park.
“Our state parks offer great recreational and camping opportunities, and they allow visitors a chance to see some of Washington’s great scenery,” said Schoesler. “The beauty of our state parks is for everybody. Removing the requirement of a Discover Pass to visit our state parks should result in more people enjoying them.”
Schoesler said eliminating the Discover Pass to visit a state park also would be a boost for tourism.
“Whether you’re visiting Palouse Falls in my district or some of the great state parks along our coast, the Puget Sound region or other parts of Washington, the routes to our parks take tourists and in-state visitors through towns that offer their own reasons to stop, which helps the local economy.”
The 2020 legislative session begins Jan. 13 and is scheduled to last 60 days.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which includes all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.
As voter-approved Initiative 976 remains in legal limbo due to a King County court ruling Nov. 27, Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler suggests the measure returning car-tabs to $30 can’t receive a fair court hearing because so many judges owe their jobs to Democrats.
“Most people don’t know that nearly 63 percent of Washington judges were initially appointed by Democrats,” said Schoesler. “So how can an issue like I-976 get a fair hearing when most of the judges are selected by the party that wants to expand government and take more of the people’s money?
“We’ve all seen what has happened over the past month: Taxpayers vote themselves relief from dishonest and onerous car tab costs. Then Democrats in King County sue and a judge in that overwhelmingly Democrat county rules the initiative should not go into effect. This week, the state Supreme Court upholds that ruling to put it on hold, despite its passage by voters.
“You don’t have to be a cynic to say that our state’s Democrats, who control all three branches of Washington’s government, are able to thwart taxpayers’ desire for tax relief no matter what the people say,” added Schoesler.
Schoesler noted that of the 224 judges or justices currently serving in Washington (193 Superior Court judges, 22 court of appeals judges and nine Supreme Court justices), 140 were initially appointed to the bench by a Democrat governor. With Gov. Jay Inslee’s appointment this week of Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to the state Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Mary Fairhurst, four of the nine Supreme Court justices have been appointed by a Democrat governor.
In King County, the appointment rate is 66 percent among Superior Court judges and 80 percent among court of appeals judges in the division with jurisdiction over that county.
“It’s hard for the majority of Washington voters who approved Initiative 976 to think that our court system will give this measure a fair hearing when so many of them were placed there by tax-loving Democrats,” said Schoesler.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.
A $50,000 state grant awarded to Othello to conduct a study of a possible market district and food makers’ incubator could help the community and its agriculture-based economy, said state Sen. Mark Schoesler.
The state Community Economic Revitalization Board approved the grant for Othello at its Nov. 21 meeting, noting the grant was matched by $16,667 in local funds.
“I know that Othello is looking to secure a site in its downtown area to create a market district and food makers incubator area,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “The CERB grant will help the city study how this project can best help the community, its entrepreneurs and farmers in the surrounding area. I support local farmers markets because they provide communities with the opportunity to buy and sell locally farmed or produced food and other products. These markets help Washington farmers and agriculture in general.”
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, is joining the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee so he can advocate for regulatory reform and other issues that will benefit Washington’s economy and working families.
“This will be a new committee for me, and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Schoesler, who added the position to his roster of legislative duties this past week, ahead of the 2020 legislative session that begins Jan. 13. He expects his lifelong experience in the business of farming will help in dealing with regulatory issues, which along with workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance are among the high-profile topics the committee addresses.
Schoesler noted that the Labor and Commerce Committee received much attention early in the 2019 legislative session when the committee’s chair unsuccessfully tried to push through a bill that would ban hairstylists and barbers from being able to work as independent contractors using rented booth space.
“While we can’t predict if any heavy-handed, anti-business legislation like the independent-contractor bill will appear in this committee next session, I know a few things about how overreaching by government agencies through regulations can be as hard on employers as taxes. The more money and time you have to spend complying with rules, the less likely you are to survive as a business owner, much less prosper,” said Schoesler.
Schoesler said he thinks the Labor and Commerce Committee needs to focus on shrinking and simplifying Washington’s vast, complex regulatory system.
“The fact that our state’s regulatory code has over 196,000 separate regulations, which is more than all but five states, tells me there is serious need for reform – and this committee is the place to start,” added Schoesler.
Schoesler will continue to serve on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which handles matters related to the state operating budget, as well as the Senate Rules Committee, which chooses the bills that move to the full Senate for voting consideration.
The 2020 legislative session begins Jan. 13 and is scheduled to last 60 days.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, says the latest state revenue forecast shows that the Legislature should roll back the huge business-and-occupation tax increase that it imposed on certain services earlier this year.
The fourth-quarter revenue forecast, released today, shows an increase of $299 million over the third-quarter forecast from September. Combined with the June and September forecasts, revenues for the 2019-21 biennium are now projected to be $850 million higher than what was forecasted when the Legislature adjourned in April. The 20 percent B&O tax increase imposed by the Legislature’s majority party on providers of professional services is expected to raise $380 million in the current biennium.
“We said all along that tax hikes weren’t necessary, but the governor and his allies in the majority apparently felt our Main Street employers were undertaxed, and they went ahead with this huge increase,” said Schoesler, who is a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “I think the Legislature needs to acknowledge that there is already plenty of revenue coming in, and realize it’s time to listen to the taxpayers and rescind the B&O tax hike.”
The November forecast also shows a 2019-21 revenue projection of $51.7 billion. The ending-fund reserves for the current biennium total $3.5 billion, including $2.2 billion in the constitutionally protected rainy-day fund and $1.3 billion in unrestricted reserves.
“The state has plenty of money in reserve now. We can afford to give some of that extra money back to the taxpayers while still keeping a healthy budget reserve in case of an economic downturn in the future,” added Schoesler.
State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, is pleased that a Franklin County community will soon be able to complete an important water project.
The state Public Works Board is awarding a $495,000 loan to the Basin City Water and Sewer District, which will use the loan to complete a project in which flow meters will be installed for residents and businesses within the district.
“This is great news,” said Schoesler. “The new flow meters being installed in Basin City will allow people there to save water, which is not only good resource management, but will save taxpayers money.”
According to Basin City Water and Sewer District Commissioner Dan Winder, the loan will allow the district to complete the project to install flow meters. The project is expected to start in late October or early November and end in January 2020.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.