Tag Archives: Whitman County

9th District legislators ask governor to let Whitman County partially reopen

When Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that 10 Washington counties may be allowed to partially reopen amid his stay-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 9th Legislative District team of Sen. Mark Schoesler, and Reps. Joe Schmick and Mary Dye immediately noticed Whitman County was not on the list.

The omission prompted the lawmakers to send a joint letter to Inslee yesterday, asking him to add Whitman to the list of counties that can seek a variance from the governor’s Proclamation 20-25, allowing them to reopen parts of their economies soon.

“We think the governor isn’t using fair criteria to judge which counties can partially reopen their economies during his shutdown, especially in regards to Whitman County. We think Whitman should be allowed to partially reopen now, and Representatives Schmick and Dye and I wanted to let the governor know it,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

“Whitman County has two cases that are being monitored and staying home. All other cases have recovered. It makes no sense to close the county for two. The recovery numbers are not being published and I think they should be in every county. Our families, small businesses and employees want – and need – to get back to work. I trust our citizens to be smart, deliberate and thoughtful of others as we emerge from quarantine,” said Schmick, R-Colfax.

“We have had weeks to better understand the nature of the pandemic. It is self-evident that we must protect vulnerable elderly populations in assisted living and nursing homes,” said Dye, R-Pomeroy. “Our communities in Whitman County need to be freed from the governor’s restrictions in order to save our rural hospitals and our rural economy. We are better able to respond to the virus when our communities are allowed to recover financially as well.”

The 10 counties that can partially reopen are Columbia, Ferry, Garfield (which is in the 9th District), Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kittitas, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Skamania and Wahkiakum.

The text of the 9th District legislators’ letter to the governor is below:

May 5, 2020

Governor Jay Inslee
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002

Dear Governor Inslee,

We are writing to respectfully ask you to add Whitman County to the list of Washington counties that may seek a variance from your Proclamation 20-25, toward reopening parts of their economies sooner.

We are encouraged by your recognition of the fact that not all areas of the state are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic in the same way and agree with you that some counties should have an opportunity to reopen earlier. However, we are disappointed to learn of the disclosed criteria that lead to inclusion of some counties while excluding Whitman County: Counties under 75,000 in population are eligible to apply for a variance if they have not had a single positive COVID-19 case in the last three weeks. (We were told Whitman County had none over the last week, but had one the prior week, so it needs to go two more weeks without a positive test.) We think this is the wrong criteria to use and we are disappointed Whitman County is not being given that opportunity – because the data indicate it should.

For instance, Jefferson County made the list despite having had twice as many confirmed cases (28) of COVID-19 as Whitman County (14). (According to the Whitman County Health Department, there currently are two active COVID-19 cases in this county, as the others diagnosed with it have recovered.) Grays Harbor County is on the list despite having a population roughly 50 percent greater than Whitman County. Kittitas County is eligible despite having a slightly higher rate of confirmed cases per 1,000 people (0.30) than Whitman County (0.28). In fact, Whitman County has the 11th lowest rate of confirmed cases per 1,000 people of all 39 counties in our state. It is also noteworthy that Whitman County, like all of the 10 counties being allowed to seek a variance, has had no deaths caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

We also note that with Washington State University having canceled in-person classes for the rest of the current academic year, Whitman County’s largest city, Pullman, is now home to only a small fraction of the student body. Forcing many Pullman businesses to remain closed for several more weeks at a time when they prematurely find themselves with far fewer customers to protect will needlessly bring them closer to the edge of failure.

It’s worth noting that Whitman and other border counties have faced very tough stay-home restrictions over the past several weeks, while our neighbors in Idaho have endured far fewer restrictions. Unlike in Washington, you can buy a car in Idaho, which seems like a very reasonable and sensible approach considering auto dealerships typically have very few customers in the building at the same time. Outdoor activities like golf, which by its very nature employs physical distancing, have been handled far differently in Washington than in Idaho. While you can play golf in Lewiston, you haven’t been allowed to play it in Clarkston, even though the two towns are just across the river from each other. At least you are finally somewhat relaxing your shutdown on golf and other outdoor activities.

During your Friday announcement that Proclamation 20-25 would be extended, you spoke of your desire to bet on success rather than failure. We would bet that if Whitman County is granted the same opportunity as the 10 counties you designated already, its leaders, merchants and residents will deliver. It would be fair and consistent – and they, too, would rather succeed than fail.

Please reconsider your decision and allow Whitman County to also apply for a variance so it can finally, if slowly, start its reopening process.

Sincerely,

MARK SCHOESLER
State Senator
9^th Legislative District

JOE SCHMICK
State Representative
9^th Legislative District

MARY DYE
State Representative
9^th Legislative District

Cc: Whitman County Commissioners
Art Swannack, District 1
Dean Kinzer, District 2
Michael Largent, District 3

Schoesler pleased SR-26 passing lane project funded in final transportation budget

Washington State University students and other members of “Cougar Nation” will be among those benefiting from a passing-lane project for State Route 26 that is accelerated in the new two-year state transportation budget passed by the Senate today, said 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

The 2019-21 transportation budget provides $11.15 million for the project, which will add climbing lanes on SR-26 between Dusty and Colfax in Whitman County.

“There has been a real need for climbing lanes along this stretch of Highway 26 because of how unsafe it is for drivers to pass due to limited visibility caused by hills. Adding these climbing lanes will make trips on this part of the highway much safer for drivers,” said Schoesler, who noted construction could begin as early as next year.

“Seventy percent of the students who go to WSU come from western Washington,” said Schoesler during his floor speech in support of the final version of the transportation budget. “Their safety and Coug Nation’s safety is important when they come to Pullman for Dad’s Weekend, Mom’s Weekend or the Apple Cup. Hopefully, when folks come over to the 2020 Apple Cup, they’ll be able to see the completed passing lanes.”

Schoesler praised Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson for organizing a grass-roots effort to secure funding for the SR-26 climbing lanes. Schoesler also lauded Senate Transportation Committee Chair Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Yakima Sen. Curtis King, the committee’s ranking Republican, for moving up the project’s timeline so it can be completed sooner.

Schoesler joined the rest of the Senate Sunday in voting 49-0 to approve the final version of the state transportation budget. The House passed the final transportation budget 96-2 today.

Schoesler supports SR-26 passing lane project in Senate transportation budget

Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, is applauding the 2019-21 Senate transportation budget’s inclusion of an $11.15 million project that would add climbing lanes on State Route 26 between Dusty and Colfax in Whitman County.

“I’m very pleased to see the Senate budget not only includes funding for the climbing lanes on SR-26, but it would provide all $11 million-plus for this project in the 2019-21 budget period, which means construction could begin as early as next year if the House agrees with the Senate’s funding timeline for this project,” said Schoesler.

“There has been a real need for climbing lanes along this stretch of Highway 26 because it currently is very unsafe for drivers to pass due to limited visibility caused by hills. Adding climbing lanes will make trips on this part of the highway safer for WSU students and area residents,” added Schoesler, who praised Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson for organizing a grass-roots effort to secure funding for climbing lanes on SR-26. Schoesler also lauded Senate Transportation Committee Chair Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Yakima Sen. Curtis King, the committee’s ranking Republican, for moving up the project’s timeline so it can be completed sooner.

Schoesler joined the rest of the Senate Thursday in voting 47-0 to approve the Senate transportation budget, which was amended onto the House budget, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1160. Because the Senate amended its own transportation budget onto the House version, Senate and House transportation budget leaders are expected to meet to work out differences as the 2019 legislative session nears its April 28 completion date.

Schoesler bill to help rural ambulance service advances in Senate

It can be a challenge for very small, rural communities to provide ambulance service for their citizens. A bill prime-sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler aims to make it easier for two tiny Whitman County towns, Garfield and Farmington, to continue providing joint ambulance service.

Schoesler’s proposal, Senate Bill 5592, was approved this week by the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee. The measure is now before the Senate Rules Committee, one step from a full Senate vote.

A 2017 state law allows rural ambulance-service providers to overcome personnel shortages by allowing ambulance drivers who don’t have first aid or medical training. But this new law inadvertently left out ambulance services shared by two or more municipalities, such as Garfield and Farmington.

“The point of this bill is to let shared ambulance services continue operations so these communities don’t have to turn to other providers farther away simply because the driver of the ambulance isn’t trained in first aid,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

The proposal specifically would permit ambulance services established by an association comprising two or more municipalities in a rural area to use a driver without any medical or first-aid training.

“My bill and the law it would update both work because when an ambulance carries a patient to a hospital, the driver really doesn’t have a role in caring for the patient,” said Schoesler. “The EMTs in the back really are the persons in charge. The driver simply needs to be at least 18, pass a background check, and possess a valid driver’s license with no restrictions. This is a common-sense proposal that uses the co-op principle to meet the needs of rural communities.”

Schoesler says Senate budget proposal’s no-new-taxes approach is best

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler offered this statement about the supplemental operating budget proposed today by the Senate. The update would increase state spending in the 2015-17 operating budget by a modest $49 million.

“Governor Inslee wants to raise taxes and raid the state’s rainy-day fund. The Democrats who control the House of Representatives want to raise taxes and raid the state’s rainy-day fund. Only the Senate’s budget avoids tax increases and protects the rainy-day fund. That is a top priority for our Majority Coalition Caucus, and the plan we put on the table today continues to build on the remarkable record of results we have achieved in four years of leading the Senate.

“The MCC has again shown it is possible to provide for education and state government’s other priorities without outspending the available revenue. By continuing to keep tax rates stable for families and employers, we encourage job growth in all corners of the state, not just the Puget Sound area, which puts Washington in the best position to continue recovering from the Great Recession.

“A supplemental budget is supposed to make adjustments in response to emerging needs and caseload shifts and one-time opportunities that could not have been foreseen when the two-year budget was approved. The governor and House leaders are wrong to use their budget proposals as a way to go after families and employers for more tax dollars and raid the rainy-day fund to support new spending.

“It is disappointing that the House’s budget proposal also takes aim at the Washington-only law requiring the two-year budget to balance across four years, not just two. This unique policy has brought stability by forcing budget writers to account for the long-term effects of their decisions – meaning beyond the next election. The House’s chief budget writer supported the creation of that law in 2012, before he started wearing that hat. Now he refers to the law as ‘voodoo economics’ and wants to kneecap it while using a half-dozen tax increases to balance the House budget proposal. They include a bottled-water tax that was already rejected by voters and a sales-tax increase that would devastate retailers in our border counties, in legislative districts served primarily by Republicans.

“This legislative session is scheduled to end two weeks from tomorrow; let’s work toward a budget agreement that is an update, not a rewrite, without the empty posturing about new taxes that dragged the Legislature through three overtimes this past year.”

Schoesler is a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which is holding a public hearing on the Senate’s supplemental operating-budget and capital-budget proposals today; it may be viewed online at www.TVW.org.