13th District lawmakers host digital town hall

OLYMPIA — Residents from the 13th Legislative District heard from their elected lawmakers during a virtual town hall meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26, to discuss legislative events and constituent concerns as the session enters its final weeks.  

Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, opened the webinar by discussing the operating, transportation and capital supplemental budget proposals released earlier this week.  

The operating budget proposals had a public hearing on Monday, revealing increased spending and cuts to early education, childcare, and higher education programs. It also featured new revenue sources from the proposed tax on millionaires and rollback of tax exemptions for data centers, drawing significant opposition from Republicans.  

The income tax, dubbed the "millionaires tax” has been one of the most politically divisive pieces of legislation this session. According to Warnick, an income tax has already been deemed unconstitutional in the state and has the potential to creep down to all working Washingtonians.  

“I'm worried about our farmer,” Warnick told constituents. “We have fairly good-sized family farms in our district, and they may bring in a million dollars, but their expenses would eat up that million dollars.”  

Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, a fierce proponent of the data center boom said he opposed any legislation that would repeal their tax exemptions, arguing the facilities are necessary for economic growth and employment. 

Currently, data centers pay about 57% of Quincy’s tax base and have spurred development for a new high school, improved roads, and new recreational facilities. Data centers, however, have stirred up significant debate at the legislature due to energy and environmental concerns. 

“I hate that bill to tell you the truth. I'm not a proponent,” Ybarra said. “I’ve been talking to everybody I can about trying to get rid of that bill.” 

All three lawmakers said they do not support the budget proposal in its current form. They also emphasized that they do not support the Democratic-backed effort that would ban facial coverings for law enforcement officers and one that aims to establish stricter eligibility requirements for elected sheriffs that also provides the state a new path for removal.  

“There is a way to remove a sheriff that's not performing the job, but this is not the way to protect our counties and our sheriff's departments,” Warnick said.  

Discussion then turned over to highlight the “listening sessions” Republicans led earlier this month on a pair of citizen-backed initiatives around transgender inclusion in K-12 girls sports and the “Parent’s Bill of Rights” that would expand parental notification in primary and secondary schools. The initiatives were led by conservative organization Let’s Go Washington, which collected more than 400,000 signatures as verified by the secretary of state.  

The listening session drew large crowds of people offering emotional testimony after the Democratic majority declined to hear the initiatives in a public hearing. 

“That listening session was something I had never seen in the 20 years I've been here,” Warnick said.  

Warnick told constituents that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is considering an amendment that would limit participation in girls’ sports to those assigned female at birth. The WIAA instead would create a new “open” category where all students, regardless of gender and gender expression, can participate in such sports. The effort is modeled after a similar policy in Alaska. The amendment can only be approved through an advisory vote and will likely face legal challenges as it violates current state law.  

Without committee consideration, both initiatives will be sent to voters on the November election ballot.  

Carlene Johnson from the 13th District asked Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake about his bill that aims to reduce regulatory stress on agriculture. House Bill 2619, if passed, would create a legislative task force that reviews and recommends ways to streamline, eliminate, or modify regulations that contribute or lead to stress for farmers.  

Dent expressed optimism for the bill as it passed through the House and is currently making its way through the Senate with bipartisan support.

“It's something I'm real passionate about,” Dent said. “I've always been passionate about improving our mental health.”