Parents may NEVER regain these rights | Fix Washington S02 EP11

[Music] welcome back to the Fix Washington Podcast a production of the House Republican Caucus My name is Peter Robero House Republican Caucus Chair and today on this episode of Fix Washington Podcast is Deb Meneres the representative of the 14th Legislative District Deb welcome to the show Thank you for having me Yeah So tell us a little bit about the 14th Legislative District The 14th is a great district Lots of working families you know We do uh we go to we go to soccer We take our kids to soccer So yeah lots of working families It takes up the majority of Yakama County all the Yakma Indian Reservation Um goes down and grabs some Pasco all the way out to um Clickat Lyle out there in Clickat So yeah lots of just hardworking families a lot of agricultural land It's really a beautiful district Yes And this time of year all those apple trees around Blossom Yes Yeah We were just talking about that I mean it's the state it's the state fruit right apple So um so this is your first year in the legislature Uh tell me so far you know we've got less than 30 days left Tell me how's it going It has been so interesting Um oh just a heavy learning experience Um love the work Our our caucus is absolutely great So no Um yeah No I like representing the people of the 14th Yeah And so I mean you're making uh quite a name for yourself I mean you're on a lot of important committees you're doing a lot of important work for the state of Washington and the 14th district you know tell some of our Fixed Washington podcast listeners some of your your work in on some of those committees So yeah So I was very fortunate I am on the healthcare committee Um which has been very interesting That's a very complicated subject in Washington state We actually we need to bring down health care costs Um it's quite complicated So I can see work on that committee going for some time The other one I'm on housing Um housing uh costs of course have gone through the roof um in this state and we need to bring we need to bring down the cost of housing I mean people in my district having a very hard time um being able to you can't find a house under 300,000 in my district I know that's odd for the west side of the state but no we we we need ho homes under 300,000 in the 14th I'm also on appropriations which has been an excellent uh committee You get to see you get to see where all the money's going and really how um that that's a lot of hours but I've loved the appropriations Yeah And that's an important committee I mean that's that's what we call in under the DOMA power committee So not every freshman gets an opportunity to serve on that kind of important committee No I was very um No I was very thankful to be on that committee and hopefully my background as a CPA I think I added a little bit to that committee Yeah And one of the I think the common thread uh as you discussed some of your work on the committees was affordability and we know there's an affordability crisis here in the state of Washington whether it's housing whether it's food insecurity Uh talk a little bit about that I mean are you hearing that in your district that people are are really stretching their budgets thin at the kitchen table Oh absolutely Absolutely It I mean it really is the primary factor um food and price of gas Um you know and I really think the the legislature our duty is to to set up a um an economic system that our people can thrive without our um involvement in their lives too much Yeah And so um you know I dropped a couple bill a couple bills this year My primary bill was to remove sales tax on prepared food That's when you're coming home from that soccer game and you want to do that drive-thru with the kids on the way home um those prices have gone up at those those fast food restaurants and so you know an eight 8 to 10% sales tax on that adds to it Um that goes along the lines of what people sent us here to do and that is to reduce the cost of their living Yeah And and that hits everybody I mean I mean you you talked about the soccer moms and dads coming home but every working family sometimes are stretched thin I mean people are working more hours working harder just to make ends meet So these prepared meals are are kind of common nowadays Oh it's very common We are you know our lives are you know we're very busy So no and and you're right it goes um to all income levels That that would have affected Excuse me The um you're right it got a hearing but of course it never got out of committee um because of all the proposed taxes they've got going on this year But no that would have helped the people in my district a great deal The other bill that our caucus put forward was a uh no sales tax on diapers and formula and strollers and the things that we we used to raise a child a baby specifically That would have gone a very long way in my district to help a lot You know families are families go are first in my district That would have helped a great deal It would have helped um towards this affordability problem we have in this state Yeah And I I'll be honest that was one of my favorite bills that was dropped in this session because as a dad um I knew how expensive it was when my kids were young for diapers and child care issues I mean all of it's so expensive and and you know it's sometimes those those those new families that are getting hit the worst on some of these affordability issues Oh absolutely Think about it If you remember raising your kids and the diapers and the formula and you couldn't wait oh can they get It's a It's a lot of expense and those things have gone up too those those base things and so we should be giving them some kind of relief um to the people in our state Well we know that uh House Democrats and even Senate Democrats are proposing some massive tax increases which you know $15 billion it's going to get passed down on a lot of that new stuff I mean obviously that's not going to help with the affordability issue No the um the property tax specifically I mean our people have said no they do not want an increase in property taxes You know we've got elderly in their homes Um they've paid for them per perhaps and uh they don't they don't qualify for the exemption but those property taxes are becoming a deterrent of for them staying in their home Once again affordability of houses altogether When the property taxes go up your mortgage statement your mortgage payment goes up every month It is hurting the people of my 14 Well and it used to be the American dream You would you would you would work towards home ownership and that's how you built intergenerational wealth and then you would pass it on It's hard to do that nowadays in Washington It is And I think that still is the American dream and we as legislators need to do what we can to to still make that the American dream for all of our people Well I know you're working hard at that but you are also concerned about a Senate bill coming over from the other side of the aisle which is uh 5284 which is an extended producer responsibility bill that proposes to increase the cost of virtually every single thing we buy at the grocery store Absolutely This is kind of the it's kind of we call it the packaging bill So they want to it really will be a tax an increased cost on everything that's packaged I mean think about that cookies in the store crackers all of it is packaging that it's going to be uh it's going to be charged to the producers but they are going to have to send it down to us at the consumers The price of absolutely everything is going to go up So once again that's a very narrow-minded um looking uh bill not paying attention to the people in our state to try to bring down the cost of everyday living Well and you were talking about soccer moms and dads and and working families Uh one of the graphics produced by the House Republican Caucus showed that those applesauce pouches that we are find it so convenient would go up by about 20% per pouch I mean that's that that all adds up Some people will say it's death by a thousand cuts because the taxes are just overwhelming It is And I think um no our our people have all the people in this state they have screamed very loud we want no more taxes Yeah the budget in the state over the past 10 years has gone from what like 35 billion to over 70 billion Yet our population has only increased by about 30% Um even my second grade grandson can tell you that math does not equal The people do not feel like they're getting any more services What are they getting for their money So I think they've told us a hard no No new taxes Don't increase the cost of my living Yeah And unfortunately Senate Bill 5284 will do that And rumor is they want to add uh a bottle tax redemption type program into the bill which would add I think 7 to 10 cents per bottle in addition to another2 to $500 million that will be passed down to consumers Those two bills the extended producer and the bottle together as one I mean that's going to be hard to survive in the state of Washington That will be a crushing added cost to the people in the state So the bottle the the bottle builds we tal they want to put 10 cents So you're you buy a case of water you know a two a 24 case of water which is what you know and you're going to add it will double the price because of the price of that So 10 cents for every bottle you're going to pay as you buy it Um there is a redemption process but I'm you know are you going to really redeem you're going to really keep all those plastic bottles and bring them back once again and nonprofits going to be set up to handle all of that and all the costs Um it's going to it's going to land square on the people in our state So our people are screaming for affordability in this state and yet the bills that are coming out are um the effect will be the exact opposite It's going to increase our food costs for everybody Welcome back to the Fix Washington Podcast a production of the House Republican Caucus We're still with Deb Menerz from the 14th Legislative District And and Deb you know you're advocating for families affordability at the kitchen table but you're also advocating for parental rights And you know you weren't here last year because you're new to the legislature but there was a parental bill of rights It was passed off the House floor it became law and then all of a sudden this year they're trying to change it Yes This is actually an issue I'm quite passionate about I I think this uh this may be my passion while I'm here in the legislature is to save our children And so this parent rights right you know remember the history of the parents rights is there was an initiative with over 450,000 signatures of voters in this state that wanted to pass parent rights It passed the legislature and now they're coming back and they're gutting it I'm very concerned Um parents are I mean parents it shouldn't be it shouldn't I shouldn't have to say that parents are the we are the ones that love our children the most Um I'd give my life for my children and my grandchildren Um the government should not get should not come between the child and the parent Our parent rights are sacred Um and we should be involved in their education Um that's really where it's concerned They they want to keep things from parents in the education cycle I'm absolutely opposed Um I believe 80% of the people in this state are absolutely opposed to that Um we need to look out for our kids and the parents are the um are the people to do that Yeah And if we're going to build strong families I mean you're advocating that we need to have greater involvement and and engagement with parents and their children to have those discussions You know some of the most uncomfortable discussions you have with your kids build the stronger bonds and trust And unfortunately you know it looks like they're trying to roll some of those parental rights back which often just weakens the family Absolutely The family is most important And if we heard some of the um some of the testimony on the floor of the house it really evolves around this whole sex gender sex change stuff That's what it that is that is the basis is why they want to get this And I find that atrocious I'm sorry I find that atrocious Um the health of the children belong with the parents The parents belong with the decision uh to make the decision about all of that Um I'm fumbling with my words because I I can't it's insanity that this bill and what they want to do Yeah And and I think what what we heard on the House floor and and and you've heard it too is that there seems to be uh a reluctance to engage parents in those conversations It seems like they're giving more rights to a 13-year-old to make those decisions but not including the family to help them because there's a lot of emotional health there's a lot of mental health and most certainly we want to be having parents part of those decision making Uh not have somebody outside of the home guiding them in one direction that may not be the direction And those are irreparable changes and irreparable things that those children can do without the family engaged Absolutely I am the biggest advocate for my children or my grandchildren If you know a ch you you've got a daughter that gets pregnant young unexpected the parents we are the ones that are going to support that child We're the ones that we're the ones that need to counsel that child We're the ones that need to help that child And so um no you know we don't let 13y olds enter into contracts We don't let children under 18 enter into real contracts because they can be taken advantage of We don't let them vote We don't let them own a gun We do not let children um enter into these very important decisions but this law allows them to make that decision without their parents um consent I'm very concerned Well and I haven't seen uh seen House Democrats offering amendments to allow them to get tattoos and that's another permanent thing You're right You're right Right So I I I think there's a lot to really unpack in this and and I think your district in the state of Washington is really lucky to have you there advocating for parents because it's really important and you're advocating for them from policy uh to to the economic side and I think that's really important It is It's a whole that you know most of the people in 14 they just want to live their lives They want to raise their children um and they want they want to go to work and they want to go home and they want to have a barbecue in their backyard Yeah And government should make that easier not more difficult Yeah and and and what what what the folks in the 14th district and really across the state of Washington should also know is that you're somebody who is fighting for them You've introduced bills that will reduce the cost of living for them You're fighting against bad bills If somebody whether they're in the 14th district or anywhere in Washington wants to get a hold of you uh wants to share their stories how could they get in contact with you Yeah No go to you know ledge.wah.gov you're going to find my legislative website my phone number my email So yes email me with questions and uh we'll get back to you Absolutely Well thank you for joining us on the Fix Washington Podcast And thank you for joining us on the Fix Washington Podcast If you want to learn more about the House Republican Caucus our priorities or help us stop bad bills you can go to house republicans.wah.gov Fix Washington with Anna Scott a podcast from Washington House Republicans Go to our website houserepublicans.wa.gov gov Find us on Facebook X Instagram and YouTube