$80B Budget: Income Tax + $4B Pension Raid

This would give a $2.1 billion relief package to residents in Washington off of their property taxes. If we're going to help with the affordability and we want to be listening to our constituents in Washington state, one of the best things you could possibly do today is vote yes on property tax relief. The American dream is about home ownership. The American dream in Washington state is slipping away. This is about what's most important to us. And to me, Mr. Speaker, and I hope to you, the most important thing is the financial stability and security of the people in our community. When they can't afford among the highest grocery costs in the nation, highest gas costs in the nation, highest child care in the nation, the least we can do, Mr. Speaker, is pass an amendment that gives them some relief so they can at least stay in their homes. This is a little bit of relief for our seniors. This is a little bit of relief for our young families who are starting out. This is a little bit of relief to help those who need some relief from the overburden and overtaxation. Our budgets are about values. I believe tax relief should be one of our values. This amendment is pretty simple. It creates a sales tax holiday for the periods between Black Friday all the way through Cyber Monday, that weekend that we have every year. This is at least one way we could take the financial stress off of our constituents during what is already a very stressful time and find a way to give them some level of affordability in this state when it comes to purchasing their goods and purchasing the things that they need. Mr. Speaker, no one, including the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, can explain some of the concerning things we've seen over the course of this session in some of our home-based daycare systems seemingly pocketed around one area in our state, in King County. Some of these Washington leering centers are getting tens of thousands of dollars a month more than they could even reasonably receive in subsidies. And when the state auditor's office went to go look and said, oh, we're going to go audit a sample of 40 different daycares in Washington state, and they only had like less than 10 respond, they don't even have to respond to the state auditor's office. And that's why it's important that we investigate fraud in our state. Because Mr. Speaker, where there's smoke, oftentimes there's fire. And any time me and you and the legislature decide not to take fraud seriously, not to make sure we're funding like this amendment does, our fraud accountability, it just makes it look like we're covering it up. You won't be surprised by this amendment, Madam Speaker, because I've tried this every year since I first ran what was called the CAR Bill, which was the Carbon Auction Rebate Bill. And so this amendment is very similar to that. It directs the Department of Licensing to issue a rebate to drivers in Washington state from the Climate Commitment Act. Madam Speaker, I know that you know a lot about the Climate Commitment Act that passed here in the state of Washington. And we all know the governor's quote at that time, it was going to cost drivers in the state of Washington just pennies, just pennies to have the Climate Commitment Act in Washington state. But Madam Speaker, it costs a lot more than just a couple of pennies. Cost of gas in Washington state today is $4.36 a gallon. The average price in the United States is $2.98 a gallon. That's $1.38 more in Washington than in most places in the United States. The Climate Commitment Act has become a giant piggy bank for the state of Washington. $4.2 billion it has collected on the backs of Washington residents and Washington businesses. The least we can do is send some of that money, just a small fraction of that money, back to the people of the state of Washington. This is a big bucket of money. And while we've seen it spread all over this budget, I think taking a portion of that and giving it back to the people is not a bad idea. Vote yes. We hear often on this floor that budgets are about values. Madam Speaker, one of my values is that I don't think the state should virtue signal on the backs of working Washingtonians. Unfortunately, the Climate Commitment Act does a lot, does not do much more than virtue signal. A recent study came out showing that it is responsible for just .0008% of global climate reductions. It does virtually nothing. Recently, the Department of Ecology produced a map showing where CCA funds have been deployed by legislative districts. Do you know what the CCA is funding in my district, Madam Speaker? Climate planning positions with city governments and one EV charging station at one apartment. That is not reducing our carbon output. That is employing a few more public employees and giving one apartment complex a few more electric vehicle chargers. That is the definition of virtue signaling, Madam Speaker. This amendment would be one very small step towards doing something to deliver real affordability relief for our constituents who need it most. Please understand that $100 back to the community will play well, will bode well for the future of this state. It's not too much to ask. It will help our border communities. It will help places like Pullman, who's invested a tremendous amount of effort into making their community new, fresh, and vibrant. It will help Spokane Valley. It will help Clarkston. It will help Walla Walla. It will help Vancouver. It will help all those communities if you just do this one little thing for right now. In a state as wonderful as ours, which aspect of our governance is truly incredible right now? I'm not sure which agency I would put on a pedestal against 49 other states and say, this is the one everyone should copy. For $80 billion, I don't think we're there. And I think the people of Washington can be, should be vindicated and expecting more. At some point, Madam Speaker, for my constituents, enough is enough. Grocery prices are up in Washington state. Gas prices are up in Washington state. Housing prices are up in Washington state. And the answer tonight is let's grow government. Growing government. And it's growing and it's growing and it's growing on the backs of our people. On the backs of people who put on the work boots, 6 a.m. in the morning, lunch pail and hard hat, go to work for 40-plus hours a week, and yeah, you know what, they can't afford to live in this state. They can't afford their property taxes, their rent, their groceries. Tonight we tried to help families in our districts and things that we're hearing are a problem for them. We asked for property tax relief. People are drowning right now in property taxes in Washington state. The answer to that question was no. We asked for gas payment relief. We have the third highest gas prices in the United States right now. We talked about it earlier. Just the Climate Commitment Act is adding almost $500 a year to people's budgets. We asked for a small amount to go back to Washington drivers out of the Climate Commitment Act that has raised $4.2 billion for Washington state's piggy bank. And we said no to that as well. We tried a sales tax holiday to help around for Christmas time so people could afford to buy gifts for their families and their loved ones, and we were told no on that. It was said earlier tonight that this budget gives Washingtonians a fighting chance. I don't think that it does. Washington is one of the most expensive states in the United States to live in, and it's currently the most expensive state to die in. We talk a lot about affordability, Madam Speaker, but after billions and billions of dollars in new spending, the only thing that became more affordable was literally nothing for our constituents. We spent billions of dollars more in their gas, groceries, rent, insurance, health care, you name it. I mean, some of the worst in the country for affordability. This budget doesn't solve any of that, and you know, it's funny to me that when families have a financial crisis, they tighten their belt and they cut back just to the essentials. But when government has a budget crisis, it raises your taxes, raids your pensions, taxes your income, spends more money. The best way I could describe this is maxing out a credit card and then using another credit card to pay it off. It's reckless. It's irresponsible. And two of the biggest things this budget does is hinge our entire future on an unconstitutional income tax, which I believe will apply to the rest of us in no time. Legally untested, $2.1 billion in revenue we may never see. And it also includes an untested legally raid of a law enforcement officers and firefighters left one pension, $4 billion. No state has ever attempted or achieved such a thing. Madam Speaker, we could do a whole lot better than this. I believe in one Washington. This isn't it. If we don't fix these problems, we'll be back here again, arguing the same thing all over. You can't tax your way out of prosperity, Madam Speaker. Vote no.