During final passage debate on Senate Bill 6347, Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, spoke in opposition to a proposed state income tax, highlighting its impact on farmers, farm workers, and rural communities in Washington’s 14th District.
Mendoza said farms in her district are already operating on razor-thin margins due to rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, labor, and water. She warned that adding an income tax could force more family farms to close, leading to job losses and long-term damage to local economies that depend on agriculture.
She also emphasized that rural communities would bear the brunt of policies driven by urban priorities, with fewer jobs, reduced local spending, and potential loss of agricultural investment to other states.
The bill passed the House on March 10 following a 24.5-hour floor debate, with Republicans offering dozens of amendments—most of which were rejected by majority Democrats. All Republicans voted against the bill on final passage.
Thank you Madam Speaker. I stand in strong opposition to this bill.
Madam Speaker, permission to read? Please proceed. Thank you. Madam Speaker,
I want to speak about our farmers and farm workers in my district. This bill, Madam Speaker,
is going to hurt an already struggling economy. Farmers in District 14 are already operating
in razor-thin margins due to fuel, fertilizer, labor, and water costs. An income tax adds
another layer of financial pressure on family farms that are already closing. When farms close,
Madam Speaker, we don't just lose business, we lose generational livelihoods and the backbone
of our rural economy. It also leads to job losses for farm workers. Agriculture is one of the
employers in rural Washington. When farms shut down and scale back because of higher taxes,
farm workers lose jobs. We have already seen farms close in my district and in our region.
Adding an income tax risks accelerating job loss for working families who rely on agriculture for
their income. Rural communities carry the burden while urban areas drive policy. The proposal is
largely driven by urban policy priorities, but the economic consequences land hardest on rural
communities in District 14. Our economy depends on agriculture, food processing, trucking, and
small family business. Industries that are far more vulnerable to new taxes than large urban
corporations. It risks driving agriculture investment out of Washington. Farmers and
agriculture businesses can relocate operations to states with lower tax burdens. Even if a small
percentage of producers leave Washington, the impact on rural counties will be significant,
fewer jobs, fewer local purchases, less revenue for schools and communities.
I'm speeding it up because I want to make it on time. In rural districts like ours,
Madam Speaker, our farm closure can ripple through the entire local economy. So in closing,
I just want to say farms and farm workers go hand in hand. When you hurt a farm,
you hurt thousands of farm workers and generations after that. Please vote no.
Thank you.
