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Dear Friends,
Now is the time to encourage your friends and neighbors to join with us to advance The Freedom Agenda of lower taxes, less government and more freedom.
The government wants more of your hard-earned money!
The opposing side is working hard against us, as demonstrated this past week when Gov. Jay Inslee proposed more than $400 million in tax increases, saying it is needed “for the children,” even though the Legislature pumped an additional $1.5 billion into K-12 education last year. My fight for the taxpayer and against an 11 1/2 cent per gallon state gas tax increase has also drawn the attention of opponents. Moneyed interests are beginning to attack me because of my adamant stand against the state gas tax increase. And if the governor gets his way, we’ll not only be paying those higher gas taxes, we’ll also be paying at least an extra $1.17 a gallon at the pump as the result of his low carbon fuel standards.
Republicans have always been against tax increases when there is massive inefficiencies in the system – and there are plenty within the Washington State Department of Transportation. Bertha, the tunneling machine in Seattle has been shut down for weeks because of an eight-inch pipe. By the time Bertha starts tunneling again, the hole in the budget will be larger than the hole this machine has dug!
Gov. Jay Inslee’s ‘Seven Ways to Increase your Taxes’
He can spin it in many directions, saying he will “close tax loopholes,” “eliminate tax preferences,” or “raise revenue.” But these phrases all mean they same thing – the governor wants to raise your taxes!
Here are the governor’s “Seven Ways:”
1. Tax hikes on used car over $10,000: This will result in higher prices for used cars.
2. Tax hikes on truckers who ship your food and goods to the store: This will result in higher prices on groceries and goods.
3. Tax hikes on fuel refineries: This will result in higher gas prices.
4. Increase taxes for out of state customers: This will result in fewer customers for local business.
5. Tax hikes on bottled water: This will require you to pay more for bottled water. Washingtonians repealed this tax in the 2010 General Election.
6. Tax hikes on prescription drugs via the B&O tax.
7. Tax hikes on janitorial services: A “toilet and trash” tax.
Please join with me to fight these tax increases. Call the governor’s office at (360) 902-4111. Tell him: NO TAX INCREASES!
BAD BILL – Assault on our constitutional right to keep and bear arms
Democrats aren’t stopping the assault against our freedom with tax increases. They also want every law abiding citizen who owns a gun to have a background check. That’s the idea behind Initiative 594, which was heard last Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee. They even brought former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, to Olympia to testify in favor of the universal background check measure. Initiative 594 would require background checks whenever a firearm is sold or transferred between licensed dealers or private parties, with few exceptions. Any sale or transfer of a firearm must be completed through a dealer. If you gave a firearm to your son, a brother or other family member, the proposed law would require them to have a background check or be in violation. It would criminalize law-abiding citizens people, such as Gonzaga University students Erik Fagan and Dan McIntosh, who used a gun last year to scare off a six-time convicted felon when he tried to break into their on-campus house for money.
Supporters say they want to “close the gun show loophole.” However, there is no such thing. Only 1 percent of guns sold at gun shows in Washington have been involved in criminal activity. It is the other 99 percent of law-abiding people who would be targeted by this initiative.
Initiative 594 is our BAD BILL OF THE WEEK!
The other initiative to the Legislature – the Good Bill of the Week, Initiative 591, would prevent the state from adopting universal background checks during gun sales.
Since these are initiatives to the Legislature, there are three options:
- The Legislature can adopt one or both of them as written;
- The Legislature can propose their own alternatives, in which case, both the original and the alternative initiative are put before the people of Washington for a vote;
- The Legislature can decide not to take an action, in which case the initiatives will then go to the November ballot.
I believe the last option is likely and that you will have the final say.
Briefly….
- Marijuana revenue – I have co-sponsored House Bill 2732 which would set aside $20 million of tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales for cities and towns to increase law enforcement activities, and $5 million for counties to combat gang violence. Read my joint press release (co-sponsored with Rep. Jeff Holy).
- Pass-Thru Food Bill – House Bill 1827 would create a license for pass-thru wholesale food distributors, such as Zaycon in the Spokane Valley, that deliver pre-packaged food directly to the consumer. A public hearing was held Jan. 17 in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. I am awaiting committee action. Read more about this legislation in my e-mail update from last week.
- Industrial hemp – I am still awaiting a hearing on House Bill 1888, which would legalize growing and sales of industrial hemp. This measure could create an entirely new industry in the state of Washington and have a tremendous positive impact on our state’s economy.
ACTION ITEM – House Bill 2543 – Electronic monitoring
Contact the members of the House Public Safety Committee and ask for their support on House Bill 2543. This is a measure I have sponsored to create tighter restrictions for agencies that electronically monitor offenders. Read my press release on the reason why this legislation is critical. Here’s a listing of those committee members.
Get involved!
I encourage your involvement, attention and participation in our Republic form of government. Here’s how:
- Watch my Legislative Video Update. Every two weeks, I record a video update of the current activities in the Legislature. It is also shown at various times on Spokane City Cable 5.
- Check out all of my prime- and co-sponsored bills here.
- Listen to our Freedom Agenda podcast on Sound Cloud.
- Go to Facebook and look for Freedom Agenda Washington.
- Visit my website: www.representativemattshea.com
- Subscribe to my RSS audio page here.
Thank you for your support. Together, we can successfully defend and build upon a Freedom Agenda of lower taxes, less government and MORE freedom!
Sincerely,
Matt Shea