Author Archives: bookerstallworth

Interim report: Faith and Freedom for America’s 250th Birthday

As we approach the historic 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth, it is a profound time to reflect on the foundations that have sustained us.

This edition of my newsletter features a column I wrote discussing the vital importance of recognizing America’s and Washington’s Christian heritage as we celebrate this incredible milestone.

Also see the critical updates regarding the latest revenue forecast, the role that illegal immigration is playing in the overspending behind Washington’s current budget crisis, and the latest on several state transportation and building projects in our district.

Click here to read my full report.

Ensure faith’s role in Washington’s America 250 celebrations

Click here to read at The News Tribune.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, our communities are entering a historic season of reflection.

Puyallup will host “Voices of Valor,” a program exploring the diverse stories of those who built and shaped our early nation. Simultaneously, across the Cascades in Walla Walla, citizens will gather to honor that region’s legacy as the “Cradle of the Northwest.”

From the shores of Puget Sound to the rolling hills of the Palouse, I encourage all Washingtonians to seek out and participate in their local Semiquincentennial events. It is vital that we honor every voice that cried out for liberty. However, as we prepare for this historic milestone, we must also ensure that we do not lose sight of the most influential “voice” of all: the deep, Christian conviction that served as the foundational framework of the American experiment.

History is often treated like a buffet where we can pick and choose the parts that suit modern sensibilities. But you cannot honestly tell the story of 1776 without acknowledging that the Founders’ belief in human rights was rooted in a theological reality.

When the First Continental Congress gathered in 1774, their very first act wasn’t a political debate. It was a three-hour session of prayer. They recognized then, as we must now, that rights are not a gift from the government; they are, as the Declaration of Independence states, an endowment from our “Creator.”

By signing the Declaration of Independence, the founders essentially bound themselves by a blood oath, explicitly pledging their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in defiance of a king. If our republic demanded that same ultimate sacrifice today, how many of us would truly be willing to sign our names? Such a choice demands an extraordinary, almost terrifying level of faith. More than just belief in a political cause, it would require faith in the providence of God to sustain a nation built on liberty.

When people gather in Walla Walla, they stand near the ground where missionaries like Marcus Whitman first arrived in 1836. Driven by a Christian mission, these pioneers sought to build a society rooted in biblical literacy and moral virtue decades before Washington achieved statehood.

Our state’s founders understood this legacy perfectly. When they assembled in 1889 to draft the Washington State Constitution, they didn’t start with a secular list of grievances. Instead, they wrote a preamble that remains the bedrock of our law today: “We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution.”

Like John Adams once warned, our system of self-government was made only for a “moral and religious people.” Without that spiritual foundation, the house of liberty cannot stand.

While the Washington State Legislature is currently in its interim period, the work of defending these foundational principles never takes a vacation. The period between legislative sessions is a time for statewide preparation. I am concerned that as we hold our state’s official 250th-anniversary celebrations, there is a risk of sanitizing our history to fit modern trends. A celebration that ignores the role of the pulpit and the faith of our pioneers is not an honest celebration; it is a revisionist one.

That is why I plan to meet with faith leaders and constituents from across the state to ensure that our religious heritage remains at the center of the conversation.

As we move toward the 2027 legislative session, I am working on a plan to ensure the state’s America 250 K-12 curriculum accurately reflects the faith that made freedom possible. The connection between our history and our current laws demand our statutes reflect the reality that religious liberty is our “first freedom” for a reason.

The most important job for me during this period of reflection is to be a watchman for these values. I will be pre-filing legislation this December to ensure our state’s Semiquincentennial Committee officially recognizes the Christian foundations of our republic. We owe it to those who stood at the beginning of these 250 years to tell their story truthfully.

The 250th anniversary is more than a birthday party for a country; it is a renewal of a covenant. Let us attend our local events, celebrate the diverse voices of our past, and never forget the faith that gave those voices the courage to speak in the first place.

Sen. Jim McCune, who represents the 2nd Legislative District, serves on the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.

McCune urges action on budget crisis caused by chronic overspending and made worse by illegal immigration

State Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, is responding with what he describes as “a dose of tough love” to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s recent admission that state government is headed for its third significant budget shortfall in three years.

McCune points out that the administration’s June 5 directive calling on state agencies to find spending reductions fails to acknowledge decades of reckless spending by the Democrat legislative majority. He argues that this latest fiscal crisis is heavily exacerbated by pouring hundreds of millions of state tax dollars into services for undocumented immigrants.

“Governor Ferguson is sending panic signals to state agencies and demanding cuts while completely ignoring the donkey in the room,” McCune said. “Olympia does not have a revenue problem; it has a chronic, unchecked spending problem. The Democrat majority has treated hardworking Washingtonians like an ATM, and now that the bill is coming due, they are not being transparent about the true cost of their policies.”

McCune argues that while the majority party in Olympia claims there is no money left to support core government functions, a look at the state operating budget reveals hundreds of millions of limited state general-fund tax dollars are being purposefully diverted away from citizens to fund parallel safety nets for non-citizens. Because federal law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving federal welfare, Ferguson and his legislative allies are forcing Washington taxpayers to pick up the costs instead.

The fiscal footprint of these state-discretionary policies includes:

$142.3 million for healthcare expansions: The current biennial operating budget explicitly allocates $142.3 million in state general funds just to maintain enrollment caps for the state-funded Apple Health expansion, which targets low-income adults ineligible for federal Medicaid primarily due to immigration status. This is paired with state-funded Cascade Care premium subsidies through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.
$25 million in parallel welfare systems: The Legislature handed $25 million to the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance specifically to expand housing resources and emergency integration services for those who do not qualify for traditional federal safety nets.
Housing and eligibility changes: Following the passage of HB 1260 in 2023, the state altered its rules to allow undocumented residents access to the Housing and Essential Needs program, increasing competition for limited state emergency housing resources that were previously reserved for citizens.
Millions more in education: According to the Congressional Budget Office, specialized language acquisition and local school expansions represent the single largest service cost driver imposed on state budgets during immigration surges. Furthermore, Washington draws directly from state higher education allocations to fund full tuition coverage for undocumented students via the Washington College Grant.

This massive draw on state resources comes as immigrant populations reach historic highs. While special-interest groups long claimed the national undocumented population was flat at 10.5 million, data from the Migration Policy Institute and the Pew Research Center confirms the nation recently experienced the sharpest two-year immigration surge in 30 years.

As a result, the national unauthorized population has soared to a record 13.7 to 14.0 million, and our state has become a primary destination. Between 2017 and 2021, Washington was one of only two states in the entire nation to see a significant population increase (in excess of 60,000) while historic hubs like California saw sharp declines. Today, Washington’s undocumented population has swelled to an estimated 344,000 to 375,000 people. This means nearly 5% of the state’s entire population is unauthorized, tying Washington for the eighth-highest percentage in the United States.

“The Democrats who control our state cannot continue to incentivize illegal immigration with millions in state-funded handouts while the state budget faces a structural deficit and our communities face a public-safety crisis,” McCune continued. “The fix is to stop bleeding money, prioritize legal citizens and ensure our laws protect our communities rather than shielding criminals.”

To address both the fiscal and public-safety impacts of this crisis, McCune intends to offer two legislative changes during the 2027 legislative session to roll back the restrictive provisions of the state’s 2019 sanctuary law, known as the Keep Washington Working Act:

Prioritize public safety from violent offenders: Amend the Keep Washington Working Act to explicitly allow the Washington Department of Corrections to fully communicate and facilitate interactions with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This will ensure the immediate removal of any undocumented immigrant convicted of a violent offense, serious violent offense, or sex offense.
Remove felony DUI offenders: Amend the act to allow law enforcement and correctional facilities to cooperate with federal immigration authorities for the swift removal of undocumented immigrants who have racked up felony DUI convictions here in Washington, taking habitual, dangerous drivers off our roads.

“During the Biden administration, Washington’s undocumented population surged, yet state-level cooperation with federal immigration authorities was later deliberately severed,” said McCune. “Now, even as national numbers begin to stabilize under President Trump, Washington is squandering a vital opportunity. We have a robust federal partner ready to remove dangerous criminals from our streets, but our state’s Keep Washington Working Act actively blocks local law enforcement from working with federal partners to keep our local communities safe.”

McCune continued: “Worse, the legislative majority’s restrictions on information sharing have created an intentional data blackout, making it nearly impossible to ascertain exact figures. By prioritizing sanctuary politics over public safety and hiding the data, the Democrat majority is leaving our streets vulnerable.

“The hardworking taxpayers of Washington are tired of paying more and getting less from an out-of-touch government,” concluded McCune. “It is time to scale back these unaffordable, state-funded incentives, restore cooperation with federal law enforcement, and return to a budget that prioritizes the people who are legally working and paying taxes in our communities.”

McCune calls 2026 session a relentless assault on state constitution, says new legislation needed to reverse troubling trend

State Sen. Jim McCune announced today he will offer a slate of new legislative proposals aimed at addressing what he called the “disturbing and systematic” effort by the Democrat majority during this year’s legislative session to bypass the Washington State Constitution, strip local authority, and ignore the direct will of the people.

“From unconstitutional new taxes to the looting of first-responder pensions, the 2026 session was defined by a Democrat majority that views our state constitution as a suggestion rather than a mandate and the will of the voters as a nuisance to be circumvented,” said McCune, R-Graham. “We are seeing a historic consolidation of power in Olympia that should alarm every citizen, regardless of their politics.”

McCune highlighted legislative Democrats’ blatant disregard for the citizen initiative process, the “first power” reserved by the people in Washington’s constitution.

“Despite the constitutional requirement that initiatives take precedence over all other measures except appropriation bills, the Democrat majority refused to even hold public hearings on two major initiatives this year,” McCune pointed out. “They didn’t just ignore these bills; they ignored the hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians whose petitioned their elected representatives, demanding to be heard.”

McCune also pointed to the effort to pass Senate Bill 5973, known as the “initiative killer,” which sought to bury citizen measures under high costs and bureaucratic red tape. Although Senate Republicans were ultimately able to kill the measure this year, McCune warns its introduction alone reveals a dangerous mindset.

“The fact that Democrats even proposed a bill to sabotage the initiative process shows exactly where their hearts are. If adopted, this measure would have silenced the voters and neutered the people’s constitutional powers,” McCune stated.

The 2nd Legislative District senator pointed to several other measures passed this year as evidence of a power grab at the expense of local communities, including:

The anti-sheriff bill (SB 5974), which shifts oversight of locally-elected sheriffs to a state-appointed commission. McCune argues this violates the home rule principle, disenfranchising voters who elect their sheriffs to be accountable to the community, not the governor’s office.
Two measures (SB 5929 and HB 2156) were adopted to significantly increase the authority of the state attorney general’s office, allowing for state-level interference in local prosecution. “We are seeing a push to turn the AG’s office into a ‘super-prosecutor’ that can override local decisions. This isn’t about justice; it’s about centralizing power,” said McCune.
To fund a historically high budget, the majority raided the Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters (LEOFF 1) pension fund, taking billions intended for the retirement of police officers and firefighters. This was coupled with the implementation of an unconstitutional 9.9% income tax (SB 6346).

Washingtonians are already pushing back in the courts. Multiple lawsuits are currently challenging the 9.9% income tax as a violation of the state constitution’s 14th amendment and 137-year-old uniformity requirement, as well as 93 years of legal precedent. Retired first-responder associations have filed suit to block the LEOFF 1 raid, citing a breach of contractual and fiduciary duty. Legal challenges against state interference in the constitutional duties of elected sheriffs have already produced a temporary injunction against the SB 5974 law.

McCune notes that citizens are effectively being forced to pay twice: first through higher taxes, and again for the legal fees to fight their own government’s unconstitutional acts.

“Even if the people ultimately win in the courts, they shouldn’t have to sue their government just to make it follow the law,” McCune added. “This legal tug-of-war is a massive waste of taxpayer resources and a sign that the Legislature has forgotten who it serves.”

McCune is already busy preparing a legislative package for the 2027 session to restore constitutional guardrails, which he argues have been decimated by years of one-party rule in Olympia. His proposals will include:

The Pension Protection Act to constitutionally wall-off first-responder retirement funds from future budget raids;
The Local Sovereignty Act, aimed at affirming that elected sheriffs are accountable only to their constituents and the constitution; and
The Initiative Integrity Act, ensuring that all initiatives to the Legislature receive the constitutionally-mandated respect they deserve, in the form of a guaranteed public hearing.

“The 2026 session proved that Olympia has lost its way,” McCune concluded. “In 2027, my priority will be taking the power out of the hands of Olympia bureaucrats and left-wing special interests and returning it to the people of Washington, where it belongs.”

2025 Session passes half-way point

Although we are now well past the halfway mark of the session we have yet to see a draft budget from the majority party. Instead of a serious budget, Democrats have tried to act as though our only choice is between a budget with drastic cuts to services or a budget that is built on the largest tax hikes in state history.

This is a false choice, and Republicans proved it by introducing a budget that funds our priorities, increases funding for law enforcement and doesn’t raid the rainy day fund — all with no new or raised taxes!

Click here to read my full legislative update.

McCune: Unconstitutional measure would punish schools for failing to enact ideological agenda

Click to watch Sen. McCune’s comments during the Senate debate on SB 5179.

Today Senate Democrats approved a bill that opponents argue would empower the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to investigate, harass and penalize schools or school officials deemed to be non-compliant with its “woke ideological agenda.”

Republican Sen. Jim McCune of Graham fought the bill on the Senate floor, saying it is likely to be challenged in court, as the formal complaint process it would create is in direct conflict with federal law and the Constitution.

“This bill is about enforcing a political agenda through the creation of a snitch line at OSPI,” warned McCune, who serves on the Senate education committee. “If you don’t comply, you’ll be stripped of funding, and you could even see the forcible discharge of school board members.

“There’s no doubt about it. This measure is putting a strong arm on schools that don’t want to teach the horrible sex-education curriculum and other woke ideologies, which many Washington parents oppose. Parents, and their elected representatives on their school boards, don’t want children indoctrinated with gender ideology in the classroom. Teachers don’t want to teach it, and this bill is going to force it on them.”

Under Second Substitute Senate Bill 5179, school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools would be required to submit compliance action plans if OSPI finds noncompliance with any state laws, and OSPI would be permitted to impose “certain consequences for willful noncompliance.”

If it became law, the measure would allow OSPI to impose any of these punishments:

Find that a superintendent committed an act of unprofessional conduct and may be held accountable under rules adopted by the Professional Educator Standards Board;
Withhold up to 20 percent of state funds for the basic education allocation, with prior written notice, and redirect those funds to support the compliance action plan; and
Recall and discharge a member of a school board of directors for willful or negligent noncompliance with state law.

McCune reminded his colleagues that the Washington Constitution also protects the rights of parents.

“We have absolute freedom of conscience on these matters,” he said. “There’s also a guaranteed right to public education. This measure violates both those principles. It attempts to force an ideology on the students in the classroom.

“I believe this measure already violates federal law, as established by the Trump Administration. More importantly, it violates the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land.

“This bill steps all over the constitutional rights of parents, students, teachers and school board members, it isn’t in compliance with federal law, and I believe it will ultimately be challenged in court,” McCune concluded. “I urge my colleagues in the House to put this bill down, as the Senate should have done.”

McCune fights to preserve Parents’ Bill of Rights

Today Senate Democrats approved a bill aimed at gutting the Parents’ Bill of Rights – a people’s initiative to the Legislature adopted last year, which is meant to prevent the state from interfering with the relationship between parents and their children.

Sen. Jim McCune called the bill an attack on the rights of parents and voters and took to the Senate floor to oppose the bill.

“Parents across the state are sick and tired of their God-given rights being eroded by this Legislature. Senate Bill 5181 unravels the parental rights initiative – there’s no doubt about that,” said McCune, R-Graham and a member of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

“My heart goes out to parents who have children in the public schools today. They have a right to be informed about the health and well-being of their children. School officials trying to usurp the rights of parents is flat-out wrong. The state does not belong in the middle of the parent-child relationship.”

SB 5181 would remove parents’ right to know medical information, including:

Prior notification when medical services are offered (except in emergencies);
Notification when medical services or medication could impact health insurance; and,
Notification when school-arranged medical treatment results in follow-up care.

It also contains an emergency clause, which would eliminate the constitutional right of voters to challenge the bill through a referendum. Democrats rejected a Republican amendment to remove the language from the bill.

McCune called the inclusion of an emergency clause a “slap in the face of voters that undermines democratic processes and limits the opportunity for public input on such a significant policy change.”

Senate Republicans offered several amendments aimed at defending parental rights, succeeding with proposals to ensure immediate parental notification regarding specific medical- and crime-related actions.

An amendment offered by McCune to clarify the ability of parents to challenge violations of the Parents’ Bill of Rights in court was rejected by the majority Democrats.

McCune says that the bill language goes a step too far and could lead parents to believe that they may not file lawsuits against schools or challenge violations of the Parents’ Bill of Rights created by I-2081.

“A court would be hard-pressed to find an implied private right of action based off the wording in this bill,” explained McCune. “My amendment would have removed that language and restored the ability of parents to seek justice. While there is no express private right of action in the parental-rights initiative, my amendment would have simply allowed courts to find that there is an implied private right of action if parents successfully presented such an argument.”

SB 5181, which passed the Senate by a vote of 30-19, now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.

“Parents who care about this issue must make their voices heard in the House committee hearings that are likely to occur,” McCune added. “I urge my colleagues in the House to listen to the people and respect the rights of parents.”

McCune’s Chinese American history bill to receive hearing in education committee

Today the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee announced it will hold a hearing Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. on a bill from Sen. Jim McCune that would require public schools to commemorate the contributions of Chinese Americans and Americans of Chinese descent.

McCune responded by thanking the committee in advance for its quick consideration of Senate Bill 5134, noting Tuesday is the first education committee meeting of the 2025 legislative session.

He also encouraged community members to testify in support, either in person or remotely – and at a minimum, sign in online in favor of the bill, as such visible public backing is critical to seeing the measure move forward.

“Accurately teaching the full history of Chinese Americans in Washington is critical to inspiring the civic awareness that I see as part of the state’s duty to ensure our children are properly educated,” said McCune, R-Graham, who serves on the Senate’s education committee. “I hope everyone who is able to do so will speak at the committee hearing and let lawmakers know how important it is for this bill to advance.”

Asian-Americans make up more than 10 percent of the state’s population, which also gives Washington the seventh largest Asian American population in the nation.

McCune noted that Chinese Americans alone make up approximately 2% of Washington’s population.

“Chinese immigrants were the first Asians to settle in Washington. They were critical to our state’s mining, logging, and railroad construction. They faced racism, violence, anti-Chinese legislation and were even the targets of riots,” McCune explained. “Despite this contentious history, they have continued to thrive as individuals, families and a community, and have become a significant thread in the fabric of our state.”

Under McCune’s bipartisan legislation, public schools would be required to commemorate the lives, history, achievements, and contributions of Chinese Americans and Americans of Chinese descent during the month of January – which is Americans of Chinese Descent History Month, under a 2023 state law.

If passed, McCune’s bill would give school districts until Sept. 1 to adopt a civics curriculum that incorporates instruction about the “Chinese Exclusion Act” and other relevant historical events, such as the “Tacoma Method.”

Districts would be able to meet this requirement using a curriculum created by the Washington State Historical Society in collaboration with members of state’s Chinese American community.

The measure is co-sponsored by Tacoma Democrat Sen. Yasmin Trudeau. She represents Washington’s 27th Legislative District, which includes Tacoma, Ruston, Browns Point, Dash Point, and Fife.

“This bill builds on years of work by members of the Chinese community and Senate Republicans to make sure future generations are aware of the Chinese community’s place in Washington history. The full story of its struggles and achievements needs to be taught in an honest and forthright manner,” McCune added. “I am happy to have bipartisan support for this bill, which will truly benefit all Washington children.”

The law created by Senate Bill 5000 designates each January as Chinese American/Americans of Chinese Descent History Month. It encourages public schools to designate time for appropriate educational activities in commemoration of the state’s complicated history with the Chinese community.

McCune’s measure, if enacted, would take the law one step further by guaranteeing Washington students receive these important lessons.

To testify on SB 5134 in person or remotely, or sign in as for or against the bill – visit: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate?selectedCommittee=12228&selectedMeeting=32381.

In the News: 3 break-ins in 3 days: Cannabis shop owners, lawmakers frustrated by lack of legislation

Three pot shops were broken into three days in a row this week across Seattle. The repeated crime highlights efforts to address the issue which failed to result in any legislation this past session.

Early Tuesday morning, a car smashed into the front of Cannazone in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood, where the owner said five suspects stole upwards of $15,000 worth of merchandise.

…Senate Bill 6133, which was sponsored by Sen. Jim McCune, would have added an extra year of jail time for someone convicted of robbing a pot shop in a smash and grab. It would also require those businesses to report robberies or attempted robberies to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

The board can’t track how often robberies or attempted robberies are happening because reporting isn’t required.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously, but failed in the House.

Click here to watch full report.