I-2111 would enact a ban that would prohibit any level of government from imposing an income tax on the people. Voters have overwhelmingly rejected an income tax 11 times.

State Sen. Jim McCune says it’s past time for the Legislature to address one of the more blatant signs of the escalating lawlessness in Washington: the growing epidemic of costly and even deadly crimes at marijuana retailers.

The Pierce County lawmaker has introduced a measure intended to protect the state’s 1,000-plus cannabis retailers, which have been the targets of violent robberies, smash and grabs, assaults and other crimes.

“Cannabis shops are located all over in our communities, and they have really become a magnet for an unprecedented level of criminal activities,” said McCune, R-Graham, who serves on the Senate’s Law and Justice Committee.

“Criminals know these are primarily cash-only businesses, which makes them easy targets. Whole safes have been hauled away. Employees have been pistol-whipped or shot – some even killed. And customers and neighbors have been traumatized.

“Failing to get this problem under control affects everyone in the community and creates a dangerous environment of chaos and lawlessness.”

According to Washington’s Craft Cannabis Coalition, robberies at pot shops spiked in 2022, with more than 100 incidents reported, as well as the first death of an employee during a break-in. The robberies became more brazen in 2023, with the rise of the “Kia Boys” – juveniles and young adults inspired by internet trends and weak Washington police-pursuit laws, who are committing auto theft, assault, robberies and a host of other crimes.

“The Kia Boys and similar criminals steal cars – often Kias – and use those vehicles to smash into storefronts, take what they can, and then quickly flee in another stolen vehicle,” McCune explained. “They are doing thousands of dollars in damage and putting lives at risk, for what often turns out to be a relatively small amount of merchandise and cash. And they are hitting multiple locations each time they go out.

“Some of the retailers have been hit five, seven, even eight times, to the point where it is almost becoming routine. Some don’t even bother to report these incidents anymore, which means we don’t even know how bad the problem really is.”

Senate Bill 6133, McCune’s measure to address the growing public-safety concern, would increase penalties for those who use a car to cause damage or gain entry to a retailer to commit a crime. Robbery 1 is a class A felony and robbery 2 is a class B felony. Should McCune’s bill become law and someone used a car to do a smash and grab at cannabis store, prosecutors could charge them with either robbery 1 or 2, and then also prove the new “special allegation” to seek additional time added on to the sentence.

The measure would also assist the state Liquor and Cannabis Board to maintain statistics on pot-shop break-ins by requiring cannabis retailers to report robberies to the board within 10 days, and tasking the Washington State Patrol with regularly consulting with the LCB’s chief enforcement officer.

“Whether people like it or not, cannabis stores have been legal in Washington for nearly a decade, and the state is bringing in nearly half a billion dollars a year in tax revenue from this product,” said McCune.

“If the state is going to profit from having a legal cannabis industry, it should also do everything possible to protect workers, customers and the community from criminal activity at cannabis retailers.”

SB 6133 has been referred to the Senate Law and Justice Committee, which has until Jan. 31 to consider the bill.

Pierce County lawmaker says majority Democrats failed the public by rejecting sensible amendments

Today, state Sen. Jim McCune voted against a compromise police-pursuit bill, after Democrats rejected three amendments the senator says would have added teeth to the bill and restored a measure of law and order to the state’s streets and highways.

“What is happening in our communities across this state is that police officers are retiring because we are not making strong public-safety laws,” said McCune, R-Graham. “Not only are they retiring, but we can’t find new candidates to hire. So we are down more than 40 officers in Pierce County alone, not including corrections officers.

“These bad pursuit policies are creating a mess in our state, making the public less safe and leading to criminals thumbing their noses at the basic rules of our society.

“The amendments offered today were important, common-sense changes that should have been adopted. We had amendments to include reckless driving, auto theft and other violent crimes on the list of offenses that would allow an officer to use his or her discretion in deciding to pursue a fleeing suspect.

“By rejecting these simple changes, the majority Democrats failed the public. They are telling victims that their lives, property and livelihoods don’t matter; they are telling our law-enforcement officers that they don’t trust them to do the job they were hired and trained to do; and they are telling lawbreakers that the Legislature is not serious about ending the lawlessness that is plaguing our streets.

“As much as I want to see a bill pass to deal with the police-pursuit issue, I cannot vote for this inadequate and shameful bill.”

Senate Bill 5352 passed the Senate with a vote of 26-23, with Democrats voting 16-13, and Republicans evenly split, voting 10-10 on final passage of the bill. While the final vote was bipartisan, the votes on three amendments to strengthen the bill were not, with all Republicans voting for each amendment, and Democrats voting to reject them.

Debate on the bill came shortly after citizens demanding real reform to Washington’s pursuit law gathered on the steps on the state Capitol, and with crime victims demanding change sitting in the gallery overlooking the Senate chamber.

SB 5352 now moves to the House of Representatives, which earlier this week failed to advance a similar measure.

Common-sense proposal would protect consumers by making it illegal to mislabel salmon sold to the public

On Monday, state Sen. Jim McCune told the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Parks Committee that there is something fishy about the way some salmon is sold to the public.

Testifying on Senate Bill 5664, his measure to make it unlawful to knowingly sell salmon without identifying if it is farm-raised salmon or wild caught, McCune argued there needs to be truth in labeling to satisfy picky consumers like himself.

“People today want to know what is in their food,” said McCune, R-Graham. “They read labels, like I do. In this case, people know today that farm-raised salmon have a lot of chemicals and antibiotics in them, as well as red dye. Red dye isn’t necessarily bad for you, but people want to know if it is in their salmon.

“This is a truth-in-consumer-labeling bill that would put some teeth in the law and help make up for a lack of enforcement of the federal laws. For their health benefits, people like me want to consume wild-caught salmon and know exactly what is in their food.”

Under McCune’s legislation, sellers would have to identify farm-raised salmon, as well as whether any added color is used, and the state, province, or foreign country where it was farm-raised. Wild-caught salmon would have to be identified by species name, common name, and the state, province, foreign country, or body of water where it was commercially caught.

The ag committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on SB 5664. The committee has until Friday to advance the measure for it to remain viable for this legislative session.

Pierce County senator’s proposal would recognize fundamental right of parents, guardians to raise their children and determine what’s best for their education

On Wednesday, state Sen. Jim McCune introduced legislation that would recognize the fundamental rights of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children. The “Parents Bill of Rights” bill is one of a trio of measures aimed at restoring the proper authority of parents in raising their children.

“Parents know what is best for their children, and the state needs to recognize the parent’s right to play the primary role in determining education policy, school curricula and other fundamental decisions about the care and development of their children,” said McCune, R-Graham.

Senate Bill 5558 would have the Legislature recognize “parents are the best protectors of their children and have the natural right and duty to care for them. …The Legislature intends to codify parents and guardians’ fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children to help protect this right from governmental encroachment on parental authority in public schools.”

Under the bill, this “fundamental right” would be extended to the parental choice regarding the type of education their child will receive, and prevent state interference with that choice unless it can show a narrowly tailored “compelling governmental interest.”

The bill specifically makes clear that it should not be construed to extend to decisions that would result in an end-of-life decision.

“Providing for K-12 education is the paramount duty of the state, but in most cases, the education of a child is the primary concern of that child’s parents,” said McCune. “Parents know what is best for their children, and the state needs to recognize the parent’s right to play the primary role in determining education policy and school curricula, as well as the vast majority of health care decisions.”

Informed Parents of Washington Rally, March 11th, 2020.

McCune also has two bills besides SB 5558 that would tackle specific issues that are of concern to parents.

Senate Bill 5008, also known as the Education Transparency Act, would require each school district to post on its website all core instructional materials used within its curricula within 14 days of adoption by the school district board of directors. McCune noted most schools use an online portal to access grades, and says this bill would make a similar system available to parents and legal guardians to access and review all classroom materials. If approved, the bill would also allow a superior court judge to level a civil penalty of $500 for each violation by a school district or a school building.

Senate Bill 5009 is a response to Washington’s voter-approved, but controversial comprehensive sex-education program. It would require parental or legal guardian approval before a child participates in comprehensive sexual health education. The current system requires parents to opt-out of having their child participate.

McCune said this legislation, if approved, will respect the substantial number of parents genuinely concerned about controversial sexual materials being forced on their young children.

“The best way to address division and controversy and reduce the level of tension and animosity is to avoid forcing a one-size-fit-all solution on every student and parent,” said McCune. “The best solution is to have parents make informed decisions about what is best for their children, and then respect their decisions. This packet of legislation requires that parents make the call, and ensures they have access to all curriculum materials and resources necessary to guarantee they can see what their children are being taught. The more information people have, the better choices they can make.”

The three McCune bills are before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, which must advance the measures by Feb. 17 for them to be considered during the 2023 legislative session.

McCune is also a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 5024, which would require more opportunity for parental and public observation and participation in school board meetings. That bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on Feb. 1.