Spokesman says Inslee will break a promise made in front of television cameras, reporters

Senators say governor’s reversal shows disrespect for news media, Legislature

Video of Feb. 28 news conference clearly shows Inslee promised to meet with Republicans to discuss COVID numbers. To see video, click here.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has welched on a public promise to meet with Republicans to discuss COVID numbers and the state’s continued state of emergency, according to a spokesman for his office, and senators who were looking forward to the meeting say they are keenly disappointed.

“The governor made a promise to reporters and then refused to follow through,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. “That’s if we can believe the statement made by his spokesman, Mike Faulk.

“I sure hope this isn’t true. Around the Capitol, we put a high value on honor and integrity. And if the governor goes back on a promise he made in front of the reporters of the state’s major media outlets, he is showing disrespect for the news media, too.

“I hope the news media organizations of Washington state will ask the governor about this at his next news conference. Did his spokesman reflect the governor’s position accurately? Does the governor really mean to go back on a promise he made on television? Did the governor really think nobody would respond? Half the Legislature can’t get an answer out of him, but I am sure he will respond to inquiries from reporters.”

The furor concerns remarks Gov. Inslee made at a news conference Feb. 28. Inslee declared flatly that he would be happy to meet with Republicans to discuss statistics regarding COVID infections and hospitalizations, which he says justify Washington’s continued state of emergency.

“I will be happy to talk to them about the numbers,” Inslee stated.

Inslee, like other governors, declared a state of emergency two years ago when COVID swept the nation, giving him extraordinary powers to suspend laws and issue orders. Today most states have lifted their emergency declarations, but not Washington. This is one of just four states that allow their governors to decide when emergencies begin and end, allowing them to choose whether they wish to relinquish power.

At the news conference, Inslee was asked about Republican criticisms of the open-ended emergency and his lack of an exit plan. Inslee announced his Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery Plan a year ago, but has not revealed the criteria under which he will move the state to Phase 4, termination of the emergency order.

Inslee said at the news conference, “If they want to sit down with me and look at the numbers, I am hopeful – I am very willing to talk with them. They are open, they are available. The numbers are the numbers.”

The four Republican senators who comprise the Senate Freedom Caucus immediately wrote the governor to accept his offer. They note that the governor has not been communicative with Republicans since he assumed emergency authority in 2020. The Senate Republican Caucus has sent the governor more than 50 letters concerning matters of policy since the emergency was declared, but the governor has offered a substantive response to only three.

In their letter, the senators said, “We agree with you, there really ought to be some sort of justification for this continued assumption of power and authority by the governor’s office, and we are excited that you are willing to share it with us.”

The senators suggested multiple times when a meeting might be scheduled. But the governor never responded.

And on Thursday, the final day of the 2022 legislative session, Inslee spokesman Faulk said the governor has no intention of following through on his promise.

Faulk told a reporter for The Center Square, an online news outlet covering state politics, that the governor will not meet with Republicans after all. “The letter froths with duplicity,” Faulk said. “The numbers aren’t ‘the governor’s COVID numbers,’ they’re IHME’s, DOH’s, and CDC’s ‘COVID numbers,’ respectively, and each makes their modeling research publicly available.”

The senators say they are mystified by Faulk’s explanation. The governor’s words left no room for ambiguity. They say it doesn’t matter which agencies came up with the numbers that the governor chooses to use. What matters is the governor’s conclusion that the numbers justify a continued state of emergency.

“We were looking forward to hearing why other states can look at the same numbers and conclude it is time to end their emergencies, but Washington’s governor feels he should retain extraordinary authority and should continue to make all COVID-related decisions,” said Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. “This isn’t just a question for Republicans. The entire state of Washington is wondering.”

Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, noted that after Inslee made his promise at his Feb. 28 news conference, the governor followed his statement with a lengthy digression into the reasons he does not like Donald Trump, the former president who left office more than one year ago. The connection with the emergency powers issue in Washington state was not immediately apparent.

“If the governor can get past his ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome,’ we might be able to have a reasonable discussion about his numbers,” Fortunato said. “It saddens me that the response from the governor’s office is to accuse members of the Senate of deceitfulness when we are simply asking for the governor to live up to his word.”

YOU BE THE JUDGE

To see video, click here.

Transcript of remarks:

Keith Eldridge, KOMO-TV: Republicans are asking – they don’t believe the numbers you are using are really up-to-date. They believe that the metrics are already in place, that there is enough room now to reopen and have everything happen today. And they don’t believe you need to continue the emergency powers. Why not end that emergency today? And let them join you in all these decisions – and if you need another emergency, just call it?

Gov. Jay Inslee: Well, I don’t know what you are referring to, Keith, so if they want to sit down with me and look at the numbers, I am hopeful – very willing to talk with them. They are open. They are available. The numbers are the numbers. There is no question about this. …With all due respect, I will be happy to talk to them about the numbers.”

At Feb. 28 news conference, Inslee offered to let Republicans inspect his COVID numbers – senators are waiting for governor to schedule meeting

OLYMPIA – A group of Washington Republican senators say they want to take the governor up on his offer last week to sit down with Republicans and show them his COVID numbers.

But a week after they sent a formal letter to Gov. Jay Inslee accepting his offer, they are still waiting to hear back from the governor.

“We were worried the letter might get lost in the mail,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. “It’s a full 200 yards from our Senate offices to the Capitol building. That’s why we sent a copy via email, too.”

Washington has been under a state of emergency for the last two years, giving the governor sweeping authority to suspend laws and issue orders. Most states already have rescinded their COVID emergency declarations, but Washington is one of just four states that allow their governors to decide when emergencies begin and end. Inslee so far has declined to say when or under what conditions he will give up power.

Questioned by reporters about the growing criticism from lawmakers, Gov. Inslee at his Feb. 28 news conference declared that he would meet with Republicans to show them statistics about COVID hospitalizations and infection rates that lead him to believe his emergency authority should be maintained.  “I will be happy to talk to them about the numbers,” the governor stated.

At this point, with two days to go in the 2022 legislative session, it appears unlikely that lawmakers will take action to rein in the governor’s emergency authority. Majority Democrats rejected proposals from Republicans that would have required the Legislature to extend emergencies longer than 30 or 60 days. Instead, legislative Democrats favored a weak measure that would have allowed legislative leaders, under certain conditions, to terminate an emergency if they agree, essentially duplicating a power the Legislature already has. Democratic House leaders decided to kill that modest reform measure last week, blaming Republicans for lack of support.

Members of the Senate Freedom Caucus, an issue-oriented caucus within the Senate, said they were pleased when the governor offered to communicate with legislative Republicans about continued justifications for his emergency authority. They noted that the Senate Republican Caucus has sent 54 letters to the governor about matters of COVID policy, but the governor’s office has responded to just nine of them. Their letter stated, “We agree with you, there really ought to be some sort of justification for this continued assumption of power and authority by the governor’s office, and we are excited that you are willing to share it with us.”

In their letter, the senators said that they had time in their schedules to meet with the governor Monday or Tuesday morning, but both of those windows of opportunity have now passed. They say it’s now up to the governor to suggest a meeting time.

“We offered a couple of meeting times, but the governor didn’t respond,” said Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. “One might get the impression that the governor wasn’t serious when he offered to meet with Republicans to explain why he needs to retain extraordinary power, and that he made his statement to the press with no intention of following through. But it may also be that his staff simply has neglected to deliver our letter to the governor’s desk. We’re sure that this press release will help call his attention to this oversight, and that he will want to uphold the promise he made in public last week.”

Said Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, “The governor’s lack of response is nothing new.  We have been fighting with him over his abuse of emergency powers since two months after it started. His record on this compared to other states that have just issued guidance as opposed to decrees from on high is horrible.”

Senators bristle as governor blames Republican opposition to never-ending emergency on Donald Trump

OLYMPIA – Mask mandates are ending in Washington state March 12, but it’s no cause for celebration, say members of the Senate Freedom Caucus, because Washington’s COVID emergency continues, and the people remain shut out of the decision-making process.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that he is ending most indoor mask mandates nine days ahead of his previously announced schedule, in line with new guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control that masks are no longer needed. However, the governor retains sweeping powers to suspend laws and issue orders, and mask requirements remain in place for hospitals, nursing homes, public transit and jails and prisons. Asked at a news conference about Republican calls for him to relinquish his emergency authority, the governor declared, “They always want to follow Donald Trump. That’s the simple problem here.”

The Senate Freedom Caucus, an issue-oriented caucus within the Washington State Senate, bristled Monday at the governor’s remarks. The four Republican members say the governor’s fierce partisanship and eagerness to associate political opposition in Washington state with the former president demonstrates why Inslee should no longer be calling the shots on COVID.

“This is why we’re so divided,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. “We have a person elected to a position of great responsibility who spouts utter nonsense. For our state’s chief executive to say our opposition to his rule-by-decree has anything to do with the former president is a straw-man argument. Inslee should be better than that. The crisis is over, but with a crack like that one, he shows his desperation to retain unchecked power.”

Gov. Jay Inslee declared the COVID emergency Feb. 29, 2020, under a state law that allows him to decide when emergencies begin and end. Washington is one of only four states that allow the governor to decide when to relinquish extraordinary authority. Two years after the declaration of emergency, COVID is on the wane. Infection rates and hospitalizations have plummeted 64 percent nationwide in the last two weeks, according to Axios, a national data-gathering firm. Washington has the lowest transmission rate nationwide at 6 cases per 100,000 people.

“The numbers now make it clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that the emergency is over. COVID can now be managed, without sacrificing our constitutional system of checks and balances,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Gov. Inslee should have used today’s news conference to announce an immediate end to all mandates and all emergency proclamations. It’s time to return to the regular order and address the issues related to COVID-19 in the Legislature, where they can be fully debated and voted on by the people’s representatives.

“The majority has allowed this governor to rule unchecked for the greater part of two years. Even at this point, when it is clear that we are in the waning days of the pandemic and life is returning to normal all around the country, this governor is refusing to relinquish his emergency powers and full end unnecessary, overreaching mandates. He is continuing to ice out the people and their elected representatives in the Legislature, in a way no other state can match. Even in other states with Democratic governors, like Oregon, Nevada and California, they have had special sessions during the pandemic emergency, but not Washington. And the Democrat-controlled majorities in the House and Senate have let Governor Inslee get away with it by failing to stand up for the separation of powers and the people of Washington.”

Lawmakers have always had the ability to exercise oversight and pass legislation regarding COVID decision-making. But the Legislature, under control of a Democratic majority, has chosen not to exercise its authority. The lack of legislative oversight prevented lawmakers from assessing the merit of the governor’s arbitrary decrees on business closures and masks, and his mass firing of unvaccinated state employees, harshest of all vaccine mandates nationwide.

“He can show us his numbers, and we will show him the numbers of drug overdoses, suicides, fired worker and young people suffering emotional problems and denied college educations, said Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn.

“Here we are, two years later, and the governor has yet to tell us his exit strategy. The governor’s absurd comments today show he is digging in his heels, and he has no hesitation at misrepresenting the opposition to achieve his ends. It’s starting to look like the governor won’t give up his emergency powers until he finally leaves office.”

Lawmakers this year are considering a measure favored by legislative Democrats that would enact a modest reform to emergency powers statutes. Senate Bill 5909 would allow legislative leaders to terminate a declaration of emergency by agreement between Republicans and Democrats when the Legislature is not in session. Because the state constitution allows lawmakers to call themselves into session and pass legislation on any subject, the proposal merely streamlines a power the Legislature already has.

“The problem is that the Legislature, under control of the majority party, has been unwilling to exercise its power,” explained Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. “Does anyone expect that to change? What we heard today from the governor was the opposite of statesmanship. It’s time for this declaration of emergency to end.”

www.WAFreedomCaucus.org

Includes funding for Yelm dog park, Orting Soldiers’ Home, Eatonville cleanup, and sidewalks and Frontier Park in Graham

OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate Wednesday approved a capital budget providing funding for public works construction statewide, including projects for the 2nd Legislative District in Yelm, Orting, Graham and Eatonville.

Senate Bill 5651 passed the Senate 49-0, and now moves to the House for further consideration.

Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, said the capital budget proposal reflects top local priorities. “I’m delighted that we have been able to continue what we started last year at Frontier Park in Graham,” McCune said. “By improving park facilities, we provide a gathering place and a point of community pride.”

The Senate capital budget proposal provides $70,000 for improvements to the goat barn at Frontier Park. That builds on appropriations last year of $89,000 for the goat barn roof and $1.8 million for a horse arena cover.

The capital budget, funded primarily with bonds, pays for public works construction across the state. This year’s budget supplements the two-year plan adopted by lawmakers in 2021. Lawmakers have until their scheduled adjournment on March 10 to adopt a final plan.

Other projects include:

• $50,000 for the Yelm dog park. The new off-leash dog park will be located on a city-owned parcel of land on the east side of Rhoton Road.
• $250,000 for Graham sidewalks, along Eustis Hunt Rd. E and 216th Street E, providing access to Graham Kapowsin High School, Frontier Middle School and Nelson Elementary School.
• $180,000 for paving of Cemetery Road at the Washington State Soldiers Home in Orting.

The Senate proposal also provides $4 million for cleanup efforts at the former Eatonville landfill and $1.6 million for Pierce College facilities at the new Bethel High School in Graham.

Bills require curriculum transparency, parental permission for new state-mandated sex-ed course

OLYMPIA – Parents would have a greater voice in what their children are being taught under a pair of bills introduced by Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, for consideration in the 2022 legislative session. Under Senate Bill 5805, parents and guardians would have to sign permission slips before students participate in controversial new state-mandated sex-education courses. Senate Bill 5806 requires that school districts post curriculum materials online, enabling parental review.

McCune said the bills are a response to parental concerns about the new comprehensive sex-education program mandated by Washington lawmakers during the 2020 legislative session. The new requirement, imposed on school districts statewide, requires students to attend state-mandated sex education courses starting in the 2022-23 school year, unless parents or guardians request their children be excused.

McCune’s legislation places a greater emphasis on parental rights, by requiring written permission from parents and guardians before children attend the new courses. In addition, the curriculum-transparency measure requires that each school district post all core instructional materials online within 14 days of adoption by school boards, and supplemental material must be posted at least 14 days before they are used in a classroom.

“The original legislation was hugely controversial, and after it narrowly passed the Legislature, it was the subject of a statewide referendum,” McCune explained. “With Referendum 90, a majority of voters chose to uphold the law, and our system requires us to respect the decision of the people. Yet we also must note that an enormous minority of voters – 42 percent – voted against this measure. These are matters of fundamental personal belief, and we should respect the rights of the minority just as scrupulously as we do the majority, if not more so.

“The best solution is an informed decision, and this legislation requires that parents make the call. It ensures parents have access to all curriculum materials, so they can see what their children are being taught. The more information people have, the better the choices they will make.”

Measures prohibit vaccine passports, reinstate fired workers, recognize natural immunity and right to choose

OLYMPIA – Bills that would protect individual rights amid government pressure for COVID-19 vaccinations were introduced Wednesday by Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, for consideration during the 2022 legislative session.

McCune’s ‘COVID Bill of Rights’ package includes a measure that establishes an individual right to choose vaccination. Other measures would prohibit vaccine passports and reinstate thousands of workers terminated or forced into early retirement by the governor’s vaccination decrees. Workers who have developed natural immunity following a bout of COVID could be exempted from vaccination requirements following a positive antibody test.

“COVID-19 is being used as an excuse to curtail individual rights and freedoms,” McCune said. “The ham-handed approach we have seen from the governor’s office has forced the firings and early retirements of thousands of public employees and health care workers, putting vital state services at risk. Now we are seeing vaccination cards being used for everything from admittance to public events to a condition for employment.

“If this was really about science, we would see some recognition of the natural immunity that develops following a bout of illness, when COVID antibodies are formed. Studies have demonstrated this natural immunity is longer-lasting than the protection offered by immunizations. Yet the governor’s immunization mandates make no exceptions.

“We must remember that we are a nation of laws, that our freedoms are guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions, and that these rights cannot be suspended for matters of administrative expediency. There is no right more fundamental than the choice to inject oneself with a vaccine. Even amid a health crisis, the rights of the individual must be protected.”

Measures included in the Bill of Rights package include –

Right to choose – Senate Bill 5682 – would establish that all Washington residents have the right to choose whether to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and would allow parents and legal guardians to obtain exemptions for schoolchildren subject to COVID vaccination requirements.

Reinstatement of fired workers – SB 5680 – would rescind gubernatorial proclamation 21-14, which required immunization for most state workers, school employees and health care workers. Employers affected by the proclamation would be required to offer reinstatement to any worker fired or forced into retirement.

Recognition of natural immunity – SB 5681 – would establish that a positive COVID-19 antibody test is sufficient to meet vaccination requirements. State and county-operated testing sites would have to offer COVID-19 antibody tests for workers whose employers require vaccination.

Prohibiting vaccine passports – SB 5683 – would prohibit government agencies from requiring proof of vaccination to access public places.