Declares thousands have been ‘wrongfully terminated’ for vaccination status

To read bill draft, click here.

OLYMPIA – The nearly 2,000 state employees fired by Gov. Jay Inslee Oct. 18 for failing to submit to his order that all be vaccinated would get their jobs back under a bill prepared for introduction by Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham.

The bill declares the workers were “wrongfully terminated” and says Gov. Jay Inslee’s mass firings violates the principles of religious liberty and bodily privacy valued by the people of Washington.
“Calling this an overreach isn’t strong enough,” said McCune, R-Graham. “The governor is being a bully. So this bill creates a ‘safe space’ for the seven million people of Washington.”

McCune’s bill has been drafted for consideration during the 2022 legislative session. McCune said he plans to introduce it in December when the filing period for new legislation begins.

The measure rescinds all terminations carried out under the governor’s Proclamation 21-14. The governor’s vaccination order affected workers in state agencies under the governor’s control, as well as private health care workers, and employees of public educational institutions.

The governor ordered the workers to be vaccinated on penalty of termination – and declared that workers who flouted his will would be ineligible for unemployment benefits.

McCune was one of five senators who called for Inslee’s resignation last month following the mass firings, on the grounds that he had abused his power. Washington is the only state that has taken vaccination mandates to this level.

The 20 other states mandating vaccinations for public employees and health care workers have given unvaccinated workers the option of regular testing and masking requirements, or have permitted broad exemptions for religious or personal objections. Some 29 states have no vaccination mandates, and 12 of those have passed laws prohibiting discrimination of the sort practiced by Inslee.

McCune noted that many who have suffered a bout of COVID have developed natural immunity, yet the governor’s order made no allowance for that. The bill specifically states that the Washington Legislature recognizes natural immunity as comparable to vaccination in prevention of COVID-19.

“The Washington Legislature needs to reassert its authority,” McCune said. “When our colleagues voted to cut the Legislature out of the decision-making process, they disenfranchised the people and established one-man rule in the state of Washington. I am sure many who voted for authoritarian government must be having second thoughts today now that they see the unfortunate result — as ferry runs are canceled, transportation and law enforcement agencies are short-staffed, and vital state services are impaired. I look forward to their support in making sure this bill gets a hearing and a vote.”

Calls Inslee action a shocking abuse of power

OLYMPIA – Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, joined four Republican senators last week in calling for the resignation of Gov. Jay Inslee, following the firing of nearly 2,000 public employees who balked at his order that they be vaccinated for COVID-19.

McCune calls the incident a shocking abuse of power – and says it illustrates the problems with state laws that have allowed the governor to make all decisions in the effort to halt the spread of coronavirus. Gov. Inslee declared a state of emergency on Feb. 29, 2020, under a state law that gives him sweeping authority to suspend laws and issue executive orders.

The law envisioned that emergency authority would last only a short period of time, until the Legislature is called into session to deal with a crisis, McCune explained. But it didn’t work out that way, as the governor refused to call lawmakers back to Olympia during the early months of the pandemic. Lawmakers finally did return in January, for a legislative session required by the state constitution. But majority Democrats in the Legislature promptly passed a resolution extending the governor’s powers indefinitely, over the opposition of all Republicans.

“Now we are seeing what happens when one person calls the shots, and that person behaves irresponsibly,” McCune said. “The Legislature already knew Inslee had an anger-management problem. In 2016, he declared the Legislature had been moving too slow, and that he would punish it by vetoing 27 bills, no matter how important they were or how much work had gone into them. The Legislature had to pass them all over again, one by one, and warn him against doing it again.

“But taking out his temper on hardworking law enforcement officers and state employees goes beyond the pale. To make matters worse, the governor has said these employees will likely be denied unemployment insurance. The rest of us suffer, too, as staffing shortages force ferry runs to be canceled, police patrols to be reduced, and vital state services are impaired.

“I hope everyone realizes this has nothing to do with stopping the spread of COVID. No other state has gone to this extreme. Other states with vaccine mandates have provided options for testing the unvaccinated. There are many who have valid reasons for avoiding vaccination. Those who have suffered a bout of COVID develop natural immunity. The governor made no allowance for that. Others have concerns related to health, their religious beliefs, or resentment about intrusive government mandates.

“The governor has stated he believes he is the only person who can protect the state from COVID, and this grandiose conception has led him to believe he can do no wrong. We are seeing what happens when power is misused.”

McCune cited a statement from a Johns Hopkins University researcher published in the Washington Post arguing that government officials have failed to acknowledge the power of natural immunity. Meanwhile, numerous cases of persons infected following vaccination demonstrate current COVID vaccines do not offer absolute protection, he said. He notes a recent update in recommendations for increased masking from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, following CDC findings that even the vaccinated are able to transmit the Delta variant.

“My decision to call for Inslee’s resignation was not something I took lightly,” McCune said. “Here we have a governor who believes he knows everything there is to know about this illness, when every responsible scientist will acknowledge there is much we don’t. This isn’t about science. It’s about politics. The governor is purging the state payroll of those who reject his authoritarian decrees. He should look himself in the mirror, recognize that he has gone too far, and that he has damaged the public’s trust in government. Then he should do the right thing and resign.”

Mass-termination event is last straw — senators cite failure of leadership

• Thousands of state employees get ax under Inslee vaccination mandate
• Follows nearly 600 days of autocratic decisions in ‘emergency’ that never ends
• Ferries on reduced schedule due to severe staffing shortage, other impacts expected
• Governor has ignored Legislature, shut the people out of decision-making

OLYMPIA – As thousands of state employees get pink slips under Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s “get vaccinated or get fired” mandate, members of the Senate Freedom Caucus are calling on the governor to resign.

The mass firings Monday of state employees and others who balked at the governor’s COVID-19 vaccination order already are creating a crisis in state government, as state agencies struggle to provide services under an Inslee-created staff shortage. The number of terminations was not available Tuesday morning, but press accounts indicate thousands got the ax at the end of their shifts Monday.

“This mass-termination event is the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale. “Never have we witnessed a failure of leadership in this state as we have seen under Gov. Jay Inslee. For nearly 600 days, he has used COVID emergency powers to establish autocratic rule, refusing to call the Legislature into special session, and shutting the people out.

“Inslee has done significant damage to the credibility of state government and has eroded the public’s trust. Now he is firing thousands of public employees, without regard to the harm it will cause. This effort to punish can only be seen as the willful act of a failed governor. Inslee has failed miserably. We don’t take this lightly. But the only thing that can allow our state to heal and move forward is for Jay Inslee to resign.”

Inslee has been operating under COVID emergency authority since Feb. 29, 2020, allowing him to suspend state laws and issue sweeping executive orders. His authority was extended indefinitely by the Legislature in January under a controversial measure supported by most Democrats and opposed by all Republicans. Thursday will mark the 600^th day of the longest-running emergency in state history.

The result, Freedom Caucus members say, is a nightmare for the state and a challenge to the democratic principles outlined by the state constitution. They observe:

• Ferries are operating on a reduced schedule due to staffing shortages, bus routes are being canceled, and other immediate impacts to state services are expected.
• Public safety is threatened by the termination of law enforcement officials and workers at the state Department of Corrections.
• The firings follow months of arbitrary decrees based on questionable or non-existent science that have forced thousands of businesses across the state to shutter for good.
• Inslee has repeatedly refused to call the Legislature into a special session – and give the people a voice. When the Legislature met earlier this year, Inslee ordered construction of a cyclone fence around the Capitol, and stationed 600 National Guard troops to keep the public out.
• Inslee is using his COVID powers to advance his controversial political agenda, and is purging law enforcement officials most likely to object to defunding police agencies and establishing central state government control.
• No other state has gone to this extreme, as anyone who has ventured beyond the state’s borders can see.
• Inslee has yet to identify the criteria under which he will declare an “all-clear” and relinquish his emergency authority – meaning no end is in sight.

“We objected on principle in January when our colleagues voted to give Inslee emergency powers for as long as he wants them,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. “But I don’t think any of us realized it would come to this, and I think many in the state Legislature are having second thoughts today. Other states are requiring vaccinations, but none of them have taken it to the level of mass terminations. When one person makes all the decisions, there can be no question who is at fault.”

Other comments:

“The governor and Democratic legislators have increased health risks and jeopardized public safety, while Inslee pats himself on the back as being the only person who can save us from COVID,” said Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn.  “He has been a boon to other states seeking to reduce their staffing shortages.  Nebraska is actively recruiting our nurses, reducing our available staffed hospital beds.  Orange County in Florida is targeting King County and Seattle police who are ‘looking to relocate due to the vaccine mandate’. While other states have issued guidance and are dealing with the problems COVID has created, it seems COVID is a crisis only in Washington, much of it created by Inslee’s heavy-handed actions.”

“Inslee isn’t responding to a crisis,” said Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. “He’s creating one. He sees this as a golden opportunity to sweep out public employees and others who object to his high-handed rule. And he doesn’t care what a mess he makes in the process. There are many who have serious and well-founded objections to vaccination, and they could have been accommodated as they have been in other states. This is a disgrace. State employees don’t deserve pink slips. The governor does.”

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “These callous decisions by the governor are having a devastating impact on working families. There are dedicated public servants who have worked for state government who will lose their ability to pay their mortgage or provide food for their family. Others are just a few years or months away from vesting in their retirement plans. Some have received medical advice from their personal doctors that they must now ignore in order to keep a job they love. This is wrong.”

To see letter, click here.

OLYMPIA – State Sen. Jim McCune says Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler should apologize or resign after issuing a statement likening Texas Republicans to the murderous Taliban thugs overrunning the nation of Afghanistan.

Kreidler’s statement, issued at taxpayer expense last week, referred to Texas Republicans as “America’s own version of the Taliban” after lawmakers in the Lone Star State approved legislation effectively restricting abortions following the sixth week of pregnancy. No connection with Kreidler’s duties as insurance commissioner was apparent. A Kirkland councilman has filed a complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission regarding Kreidler’s use of public resources to make a partisan political statement with no official purpose.

“I was shocked when I saw Kreidler’s statement,” McCune said. “Not only is this a distasteful assault on decency in political speech, it also could be a violation of state law, by using public resources to promote partisan political activity.

“Kreidler should know better. He was campaign chair for the Senate Democratic Caucus in 1990, and he was among many lawmakers forced to give depositions about the illegal campaign activity by legislative staff that was encouraged by legislative leaders at the time. That case prompted a major overhaul of the rules under which public officials operate, both legislators and statewide elected officials. Of all people, Kreidler should understand that it is improper to issue a statement like this one using staff time and resources. He should apologize, or resign.”

In a letter to Kreidler Thursday, McCune said the insurance commissioner’s comments are “an absolute disgrace to your office and our state.”

McCune’s letter says Kreidler’s statement demonstrates intolerance for those with differing political views.

“By issuing an official statement through your office likening Texas Republicans to the most odious band of thugs and terrorists on the world stage, you have given us a disturbing insight into your thinking. Comparing pro-life and pro-family Republicans to a group such as the Taliban displays a deep-seated intolerance for those with whom you disagree, and should be regarded as ‘hate speech.’ Rhetoric such as this should never be used in speaking about your opposition, especially using taxpayer funded materials or equipment, and coming from an office that is supposed to represent our whole state.”

School, college employees join state workers, health care workers under governor’s new “get vaccinated or get fired” rule

OLYMPIA – Sen. Jim McCune. R-Graham, released the following statement Wednesday after Gov. Jay Inslee extended his “get vaccinated or get fired” mandate to teachers, school staff and higher education employees. The governor’s new rule, imposed last week on most state employees and private health care workers, requires workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, or face termination. The governor also announced resumption of mask mandates in public places, effective Monday.

“The governor is doubling down on government coercion,” McCune said. “He crossed the line last week when he threatened state employees with dismissal, and now he’s working to eliminate freedom of choice wherever he can. COVID seems to have become an excuse for authoritarianism, and the rights of the individual are dismissed as piffle.

“I’ve heard from many state workers who tell me they won’t get the shot, and are waiting for the ax to fall. I expect we will hear many more objections from school employees and those who work at our state’s colleges and universities. We cannot ignore their legitimate concerns about vaccines that have not been fully tested and approved. This is the most personal of all decisions, whether to inject a foreign substance into one’s body, and people deserve the right to choose.

“Other states aren’t so harsh. For the unvaccinated, they offer the option of regular testing. But in this state, there is no middle ground – personal and philosophical objections are dismissed. Our courts have decided there is a right to privacy under the constitution, extending to medical decisions, and I believe this decree would be found unconstitutional if it is ever tested in court. I think this demonstrates once again that our colleagues in the Legislature made a terrible mistake when they extended the governor’s emergency powers indefinitely, and I hope the mass-termination event this October will cause them to rethink their position.”

Delayed capture of Pierce County murder suspect calls attention to new restrictions on police statewide

OLYMPIA – The capture and arrest of a Pierce County murder suspect last week calls attention to the urgent need for a special session to fix new laws restricting police and sheriff’s departments statewide, says Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham.

Police were forced to call off the dogs after the July 28 shooting in a Puyallup-area parking lot because of new laws restricting police tactics and use of force. As a result, it took nearly two weeks for police to locate the suspect and charge him with first-degree murder.

“We’re lucky the police were able to track him down,” McCune said. “But the incident shows we can’t wait until next year to fix these laws. Everyone understood last session’s anti-police legislation was going to cause major problems. I just don’t think anyone knew how quickly our fears would come true.”

Just three days before the Pierce County murder, on July 25, new laws took effect that regulate police conduct, weapons, and tactics. The new legislation also creates a state bureaucracy to regulate local law enforcement agencies, allows Olympia to second-guess local investigations of police conduct, and make it easier to prosecute and sue individual officers for allegations of misconduct.
The new laws, favored by Democratic lawmakers, aimed to mollify urban activists who believe police routinely use excessive force and that rogue officers go unpunished.

In the Pierce County case, sheriff’s deputies quickly arrived at the crime scene in the Kohl’s parking lot in the South Hill shopping district. Eyewitnesses provided a description of the suspect, and police dispatched a deputy and a police dog to track him down by scent.

But the sheriff’s department was forced to call them back when they realized they could run afoul of the new law regarding force. Before unleashed police dogs or other forms of physical force can be used to detain a suspect, police must have “probable cause” to believe a suspect committed a crime. But no particular suspect had been identified, so probable cause could not be established.
Under the old rules, “reasonable suspicion,” a lower standard, would have been sufficient for police to detain a person of interest based on a description.

“I know this sounds like hairsplitting, but the new laws forced police to let the suspect flee,” McCune said. “This happened right here in one of the busiest shopping districts of Pierce County. And if that doesn’t bring it home, I don’t know what does.

“We heard from many police agencies that these new laws would cause serious problems for law enforcement, but our colleagues weren’t interested in their arguments. They were more interested in furthering a political cause. Their idea was that if cops aren’t going to jail, there must be something wrong. Even now we are hearing advocates for these bills say, ‘give them a chance to work.’
“Well, we’ve already seen in Pierce County that they don’t work. We need to fix these laws fast, before they get someone killed.”

The Pierce County incident isn’t the only case in which the new policing laws have created public safety risks. On Aug. 4, a Longview SWAT team cornered an armed suspect in a house and needed to force him outside. New restrictions on police tactics prevented them from using launchers to fire tear gas canisters through the windows. Instead, they were forced to throw rocks to break the window glass, so they could lob a tear gas canister inside. Police knew he had a knife. If the man had possessed a gun, the operation would have placed the officers within range of gunfire.

In a story published in the Tacoma News Tribune July 29, Pierce County law enforcement officials said the new laws will prevent officers from responding to calls unless there is clear reason to believe a crime is being committed. Among other things, they said the changes will prevent officers from responding to calls regarding persons suffering mental health episodes unless they are associated with a crime.

McCune is joining Republican lawmakers and legislative leaders in calling for a special session to rewrite the new laws. “We should start by restoring the reasonable suspicion standard, but we really need to reconsider all of this year’s anti-police legislation,” he said. “Olympia has just gotten an object lesson in unintended consequences, and I hope my colleagues are paying attention.”

Note: The following op-ed from Sen. Jim McCune was distributed to newspapers statewide on July 12, 2021.

by Sen. Jim McCune

Last month, South Kitsap School Board member John Berg introduced a resolution to prohibit classroom teaching of theories that promote racial hatred. For that he was called a nut.

District officials said they won’t be teaching critical race theory in the Kitsap schools. The teachers’ union said the poor fellow must be watching too much Fox News. The Tacoma News Tribune made him out to be a conspiracy theorist, allowing its reporter to make the astonishing assertion that “no K-12 district in the country has critical race theory in their curriculum.” The resolution was defeated 3-2.

The incident showed what parents and responsible school officials are up against as they battle the worst idea ever to hit American education, a program to teach children about the racial resentments they are supposed to have, or the vast racial guilt they must atone for. John Berg was absolutely right, critical race theory is coming to our schools, unless parents and school boards draw the line.

I should know. I voted this year against the bill that forces this mandate on our public schools. So did nearly every Republican in the Legislature. I think it would be useful to explain how this new law works and provide parents with the information they need as they raise this issue with their local school boards this year.

The new law (Senate Bill 5044) doesn’t describe this program as critical race theory. Instead, it describes it as “equity, cultural competency and dismantling institutional racism in the public school system.” Same thing. Equity is the new political buzzword describing the theory that government is responsible for ensuring every racial group has the same outcome, even if we must violate the Constitution and treat individuals differently according to race. Institutional racism is the dubious theory that if various racial groups don’t achieve the same outcome, racism must be the reason – even if no racist act is involved.

The law requires faculty, staff and school board members to sit through training sessions on how to teach this new political ideology to our children.

The law doesn’t require classroom instruction, but school districts are expected to fall in line. Part of it is politics and pressure, part that the Legislature two years ago made ethnic studies a basic education requirement. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is due to release a model curriculum Sept. 1, promising that it will combat “white supremacy culture” and “privilege.”

We already can see how this works in the Seattle School District, an early and enthusiastic adopter of critical race theory, and a model for the state program. Seattle students are encouraged to identify as members of a race, rather than as individuals. They are taught our political institutions are designed to perpetuate white supremacy, and that they are either victims or guilty parties. Lessons include the need to create a political “liberation movement” to “resist oppression” and fight “the status quo.” The district even provides handy organizing tips.

Parents may be alarmed to learn that state sanction is being given to a program to indoctrinate students in leftist philosophy and turn them into social-justice warriors. Certainly some people hold these opinions. But for a teacher to declare them to be fact is to poison our children’s thinking, deepen racial divisions, undermine support for our Constitution and republic, and expose children to harassment, humiliation and abuse based on the color of their skin. Already lawsuits are being filed nationwide alleging these programs violate state and federal Civil Rights Acts and the 14^th Amendment guarantee of equal protection. This effort to fixate our children’s minds on race is racism at its worst.

Parents need to know the law allows them recourse on the local level. It doesn’t say school boards must adopt programs as awful as Seattle’s. For now there still is a degree of local control. The Chehalis School Board, for instance, has passed a resolution declaring that “we will not teach Chehalis students that people, due to race or background, are inherently good or bad, guilty or innocent, more or less capable than others.”

John Berg’s resolution took a different approach. It dispensed with the term critical race theory, and instead set boundaries for classroom instruction. Among other things, Berg’s proposal would have prohibited the teaching that America is an inherently racist country run by white supremacists, that students should see themselves as victims or oppressors based on their skin color, and that opposition to this dogma is evidence of one’s racism.

I expect we will see many confrontations in school board meetings this summer as the public becomes aware this vile and hateful philosophy is on its way to the classroom. I want parents to know they aren’t nuts, this is real – and any school official who says otherwise insults their intelligence.

Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham, represents the 2^nd Legislative District. The full text of John Berg’s resolution can be found at https://skschools.info/critical-race-theory.

OLYMPIA – Funding for the state’s county, local and regional fairs will double as a result of a bill sponsored by Sen. McCune, R-Graham, signed into law Monday.

Senate Bill 5362 will increase the state’s annual allocation for agricultural fairs to $4 million a year by 2026. State funding for these 67 fairs has been capped at $2 million annually for more than 20 years.

McCune said the fairs are a point of community pride in every corner of the state. They provide a focal point for youth agricultural programs such as 4-H, and give 45,000 youths annually a chance to participate in livestock shows and other public displays and competitions.

“This really is an investment that pays the state back,” McCune said. “Many fairs would not be able to operate without state support. Yet the state collects more in sales tax than it lays out. Other economic impacts continue year-round, on everything from feed sales to veterinary services. Meanwhile, the fairs provide an important outlet for local businesses, and are a major source of revenue for non-profit organizations, everything from community service groups to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

“This new law doubles the state’s investment in fairs, allowing local boards to make needed investments and improvements. It will generate millions of dollars in tax collections, a win-win for all of us in this great state.”

The bill affects the 67 fairs supported by the state Fair Fund, which is administered by the state Department of Agriculture. State money is used to reimburse operating expenses, and is allocated to each fair according to a merit system based on attendance, youth participation and other factors.

In testimony on the bill, supporters noted that the youth agricultural programs teach children and teenagers about teamwork, leadership, public speaking, animal husbandry and healthy competition. Many who participate in the agricultural program go on to educational programs in science and engineering.

In signing the bill Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee said the fairs make an important contribution to the state, providing unique opportunities for youth, highlighting Washington’s high-value agricultural products, and promoting economic development statewide.

Awards ceremony honors ‘epic fails’ of 2021 legislative session

OLYMPIA – The new income tax passed by majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature earned top honors in the first annual Galloping Gertie Awards, presented by the Senate Freedom Caucus to honor the biggest fails of the 2021 legislative session.

The income tax earned the Gertie for Worst New Tax in a Leading Role to Promote Big Government, and picked up two special awards for its sponsors, legislative Democrats and Gov. Jay Inslee, who advanced the new tax during the just-finished legislative session.

The awards are named for “Galloping Gertie,” the famed state-highway bridge that briefly crossed the Tacoma Narrows before it collapsed in a 1940 windstorm.

A recording of the Wednesday awards ceremony can be seen on TVW, at https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2021041339.

Lawmakers concluded their 105-day regular session Sunday evening after passing an unconstitutional income tax, measures that impose state government control on local law enforcement agencies, and precursor bills for steep new taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Lawmakers are expected to be called back for a special legislative session on transportation later this year, for final passage of those fuel taxes and others.

“It was the most radical agenda Washington has ever seen, and this was a dizzying session,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, who hosted the Wednesday awards ceremony. “It was just as dizzying as Galloping Gertie, the state’s biggest-ever engineering blunder. Those of us in the Senate Freedom Caucus realized we really should do something to recognize everyone who made this nightmare possible.”

Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, said, “We’re calling this the ‘first annual’ Galloping Gertie Awards. But honestly, we would be very happy if we never have to hold an awards ceremony like this one again.”

Other presenters were Sens. Jim McCune, R-Graham, Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, and Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. Wilson said, “It was as if the Seattle City Council got itself elected to the Legislature and decided the rest of the state should share in the benefits of chaos and dysfunction.”

Padden said, “Taking all these bills together, this was a great session for economic development in Idaho and Montana.”

McCune said, “We’re trying to see the humor in this year’s session. But when the people understand what happened this year, I don’t think anyone is going to be laughing.”

The new income tax on capital gains, certain to be expanded to the middle class if it survives court challenges, earned the special False Narrative Award for legislative Democrats. For his work in promoting the new tax, after an election promise to oppose all new taxes, Gov. Jay Inslee was awarded the Suzi Levine Award for Executive Branch Excellence.

A tie was awarded for the Green Delusions Award for Worst Legislation in the Name of the Environment. Honors went to this year’s legislation creating cap and trade and low-carbon fuel standards programs, which could increase the cost of a gallon of gas by $2 or more.

The Worst Legislation on Public Safety award went to the majority’s “Blake Fix” bill, which addresses the state Supreme Court’s decision overturning drug laws, by turning former felony charges into simple misdemeanors. The special Handcuffs for Law Enforcement Award went to this year’s legislation imposing restrictions on police tactics, which could force escalation.

Majority Democrats also were honored with the Silence of the Mask Award, for running their sweeping agenda through the statehouse at a time when the public was excluded from the Capitol due to COVID restrictions, and for their disinterest in the top issue for the people of the state, bringing balance and reason to lockdown restrictions and getting the state back to work.

Nominees for the Missed Opportunities Award included multiple failures to pass property tax relief, tough DUI legislation, sensible approaches to transportation funding and tax incentives for manufacturers. All were declared winners.