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March 21, 2025

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for the 8th District town hall on Saturday, March 15! Your questions, insights, and willingness to participate made it a great discussion. In a world full of emails and social media, there’s nothing like meeting in person to talk about the issues that matter most. I appreciate you taking the time to be there, and I look forward to more conversations like this in the future!

If you’ve been keeping up with Olympia, you know the past few weeks have been a whirlwind as we reached House of Origin cutoff—the deadline for bills to pass out of their chamber of origin. Some good bills advanced, and some bad ones did as well. And while a few may seem dead, they could resurface during budget negotiations.

Let’s start with some good news!

Despite the challenges, I’m happy to report that four of my bills passed the House with strong bipartisan support:

• House Bill 1106 seeks to expand property tax relief for disabled veterans, ensuring more of our heroes get the financial support they need. Read more here.
  
  
• House Bill 1819 aims to strengthen our outdated electric grid, making it easier to upgrade powerlines and modernize transmission while keeping environmental protections in place. Reliable energy is essential, and this bill helps ensure we don’t fall behind. Read more here.
  
  
• House Bill 1210 would encourage nuclear energy jobs in the Tri-Cities, bringing 500 to 1,500 new jobs while making Washington a leader in carbon-free, reliable energy. If we’re serious about clean energy, we need to embrace nuclear power as part of the solution. Read more here.
  
  
• House Bill 1824 seeks to cut red tape for accredited birthing centers, allowing providers to focus on quality care rather than needless bureaucracy. If they already meet strict national standards, they shouldn’t have to jump through redundant state hoops. Read more here.

These bills now move to the Senate, where they’ll be debated further. If you’d like to support them, you can submit testimony at leg.wa.gov, go to the section marked bills, meetings, and session, and then input the bill number.

Learn more about these bills in my recent legislative update video:

Troubling bills moving forward

Now, let’s discuss the less-than-good bills that advanced, including House Bill 1296, which rolled back the Parents’ Rights Initiative. Republicans fought hard against this bill, introducing 39 amendments to protect parental rights. Unfortunately, only four were accepted, and the bill was ultimately passed on a party-line vote, 57 to 37. It now heads to the Senate, where we have another chance to stop or amend it.

HB 1296 is concerning because:

• It weakens the Parents’ Rights Initiative (Initiative 2081), which was passed last year to strengthen parental involvement in education.
• It limits transparency, making it harder for parents to stay informed about their child’s education.
• It could jeopardize federal funding by conflicting with existing education policies.
• It ignores the will of the voters. Hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians supported Initiative 2081 to strengthen parental rights, and this bill dismantles key protections.

And unfortunately, other concerning bills were passed:

• House Bill 1409 – This bill would expand the Clean Fuels Program, increasing fuel costs and penalizing companies for factors beyond their control. This will hit small businesses and low-income families the hardest.
  
  
• House Bill 1531 – This bill would force local public health decisions to align with an undefined “best available science.” It removes local decision-making and could lead to new mandates on schools, businesses, and communities without transparency or accountability.
  
  
• House Bill 1217 – This proposal would impose rent control, discouraging housing development and limiting property owners’ ability to adjust to market conditions. By capping rent increases and adding bureaucratic enforcement, this bill would shrink rental supply, drive up housing costs in the long run, and make it harder for tenants to find affordable housing.

What’s next for the state’s budget negotiations?

As the session continues, the focus will shift to the state’s operating, capital, and transportation budgets. With the recent release of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s forecast, attention will be on how lawmakers should address the $10 billion budget shortfall caused by Democrat-sponsored policies.

This webpage breaks down how we got here and outlines Republican-led budget reforms aimed at restoring fiscal responsibility. If you missed it, Washington Senate Republicans recently introduced their $ave Washington budget—a responsible, no-new-taxes plan—during a press conference last week.

At the same time, some of the most troubling tax proposals didn’t make it past the House deadline, but they’re far from gone. Since these bills involve revenue, they can be labeled as “Necessary to Implement the Budget” (NTIB), allowing them to resurface at any point during ongoing negotiations. They may appear off the table but remain very much in play.

• House Bill 1320 – Would increase business taxes with a permanent 10% hike in B&O tax rates and a 20% surcharge on service-based businesses for two years. This will force businesses to cut jobs or raise prices, making Washington less competitive.
  
  
• House Bill 1334 – Would increase property taxes by changing the annual growth limit from 1% to 3%, tying it to population growth and inflation. This would lead to higher tax bills for homeowners and small businesses every single year.
  
  
• House Bill 1480 – Would allow counties to impose a new real estate excise tax (REET), further driving up housing costs. It’s presented as a measure to fund affordable housing, but there are no safeguards to ensure the money is spent effectively.

These tax hikes, if approved by the Legislature, would hurt Washington families and businesses, making it harder to afford housing, fuel, and basic necessities.

How you can make a difference:

The battle isn’t over yet! These bills still need to move through the Senate, providing a critical chance to block or change them before they reach the governor. Senate Republicans will keep fighting—just as we did in the House.

• Public pressure is critical. I encourage you to contact your senators and speak out against these harmful policies. Visit leg.wa.gov, go to the “Bills, Meetings, and Session” section, and enter the bill number to share your position or even testify.
  
• Sign up for The Week Ahead and get a weekly update on public hearings and committee work sessions that HRC staff has identified as potentially noteworthy.
  
• Or visit the new HRC Stop Bad Bills webpage, which highlights several harmful bills, their current status, and ways you can make your voice heard.

Your involvement truly makes a difference!

Whether you’ve sent an email, made a phone call, submitted testimony, or visited Olympia, your voice has helped shape the conversation and influence policy decisions. Thank you for standing up for good legislation, pushing back against harmful proposals, and staying engaged throughout the session.

I encourage you to keep reaching out with your questions, concerns, and ideas—I value your input and appreciate your dedication to our shared priorities. Together, we can continue working for a stronger, more accountable state government.

It’s an honor to serve you in Olympia!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Barnard