The U.S. Supreme Court announced earlier this month that it will review Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the 2016 lawsuit filed by former Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy after he was fired by the district due to his refusal to stop holding a voluntary post-game prayer at midfield.  Kennedy’s case made national headlines as it weaved its way through the federal court system.  In 2019, the Ninth Circuit Court (in a split decision) ruled against the former Marine turned football coach.  The Supreme Court initially denied reviewing the case, writing the lower court still needed to rule on some of the issues in the lawsuit.  Now that those legal issues have been settled, arguments are expected to be heard sometime in April.  In a special Newsmaker Interview, Shift spoke with Coach Kennedy’s lead attorney, Mike Berry of the First Liberty Institute, to learn more about the case and upcoming arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.  (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

Democrats on the House Committee for State Government and Tribal Affairs voted to remove citizens’ right to make and repeal state laws, and now the bill is off to the full House chamber. The committee voted along party lines (4-3) this morning to pass HB 1727, the bill which would eliminate initiatives and referendums in odd-numbered years because that’s when liberal voters cannot be bothered to fill out a ballot and send it in with postage already paid.  Thus the bill is rewarding those who are too lazy to vote and punishes those who take their voting responsibilities seriously (talk about voter suppression).  Remember, while this bill prohibits referendums and initiatives in odd-numbered years, the Democrats made sure it still allows government proposals to increase taxes to appear on those ballots.

All four Democrat members of the committee (Representatives Valdez [46^th], Lekanoff [40^th], Dolan [22^nd], and Gregerson [33^rd] all come from extremely liberal districts which routinely return Left-wing legislators no matter how many rights they remove from their constituents. Yet it will be interesting to watch if Democrats from more competitive districts will support this measure, which places party politics over the rights of citizens.  The floor vote on this bill will be watched by many moderate and conservative groups which will be active in the 2022 elections. (Washington Legislature Bill Summary and Washington Policy Center)

The Discovery Institute’s Keri Ingraham strongly advocates in a Seattle Times op-ed for legislation to eliminating barriers previous Democrat legislators had placed on the state’s public charter schools. Thanks to monetary inducements from the Democrats’ major campaign contributors at the Washington Education Association (WEA), previous liberal-controlled legislatures had placed restrictions on when charter schools could be established and funded them unequally compared to other public schools.  As public support for charter schools continues to grow, some Democrat lawmakers are now willing to support legislation which will enable them to serve more students. HB 1962 eliminates the five-year limit (which recently ran out) on establishing a charter school in the state, and HB 1591 allows charter schools to be funded at the same level as other public schools. While the op-ed mentions that both bills have some Democrat support, it is noteworthy that neither bill has yet to be scheduled for a required public hearing. This leads many to believe that the contribution-carrying WEA lobbyists have instructed Democrat leadership and House Education Committee Chair Sharon Tomiko Santos (D – Seattle) not to allow the bills to reach the House Floor. (Seattle Times and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Democrats in the Washington State Senate will not allow a public hearing on meaningful legislation to amend the state’s rules on a governor’s emergency powers.  The Senate’s State Government Committee & Elections Committee Chair Sam Hunt (D – Olympia) has decided that the only emergency reform legislation he will allow a public hearing on is the Democrats’ SB 5909, which falls considerably short of the reform which Republicans (and a couple of Democrats) have offered in SB 5039 and SB 5943.  Allowing only Democrat views in committee hearings is nothing new for Senator “One Minute Cutoff” Hunt. Readers will remember the Chair treated members of the public incredibly rudely when they sought to speak on the governor’s abuse of emergency powers during the 2021 session.

We will note that the public hearing for on SB 5909 is this Friday, which is day 699 of Governor Inslee’s often flawed one-man rule of the state. (Didn’t the governor claim to “win the Super Bowl” against COVID last July?)  Republicans have stated they will use this Friday’s hearing to reveal the flaws in that bill in the hope to amend it with items covered in their legislation. (Senate Republican Caucus media release, Washington Legislature Bill Summary, Shift Article, and Brandi Kruse Twitter)

A bill by Representative Jenny Graham (R – Spokane) would prohibit early release for prisoners who are convicted of gun violence crimes.  As Democrats continue to seek way to release prisoners early, including those who are convicted of drive-by shootings, Republicans are seeking to protect the public from the most violent criminals. Representative Graham’s bill (HB 2094) prohibits those convicted of crimes while using a gun to earn “early release credits.” The second-term representative said, “We can’t rail against gun violence on one hand, then give early release to violent criminals committing crimes with firearms on the other. The public expects government to keep them safe.” (House Republican Caucus media release, Shift Article, and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Due to liberal politicians’ anti-police policies and actions, it will cost King County taxpayers more money to retain and recruit officers to provide public safety in the county.  As is the case with Seattle police officers, many deputies in the King County Sheriff’s Office are frustrated by the lack of support they receive from the liberal officials who run the county. Remember King County Executive Dow Constantine bragged about handing out facemasks to those who rioted through Seattle in 2020, and is among the state’s Democrat politicians who still refuse to condemn the political violence committed by liberal activists that summer, including an attempted mass murder of police personnel.

King County is offering current deputies a $4,000 bonus to not pursue opportunities in other communities where political leaders support their law enforcement personnel and a signing bonuses of between $5,000 – $15,000 for officers who decide to become King County Sheriff deputies.   Unfortunately the lesson being learned by liberal politicians is that they will not face the consequences for their reckless anti-police behavior as long as taxpayers continue to pay for their mistakes. (Q13 FOX, MyNorthwest and KOMO News)

A far-reaching court case involving a Snohomish County Community Transit passenger is currently before the Washington State Supreme Court. The case involves a passenger who failed to provide evidence of paying for his ride to fare enforcement officers. The officers then arrested the passenger after finding out he had outstanding warrants.  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and public defenders groups took up the passenger’s case, stating that asking for proof of paying his fare violated the passengers’ rights. (Side note: if it is unconstitutional for transit agencies to ask for proof of payment, then would it also be unconstitutional for businesses and public venues to ask to see proof of vaccination?)

Two lower courts ruled against the passenger and the ACLU.  Currently, most major transit agencies open up all doors to their buses to expedite passengers getting on and off.  Locally, passengers who enter the back of the bus either have an Orca card or bus transfer slips, while those entering the front often pay their fares in the collection basket by the driver.  Fare enforcement officers then randomly board buses to ensure commuters have paid for their ticket. If the State Supreme Court rules in favor of the ACLU, it would significantly increase the amount of time a bus would take to complete its routes, since all passengers would need to enter through the front door. (Seattle Times)

A Tri-City Herald op-ed claims that the Democrats’ bill to expand buffer zones along creeks and rivers in rural communities to 100 – 250 feet “has the potential to have dramatic impacts on the agricultural community.” The article on the Democrats’ HB 1838 was written by Pam Lewison of the Washington Policy Center and claims the cost of allegedly “saving salmon” is being pushed onto the agriculture community.  Not only does the bill expand buffer zones (where no farming can take place and where farmers are responsible for paying 30% of the cost of planting trees) from its current 50 feet to 100, but it also expands the definition of the areas where a buffer is required, to anyplace where water might be retained, such as a seasonal floodplain.  Many small farmers are in danger of losing the use of all their farmland if this bill passes. (Tr-City Herald and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Governor Jay Inslee has an addiction to raising taxes. During the 2012 campaign, candidate Inslee promised to veto any tax increase that crossed his desk. Following a debate, it was perhaps the only direct promise he made publicly about taxes during the campaign. The media reported it prominently.

Yet, like many suffering from strong addictions, the governor’s ability to keep his promises is tempered by the need for a “fix.”  So instead of keeping his commitment to voters to veto any tax increase, especially with the booming economy he inherited from his predecessor, Governor Inslee has actually sought tax increases every single year he has been in office.

During the past nine years, state revenues have nearly doubled from $32.1 billion to over $62 billion this year. Like dealers who financially benefit from a junkie’s addiction, government employee unions are the enablers of the governor’s needs by demanding/receiving significant pay raises in each of the past three years.  Washington State voters have the opportunity to provide the “tough love” Governor Inslee needs this November.  By removing enough enablers in the Democratic caucus, voters could remove the governor from his addictive environment and place him in a tax rehab.  (Click to read full Shift Article)

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