Month: February 2023

1832 – Implementing a per-mile tax

Save the Middle Class Sign

House Bill 1832 – Implementing a per-mile tax charge on vehicle usage of public roadways in Washington. Please click on this link and vote this proposed bill down before 12:30 pm on Tuesday, February 20, 2023. Our representatives in Olympia need to know how you feel about what they are making decisions on. You can see more of the recent bills here.

Taxes Are Too High

I already pay road and gas taxes and if you were to pass this bill it would add an additional .025 cents for every mile I drive each year on top of those. This is definitely not good news.

When you lease a vehicle the company allows a 12,000-mile per-year limit, and that would cost an additional $300 in taxes per year. Workers in our rural area commute from Elk to Spokane (38 miles each way) accumulating an average of 20,000 miles every year. This would work out to a $500 increase in taxes.

What about the miles driven in other states, how about truckers? We live close to the Idaho border so if I go visit the kids in Coeur d’Alene, I really should not pay a Washington tax on the miles driven on the Idaho roads, right? Do we need to document whenever we cross a state line so that we do not get ripped off for paying for Washington roads when we are not using them?

Our budgets are already suffering. Inflation is crazy and gas prices have already more than doubled since Biden/Inslee got into office. It feels as though politicians are so far removed from the working person’s life that they have forgotten to include us in the decision process. An additional $300 to $500 per year could easily break the camel’s back. Please do not pass this bill. Allow us to remain responsible tax-paying citizens by NOT making it impossible to continue going to work.

…this Week’s Bills

cartoon by Adam Zyglis

This Week’s bills are quite plentiful. Here are 4 of the most interesting ones listed below. I am hoping, you will become an activist letting the Legislators know what you think. Please comment on them using the links below, if you want to. The comments below are my own.

Pro

Pro 5045 Incentivizing rental of accessory dwelling units
In order to help solve the housing shortage quickly, an owner can improve and rent accessory dwelling units to low-income. Rent for these households must not exceed 30% of their income. This is all done under the incentive of getting a tax exemption on the unit while renting to people in the 60% AMI level of poverty. I do have one question. Would the owner have to then burn the place down after the low-income tenant moves to prevent being crucified by taxes the following year?

Con

Con 5599 Youth seeking protected health care services
This bill sets $7.5 million aside for children to be able to run away and seek gender change medical services without parental consent. It also allows the center or residence where they stay to not have to let the parents know that they are there. I disagree because I believe a parent has the responsibility to protect their children, and the right to direct their children as they are growing up. When a person becomes an adult, they are fully able to make their own choices then.

Con 5484 Washington food production, improve. voluntary environ. stewardship
You are putting in place a commission to promote the Green New Deal. Farms are one of the best stewards in the use of carbon on the planet. Science shows that plants use carbon in growth and they also store carbon in the soil. Your bill wants farmers to build and use carbon storage tanks. This is not needed and very large waste. This is a commission that is purposely set up as a way to shut down farming by imposing restrictions on fuel use and equipment. It is another Government Overreach Program.

Con 5624 Implementing recommendations for substance use recovery services advisory committee
Absolutely no! Legalizing the possession of a controlled substance will not help to improve our community at all. Police have their hands tied by this as they go around addicted encampments. Instead of imprisoning law-breaking addicts, we are now directed to refer them to treatment only. There are no consequences.

Intake and recovery counseling is an expensive process Unfortunately, it is only successful if the individual decides to actually make a change in their own life. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make that horse drink! I know that we the people will end up paying for all of this with tax increases. This bill includes plans to provide a directory of treatment options available and begin the building of treatment/recovery service locations across the state (within a 2 hr drive). Building these addiction recovery homes and then training the staff will cost a great deal.

THE WORST PROVISION IN THIS BILL—Removes the requirement or right to have a public hearing for the community’s participation before a treatment program is built in their midst (quoted below).

“A requirement for DOH to hold a public hearing in a community where an OTP opioid treatment program is proposed to be located is removed.”

This is another expensive program that does not allow public voting, and it is criminal. I can not give my support to a bill that punishes the public in order to be able to pamper the criminal.

HB1628 Modify Real Estate Taxes

Increasing Real Estate Tax Rates

At the Washington State Legislator, HB1628 – Increase affordable housing by modifying real estate excise tax rates is being discussed on Tuesday, 2/7, and Friday, 2/10/23 this week. Please,”testify”.

There are four funds that the money will be divided between. I’d like to see exactly what each one plans to do with the money. Having some kind of accountability would make it a lot easier to see if this tax increase is really a good idea. Does this increase really help to supply more affordable housing, or does it increase a slush fund for the State?

The Dept of Commerce collects and deposits the money:
30% to The Washington Housing Trust Fund,
30% to The Apple Health and Homes Account,
25% to The Affordable Housing for All Account, and
15% to Developmental Disabilities Trust Account.

Follow the Money

Where does the money actually go? It is a sizeable tax increase, creating a large chunk of change for the 4 account holders appointed. 50% on construction/acquisition of affordable housing, and 50% on operations, maintenance, and services. Unrealistic, doesn’t it usually cost more to build a complex than it does to maintain it?

Through December 2019, the sales tax percentage was 1.28% on all sales straight across the board. There were no increases in higher-priced sales. This bill changes the tax percentage when sales happen at higher values.

New Tax Percentages

January 1, 2020
1.10% of sale prices < $500,000
1.28% of sale prices between >$500,000-$1,500,000
2.75% of sale prices between $1,500,000-$3,000,000
3.00% of sale prices between $3,000,000-$5,000,000
4.00% of sale prices >$5,000,000 (January 2025 this level begins)

On the sale of a 750,000 home, the sales & use tax would work out to
1.28% x 750,000 = $9,600

On the sale of a 7,000,000 hom
4% x 7,000,000 =$280,000
Compared to the old percentage rate of 1.28% x 7,000,000 = $89,600

80% of the Median income for a Family of four is below $7562/month.
60% of the Median income for a Family of four is below $4537/month.
50% of the Median income for a Family of four is below $2269/month.
30% of the Median income for a Family of four is $1579/month.

“Affordable Housing” is when (rental) rates for a family of four in the 60% median income range (4,537) do not exceed 30% of that income. That family is allowed a maximum rent of $1,361 per month.

Senate Bill 5190

Multi Plex HousingSenate Bill 5190, Increasing middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family
detached housing. It’s companion House bill is HB 1110

Please Vote

I am against this bill. Please vote against it this morning using the link above. Bill 5190 would allow the circumvention of all the local Growth Management safeguards put in place to preserve single-family lifestyles. It removes any voice an existing community would have in protesting against the increased development.

Not requiring a provision for parking for the multi-units will automatically create all kinds of stress. I have lived in apartments, stacked on top of noisy neighbors. Parking my car on the street after work was a nightly feat of ingenuity and timing.

This bill is bad news. Taking away any input from the community it will crowd by ignoring planning steps before allowing an increased population in an area. It is idiotic to not make sure that the utilities, sewage, drainage, and transportation could handle the extra load before commencing the project.

Yes, we have a housing shortage in Washington state.

Honestly, we need to respond to it quickly, but, not without thinking about what the repercussions will be. In preparing to house the mass migration into our state, we should not destroy it for the residents that are already here. This would greatly change an existing quiet community into an overcrowded and negative place to raise kids without allowing any voice of dissent for the residents living in the proposed area of development.

Developers, contractors, and real estate agents will love this bill. It gives them free rein to do whatever they deem necessary to put the units up. No requirements to jump through local planning “hoops of fire” makes their job so much easier.

I can see that an established single-family area of town, with scattered vacant lots, would very easily be overrun. With the addition of 6 times more habitation per lot that would very quickly happen. We rush to put up cracker jack boxes “plexes”, replacing neighborhoods, as the sky is falling all around us.

Poison Makeup Problems

mascaraDid you know there are poison makeup problems in Washington state? I just testified “Con”, on House Bill 1047, “. This bill concerns the use of toxic chemicals in cosmetic products”.

NO to EPA

Con. By adding another “appointed” regulator, the Dept of Ecology and Health is a waste of taxpayer money.

Further, the bill’s report shows that 4 legitimately elected government programs are already actively monitoring for dangerous chemicals in cosmetics supplied to Washington state.

  • the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA),
  • the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), and
  • the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which is requiring compliance with labeling regulations.
  • the state’s Intrastate Commerce in Drugs and Cosmetics code (ICDC) preventing adulteration and misbranding.

Why appoint the Environmental Protection Agency? Instead, just enforce laws that are already set up. Then, allow supply and demand to run the course. The presence of formaldehyde and lead in makeup products will naturally become known. Which in turn will steer the public away from purchasing them.

The “minority and people of color” card, on this issue, is without merit. Any person, (pink, yellow, green, purple, white, black, or brown) that uses a product with lead or formaldehyde in it, will experience poisoning problems. You don’t have to be a special color to experience a problem with poison.

Quoted from page 5;
“The chemicals restricted in cosmetics in this bill are already restricted in many
other regulatory contexts in other products and are widely known to be harmful. The
aggressive marketing of certain types of cosmetics to women of color leads to
disproportionate public health burdens from the chemicals in those products. Based on
recent product testing, formaldehyde in hair straighteners and lead in mascara and eyeliners
are two of the most concerning chemicals in products that are used particularly extensively
by women of color, including immigrant communities.”

Watch Out House Bill 1333

fact fakeWatch out for House Bill 1333 -Establishing domestic violent extremism commission

It seems as though Zuckerberg penned it for FaceBook on steroids, making it illegal to spread “misinformation“. If House Bill 1333 were passed it would set up a spy network, able to use some frightening tools to rid us of our right to free speech. Forces like the IRS, the FBI, and Homeland Security are quite scary to me. This is about “you are not allowed to disagree” with me. It is definitely not American. Check out this Great Article Domestic Terrorism Bill in WA Stateby Wes Cormier in the GHWeekly (courtesy of Influencing Olympia author.

Another one

House Bill 5599 – Youth seeking protected health care service

 “protected health care service” ?

This bill sets $7.5 million aside to pay for children to be able to run away and seek gender change medical services without parental consent. It allows the center where they stay not to let the parents know they are there. I disagree with this because I believe a parent has the right to protect their children as they are growing up. It is the parent’s duty to do everything they can to protect their children.

When a child becomes an adult, they are mature and much more aware of their own likes and dislikes. Much more prepared to make their own choices. They are no longer inexperienced youths who could be easily misled. Making the decision to alter your sexual orientation is not a little change. It is something that can not be reversed, so having a little more time to consider the decision seems wise.

Weekly Activist

What is involved with becoming a weekly activist? A responsible active citizen? Get off of the couch and turn off the television. Then, what? Well, a lot of stubborn dedication & willingness to read a lot! Really a lot!

DUI test

Become the police officer

sitting in the parking lot as the bar closes.

The best forms of prevention for DUI offenders is an officer keeping an eye out in the parking lot as the bar closes. When an officer prevents a stumbling person from driving home from that parking lot? How many lives are saved?

Steps to become Active

We can assist our Washington State lawmaking process by being willing to communicate our views with the elected officials in Olympia.

Last week, we made a list of legislative bills (01-30-2023 to 02-03-2023). There were about 250 bills on our spreadsheet after an investigation into the schedule. Each day listed about 50 bills, but on Friday the list was a little shorter (30 bills). I share a list with members of our group so we can sort through all this info as a team.

We are always in the process of recruiting like-minded friends/neighbors who may be willing to take a portion of the list on themselves. We can divide it up into more manageable workloads between us. If you would like to be involved, or if you know of a better way to do it, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Peter and I split this list up between us. First, we read the summary of the bill, then decide if we need to read the entire bill before knowing enough to vote PRO, CON, or Otherwise. Sometimes we need to actually read the law mentioned in the bill, to fully understand the impact it is proposing. AAARGH! We put our comments on the spreadsheet and share them with others. We do this to make it easier, our views are not so others will copy what we say.

The Important Part

Learning how to communicate our own common sense opinions with the politicians that represent us, in Olympia, BEFORE they vote on the proposed bills.

Please take a moment to signup for this free course entitled, “Influencing Olympia Effectively“. It has been very helpful in teaching most of us how to navigate the Washington State Website which is a horribly difficult website to learn how to use.

American Freedoms Forever!