Dear Neighbor,

It’s been a busy week in Olympia! As legislators make their final push to pass bills before the session ends, there are many topics to update you on. That’s why I’m joining my seatmates, Reps. Kelly Chambers and Cyndy Jacobsen for a virtual town hall tomorrow night. I hope you’ll joins us as we update you on many of the issues we have been working on this year. More details can be found below!

2022 Supplemental operating budget – it’s STILL raining money in Olympia

2022 continues to be a hard year for many working families across our state. With the cost of living skyrocketing and inflation taking its toll, many in our state are struggling to get by. Despite this, our state continues to spend at record levels. The chart above clearly shows how government spending has more than doubled private sector growth since 2013.

As we enter the home stretch of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers in each caucus have introduced their proposals for this year’s supplemental operating budget.

With an almost $15 billion surplus, Senate Republicans continue to believe tax relief should be a top priority. Accordingly, we introduced Senate Bill 5769, called the Tax Relief and Reform Act of 2022, to provide some relief and make it easier for individuals and families in our state to make ends meet.

Senate Bill 5693 is the other option. It increases spending by more than $11.1 billion and includes some small tax incentives for credit card processing companies and the film industry. Specifically, it provides tax incentives for Hollywood to make movies in Washington. However, it offers NO TAX RELIEF.

The chart below shows a high-level overview of the two competing proposals.

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Join us for a 25th LD town hall! Tomorrow!

I’d like to invite you to join me and Representatives Chambers and Jacobsen for our virtual town hall tomorrow (Thursday, February 24), at 6:30 p.m. We will provide a short legislative update and answer your questions. Click on the here for more details and to register for this event. I Hope to see you there!

I do hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the bills that normally don’t garner the headlines. Keep in mind, not all these bills will make it to the governor’s desk.

If there are bills of concern to you, please reach out to my office by phone at (253) 840-4523 or by email at Chris.Gildon@leg.wa.gov.

It is an honor serving you!

Chris Gildon

Senator, 25 LD

Deputy Floor Leader

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