Dear friends and neighbors,

This week marks the 11th week of session and, with four weeks left, the majority party has failed to address high unemployment rates and continued closures of businesses in Washington.

Just last week, we heard that 28,000 people lost their jobs from January to February this year. The unemployment rate increased to 8.4 percent for the state. The rate also increased in Clark and Skamania counties, but decreased in Yakima and Klickitat counties.

Those looking for work don't need additional fees or taxes on their purchases, power or property; they need more job opportunities.

Climate change legislation

There have been several proposals here in the Legislature that are designed to address energy and climate change. Senate Bill 5687 would have required that global gas emissions be addressed in the Growth Management Act, with unknown costs to local governments. Fortunately, it appears this bill is dead for the year.

House Bill 1747 would create new "green" mandates for public and private buildings, despite evidence that shows "green" buildings do not provide energy or cost savings. The bill passed 70-25 in the House, and I voted "no."

Senate Bill 5735 would take steps toward creating a costly cap and trade system that would increase the cost of energy, gas and food for everyone in the state. The original proposal to create the system was reduced to obligate the state to create the program in the future. It passed 29-19 in the Senate and is now moving through the House. Though the proposal is now considered a "light" version of cap and trade, I will vote "no" on this proposal.

While we need to be good environmental stewards, successful environmental policies are dependent on a healthy economy. Now is not the time to be increasing expensive mandates on businesses or citizens. Washington has some of the cheapest energy with hydro power - we need this in the future to encourage future employers to move to Washington in spite of our high regulatory environment and labor costs.

Construction warranty bill

Another bad bill for employers is House Bill 1393, which would add warranty requirements and additional mandates on home builders. This would add unnecessary burdens on good builders who take pride in their work, in addition to increasing the cost of homes for families. The bill barely passed 52-45 in the House. I voted "no."

Employer communications bill

Freedom of speech would be at jeopardy under House Bill 1528, also known as the "employer gag rule." The bill prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to attend a meeting, or listen to, respond to, or participate in any communication relating to political or religious matters. State and federal laws already protect employees in the arena of political and religious beliefs within the workplace. The governor, Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader recently announced they were killing the bill due to a controversial e-mail from a union linking campaign contributions to the passage or failure of the bill. However, this proposal can come back next year just the same.

Please feel free to contact me about these or any other issue that is important to you. My contact information is at the top.

Rep. Bruce Chandler
15th District State Representative

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