FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2014 CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Deputy Communications Director – (253) 973-0505 (mobile) Rep. Shelly Short says low and middle income families hit the worst with governor’s new energy tax scheme Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, and ranking Republican on the House Environment Committee, took issue with Gov....

Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly short give a detailed outline of the job-creation policies they support in the Legislature and how the governor and House Democrats would rather create a larger tax burden on citizens than enact smart policies that get Washington working.

Failure of majority Democrats to reach agreement on state budget leads lawmakers into special legislative session After 103 days and the year-long knowledge of a looming fiscal crisis this session, the governor along with majority Democrats in the House and Senate failed to pass a budget. Now their disagreements on...

By Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short It’s no secret Washington is in a financial hole. The current budget is still $600 million in deficit and the projected spending gap for the 2011-13 budget is nearing $5 billion. We believe it is past-time to take bold actions that put our...

By Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short Thank you to everyone who called and wrote us during the legislative session. Your input is always incredibly valuable. In this column, we will give you a brief rundown on the 2010 legislative session, tax increases and some local legislation that passed. However,...

‘With local economies continuing to struggle, and with families trying to keep food on the table, farmers markets are playing a more vital role for both,’ says Short Legislation introduced during the 2010 legislative session to help farmers markets is now law in Washington state. Substitute House Bill 2402, which...

Democrats’ budget relies on largest tax increase in state history to continue failed budget policies In what Republican Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short called an “unconscionable move,” majority Democrats in the Legislature passed a state supplemental operating budget that assumes nearly $1 billion in new and higher taxes this...

‘I just feel like our arguments and our statistics have fallen on deaf ears within the majority party and in the governor’s office,’ says Schmick Despite a House Democrat budget proposal that officially wipes Pine Lodge Correction Center off the state budget books, two local legislators aren’t giving up the...

‘The voters want tax increases to be a last resort not the first option when it comes to dealing with years of overspending,’ says Kretz Washington state taxpayers had their voices silenced today as majority Democrats in the state House of Representatives approved legislation repealing voter-approved Initiative 960, the Taxpayers...