Tag Archives: Washington

King says failure to pass transportation package not due to lack of effort

20140312_LegWA_0105abAt a news conference today – one day before the scheduled end of the 2014 legislative session – Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, lamented the fact that lawmakers did not pass an agreed-upon transportation revenue and reform package before adjourning. King added that the Majority Coalition Caucus, which leads the state Senate, repeatedly made compromises sought by the Senate minority, but to no avail.

“During the 2013 transportation feedback forum tour, we visited ten cities across Washington in five weeks. The vast majority of citizens made it clear that they wanted reforms before they’d accept any gas-tax increase, and we listened to the people.”

“From the very beginning, the MCC has prioritized reforms, and additional revenue was never off the table. But in the end, the Senate’s minority Democrats weren’t serious about making the tough reforms. They were more interested in tax increases and sound bites, despite knowing as well as I do that the state can’t win public support for a multibillion-dollar transportation package without first establishing that we are serious about fixing the waste, mismanagement and abuse that exists within the system.” Continue reading →

Deccio ‘a dear friend and colleague,’ says King

Former Washington State Sen. Alex Deccio, who served the 14th Legislative District, passed away Tuesday evening in a Yakima hospital. Deccio’s career of public service included two terms in the House of Representatives, a term as a Yakima County commissioner, service in the Senate between 1981 and 1989, and again from 1993 until his retirement in 2005. Deccio would have been 90 years old on Friday.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, who now serves the 14th District, issued this following statement in response to the news of Deccio’s passing: Continue reading →

Sen. King statement on the passing of Sen. Scott White

State Sen. Scott White, D-Seattle, suffered a heart attack and died last Friday. According to the coroner’s office, the 41-year-old White had an enlarged heart, a congenital condition that had not been previously diagnosed. In response to the news, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, who served with White on the Senate Transportation Committee, issued the following statement:

“I wish to express to his family my deepest sympathies on the passing of Senator White. I had the honor and privilege of working with him this past session, not only on transportation but other issues in which we were deeply engaged. I found Senator White to be a man of high integrity, willing to work across party lines and able to listen considerately to help develop solutions that all sides were comfortable with. He was an easy person to respect and work with and his passing is a great loss to the Senate and the state of Washington.”

King bill to align state with federal transportation law passes Senate

The Washington State Senate today voted unanimously in favor of Senate Bill 5260, which removes the 75-foot length limit for saddlemount vehicle combinations from Washington State Law and increases the limit to 97 feet.

“You’ve probably seen these vehicle combinations on freeways around the state. Often it’ll be a chain of tractor-trailer cabs,” said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and sponsor of the bill. “This bill will bring Washington into compliance with the federal standard.” Continue reading →

King calls largest tax increase in state history ‘very troubling’

The Washington State Senate today passed a bill amounting to the single largest operating-budget tax increase in state history. Senate Bill 6143would increase taxes by $794 million in the current biennium and nearly $1.7 billion in the 2011-13 biennium.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, voted against the bill, saying the direction it takes the state is very troubling. Continue reading →

Senators sign letter supporting AG lawsuit

Today Senate Republican Deputy Floor Leader Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, delivered a letter to Attorney General Rob McKenna in support of his decision to join a bipartisan, nationwide group of attorneys general challenging the constitutionalityof the national health care bill signed into law this week. These senators signed the letter:

Sen. Randi Becker Sen. Don Benton Sen. Mike Carrell Sen. Jerome Delvin Sen. Mike Hewitt Sen. Janéa Holmquist Sen. Jim Honeyford Sen. Curtis King Sen. Bob McCaslin Sen. Bob Morton Sen. Cheryl Pflug Sen. Pam Roach Sen. Mark Schoesler Sen. Val Stevens Sen. Dan Swecker Sen. Joseph Zarelli

“Our caucus has long sought to ensure all Washingtonians have access to high-quality, affordable health care while maintaining our commitments to the vulnerable, working poor and elderly. Over the years we have introduced legislation to accomplish this goal,” the letter stated. Continue reading →

Raising taxes on businesses will not create jobs, King says

The Washington State Senate today passed Senate Bill 6143, which would create or raise 21 separate taxes, including the state’s business and occupations tax. This is the second time the Senate has passed the massive tax bill due to the Legislature currently being in special session until the majority can agree on a budget.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and former small business owner, issued this statement after the measure passed by a vote of 25-18. Continue reading →

King says Senate tax-bill message is ‘We just want your money’

The Washington State Senate today passed Senate Bill 6143, which would create or raise 21 separate taxes. Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, issued this statement after the measure passed by a vote of 25-23.

“Before the passage of this tax package and the budget it would support, the Legislature had been saying it was going to start holding government accountable. Instead, those who receive tax incentives to help grow our economy would be held accountable. The state has outspent its revenues over the last several years, but we won’t recognize that fact. Instead, we are holding small businesses and private citizens accountable by forcing them to pay for what we have done. Continue reading →

King bill to ease small business burden passes Senate unanimously

The Washington State Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed Senate Bill 6524, which would ease the penalty for businesses that fail to pay their unemployment insurance tax in a timely manner. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said reducing that burden will help small businesses that are struggling to survive.

“Businesses that are delinquent in their UI payments are charged a penalty which is currently two-tenths of 1 percent above the highest rate on the scale, which is 5.4 percent,” King said. “Even if your rate is the lowest on the 40-point scale, one delinquency will jack your rate up to 5.6 percent as a penalty. That’s counterproductive to encouraging the growth of businesses in Washington. My bill decreases that penalty to 1 percent over whatever rate the business is currently paying.” Continue reading →