Friends,
I ran for state representative last year because I felt we were not being well served by our current representation. Unfortunately, I didn't win, so we will have to deal with Mr. Overstreet for two more years. Let's dig in to what Mr. Overstreet is trying to do to us, oops, for us.
Overstreet has joined forces in a big way with three other ultra-conservative legislators to form the "Republican Liberty Caucus" to advance their "Freedom Agenda." His compatriots are Rep.
Matt Shea, of Spokane Valley, who pulled a gun in a road rage incident during his re-election campaign last year, Rep. Dave Taylor representing the Yakima Valley, and newly-elected Rep. Elizabeth Scott, of the 39th District which includes the foothills of King, Snohomish and Skagit Counties. You can keep up with them on their almost daily chats called
FreedomCast.
Legislators have to specialize in one or two areas of policy, so their Prime sponsored bills are going to reflect this focus. Here we find bills to repeal the estate tax, reduce the sales tax rate, require all state regulations that have economic impact to go back to the legislature for adoption, familiar property rights "takings" legislation, and declaring life begins at conception.
The secondary sponsorship of bills is just as revealing, however, about where a legislator's values lie. Many, most, of the bills Overstreet has co-sponsored are only sponsored by a handful of the most conservative legislators, mainly the Liberty Caucus. Here we have an abnormal focus on the Federal government telling us what to do, but also a worry about Agenda 21 and other insidious international bodies making recommendations to us. Scary, recommendations. At least four bills declare that state law trumps federal law, invoking the discredited concept of
nullification, in the areas of ObamaCare, greenhouse gas emissions, and gun control. Surprise!
Rep. Overstreet's primary and secondary sponsored bills provide us with the best, and worst, of the ultra-conservative agenda this year. Most will not see the light of day in the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, so our job is to track them to be sure they don't get any traction. I and a couple other volunteers will do this.
I ask you to help let your neighbors, co-workers and friends know about just how extreme Rep. Overstreet is, by talking to them about these bills. There is a lot of information below, but I've done the time-consuming part by clicking on all the links and reading the bills. Please read through the summaries below, find something that raises your hackles. If you are game, please
write a letter to your local paper, including the weeklies. Do it while it's fresh. I will also be sharing this document with the local reporters who cover politics, in the hopes that they, too, find something they want to write about. If any articles appear in the papers, please write a response to them.
Thanks so much for reading all of this, and caring to learn and act.
--Natalie
Rep. Overstreet's Prime Sponsored Bills, as of January 27
| Bill Number | Brief Description |
| HB 1099 | Repealing the state estate tax.
Current law taxes estates over $2 million. It raises over $100 million annually, on average, and is dedicated to the Education Legacy Trust Fund, which finances lower class sizes in public schools, higher education, and financial aid, etc. More Info |
| HB 1100 | Reducing the state sales and use tax rate.
Reduces the state portion of the sales tax from 6.5 to 6.4 percent. Apparently because we just have too much tax revenue(?) |
| HB 1135 | Concerning the annual gross sales limits for cottage food operations. Fiscal Note
Scheduled for public hearing Thursday Jan 31, 1:30 pm. Cottage food operations, mainly jam and jelly, are limited to home-based kitchens with less than 50(!) employees and under $15,000 gross income. This bill would eliminate the income limit as a reason to revoke a license. |
| HB 1162 | Enacting the regulatory fairness act of 2013.
Scheduled for public hearing Thursday, Jan. 31, 10 am. State agencies would not be allowed to adopt regulations that had economic impact unless said regulation is adopted by the Legislature. The way state law works is the Legislature enacts broad enabling legislation, with as many details as they feel are necessary, and then the state agencies develops rules and regulations to implement and enforce the law. This proposal would make the legislature responsible for adopting all these administrative rules. "Economic impact" means costing an individual $500 or more annual, or a business $1,000 or more annually. |
| HB 1166 | Requiring compensation for government required actions on private property.
Details specific things state and local governments can't make a landowner do without paying compensations, such as protecting and fencing off critical areas, riparian and wetlands. I think this would mean fencing to keep cows out of a stream would have to be paid for my the government. |
| HB 1259 | Declaring that the right to life begins at the moment the individual comes into being.
Freedom Agenda on "pro-life" bills |
| HB 1454 | Creating the Washington state freedom of travel act.
Adopted in Texas, also known as the Anti-groping law. A reaction to over-zealous TSA screeners at airports, apparently. |
| HB 1455 | Eliminating the use of automated traffic safety cameras. |
Secondary sponsored bills below
Lobby Days and other events at the Capitol: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/CampusEvents/default.aspx
2013 Cutoff Calendar
http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/pages/cutoff.aspx
January 14, 2013 First Day of Session
we are here
February 22, 2013 Last day to read in committee reports in house of origin, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
March 1, 2013 Last day to read in committee reports from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees in house of origin.
March 13, 2013 Last day to consider bills in house of origin (5 p.m.).
April 3, 2013 Last day to read in committee reports from opposite house, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
April 9, 2013 Last day to read in opposite house committee reports from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
April 17, 2013 Last day to consider opposite house bills (5 p.m.) (except initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, differences between the houses, and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session).
April 28, 2013 Last day allowed for regular session under state constitution.
Rep. Overstreet Secondary Sponsored Bills as of January 27
| Bill Number | Brief Description |
| HB 1091 | Changing provisions relating to presidential electors.
A Republican national movement, trying to capture electoral votes in Blue states that have Red congressional districts. I disagree with the characterization that this plan would "rig" Presidential elections. It's a secondary effect of the gerrymandering of congressional districts, which has an immediate impact on the balance of power in the US House of Representatives. |
| HB 1092 | Providing a right of first repurchase for surplus transportation property. |
| HB 1093 | Regarding state agency lobbying activities.
Limits state agency lobbying of the legislature to agency directors; lobbying cannot be delegated to agency staff. |
| HB 1094 | Requiring agreements between state agencies and the federal government to be reported to the legislature.
Tea Party sponsored bill with one D co-sponsor. Already had hearing. |
| HB 1111 | Concerning the management of real property assets of the state.
"divest the state by December 31, 2023, of all state lands and state forest lands that are not being actively used for forestry... The attorney general is authorized and empowered to condemn land owned by the federal government ...that is forested or available for active forestry uses." And bars local governments from buying the land. Invokes the concept of nullification - that federal law that conflicts with this statute is void. We fought a Civil War over that concept. |
| HB 1163 | Regarding administrative procedures that promote accountability, transparency, and economic relief.
Suspends ALL agency rule-making until 2016, except in emergencies and the setting of hunting season dates. |
| HB 1164 | Prohibiting the use of international law to infringe on property rights.
I'd dub this the "anti-Agenda 21" law. Provides a laundry list of international conferences and summits that make recommendations to countries of the world, and assumes that we are somehow bound to do what they say. "Prohibit [state and local gov'ts] the adoption, development, or implementation of community development policies based on international accords that infringe or restrict private property rights" simply because the idea is from an international document. Even uses the phrase "required by policy recommendations", ignoring the definition of "required" and "recommendation". Also gives citizens standing to sue for damages under this law. |
| HB 1165 | Prohibiting the state of Washington and its political subdivisions from adopting and developing environmental and developmental policies that would infringe or restrict private property rights without due process.
Oops, this bill actually refers exclusively to Agenda 21. |
| HB 1167 | Repealing growth management planning requirements in chapter 36.70A RCW.
Says planning costs too much so we shouldn't do it. |
| HB 1168 | Adopting the Washington state health care freedom act of 2013.
Bars requiring individuals or businesses in participating in a healthcare program, or paying a fine or fee for not doing so. Clearly opposing the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and invokes the concept of nullification, again. |
| HB 1169 | Reevaluating the delegation of authority to state agencies in regards to programs that address greenhouse gas emissions.
Expressly limits state agency programs designed to implement a cap and trade system, regulate motor vehicle fuel economy, or otherwise address greenhouse gas emissions. Invokes the concept of nullification, again. |
| HB 1257 | Establishing parental notification requirements for abortion.
Speaks for itself. Hear the sponsors talk about this |
| HB 1317 | Concerning poll-site voting and voting identification requirements.
Anticipating the passage of local initiatives to reinstate poll-site voting. |
| HB 1318 | Concerning concealed pistol license renewal notices.
See FreedomCast 4 Wants the state to spend money letting gun permit holders know that their permits are expiring. Rep. Shea got into trouble in his road rage incident because he had let his gun permit lapse. |
| HB 1329 | Creating a sales tax holiday for back-to-school clothing and supplies.
May be initiated by the Wa Retail Association, as this was one of the questions on their 2012 Legislative candidate survey. Because we have too much tax revenue and too few special tax exemptions? |
| HB 1334 | Concerning conversion kits on motorcycles. Fiscal Note |
| HB 1335 | Repealing unnecessary provisions concerning the Washington State Bar Association.
Removing all references to the Bar Association in statute, and leaving oversight to the Courts. ?? |
| HB 1352 | Addressing the statute of limitations for sexual abuse against a child.
Bi-partisan support. |
| HB 1371 | Adopting the Washington state firearms freedom act of 2013 and establishing penalties.
States that "domestically" manufactured, sold and possessed firearms are not subject to Federal law. Invokes the concept of nullification, again. |
| HB 1372 | Concerning natural resource management activities.
Has bi-partisan support. |
| HB 1386 | Requiring a superior court judge to be a qualified voter in a county served by the superior court he or she is elected or appointed to.
Bi-partisan support |
| HB 1387 | Eliminating the periodic replacement requirement for license plates. |
| HB 1391 | Limiting enrollment in certain health care and human service programs to United States citizens and qualified aliens.
Speaks for itself. Only sponsored by 3 members of the "Republican Liberty Caucus" |
| HB 1392 | Protecting citizens from the application of foreign laws that would result in a violation of a constitutional right.
"Republican Liberty Caucus" bill |
| HB 1430 | Reducing property tax delinquencies by modifying collection practices.
"Republican Liberty Caucus" bill. Removes some penalties for delinquent taxes. |
| HJR 4203 | Requiring a balanced budget.
Constitutional amendment. |
| HJR 4205 | Requiring that all mandatory, regulatory, licensing, and disciplinary functions regarding the practice of law and administration of justice reside exclusively in the supreme court. |
| HJR 4206 | Placing restrictions on tax increases.
Republican caucus constitutional amendment to enshrine 2/3 vote for tax increase. |
| HR 4603 | Recognizing the life and work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| HR 4605 | Honoring Allen Hayward. |
--Natalie
