The 2023 Legislature began on Monday, Jan. 9. Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, discuss the first week on KPQ radio. The legislators discuss being back in Olympia for an in-person session, the governor's State of the State address, the committees they are serving on and legislation they are working on early in session.

01-13-23 - RADIO: Reps. Keith Goehner and Mike Steele discuss the opening week of the Legislature

Reps. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, discuss the governor's $4 billion homelessness plan, the status of the capital budget, an update on the vehicle pursuit law for law enforcement, and legislation that would add climate change and resiliency goals to the Growth Management Act (GMA).

01-27-23 - RADIO: Reps. Keith Goehner and Mike Steele discuss various issues on KOZI

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, join KPQ Radio to discuss the housing crisis, the governor's $4 billion homelessness plan, legislation to reinstate vehicle pursuits for law enforcement, adding climate change and resiliency to the Growth Management Act and requiring cities and counties to track vehicle-miles-traveled

01-27-23 - RADIO: Reps. Goehner and Steele talk about various issues

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, discuss some of their legislation still moving through the legislative process. The 12th District legislators also touch on bills moving through the fiscal committees before the cutoff date, the road usage charge, and the vehicle pursuit legislation.

02-24-23 - RADIO: Reps. Goehner and Steele discuss capital budget, transportation and public safety

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, join KPQ Radio to discuss their bills moving through the legislative process, the fiscal committee cutoff and important transportation issues such as the road usage charge and the vehicle pursuit legislation.

02-24-23 - RADIO: Reps. Keith Goehner and Mike Steele discuss various issues

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, talk about the three budgets - operating, capital and transportation - being negotiated in Olympia. They also discuss the two bills overriding the governor's vetoes from the previous session, the revenue forecast and the latest on the vehicle pursuit legislation.

03-24-23 - RADIO: Reps. Goehner and Steele talk the budgets, overriding the veto, and other issues

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, join KPQ Radio to discuss the budget proposals by the House of Representatives. The legislators also touch on the two bills that overrode a couple of governor vetoes from the previous session. Finally, they provided an update on the law enforcement vehicle pursuit legislation.

03-24-23 - RADIO: Reps. Goehner and Steele discuss the budgets, revenue forecast, and pursuits

Rep. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, and Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, discuss the final operating, transportation and capital budget proposals. What a final vehicle pursuit law make look like and if there is a chance to get a legitimate Blake fix to get drugs off the streets. They also discuss potential tax increases by the majority party in the final days of session.

04-21-23 - RADIO: Reps. Keith Goehner and Mike Steele join Jeff Conwell on KOZI

04-21-23 - RADIO: Reps. Keith Goehner and Mike Steele give a final session update to KPQ Radio

Republican legislative leaders met with reporters to review why bipartisan opposition brought down the Blake bill (drug possession and treatment) and discuss the possibility of a special session to pass a fix before current laws sunset on July 1.

Lawmakers also shared changes in House Republican leadership and reviewed wins and losses from the 2023 legislative session. Joining the media were departing House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm), incoming House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele (R-Chelan), Senate Republican Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) and Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake).

04-24-23 - NEWS CONF.: Republicans discuss failure of the Blake bill, leadership changes and more

House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary says Gov. Jay Inslee’s record as governor is not as stellar as he would have you believe. Stokesbary cites a “catalog of crises” that illustrate how the governor and majority Democrats have pushed through short-sighted policies that have failed Washingtonians.

Other topics during the news conference include property taxes, affordable housing, rent control, abortion, law enforcement recruitment and more. Stokesbary was joined by House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, Sen. Judy Warnick and Sen. Nikki Torres.

01-09-24 - NEWS CONF: Republicans discuss Inslee's State-of-the-State address and failures in WA

SUGGESTED LEAD: Republicans offered a stark comparison to the governor’s state-of-the-state address during a press briefing at the state Capitol on Tuesday. John Sattgast reports.  

SATTGAST: (:53) House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary said facts paint a sobering picture of increases in the cost-of-living, housing and violent crime – students failing math and reading standards and families burdened by a lack of childcare.  

STOKESBARY: (:11) “By any metric you want to pick, there is a growing catalog of crises facing the state. Our job as House and Senate Republicans is going to be proposing ideas that will actually fix those problems.”

SATTGAST: House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele of Chelan described the inequities across the state. 

STEELE: (:14) “When you look at the issues that we’re talking about, they disproportionately affect the folks who live in rural Washington more. I mean, we have to travel farther, have smaller police forces – have to think about the cost of doing basic business every day.”

SATTGAST: Acknowledging bipartisan proposals to improve public safety, Representative Stokesbary suggested a longer-term conversation on incentives to help train and retain law enforcement officers.  

John Sattgast, the state Capitol.

01-09-24 - RADIO REPORT: Republicans refute Inslee saying state of the state is stronger than ever

As the 60-day legislative session enters its second week, House and Senate Republican leaders told reporters why they would like to see a public hearing for the recently certified citizens' initiative expanding vehicular police pursuits. House Democrats rejected the motion for a hearing Monday in a party-line vote.

Legislators also discussed several other issues with the news media, including the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to take up a challenge against the state's capital gains tax, artificial intelligence legislation, the state's crime problem, and additional proposed restrictions on gun sales and ownership. Joining the media were House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary, House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, and Sen. Lynda Wilson.

01-16-24 - NEWS CONF: Republicans discuss vehicular pursuit initiative, capital gains tax with media

SUGGESTED LEAD: For the fourth time in the past two weeks, Democrats on Wednesday unanimously rejected a request by Republican lawmakers for a public hearing on a citizens’ initiative. Kelley Payne reports from the state Capitol.

PAYNE: Initiative 2109 would repeal the capital gains income tax approved in 2021 by the Legislature’s majority Democrats. House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele urged his colleagues to act on the initiative, as the state Constitution directs.

STEELE: “It should be directly referred to committee so that the people of Washington state have a chance to attend a hearing to discuss their ideas – to impart their notion to us. We’ve created this process as a state and we should take it seriously – it should not be ignored.”

PAYNE: Steele repeated the case made by House Republicans to prioritize an initiative of the people.

STEELE: “Mister Speaker, over 400,000 individual citizens in Washington state have sent aa very clear message to this Legislature – deal with this initiative and do it in front of everything else.”

PAYNE: In addition to Initiative 2109, three additional initiatives have been certified by the Secretary of State. They include the repeal of the Climate Commitment Act, restoring police pursuit options and a parents’ bill of rights.

Kelley Payne, the state Capitol.

01-24-24 - RADIO REPORT: Democrats reject another GOP call for a hearing on a citizens’ initiative

House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary told members of the media that Republicans have made written requests for House committees to hold public hearings for six initiatives to the Legislature. Stokesbary said Republican ranking members this morning sent letters to chairs of the committees to which the initiatives were referred, formally requesting hearings after Democrats rejected Republican motions for hearings last month on the House floor.

Republicans also expressed frustration that the Democratic majority has blocked or ignored their solution-oriented bills on drugs, law enforcement, housing, affordability and more. Joining Stokesbary were House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele, Senate Republican Leader John Braun and Sen. Shelly Short.

02-06-24 - NEWS CONF: Republican leaders express frustration that solution bills gain no traction

SUGGESTED LEAD: Increased tax credits will be offered to businesses in 39 Washington Main Street communities. Nic Scott reports from the state Capitol.

SCOTT: (:59) House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele of Chelan sponsored legislation that makes more tax credits available through the national Main Street Program. Steele said on the House floor on Thursday that the program has been helping Washington communities revitalize the local economy, business appearance, and image of their downtown commercial districts.

STEELE: (:10) “These programs are doing good works in communities like mine, Madam Speaker, where they take care of beautification, they help out with economic development, they host events – they’re in general just doing good community works.”

SCOTT: House Bill 2306 allows participating businesses to become eligible for additional savings through the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program.

STEELE: (:09) “This allows them to continue doing good work, draws down the total amount of the $5 million that the state has allocated, and keeps Business and Occupation Tax local, for local use, doing good community work.”

The Main Street program leverages local assets to revitalize historic, cultural, and architectural resources in commercial districts. 

The bill passed the House unanimously and now heads to the Senate.

Nic Scott, the state Capitol.

02-15-24 - RADIO REPORT: Steele bill offers Main Street businesses additional tax credits

House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele, R-Chelan, discussed three citizens’ initiatives that were adopted, as well as defeats of Democratic proposals on property tax increases, rent control, and hospital mergers during an appearance on the John Carlson Show on KVI.

03-07-24 - RADIO: Rep. Mike Steele highlights Republican victories in the 2024 Legislative session

SUGGESTED LEAD: Lawmakers at the state Capitol in Olympia adjourned the 2024 legislative session early Thursday evening. House Republicans say they were able to stop some bad bills and pass three citizens’ initiatives, but more work is needed to fix Washington. John Sattgast reports.

SATTGAST: (:59) The 60-day session ended with a pound of the gavel.

SPEAKER: (:02) “(Gavel pounds) The Legislature is adjourned!”

SATTGAST: House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary said Republicans stopped bills that would have increased property tax increases, imposed rent control, and put felons on juries. But he’s frustrated majority Democrats ignored policy solutions on the state’s drug crisis, housing, childcare, education, public safety, and affordability. 

STOKESBARY (:07) “I think we did a pretty good job this session, stopping us from continuing to go in the wrong direction. But we’ve still done very little to actually fix Washington.

SATTGAST: House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Steele says Washington citizens won passage of initiatives on police pursuit, income tax, and parents’ rights. Three other initiatives on the carbon tax, long-term care, and capital gains will go to the November ballot.

STEELE: (:12) “The work is not done. One of the things that’s super important is that we come back here in the next legislative session, and we’re prepared to stop these bad policies. And we need to continue to fight to ensure those Washingtonians that I represent are not continually hurt over here in Olympia.”

SATTGAST: John Sattgast, the state Capitol.

03-07-24 - RADIO REPORT: Lawmakers adjourn the 2024 session after 60 days of work to fix Washington

Rep. Keith Goehner and Rep. Mike Steele give listeners an overview of the 2024 legislative session on the last day of session before adjournment. They discuss the three budgets - capital, transportation and operating, as well as what happened with initiatives. The legislators also talk about some of the disappointments and successes of the session.

03-07-24 - RADIO: Reps. Goehner and Steele talk budgets, initiatives, successes and disappointments

This is the official SoundCloud account of the Washington State House Republicans in Olympia, Washington. (www.houserepublicans.wa.gov)

New tracks tagged #Rep. Mike Steele