Solutions to highway blockers, graffiti, rent control, housing and more | S02 E03

[Music] fix Washington now from the state capital here's Hannah Scott first let's check in with representative Andrew barcus good to be here today good to have you here so all right we're a few weeks into the 2025 session there's a lot going on uh how would you describe the first few weeks uh man uh there's a lot of words I would use to describe it I can't really say on your podcast but um you know the podcast is fixed Washington we have a lot of lot to fix and all of a sudden you know in the first couple weeks it just has been uh coming at us rapid fire and and when I when I think about the policy that's coming at us it's not good and so this is my ninth year fifth term and long sessions usually you kind of lead into it and there's you know kind of stuff that gradual but no we had rent control from day one in Committee in the housing committee I mean probably one of the most controversial bad pieces of policy that we're going to see this year Well there'll be plenty but uh that is one of them um that's been going you know started budget cabinet the first day of course a budget that I'm working on is my ranking in Transportation uh fraught with problems you know um the spending issue translates into the transportation Arena high costs are driven um in my opinion and many by uh all the policy and regulations that's been added on to these projects and it just keeps pushing them up up up so we have we have a lot to solve uh the governor his budget that he gave us to work with he you know he identified a billion dollar shortfall but really didn't tell us where to take or work with it so it's going to be a lot of work um it's already EX exhausting and uh I think that it's not going to let up so uh let's start with the transportation budget you're the lead negotiator for the House Republicans there um and I did I read that it's like a billion dollars behind yeah it's so the problem with the transportation is that we we do have we don't have the revenue issues per se as operating with the spending issues what's really driving the transportation world is like I said the increase in cost so um most of the agencies and the maintenance level work that we're doing fits within kind of the normal parameters that we've seen over the last several years but these projects that we see all over the was Washington State so I think 520 405 uh young bypass you know all these different things those are being impacted by ever increasing costs so we appropriate a certain amount of money we come back six months later and they say well it's 40% 60% 100% higher and so that has if you project that out over the course of time it's several billions of dollars over the course of time that we're going to have to find so the way you do that is either a more Revenue which is we're not you know for doing more Revenue um or you have to look at these projects and either postpone or make cuts um but also I've proposed a piece of legislation that says hey we should look at all revenue sources including the climate commitment act money that is going towards a lot of different things with the initiative uh fa you know P failing uh it's pretty clear they made a big point about you know this is all for transportation my bill just says let's use it for Trans Transportation it's a significant amount of money that is existing Revenue that could be used as part of solving this problem so early in the process obviously something to keep tabs on though as we move forward yeah absolutely I mean the bill is sitting there uh we're pushing to get a hearing um it's very interesting a lot of organizations and groups are you know even those that I've reminded them that they were the ones that supported you know killing this you know the initiative uh well now they got to step up because they were the ones that said it should be used for transportation so they need to back my play and help me to get a hearing on this bill and get it moving because when we're doing that budget negotiation we're going to have to take all things into consideration I've also heard and I know it's going to be a fact we are going to be looking at other revenues being proposed new revenues being proposed uh as part of the conversation all right and let's move to housing it's been a crisis for as a long good long time now I think probably since you've been in office uh you have some solutions I think on the housing committee what can you tell me about that well uh yeah I'm still working on the supply side uh you know it's the the Crux of it is we have a a lack of Supply we've we've had that situation it's I I would argue that it was created Years Ago by policy namely the growth management act uh so now we're kind of picking at it by doing different piece of policy uh the one bill that I've been working on for the last several years lot split uh is a good way of getting a more Supply within our Urban growth areas and such um it did come out of committee it was voted out of committee uh just a day ago uh so uh that is a good good move hopefully it will get to the floor and and get through the processes here but you know the interesting thing is Hannah that every time I sit in these hearings we'll put forth one good bill and then I hear about two or three other bills and I'm listening to people the same people who are saying hey we need Supply Supply Supply crisis Crisis crisis are the same ones arguing against the ability to do good policy while at the same time introducing more bad policy which will actually make uh the issue worse over time can you fix that you know of course I could I mean we can I mean I I always uh kind of joke I said come on up to my office I can show you drawers and boxes full of policy that I've been working on over the last nine years that really if a lot of that had been considered or implemented probably wouldn't be in as bad a shape as we are now and a lot of it does revolve around um you know getting out of our own way we have to break down these barriers we have to fix the permit system we need to take a hard look at GMA and the big thing is we need to really be thinking about buildable land that is going to be the one thing that they are not wanting to address that we really need to address because it is the entirety of the state this is not just a puit sound issue this is the entirety of the state of Washington we have a lot of available land we just can't build on it and Switching gears to Public Safety uh specifically you've got a couple of bills in that area uh graffiti accountability which I think everybody can get on board with and also blocking those highways when we're talking about protesters right same thing uh trying to get him heard in committee uh you know interesting thing about the graffiti the graffiti bill is one that I've been working on this is one of the most popular pieces of legislation I've ever worked on because I think the people of Washington state are sick of it I mean it looks our areas look horrible right and it is rampant so this bill does it is an accountability bill it does increase penalties um I'm trying to get a hearing last year it passed off the floor unanimous and then it died in Senate so I'm I've talked to the chair again trying to get that the blocking the freeway again another Common Sense piece um but you know there are many ways to protest to exercise your First Amendment right but you should not cannot it's illegal to block a freeway or a major road and we've seen that over the course of time being used uh I'd love to see that get a hearing in this environment in this climate in this legislature where we're doing just the opposite on accountability and consequences more than likely probably not going to get a hearing on that and we've seen that have deadly consequences on our freeways yeah we have uh protesters died a couple years ago and uh the state patrol was sued on that a lot of people were but you know that is another one that when people saw this happen and they saw that piece of legislation they said hey thank you thank you for trying to fix this problem they they shouldn't do this and um it's just a matter of time before they do it again last question because we're running out of time as much as you can so this session the house Republican caucus has 39 members you've been here when I think we had 48 maybe when I first started explain the difference in the Dynamics for us this time time well you know it is tough uh we've seen the action just this last Friday with the changing of the rules 132 years uh suspending our ability to have a robust debate or speech um you know I think that is becoming more rampant the majority is feeling more emboldened because of the numbers but I will say this you know i' I've been in a lot of caucuses you know in this room uh 48 and 39 this is a fantastic caucus and we may not have the numbers but the talent level is amazing uh and I always say we we punch a heck of a lot higher than our weight limit so we I I'm I'm very confident that we are going to do good things as a caucus of course we want more members but uh it is a a great caucus um and we're going to see that uh Talent level especially in those who came here a couple years ago now that they're in their second term you know that's really when things start to gel and you start to understand and we're seeing some of those members now in leadership positions and ranking positions and really for them a chance for them to shine uh along with the rest of us uh with the work that we have ahead so don't count House Republicans out just never count us out we got a lot to do and we're going to do it we've got5 days in front of us uh maybe not quite because for week three or whatever whatever day it is I don't know what day it is but uh absolutely not I mean we we will continue to do things and you know when people say oh you're not doing look we are we do every single day we show up here um and we're not going to give up our voices are not going to be censored we are going to continue to put forth the right ideas because we do have the right ideas to fix Washington all right representative Andre barcus thanks for stopping by always thanks for joining us for the fix Washington podcast now let's check in with another one of our freshman members 31st District representative Joshua Panner thank you so much for joining the fix Washington podcast of course I love your energy thank you I appreciate that um it's sometimes hard around here we have long nights sometimes uh so thanks for joining us your first year here uh serving as a Republican state representative in the house the Washington legislature tell me what's it been like here in the first few weeks for you well I my first year serving as a legislature that's for sure I've been in local government for almost 15 years um so it's not I'm not unfamiliar with the the you know the Halls down here been down here a lot advocating but uh this is the other side of the fence um I think some of the things that surprise me are the depth of knowledge of many of the members particularly our leadership um but even those who have been around just one term and justce is a bad word but the depth of knowledge of you could call them our sophomore members is just incredible we've got great leaders uh ranking members on committees our floor team a lot of them are sophomore members and they are just kicking butt so it it uh gives me a great goal poost of where I should be as I learned this job exciting exciting to be here uh it's exciting because I'm a policy wonk and uh as I like to say we have a lot of opportunity to fix things and uh I think that's a good place to be not that that's where we want to be in Washington but if you want to come here and you want to have a mission to fix things we're in a good place cuz everything is a problem right now and I think that you have four committees am I right on that uh at least four one of them seems to be two or three committees at once right uh so one of the a couple of the things I noticed about you is you have the uh you're on the Appropriations Committee and the finance committee and that's a rare thing that I see one member who's on both uh and it's an interesting year to be on both I would say right with the budget situation what's been your take so far as being part of that well I I enjoy the opportunity to be in both sides of the budget conversation coming out of local government you know I've been fingers in the pie for uh do probably a dozen budgets um through all sorts of economic environments at the local level and so you add a couple more zeros and that's that's doing it at the state I think the big surprise to me is how out of touch Governor iny's budget was with reality um and then being on the finance side I get to see what the revenue assumptions are being on the appropriation side I get the opportunity to review the assumptions uh that everyone brings into the conversation and I think you're going to see a really good uh demonstration of what a republican budget looks like in the in the next couple weeks and also you're on and I never get the entirety I think we call it the Ted committee but it's the with the veterans on the end and I know you are a Marine Corps veteran much like my own husband um so what are your what are your goals on that is it the veterans aspect of that or Tech and economic Economic Development a big priority for you as well well that committee uh is really exciting in ways I didn't anticipate uh you know I really want to be uh part of the appropriations of Finance conversation considering the the finance background um in local government and this committee it matches a lot of my I think strengths in a number of areas things that came from outside of government and so I've certainly worked in veterans work and supporting Veterans for uh what 202 15 16 years now um but uh the technology piece fits uh very close with my personal passions and uh the economic development and everything else uh works as well one of the first things that we evaluated in that committee was emergency response eer uh Disaster Response U policy it's an area that we are not ready for a a subduction earthquake a massive eruption from Mount rineer uh all sorts of challenges that we're not prepared for and even the ones that we think we're prepared for I don't I'm not confident that we have the organizational structure to to respond very well so something you'll focus on in your committee hopefully 100% you know I was I was mayored during Co and I saw what a response to an unanticipated uh natural disaster was or a disaster of some sort um and uh it was very frustrating for many of us across Washington State uh yes that's an understatement I'll tell you from the mayor's perspective it was it was very uh uncoordinated disjointed mess that created a lot of distrust in government and I think that's why you have such a strong cohort of freshmen here and sophomores these are folks that came out of that distrust that really had an opportunity to improve things and then um any other committee work or bills that you have that you want to talk about that's going on right now well I I have one bill as a freshman right now that's that's already dropped and this is relating to a child particularly around um businesses that provide child care as a matter of their business for their employees uh and it's a b tax write off so uh keeping those tax dollars uh immediately where they're needed rather than going through the filter of having the state collect them and then having to a portion or appropriate them so I think it's just an efficient way of using money that was already going to be taxed I'd rather not see the bno money come out of the businesses but if it is going to come out I'd like to see it applied immediately where it's where it's levied um and then I have a bill it should be bipartisan dropping this week around it's really in the weeds uh but it's called the administration of plats and it should streamline permitting and I've got support on both sides for this permitting for housing is that what we're talking for other permitting all permitting permitting for for any sort of subdivision so it it refines a whole section of code so you can call it a Reform Bill but in reality it uh streamlines and standardizes a lot of the processes that in local government don't need to be complicated except for uh the GMA has created these derivative problems that you have 281 cities looking at it differently and 39 counties looking at it differently and I think there's a way to strike that balance and not take away the rights of those local jurisdictions but still create some uh streamlining the ultimate goal being some faster tangible results hopefully well absolutely uh if you uh want to subdivide your land and you have permits ready for that and or you have you're ready to submit for permit on that you're ready to maybe submit on building permit stuff you can submit those uh in parallel and you should expect to receive a response back within 30 days and um the jurisdiction should be Empower to do that awesome all right look forward to watching that finally last question that we're asking all of our freshman members when you're done being a state representative or here at the legislature what do you hope your legislative Legacy is uh whether in two years or more than two years I don't care if my name's on a bill I want good policy I that's been from day one is uh it's less it's it's not about getting a name on a building or on a bill or some vanity issue it's about sometimes stopping bad policy sometimes it's about improving bad policy to be palatable and sometimes it's about building a good Coalition where everyone can agree this is obvious policy uh that's not always a case it's a team sport here sometimes and as we saw last Friday even good ideas like allowing staff to have eight hours off a day um fails to the team sport mentality and I think the people of Washington see that all right well thank you so much for stopping by state representative Joshua Penner it was a pleasure to meet you thank thank you thanks for tuning in to the fix Washington podcast brought to you by the Washington State House Republicans join us for our next episode when we sit down with state representative Jenny gram the new ranking Republican member on the community Safety Committee we'll also meet another one of our new freshman members I'm Hannah scottt see you next time fix Washington with Hannah Scott a podcast from Washington House Republicans go to our website house republicans. wa.gov find us on Facebook X Instagram and YouTube