Both initiatives prioritize law-abiding citizens across Washington state

Despite historic and significant wins for Republicans during the recent legislative session — with the passage of three common-sense initiatives to the legislature that will soon become law, and with the remaining three initiatives heading to the ballot in November — the work to fix what’s broken in Washington under Democrat one-party rules continues.

WAGOP Chairman and State Rep. (LD-19) Jim Walsh has filed a pair of “Initiatives to the People.” The first initiative defends property rights. The second one calls for state cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement — amid illegal and disastrous sanctuary policies signed into law by outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee, via executive order in 2019.

Both initiatives prioritize law-abiding citizens across Washington state.

In recent days, serial squatter Sang Kim’s refusal to move out of a rental property in Bellevue, despite owing more than $50,000 in back rent, has shined a spotlight on bad behavior by unlawful tenants. Similar scenarios are being repeated by greedy squatters across Washington.

The recently filed anti-squatter initiative would authorize a property owner to request the immediate removal of those occupying a residential property illegally, among other legal remedies.

Section 1 of initiative states: “The People of Washington find that the right to exclude others from entering, and the right to direct others to immediately vacate, residential real property are the most important real property rights. Defending those rights is the single subject of this act. The People further find that existing remedies regarding unauthorized persons who unlawfully remain on residential real property fail to adequately protect the rights of the property owner and fail to adequately discourage theft and vandalism. The intent of this section is to restore possession of residential real property to the lawful owner of the property quickly when the property is being unlawfully occupied and to thereby preserve property rights while limiting the opportunity for criminal activity. …”

The second initiative comes as Washingtonians mourn the death of Washington State Trooper Christopher Gadd, who was killed by a criminal illegal alien.

The tragedy encapsulates how dangerous and negligent sanctuary policies are for law enforcement and law-abiding citizens. Washington state is one of 11 states with illegal sanctuary policies that defy federal immigration law. It’s time to change that.

Section of the initiative reads: “The people of Washington find that it is an important state interest to cooperate with the federal government in the enforcement of federal immigration laws within this state. Requiring that cooperation is the sole subject of this act. Examples of the importance of that cooperation are numerous—but the death of Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd, caused by an illegal immigrant driving a vehicle recklessly, stands out as one clear and recent reason that this policy point is so important. …”

These recent filings build upon the success of the six common-sense initiatives to the legislature, which Chairman Walsh, a legislative force, authored and sponsored.

To the chagrin of legislative Democrats, three of those initiatives will soon become law, including I-2113, which restores reasonable police pursuit; I-2081, which establishes parental notification rights; and I-2111 which codifies Washington’s longstanding tradition of no personal income tax. The remaining three initiatives will appear at the top of the ballot in the general election in November.

It’s important to note that Democrat lawmakers declined to hold public hearings on I-2117, a repeal of the egregious cap-and trade scheme, officially known as the Climate Commitment Act; I-2109, a repeal of the capital gains tax; and I-2124, an opt-out of Washington’s disastrous long-term care retirement program.

Still, “When common-sense Republican policies lead the way, things get better for everyone,” says Chairman Jim Walsh. “Working together, we will continue to fix what’s broken in Washington.”

Information provided by the Washington State Republican Party.