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Republican leaders outline session priorities, say meeting with Gov. Ferguson was ‘productive’
Summary
Senate and House Republican leaders said their caucuses will focus on public safety, affordability, housing supply and K‑12 funding. They described a recent meeting with Gov. Jay Inslee's successor, Gov. Ferguson, as productive and signaled willingness to pursue bipartisan fixes while opposing new broad tax increases.
Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican Leader Drew Stokesberry used a virtual press availability to lay out the caucuses' priorities for the second week of the legislative session, emphasizing public safety, housing affordability and K‑12 education funding.
"We're focused on public safety," Braun said, adding that Senate Republicans are working on a bill to provide additional funding for municipalities to add law‑enforcement officers. He said the caucus will pursue budget savings to balance the budget without additional revenue.
Stokesberry said he and Braun met with Governor Ferguson last Thursday and described the discussion as "productive," noting the leaders suggested bipartisan items the governor might support and agreed to keep lines of communication open. "I am optimistic that we have a governor that lives in this reality," Stokesberry said.
Both leaders reiterated opposition to broad new taxes. They told reporters they will press for bills to speed permitting, stabilize the energy code and increase housing supply, and said they favor targeted funding for school maintenance and special education rather than unconstrained operating grants.
Closing the availability, Braun said the caucuses will stay focused on the topics raised and continue to work through the legislative process, inviting reporters to follow up on specifics.
The press availability did not include any formal votes or legislative actions; leaders described priorities and early proposals they plan to pursue in committee.
