A Citizen’s Legislative Workshop

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I would like to invite you to a Citizen’s Legislative Workshop on Dec. 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Richland Public Library, located at 955 Northgate Dr., Richland, WA.

Join me and Washington State 8th District Representatives Stephanie Barnard and April Connors to learn to how to navigate the legislative process.

I feel that empowering our community through active participation and engagement is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. At the Dec. 7 legislative workshop, we will focus on breaking down barriers and opening pathways for every constituent in the 8th Legislative District to have their voice heard. Together, we can enhance our collective understanding, encourage meaningful involvement, and ensure that every vote is not just counted, but also counts towards shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.

I look forward to seeing you Dec. 7.

Click here for more information on how to attend.

Sincerely,

Sen. Matt Boehnke
R-Kennewick

Ag and Rural Caucus for December

December Schedule

Better Practices
6:30 pm Thursday 7 December
Immigration: How to talk about it

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81582823697?pwd=V1FaVlV3Ly8xTHFBTTZZM1VxblVjQT09

Policy Briefing
Merry Christmas: No program for December

Paste link into browser or click heading to go to meeting.

One more short note tomorrow. Thank you for your patience with the flood of updates.

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Values: Who do we want to bring in?

(8) What kind of immigrant do we, as a country, want to admit? Emma Lazarus had an answer, engraved on the pedestal of the Statute of Liberty:

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

This is the moral argument. It contains an economic bent, as well. “Huddled masses yearning to breathe free” belies an energy, a drive to succeed that we might to choose to honor. Families leaving their homes and friends to endure the deprivations of travel to a foreign land with uncertainty of success, show an initiative that we have always thought of as peculiarly American. Immigrants arriving at the border may show precisely the qualities that we value. Maybe we will not see a significant economic payoff in this generation but the future value of today’s “huddled masses” may be precisely what we need.

The counter argument is that we should select for the current generation. We should not risk a future generation’s shortcomings and instead invest in today’s economic return. This argument says that we recruit the H1B-type immigrant. We should choose the well-educated aspirant who can make a contribution to our economy today.

Whatever your choice, or your mix of choices, we need to (1) invest in the administration of current policy, (2) devise a replacement policy that regularizes the status of people residing in this country and gives potential immigrants a realistic prospect of how their attempted entry will be handled, and (3) plan for the climate-induced movement of people that we will see across the world starting tomorrow.

Don
7 December 2023

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H1B and H2A: Quite Different

(6) Two important classes of Washington’s foreign workers that do not show up in immigration numbers are H1B and H2A.

You are familiar with H2A workers. These are mostly short-term farm laborers. Numbers have increased to about 35,000. They arrive for specific employment and return after harvest. Most workers are from Mexico and the terms of their employment is strictly regulated.

H1B workers are high-skilled workers imported for three to six years. Microsoft and Amazon account for nearly a third of H1B workers in Washington. There are around 20,000 H1B workers in Washington, about the same order of magnitude as H2A workers.

Both H1B and H2A workers are legal. Curiously, for Washington State, most paper-less immigrants are skilled: “In Washington [and only in Washington], the industry with the largest number of undocumented immigrants is business services, made up of companies that provide professional, scientific and technical support to organizations operating in other industries.”

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H1B workers are high-skilled workers imported for three to six years. Microsoft and Amazon account for nearly a third of H1B workers in Washington. There are around 20,000 H1B workers in Washington, about the same order of magnitude as H2A workers.

Both H1B and H2A workers are legal. Curiously, for Washington State, most paper-less immigrants are skilled: “In Washington [and only in Washington], the industry with the largest number of undocumented immigrants is business services, made up of companies that provide professional, scientific and technical support to organizations operating in other industries.”

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It’s Complicated: Refugees and Asylees

(7) Start with definitions:

Refugees and asylees are individuals who are unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin or nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Refugees and asylees are eligible for protection in large part based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion…Once granted U.S. protection, refugees and asylees are authorized to work and may also qualify for assistance including cash, medical, housing, educational, and vocational services to facilitate their economic and social integration.

In the United States, the major difference between refugees and asylees is the location of the person at the time of application. Refugees are usually outside the United States when they are screened for resettlement, whereas asylum seekers submit their applications while physically present in the United States or at a U.S. port of entry.How many?: More than 1.3 million asylum applications were awaiting processing as of May.
Of these, approximately 750,000 were pending in immigration courts—comprising about 40 percent of all cases in the immigration court system—and 600,000 were with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

Backlog? The average asylum case in immigration court takes more than 4.2 years to be completed.

Disposition? In fiscal year 2022, immigration judges decided 52,000 asylum cases; about 46% of people were granted asylum. The approval rate was closer to 39% for those who applied for asylum as a defense against deportation.

More definition: Affirmative vs. Defensive Asylum; USCIS v. Board of Immigration Appeal

An individual seeking entry with a visa or already present in the United States may decide to submit an asylum request through the affirmative process with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). However, if a foreign national has no lawful means of entering the country and asks for asylum or if they are apprehended as an unauthorized migrant and file an asylum request, the case is adjudicated in immigration court, as part of a defensive application. For both defensive and affirmative applications, the person is obligated to file for asylum within one year of entering the country.

During an affirmative asylum interview, an asylum officer will determine whether the applicant meets the definition of a refugee. An asylum application may be approved, denied, or sent to the courts for further review. If a claim is denied in immigration court, an applicant may appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals or, in some cases, the federal courts.Refugees: Takes about 18 to 24 months.

How many?: Maybe 60,000; A fraction of 1980 number.

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Border out of Control? Maybe not, but Challenging

(4) Numbers arriving at the southern border under Biden are really high. Much higher than under Trump. So, Democrats are soft on immigration, right? Not so fast. Over all handling of the migrant load are roughly similar under Biden and Trump. Looking at the table below, Trump actually released a greater proportion of the migrants than has Biden.

So why the increase. You might blame Bidenomics: “most of the increase in illegal immigration can be blamed on the strength of the labor market rather than the administration’s tinkering with border enforcement policies.”

And tinkering under Biden there has been. Most of it has been to bring order to migrant processing at the border (CBP One to move migrants to ports of entry), and to tailor appropriate administrative response. Count TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and “parole” for work authorization on the plus side.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-two-years-immigration-record

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20most%20common,Cuba%20(3%20percent%20apiece)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-immigration-border-plan-voters-senate-negotiations-rcna125151

(5) Drugs and Crime: Drugs and crime thrive on the border but not from migrants.

PNAS, Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas

Cato Institute, Fentanyl Is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens By U.S. Citizens, Not Asylum Seekers

NPR, Who is sneaking fentanyl across the southern border? Hint: it’s not the migrants

ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety. The Connection between illegal immigrants and crime

Don
5 December 2023

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Better Practices

We are falling short – Can Immigrants help?

(3) We earlier generations of immigrants, what demographers call “native-born”, are not having enough babies. We are not keeping up. We are not alone. The Baltic countries including Russia and the east Asian nations (Japan, China, Korea) are all falling behind, sometimes dramatically.

This is an economic problem. We need populations to sustain economic growth, create jobs, and take care of us old people. (This is not the conventional wisdom we grew up with. Remember Paul Ehrlich and ZPG?)

The data below show the trend of declining natural increase and its offset by immigration since 2020.

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Brookings reports that immigration is essential to “growth and vitality.”
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-census-projections-show-immigration-is-essential-to-the-growth-and-vitality-of-a-more-diverse-us-population/

Don
4 December 2023

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Better Practices

We have met the immigrants…and they are us

(1) We are a nation of immigrants, with due respect to our neighbors who predate us by some 12,000  years.

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(2) Where have we come from? Everywhere.

The large numbers of immigrants from Latin America and Asia in recent decades represent a sharp turnaround from the mid-1900s, when immigration largely came from Europe. In the 1960s, no single country accounted for more than 15 percent of the U.S. immigrant population, but Italians were the top origin group, making up 13 percent of the foreign born in 1960, followed by Germans and Canadians (about 10 percent each).

Immigrants from Mexico have been the most numerous since 1980, but the composition of new arrivals has changed since 2010. Now, immigrants are more likely to come from Asia, especially India and China. In fact, these two nations displaced Mexico as the top origin countries for new arrivals from 2013 to 2021, but amid the pandemic and related mobility restrictions Mexico has regained its position as the origin of most new arrivals.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20most%20common,Cuba%20(3%20percent%20apiece).

Regions of Birth for Immigrants in the United States, 1960-Present

This bar chart displays the immigrant population in the United States, between 1960 and 2022, by region of birth. The chart demonstrates the major shift in origins—from mostly European to predominantly Latin American and Asian, and more recently African—that occurred as a result of significant changes in U.S. immigration and refugee laws, the growing U.S. economic and military presence in Asia and Latin America, and economic transformations and political instability in key sending countries.

For bar chart: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/regions-immigrant-birth-1960-present

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Better Practices

Immigration – the other gun debate.

Immigration is much better than gun control for MAGA partisans. Immigration explains so much more: Immigrants commit violent assault and rape on city streets, one reason every homeowner needs a firearm. They smuggle fentanyl and kill our youth. They traffic children for sexual abuse. Immigrants are part of a conspiracy to replace white-faced Christians. Immigrants are taking jobs away from “Americans.” They are scofflaws. They hitchhike from Guatemala just to storm Texas and attack deputy sheriffs.

Thursday, 7 December, we are going so share ideas on how Democrats can talk about immigration. Bring your stories about conversations you have had with your neighbors. Share your tactics about how to redirect charges that Democrats favor open borders and favor immigrants – almost always brown-faced – over real Americans.

Facts and numbers do not usually score in silo debates. Even so, I will feed you some definitions and numbers about immigrants and immigration over the next several days to help our conversation.
Don
1 December 2023

Reminder
[CD 3: Let’s hear from a winner]
[CD 4: Different strategy for Eastern v Central Washington?]
[CD 5: This is us!]
[CD 1,2,6,7,8,9,10: My, there a lot of you -need advice]

Better Practices
Ann Marie Danimus is running for Congress in CD 5.
Meet her.
Hear her ideas.
Give her advice.
Learn her election plan.
Talk policy.
Share campaign stories.

Carmela Conroy, Spokane County chair, is also running in CD 5. Meet Carmela in the new year.

Don
31 October 2023

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Our Better Practices roundtable is on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.. Use the link above for 2023.

Our Policy Series is on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Use the link above for 2023. 

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Copyright © 2023 Ag and Rural Caucus, All rights reserved.
Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee

Our mailing address is:
Ag and Rural Caucus
2921 Mud Creek Rd
Waitsburg, WA 99361

Nov. 30, 2023  |  Volume I, Issue 6

A Citizen’s Legislative Workshop

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I would like to invite you to a Citizen’s Legislative Workshop on Dec. 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Richland Public Library, located at 955 Northgate Dr., Richland, WA.

Join me and Washington State 8th District Representatives Stephanie Barnard and April Connors to learn to how to navigate the legislative process.

I feel that empowering our community through active participation and engagement is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. At the Dec. 7 legislative workshop, we will focus on breaking down barriers and opening pathways for every constituent in the 8th Legislative District to have their voice heard. Together, we can enhance our collective understanding, encourage meaningful involvement, and ensure that every vote is not just counted, but also counts towards shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.

I look forward to seeing you Dec. 7.

Click here for more information on how to attend.

Sincerely,

Sen. Matt Boehnke
R-Kennewick

Boehnke embarks on Pasco School Dist. legislative school tour

On October 23, 2023, Washington State Senator Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick) embarked on an enriching visit to the Pasco School District, marking a key stop on a legislative school tour facilitated by the Washington Association of Maintenance and Operation Administrators (WAMOA).

The focal point of this insightful tour was Pasco High School, an institution with a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1952. Over the years, Pasco High School has undergone transformative modernizations, notably expanding crucial areas such as the library, science facilities, and English classrooms.

One noteworthy addition to the school is a transitional chemistry class tailored for English Language Learners, showcasing a commitment to inclusive education. The student mall has also undergone a remarkable expansion, providing a picturesque setting for students to enjoy their breakfast and lunch.

Adjacent to the mall stands the PHS Credit Union, a unique establishment staffed by certified educators and credit union professionals. This innovative initiative, founded in the 1980s, stands as the first high school credit union in the region, enabling students to manage their finances and engage in activities such as car loans.

The legislative delegation extended their visit beyond Pasco High School, encompassing Livingston Elementary and Stevens Middle School. The Booth Education Service Center served as a platform for a presentation on Markham Elementary School and McGee Elementary Schools, rounding out a comprehensive overview of the educational landscape.

WAMOA legislative tour visits McLoughlin Middle School

During the legislative school tour, Sen. Boehnke also visited McLoughlin Middle School, home to 1,100 students in grades 6-8. Despite its origins dating back to 1983, the school is slated for renovation in a 2027 bond issue, attesting to the district’s dedication to modernization. The local tax rates, with the EPO levy at $1.78 per $1,000 assessed valuation and the bond at $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, reflect the community’s investment in education.

Emphasizing the paramount importance of school safety, the legislative group witnessed firsthand the excellent school climate prevalent in all the visited institutions. Both the high school and middle school boast security measures such as vestibules at their main entrances, comprehensive camera systems, and the presence of a full-time School Resource Officer, all contributing to effective student safety.

McLoughlin Middle School, in particular, stands out for its expansive wood shop and the provision of vocational courses in the STEM lab and Family and Consumer Science program. The school’s spacious gym facilitates multiple physical education activities simultaneously, and the large cafeteria accommodates breakfast and three school lunch periods. Looking ahead, the district envisions further growth, with plans in the 2027 bond to expand the school site by approximately 112,000 square feet on available land.

Boehnke visits Stevens Middle School

On Oct. 30, 2023, Sen. Boehnke visited Ms. Bobiles class at Stevens Middle School in Pasco. He was there to talk about introducing and bringing forward the Blueberry Bill this next 2024 session. The Blueberry Bill was drafted this past session 2023, but was too late to get a hearing when it was brought to his attention.

Ms. Bobiles sent Sen. Boehnke a letter last session about making the blueberry the State Berry. This letter led to the drafting of SB 5762, which was sent to the State Government Committee, but was too late to get a hearing in 2023. Sen. Boehnke expects the bill to gain more traction during the next legislative session.

My Opinion | Tri City Herald | Oct. 1, 2023

We can’t hide from COVID learning loss. Republicans want to face it head-on

Less than a month into the new school year, students, parents, and teachers clearly are still dealing with the ramifications of pandemic policies that closed in-person classrooms and caused significant learning loss among Washington students.

For lawmakers, the learning-loss issue goes beyond a critical challenge. It represents a moral imperative that cannot and should not be ignored.

The recent release of two studies painted drastically different pictures of the situation.

On Sept. 8, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released data from the 2023 state assessment. The agency’s spin on learning-loss recovery is rosy. It claims students have recovered in math in “nearly all grades,” with the case being similar for elementary students in English language arts.

The report does contain a significant caveat, warning that “engagement, attendance, grades, and classroom-based assignments and tests provide more detailed, timely, and useful information about individual students’ progress to their families and educators.”

A more helpful analysis comes from a report entitled “Student Achievement and the Pandemic: Analysis of Test Scores, Earnings, and Recovery Interventions,” published this month by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy – an Olympia-based public-research group created by the Legislature, with a bipartisan board.

WSIPP analyzed how student math and English language arts achievement changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and found average math and ELA test scores were lower in 2022 than average scores before the pandemic. Math scores plummeted even more. The most shocking decline occurred in middle-school grades and among female students, students of color, and low-income students.

This level of learning loss is projected to equal a $32,000 decrease in future earnings per student – an even more significant blow to those who can least afford another obstacle to success.

The WSIPP report points to a system still in flux, where harm from learning loss is still being felt profoundly and in a way that disproportionately affects some students.

As a lawmaker, it is my job to listen, then look for common-sense solutions. I am especially focused on education, as it is vital to the economic well-being of our state and also designated by Washington’s constitution as state government’s paramount duty.

Continued attempts by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal to minimize the damage done to our children during the pandemic are alarming and tone-deaf. Parents have every right to expect our state’s policymakers and education leaders to take this issue seriously and help students recover.

So what can we do? The WSIPP study recommends immediate steps to address this learning loss, primarily by increasing the availability of tutoring, summer-school programs, and “double-dose” classes, in which students struggling to reach academic standards attend two class periods in a subject matter, instead of one.

This approach is in line with that of Senate Republicans. Throughout the 2023 legislative session, Republicans pushed to devote state and federal funds to address learning loss through intense, focused tutoring and rigorous extended-learning programs. We advocated for creating Student Academic Achievement Grants to target learning loss, with funds for tutoring and comprehensive learning programs. We also suggested extending the school year by five days to provide additional in-class instructional time.

Unfortunately, the Democrat majority failed to act on Senate Bill 5248, sponsored by Senate Republican leader John Braun, which would have implemented these ideas. It also turned down his measure (SB 5511) to put more funding toward increasing education equity and learning recovery among all Washington students, regardless of race or ZIP code.

When we return to Olympia in January, I will introduce legislation to increase tutoring opportunities, instruction time, workforce development, and apprenticeship opportunities, as well as reduce barriers for low-income and minority communities.

It’s a mistake to sugarcoat the situation like OSPI is. Or refuse to act, like the Democrat majority has. Without a comprehensive approach to addressing this learning loss crisis, our children will be failed a second time. They deserve better.

Sen. Matt Boehnke represents the 8th Legislative District and is lead professor of the cybersecurity division at Columbia Basin College.

In the news | Seattle Times | Oct. 17, 2023

Hydrogen is the next green thing for WA

The Biden administration recently announced funding for seven hydrogen production hubs across the country. One of them is in the Pacific Northwest. Washington, Oregon and Montana will receive up to $1 billion for eight hydrogen projects, half of them in Washington.

On Oct. 17, the Seattle Times Editorial Board wrote an editorial on the growing green energy sector – hydrogen. Read the editorial here.

Cultivate Washington launches

Washington State Senate Republicans released a pro-agriculture agenda on Nov. 14 for the 2024 legislative session. The agenda will address overregulation, farm closures, water rights, and other issues that threaten Washington’s agricultural industry, the heritage of rural communities and the food supply.

“Cultivate Washington” was introduced by Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Whidbey Island, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, and Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy.

Each sponsor of the agenda is either a farmer or is personally entrenched in the agriculture community, providing lifelong firsthand experience and knowledge lacked by some decision makers. As the legislative session approaches, the Senators and their colleagues will draft legislation to satisfy the priorities of “Cultivate Washington.”

These priorities include:

• Reducing the regulatory burden on farming operations while balancing the interests of farmworkers
• Ease the pain of high fuel costs
• Promote new opportunities for the state to support small- and mid-sized farms
• Continue work toward a reliable supply of water for crops and farm housing
• Seek a balance between the needs of wildlife and the needs of farming operations
• Work toward a renewed public appreciation for agriculture