(Jeremy Lott, The Center Square) Washington state Sen. Simon Sefzik is a young man and a Republican in a legislative body controlled by much older people of the opposite political party.
Sefzik, however, is determined not to let that slow him down in pursuing a low-tax, county-focused, and disaster-relief agenda.
For instance, the Senate Republican caucus has developed its own four-part tax reform bill for how to use the state’s current surplus to help unburden parts of the economy. Rather than simply going along with that, Sefzik came out of the gates swinging with his own tax reform bill.
If enacted, Senate Bill 5897 would cancel the state’s share of the gasoline excise tax for the rest of the year. Because Washington has the eighth-highest gas tax in the nation, this relief would amount to more than 49 cents a gallon at the pump.
Sefzik believes Whatcom County has been held back by many policies of the ruling Democratic Party. He said it is simultaneously “getting harder and harder to find a job” and “getting harder and harder to buy a house.”
Sefzik also believes the federal and state governments need to step up to help with disaster relief from the recent extensive flooding in his county.
Sefzik has proposed two relief bills in the state Senate. A fellow Whatcom legislator, Democratic state Rep. Alicia Rule, is helping to push companion bills in the state House.
Senate Bill 5936 would provide $600,000 in short-term relief for local farmers who were hurt by the flooding.
Senate Bill 5937 is a much bigger ask at $85 million for relief funds, “providing financial assistance to aid impacted communities in the recovery from floods occurring November 2021 through January 2022,” according to the bill’s description.
Sefzik defended the amount, explaining damages in Whatcom County are estimated at $110 million.
“I’m not sure we’re going to end up at that exact number, but I think we’re going to end up with a good amount of financial relief there,” Sefzik said.
Sefzik said he will be running to win election to his appointed seat in November.
 Washington state Sen. Simon Sefzik is a young man and a Republican in a legislative body controlled by much older people of the opposite political party.){kind=link}