[AUDIO] Republicans battled Democrats over an income tax bill on the Washington State House floor for more than 24 hours before it passed Tuesday evening. John Sattgast from the Washington House Republicans reports from Olympia.
Transcript:
SATTGAST: The hard-fought debate on Senate Bill 6346 began just after 5:30 Monday evening, continuing overnight into Tuesday afternoon. It was one of the longest debates in recent legislative memory.
Republicans introduced more than 50 amendments to block the state income tax proposal. Democrats rejected nearly all of them.
House Finance Committee ranking Republican Ed Orcutt warned the new tax will not stay limited to high earners.
ORCUTT: “I don’t believe it will ever remain as a tax on millionaires. I believe over time it will be ratcheted down to where most everyone in the state will be subject to an income tax.”
SATTGAST: House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary argued the proposal could undermine the state’s economy.
STOKESBARY: “But this tax is liable to destroy all the things we’ve spent generations building.”
SATTGAST: Majority Democrats passed the bill 51-46, with eight Democrats joining all House Republicans in opposition.
John Sattgast, the state Capitol.