VIDEO | “A Hunger Games Approach”: Rep. Joshua Penner on House Bill 2442 in the House Appropriations Committee
During an executive session of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, voices strong opposition to House Bill 2442, which aims to adjust local government fund use and taxation.
Penner argues that the bill fundamentally rewrites several local option taxes and takes a “counterproductive approach” to some of Washington’s most pressing issues.
Penner describes HB 2442 as a massive piece of legislation, noting that nearly any of its sections could stand alone as its own bill. He expresses particular concern about the bill’s approach to affordable housing, arguing that it will inadvertently increase housing costs and that it could “cannibalize” critical public health and flood control funding from junior districts, effectively pitting them against each other.
Penner also criticizes the introduction of “automatic inflators” for veteran and mental health levies, which he believes will institutionalize taxation without necessarily improving results.
In his final remarks, Penner emphasizes that the state should be taking a “surgical approach” to local taxation, focusing on tangible outcomes for vulnerable populations like veterans and the mentally ill. He warns that the current bill feels more like a “Hunger Games approach” to funding and calls for a clear distinction between balancing taxes and simply increasing them.
