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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to congratulate the University Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Whitworth Men's Basketball team for being nationally ranked in their divisions. Our District has much to be proud of as these universities represent Spokane and our state on a national stage.
Click to watch my video update:
Human trafficking legislation
As you know, I have been very vocal about making sure those who engage in human trafficking should be harshly penalized for their crimes. We know that often these pimps get out of jail and go right back into the business of human trafficking. There must be stricter penalties in place to make sure this does not happen, and these three bills would do just that:
HB 1791—requires any person convicted of trafficking in which the defendant knows that the trafficked person will be caused to engaged in a sexually explicit act or a commercial sex act to register as a sex offender.
HB 1792—adds the lesser offenses of permitting sexual abuse and promoting travel for sexual abuse of a minor to the list of criminal profiteering activities.
HB 1793—adds permitting sexual abuse and promoting travel for the sexual abuse of a minor to the list of offense subject to civil forfeiture provisions.
Economic minute
In Olympia, we often hear talk of reforms, with little vision of what reforming government looks like. Recently I read an article in The Economist, which presented a portrait of Sweden's economy and the reforms they have undergone in the last 20 years, such as:
- Decreasing public spending by 22 percent
- Cutting the corporate tax rate by 6 percent this year alone
- Decreasing the top marginal tax rate by 27 percentage points
- Measuring performance of schools and hospitals
And what is the result of these reforms? An increased GDP, a 33 percent decrease in public debt in 2010 and, most importantly, a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship. Angry Birds, Spotify and Skype were all created and developed in Sweden in the last five years.
It is an honor to serve you. Please contact me if I can help in any way.
Sincerely,
Kevin Parker
