BELLEVUE – Chairman Heimlich released the following statement after Governor Inslee signed a proclamation “that pauses any efforts to terminate a health district, ‘such as what is currently taking place in Pierce County.'”

“Power-drunk Jay Inslee loves to operate outside the scope of his authority as Governor of Washington State but this latest ridiculous, purely political move is absurd – even for Inslee.

Inslee is not only trying to stop legislative action by duly-elected Pierce County officials, but he is, again, attempting to unilaterally rule over Washingtonians while helping a political ally like some sort of Banana Republic authoritarian.”

Inslee ally and Democrat Representative and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Laurie Jinkins, is a staff member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

The Pierce County Council is considering legislation to leave the joint Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and replace it with an agency solely overseen by Pierce County in January 2022.

Pierce County is currently the only remaining county that delivers public health via an inter-local agreement.

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