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April 27, 2017

The good news and the bad from the Washington statehouse

The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 27, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, This was a week of accomplishment and disappointment. After years of effort to toughen our state’s impaired-driving laws, my legislation to make...
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April 26, 2017

Ferguson ‘guidance’ on flouting immigration law goes too far, Padden says

See correspondence here:  April 14: Letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson  April 21: Letter from Attorney General’s Office  April 26: Second letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson OLYMPIA – Sen. Mike Padden is questioning new “guidance” from the state Attorney General’s Office that could serve as an instruction manual for...
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April 21, 2017

Legislature votes to make 4th DUI a felony

Senate passes bill six times – House votes after Renton man arrested for 11th DUI OLYMPIA – The state House approved a bill Thursday night that makes the 4th DUI a felony in Washington state, sending the bill to the governor’s desk after two long years of effort. The Senate...
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April 20, 2017

Special session looms as Legislature fails to complete its work

 The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 20, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here.   Dear friends and neighbors, This is the last week of our regular session in Olympia – but our work is far from over. Our regular...
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April 18, 2017

Senate pays tribute to late Spokane jurist Sam Cozza

Final bill advocated by Judge Cozza signed into law Monday   OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate paid tribute Tuesday to the late Judge Salvatore “Sam” Cozza, former presiding judge of the Spokane County Superior Court, with a resolution honoring his life and legacy. Cozza, a leading figure in the state’s...
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April 17, 2017

Padden bill cracking down on retail theft clears Legislature

OLYMPIA – A bill making it easier for prosecutors to crack down on retail theft won final passage in the Senate Monday, sending the measure to the governor’s desk. The 47-1 vote in the Senate on Senate Bill 5635 caps a session-long effort by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, to...
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April 17, 2017

Senate continues to expand public access through remote testimony

Update to leaders notes significant progress; House fails to offer report Since 2014, Senators Mike Padden and Sharon Brown have led an effort to increase the opportunities for public participation in the legislative process. The two recently requested an update from Senate and House administrators on progress to enable testimony...
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April 13, 2017

Barker Road project wins Senate nod as regular session nears end

The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 13, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, As adjournment of our regular session draws near, major differences remain between the House and Senate over the state’s operating budget, and...
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April 07, 2017

Legislature votes to end trafficking defense – ‘I didn’t know how old she was’

Padden crimes-against-minors bill heads to governor’s desk OLYMPIA – Washington lawmakers Thursday passed a bill eliminating a line of defense in human trafficking prosecutions: “I didn’t know how old she was.” Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, said his crimes-against-minors bill makes it easier for prosecutors to seek longer sentences when...
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