Mike Padden

By Hanna Scott September 2, 2019 at 7:10 am From a computer system glitch blamed for the early release of thousands of prisoners, to investigations over inmate deaths under a now-fired medical director at the Monroe prison, the Washington State Corrections Department has had its share of scandals. Some state...

It’s amazing how quickly the summer flew by. Back-to-school preparations are in full swing, vacations are wrapping up and the Labor Day weekend is days away. I hope you and your family have had a great summer and are ready for a busy and fun autumn. I also want you...

Washington State Senator Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, encourages all Washingtonians to do their part to make sure everyone is counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. For more information visit www.census.gov.

Sometimes one hears a sound so many times that it almost becomes white noise, bleeding into the background and disappearing into the monotony of repetition. Sadly, that has been the case far too often with the issue of mismanagement under Governor Jay Inslee’s watch. Sometimes it takes a jarring, disturbing...

Padden will propose expanded package of reforms in 2020 session As yet another major scandal rocks the state Department of Corrections, Senate Republicans who have been urging sweeping reforms for the agency since 2016 say enough is enough, and it’s far past time that Gov. Jay Inslee show some leadership...

The past few weeks have been busy ones for me. In addition to the normal summer activities of celebrating freedom, going on vacation, and attending family functions, work continues on representing our community on legislative committees, task forces and other meetings, as well as discussing issues important to our district...

Last week, Brandi Kruse, a reporter for Seattle’s Fox Q13, tweeted: “If you’re an elected leader in our state who fought for sanctuary policies, be willing to step up and answer the hard questions when those policies hurt people. Not shirk away as if one woman’s pain and suffering is...

It’s hard to shock me these days, but the ability of some in Olympia to take the taxpayers to the cleaners just managed to do it. Recently, Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation resulting in more than a billion dollars of unnecessary new taxes, putting the cherry on top of what...

Measure will save taxpayers money, says Spokane Valley lawmaker Today Sen. Mike Padden’s legislation to avoid costly litigation between elected officials was signed into law. “This new law is a common-sense way to deal with disputes between elected officials before they escalate into lawsuits that cost taxpayers money,” said Padden,...