Mike Padden

A week ago I traveled to Olympia for the signing of two bills I sponsored. One bill concerned the use of body cameras for law enforcement and the other dealt with pretrial release conditions that trial court judges may impose. There are additional details about both bills later in this...

The people’s right to pass initiatives is guaranteed by the state constitution. But this right is under attack in the Legislature. In this video I explain the threat and what we are doing about it. As seen on Facebook

Measures would clarify rules on body-cam use and restore judges’ ability to protect the public from drunk drivers and other potentially dangerous offenders awaiting trial Today Sen. Mike Padden joined the governor, members of law enforcement and concerned citizens at a ceremony at the Capitol where two of his public-safety...

The 2018 legislative session is over. The 60-day session ended on time and with the most bills (317) passed since 2008. Of course, as you know, quantity does not always equal quality, and that was certainly not the case this year. If I could sum up this session in one...

One of my chief frustrations this session was the way the Majority seemed determined to twist and torture – and sometimes completely circumvent – the constitution of the state in order to get its way. A key example of this was the Legislature’s response to Initiative 940 on police use...

Majority is using a “felony budget gimmick,” which the State Treasurer calls a “dangerous precedent” and has urged the Legislature to reject. We received some particularly alarming news late last night, when the Senate majority unveiled a last-minute, secret plan to do an “end run” around the state constitution in order to...

We have just two more days to wrap up our work for this year’s regular session. Friday was the final “cut-off” to approve bills that originated in the House of Representatives. Final votes are still ahead on the budget and bills that are necessary to implement the budget, which are...

The Senate Friday adopted a resolution introduced by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, honoring Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, SEL President Edmund O. Schweitzer and his wife, Beatriz, for their dedication to the community and philanthropy. “Edmund and Beatriz have consistently demonstrated both the resilience of America’s ingenuity and the strength of...

Thursday, in a vote of 95-2, the Washington State House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 6408, aimed at clarifying the rules surrounding the use of police body cameras. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Legislation approved in 2016 established public-disclosure and other requirements relating to body-worn...