Mike Padden

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...

We are now less than two weeks away from the end of the 60-day legislative session. The Senate approved its supplemental budget proposal late last week, and the House passed its corresponding budget last night. The Senate proposal did not receive a single vote from our side of the aisle –...

On Thursday we received an updated revenue forecast, and projected revenue is much higher than expected – to the point that many described it as “raining money in Olympia.” When the numbers are all added up, budget writers now expect (over the next three years) to have more than $2.4...

Emma Bowman, a freshman at West Valley High School, spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. Emma was one of 21 students who served as Senate pages for the fifth week of the 2018 legislative session. She was sponsored by...

Today the Senate voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 6410, concerning school safety. Under the measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, first-responders would be required to notify both public and private schools during any situation in their vicinity that would warrant an evacuation or lockdown. The bill would also create...

Week five was spent on the Senate floor voting on bills previously approved by their assigned committees. Below I highlight several good bills that are still in play, so please keep reading. Tomorrow is the final day for us to consider “house of origin” bills; in other words, it’s the...

Today the Senate unanimously 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 camera recordings and created the Joint Legislative Task...

The state Senate today approved a measure aimed at restoring judicial authority to set pretrial bail determinations and conditions of release. Sen. Mike Padden, the lead Republican on the Law and Justice Committee, sponsored Senate Bill 5987 to again let judges make “common-sense” decisions to save lives and protect the...

The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously late Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 6410, concerning school safety. Under the measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, first responders would be required to notify both public and private schools during any situation in their vicinity that would warrant an evacuation or...