Today Sen. Mike Padden’s drive to strengthen state laws against driving under the influence reached its final milestone for the year. Gov. Jay Inslee this morning signed the comprehensive anti-DUI bill Padden had introduced – legislation that had won unanimous support from the House of Representatives three weeks ago, on the heels of a unanimous vote in the state Senate.

“While there is much more work to do if we want fewer impaired drivers on our roads, this is a big step forward, especially when it comes to discouraging repeat DUI offenses,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Continue reading →

Sen. Mike Padden is grateful that the DUI-related legislation he introduced is on its way to becoming law, following a unanimous vote today in the state House of Representatives. The state Senate had given Senate Bill 5912 its unanimous support Wednesday.

“This represents the most comprehensive set of changes in many, many years to our state’s laws against driving under the influence – a crime that is completely preventable. It will hold drunk drivers accountable and make our roads safer like never before,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Continue reading →

The Senate today gave its unanimous endorsement to legislation proposed by Sen. Mike Padden that would do more to keep people from driving under the influence on Washington roads.

Padden, R-Spokane Valley, hopes the House of Representatives will act on Senate Bill 5912 while its members are waiting to formally weigh in on a new state operating budget. A budget agreement was announced today, but it takes time to print and distribute the new spending plan so the Senate and House can cast their votes.

“As I’ve told my colleagues more than once, DUI is a completely preventable crime,” said Padden, chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, “and this bill is less about punishment than it is about preventing DUI offenders from harming others – and adding another conviction to their records.

“I hope the House moves this bill through and on to the governor’s desk; then let’s get back to the budgets and wrap up our work for the year.” Continue reading →

Major changes to the state’s DUI laws are one step closer to a vote by the full Senate. This afternoon the Senate Ways and Means Committee endorsed legislation from Sen. Mike Padden to help keep drunk drivers off the road while those who keep racking up DUI arrests would head to prison sooner.

“DUI is a completely preventable crime, and I’m very encouraged by the continued support for this comprehensive and balanced approach toward preventing it,” said Padden, chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “This bill would help people who want to stop driving under the influence and have serious consequences for those who won’t; all the while it should make our roads safer.” Continue reading →

Sen. Mike Padden offered this statement today after receiving word that Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, died late this morning at a Seattle hospital from complications related to treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, which had been diagnosed earlier this year.

“From the start of his service as a legislator in 1995, Mike was passionate and worked very hard to learn about the issues. I left the Legislature during his first year in office; when I returned in 2011 and we began serving together again after many years, I instantly saw how Mike still had that passion and work ethic but also had become an accomplished statesman, able to work with people on both sides of the aisle.

“He really was a role model for what a legislator should be – the way he cared about the people of his district, how hard he worked and studied the issues. The fact that the 28th District, which is a ‘swing’ district politically, had returned him to office at every opportunity is a real tribute.

“When Mike became a state representative I was chairman of the House Law and Justice Committee. He served on my committee then, and this year, when I became chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, he was on my committee again. In fact, we were on each other’s committees this year, because he was chairman of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee. We worked extremely closely, especially on bills that overlapped between our committees; Mike was a staunch ally, and I feel particularly privileged to have served with him at the beginning and the end of his legislative career.

“According to Mike’s wife Charlotte he passed away very peacefully in his sleep. That’s of some comfort, but still, this is such a loss for our state, his legislative district and of course his family. Mike was a kind and considerate person, and we will miss him dearly, even though he’s with the angels and saints now. It’s hard to think about being at the Capitol without him.”

Gov. Jay Inslee today signed legislation that will let coroners and medical examiners be open – to the point of having immunity from liability – about their conclusions when talking about a death that occurs in connection with a law-enforcement action or inside a correctional facility.

“This bill makes it clear that a coroner or medical examiner is not prohibited from discussing the conclusions he or she may have reached,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who introduced Senate Bill 5256. “That can be especially important when someone dies while in police custody or while in jail or prison, because that can bring more questions – and different questions, and a different level of emotion – than deaths that occur under other circumstances.” Continue reading →

Sen. Mike Padden’s efforts to thwart those in the human-trafficking trade culminated today when the comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation he introduced this year received the governor’s signature before a crowd of supporters.

“The people of our state, especially young girls, deserve whatever protection we can give them from those who view humans as a commodity,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “While the fight to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children may never end – unfortunately – this new law represents the latest round in that battle.” Continue reading →