As more than 20 people looked on, many of them outfitted with life preservers for the occasion, the governor this afternoon endorsed Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to align Washington’s boating law with its motor-vehicle law when it comes to driving under the influence.

“Boating is understandably a highly popular form of recreation in our state; when those in the various boating-related communities were asked, what’s the one thing the Legislature can do this year to increase boating safety, this was the answer,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who saw Senate Bill 5437 sail through the Senate and House of Representatives on its way to the governor’s desk.

Padden said those attending the bill-signing ceremony included recreational boaters, kayakers and representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the state Department of Natural Resources and the state parks department, all of whom are stakeholders in the effort to increase boating safety.

By operating a motor vehicle on Washington roads, Padden explained, a driver essentially consents to be tested as to whether he or she is under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. However, Washington had no “implied consent” rule for boaters – a gap in the law that is filled by his legislation.

“Hopefully this new law will help lead to a day when alcohol consumption is no longer the leading contributor to boating accidents in Washington,” said Padden, chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.

This morning the Senate Law and Justice Committee unanimously backed a bill that would make sweeping changes in state law concerning the crime of driving under the influence.

Sen. Mike Padden, committee chairman, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5912. He said the measure has evolved significantly since the committee first saw it during a work session in late April, thanks to frequent discussions between the Senate, House of Representatives and governor’s office.

“The bill as approved by our committee today would touch on many aspects of a DUI case: what law enforcement does after pulling someone over, what the courts are able to do, and the choices offenders will have,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley.

“There’s a lot of political momentum behind this effort, and I’m optimistic that we will have a new DUI law in place before the Legislature adjourns for the year.”

Changes proposed in the Senate measure include elements that are likely to also appear in a House DUI bill:

• Motorists stopped on suspicion of repeat DUI would be automatically arrested, similar to how domestic-violence situations are handled
• Someone arrested on suspicion of a second (or more) DUI would have to have an ignition-interlock device installed on his or her vehicle within 10 days of being released from custody
• A repeat DUI conviction that involves driving the wrong way or having a child younger than 16 in the vehicle would mean a longer sentence
• A fourth DUI would be treated as a felony; state law now treats a fourth arrest as a misdemeanor
• Offenders will either be ordered into or have the option of participating in a 24/7 sobriety program, with twice-daily testing
• The mandatory minimum jail time for repeat offenders would increase by 10 days

The bill’s price tag hasn’t been established by the state Office of Financial Management. Because SB 5912 carries a cost, it must go next to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for consideration.

“This is about more than punishing repeat offenders,” said Padden, a former longtime Spokane County judge who also worked on traffic-safety issues with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “DUI is a completely preventable crime; in my experience, this combination of tools should help prevent people from becoming repeat offenders in the first place, while making Washington roads safer for our citizens.”

Sen. Mike Padden, a sponsor of the Religious Freedom Protection Act, said he’s supporting the measure because it would extend the state’s anti-discrimination laws in a way that should protect practitioners of any religion from discrimination.

“State government has no business forcing someone to violate his or her deeply-held religious beliefs, yet our new attorney general recently went out of his way to bring a lawsuit against a florist in the Tri-Cities simply because she has chosen not to compromise her Christian beliefs by providing services at a same-sex marriage ceremony,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley, about Senate Bill 5927, introduced Thursday.

“Who will Mr. Ferguson go after next in his apparent zeal to put people into what amounts to a modern-day stockade?” Continue reading →

The Legislature has wrapped up its work on Senate Bill 5256, Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to make it clear that coroners and medical examiners may speak openly when talking about a death that occurs in connection with a law-enforcement action or inside a correctional facility.

“For whatever reason – maybe concerns about liability – those investigating the death of someone who was in custody may tend to be reluctant to offer their conclusions. At a time when the victim’s loved ones and the public are likely to have a lot of questions, it’s important that the people with the answers are comfortable speaking their minds,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Continue reading →

Rather than count votes, as he typically might when trying to move a bill through the lawmaking process, Sen. Mike Padden is counting days – as in how much time is left for the passage of bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing the number of repeat DUI offenders.

“The calendar is a challenge, seeing how after today there are just nine days left in the session,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who led a joint legislative-committee hearing this morning on two bills he’s introduced: Senate Bill 5902 and Senate Bill 5912. Continue reading →

Wednesday was the final day for the Senate and House of Representatives to act on each other’s legislation, and it brought approval from the House for two more of Sen. Mike Padden’s bills.

Senate Bill 5437 would align Washington boating law with the state’s motor-vehicle law when it comes to driving under the influence. Senate Bill 5256 would allow coroners and medical examiners to be open about their conclusions when talking about a death that occurs in connection with a law-enforcement action or inside a correctional facility.  Continue reading →

Sen. Mike Padden’s comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation is headed for a place in Washington state law. This afternoon the House of Representatives gave its unanimous support to Senate Bill 5669, as the Senate had done last month, which completes the Legislature’s work on the measure.

“This is one of the most important bills to come out of the Legislature this year,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “It strikes another blow at those who comprise a sordid industry that demeans human beings, especially young girls, by treating them as commodities to be sold into sexual slavery.

“Every time the traffickers find a hole in the law we need to patch it. Washington’s anti-trafficking laws are strong already; this bill would help make the state’s approach more of a model for the nation by treating sex trafficking as the separate crime it is.” Continue reading →