Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers January 25, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.
Dear friends and neighbors,
If there is one issue most people agree on, it’s the dislike of moving their clocks from standard time to daylight saving time in the spring and then back to standard time in the fall. There have been scientific studies connecting several health problems with switching back and forth between standard time and daylight saving time, including greater risks of heart attacks and more frequent workplace injuries.
That is why I have introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow Washington to finally “ditch the switch” by keeping us on standard time permanently.
A proposed substitute version of Senate Bill 5795 came before the Senate State Government and Elections Committee last week. The measure’s lead co-sponsor, 45th District Senator Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, and I testified before the panel. TVW’s coverage of the SB 5795 hearing may be viewed here and here.
The substitute version of SB 5795 has a “trigger” mechanism in which if Congress approves a bill having states be on year-round daylight saving time, Washington state would then be on year-round daylight saving time.
If the bill becomes law, the change would go into effect on November 4, one day after daylight saving time ends on November 3.
Senators Padden (left) and Dhingra are shown testifying last week on Senate Bill 5795 before the Senate State Government and Elections Committee.
“Research shows that the transition between standard time and daylight saving time and back again causes a range of negative health effects, including worse stress, an increased number of car and workplace accidents, and even greater rates of suicide. Those serious detrimental effects on Washingtonians’ health are why it’s so important that we do away with springing forward and falling back,” said Dhingra about the bill.
I am partnering with legislators from Oregon, California and Idaho to propose bills that would keep these four Western states on year-round standard time. It is encouraging that legislators in these neighboring states plan to introduce bills this year to move their states to year-round standard time.
Arizona and Hawaii are already on permanent standard time. Because Congress has already decided states may be on permanent standard time if they choose, Washington and other states would not need the federal government to pass a bill authorizing states to be on year-round standard time.
If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.
Thank you, as always, for the honor of representing you in Olympia!
Best Regards,
Senator Mike Padden
Senate passes bill to keep repeat property offenders behind bars longer
A bill I introduced that could keep repeat property offenders behind bars longer was approved last week by the Senate on a 38-10 vote.
Senate Bill 5056 would allow prosecutors to seek up two additional years on a sentence for first-degree robbery offenders if they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is a habitual property offender.
We have a real crisis in the explosion of property crimes, including thefts of vehicles,, catalytic converters and electric-charging equipment. What this bill tries to do is keep habitual, repeat offenders behind bars for longer periods of time. That will decrease the property-crime rate substantially. Law-enforcement officers say relatively few people commit most of the property crimes in this area.
Under the measure, prosecutors may seek the special allegation of habitual property offender if the defendant meets certain criminal-history criteria, such as recent, repeat instances of property crime.
During the Senate Law and Justice Committee’s public hearing on SB 5056 in 2023, officials with the Washington Retail Association and Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs testified in favor of the proposal. The proposal also received positive testimony from Jessica Laughery of Hutton Settlement.
SB 5056 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Bill to reduce impaired driving passes committee, nears full Senate vote
Impaired driving is a worsening problem on Washington’s roads and highways. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, there were 740 traffic deaths in our state 2022 (the highest in over 20 years), including 389 fatalities involving drug- or alcohol-impaired driving. There were 674 traffic deaths in 2021, including 345 fatalities involving impaired driving. In 2020, Washington had 574 traffic fatalities, including 282 involving impaired driving.
A proposal I prime-sponsored that aims to reduce impaired driving on Washington’s roads and highways is advancing through the Senate.
Senate Bill 5791 was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee this past Thursday. The proposal would require the Washington State Patrol to establish a pilot program to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of oral fluid swabs as part of the enforcement of impaired-driving laws.
SB 5791 is on the Senate’s second-reading calendar, which means it could receive a full Senate vote at any time.
Impaired driving continues to be a growing problem on our state’s roads, so the Legislature needs to take additional steps to combat it. Oral-swab testing represents one more tool for law enforcement in reducing impaired driving. It’s important for law enforcement to see how effective the oral-swab tests would help in determining if drivers are legally impaired. If the pilot program under this proposal proves to be effective, the Legislature can make oral-swab testing a permanent part of the state’s efforts to decrease impaired driving in Washington.
During its public hearing in the transportation committee, many people testified in favor of the proposal. Supporters include the Washington State Patrol, Chuck DeWeese with the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving, Christopher Kirby of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and Ashley Bonus with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
TVW’s coverage of the SB 5791 public hearing is available for viewing here.
Cougar Canyon Academy student serves as Senate page
Abby Trudel, a 10th-grader at Cougar Canyon Academy in Spokane, spent last week working as a Senate page at the Capitol. It was my honor to sponsor Abby. She did an excellent job paging and gained some valuable insight into the legislative process. Abby is the daughter of Allan and Vicki Trudel.
Abby, 14, has been studying and performing ballet for eight years, and loves to read, run, and crochet in her free time. She also volunteers at her church with the youth groups by caring for toddlers and other young children to help out in her community.
I was happy to sponsor two of her older siblings when they were Senate pages in recent years.
The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Students are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time working in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock session.
Parental rights initiative certified, sent to Legislature
A citizen initiative to expand parental rights was certified late last week by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and sent to the Legislature for consideration. Initiative 2081 would give parents the right to review K-12 instructional materials and require parental notification of school-provided medical services. I-2081 has been sent to the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee for consideration, but it is not expected to receive a public hearing.
In all, Secretary Hobbs has certified and delivered five initiatives to the Legislature.
- Initiative 2113 deals with police pursuits. It would erase certain requirements that since 2021 have prevented law-enforcement officers from pursuing a suspect unless they think someone has committed certain crimes, including a violent offense or driving while impaired. I-2113 has been referred to the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
- I-2117 would repeal the state’s costly climate policy, called “cap-and-trade” by some but “cap-and-tax” or “cap-and-gouge,” by opponents who note this law has caused gas prices to rise substantially. The climate policy became state law in 2021 and took full effect early last year. The measure is now in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
- I-2109 would repeal the state capital gains tax that was passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021. It is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
- I-2111 would ban any local or state government in Washington from imposing an income tax. This measure is expected to be sent to the Ways and Means Committee.
One more initiative to the Legislature is still going through the signature-verification process and is expected to be certified in the near future.
Legislators have three options with initiatives to the Legislature: 1) adopt the initiative as written, in which case it becomes law; 2) refuse to pass it, which would result in the measure automatically being placed on the statewide ballot next fall; 3) propose and approve an alternative initiative, in which case both the original initiative and the alternative would appear together on the fall statewide ballot.
Contact us!
If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the session we are conducting business from our Senate office in Olympia. We are here to serve you!
Phone: (360) 786-7606
Olympia Office: 215 Legislative Modular Building, Olympia, WA 98504-0404
Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov
PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.
To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.