The Senate voted 48-1 today to approve Sen. Mike Padden’s measure to help people with hearing impairments by increasing the availability of closed captioning on televisions in public places. According to Padden, more than 20% of the population has hearing loss, and the number is even higher for older Washingtonians....

Today the Senate Law and Justice Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5024, a measure to help increase the supply of affordable housing by removing barriers to condominium construction. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley and the lead Republican on the committee. “The committee has long...

It’ll soon be a new year, but it is more of the same from Gov. Jay Inslee, says Sen. Mike Padden in response to the governor’s extension of devastating restrictions on gyms and restaurants, including a continuation of the order banning dine-in service. “The governor has repeatedly claimed that he...

Inslee’s refusal to accept citizen input is biggest barrier to public buy-in, says Spokane Valley lawmaker Shortly after Gov. Jay Inslee held a Sunday press conference to announce a new ban on social gatherings and further restrictions on businesses, Sen. Mike Padden began hearing complaints and pleas for help from...

Three state senators from eastern Washington – 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy, 4th District Sen. Mike Padden and 7th District Sen. Shelly Short – are leading a legislative effort to fix a problem caused by the state Department of Revenue that affects how concrete pumpers are taxed. Senate Bill 6317,...

Last week, Brandi Kruse, a reporter for Seattle’s Fox Q13, tweeted: “If you’re an elected leader in our state who fought for sanctuary policies, be willing to step up and answer the hard questions when those policies hurt people. Not shirk away as if one woman’s pain and suffering is...

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 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...

Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley and chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, offered this statement following today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that certain corporations may claim religious-freedom protections. “For the second week in a row the court has found that the Obama administration overreached its authority. Today’s ruling...