Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers March 3, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. The Legislature is halfway through its 2023 session. This is Day 54, and Washington’s constitution allows our “long” session to run for no more than 105 days. On Monday,...

The Senate today voted 48-0 to pass a bipartisan bill that aims to impose longer sentences on sexually abusive jail and prison guards. Senate Bill 5033 would reclassify the crime of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct as a Class B felony, allowing a prison term of 10 years instead of the...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Feb. 22, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, This year’s legislative session is reaching a key transition point. During the previous six weeks, the Senate devoted much of its time to committee meetings...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Feb. 17, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. In 2008, Washington voters approved Initiative 1000, which established the so-called “Death with Dignity Act.” Opponents call it “Assisted Suicide Expansion.”  Efforts have been made the last two years...

The Senate today unanimously approved a bill from 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that would help encourage home ownership in Washington by making it easier for smaller condominium buildings to be constructed. Senate Bill 5058 would exempt buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories high...

A bill from 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that could keep repeat property offenders behind bars longer was approved today by the Senate Law and Justice Committee. Senate Bill 5056 would require that someone who is found to be a habitual property offender to be sentenced to an additional 24...

The Senate Law and Justice Committee held a public hearing today on a bill introduced by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that aims to reverse the alarming trend in fentanyl use and fentanyl-related deaths in Washington. Padden’s measure, Senate Bill 5035, would make possession or use of illegal drugs like...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Feb. 3, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, Officers who work in Washington’s correctional facilities are part of the law-enforcement community just as much as the officers who patrol our communities and investigate...

Democrats on the Senate Law and Justice Committee yesterday turned back new attempts by Republicans to fix a criminal-friendly flaw in Washington’s law regarding police pursuits of suspected criminals. They stuck instead to a partisan approach that would delay a solution for at least 18 months, and do nothing in...