The new law-enforcement training center near Fairchild Air Force Base will boost public safety in Spokane County, says a key legislator on crime issues. State Sen. Mike Padden, the Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, will attend and speak at today’s grand-opening ceremony for the new training...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Aug. 24, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. Let’s hear it for firefighters, others battling area wildfires Dear friends and neighbors, Over the past week, firefighters and others have heroically battled two wildfires in parts of Spokane...

Legislature’s two-year experiment with weak, unenforceable laws against hard drugs brings death across the state, say members of Senate Freedom Caucus OLYMPIA – Washington state has become a national leader in drug-overdose deaths, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and senators say credit goes...

SPOKANE VALLEY…On June 22, Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a notice in a pending federal court case stipulating that Washington cannot enforce the 2021 Democrat-sponsored ban on private prisons and detention centers (RCW 70.395.030). Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, sees the move as justification for repealing...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers April 20, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. It was great to meet with former Seattle Mariners catcher Dan Wilson during his visit to the Capitol this morning.  Dear friends and neighbors, After more than 100 days...

Motorized wheelchairs and other mobility-improving equipment would become tax-exempt under legislation passed 48-0 today by the Senate. The proposal, Senate Bill 5218, was introduced by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden. “This bill will help people with disabilities by removing the sales tax from motorized wheelchairs or other technological equipment, which...

The Senate today unanimously passed Senate Bill 5096, a bipartisan proposal introduced by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that would aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure. During his floor speech on SB 5096, Padden mentioned the many benefits to employee ownership. “This bill...

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Feb. 9, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here. One of the key issues needing legislative action during this year’s session is public safety. In recent years, Washington has seen a disturbing increase in crime, some of it...

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...