The following guest column appeared in The Inlander of Spokane on June 2, 2016. By Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley The admirable cause of civil rights is being misused by partisans in the progressive camp as a tool to bash Republicans. We saw it happen last month in the Inlander,...

Senate report on Corrections scandal approved by Law and Justice committee PUYALLUP… The Senate Law and Justice Committee, meeting Thursday at Puyallup City Hall, gave formal approval to a report on the deadly prisoner releases by the Department of Corrections that turned loose some 3,000 of the state’s most violent...

Comprehensive legislative inquiry finds incompetence, malfeasance at highest levels OLYMPIA … A draft Senate report says top officials at the Department of Corrections and the governor’s office bear major responsibility for one the worst management failures in state-government history – the improper early release of some 3,000 of Washington’s most...

This e-newsletter was distributed to Sen. Padden’s subscribers on April 28, 2016. Dear friends and neighbors, The 2016 Legislative session is over, but these still are busy times. This week we saw the dedication of the Spokane Valley Tech skills center, and coming up we have one of the biggest...

This newsletter was distributed to Sen. Mike Padden’s subscribers on April 15, 2016. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, This year’s legislative session is finally over, and it’s time for us to step back, take a breath, and assess what was accomplished. This session...

OLYMPIA – State Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, acknowledged deep disappointment Wednesday after House Democratic leaders killed his felony impaired-driving bill for the fifth time in a row. Senate Bill 5105, which would make the 4th DUI a felony in Washington state, has been passed unanimously by the Senate five...

OLYMPIA – Former Corrections Secretary Bernie Warner, identified by witnesses as a key player in the release of thousands of inmates ahead of schedule, has become a formal focus of the Senate’s independent investigation of the Department of Corrections. Senate Law and Justice Chair Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, filed a...

Fourth hearing held in Senate’s independent investigation of early-release scandal OLYMPIA – More witnesses Wednesday contradicted the findings of the governor’s office on the early-release scandal at the Department of Corrections, making a total five in a row who have testified there is more to the story. During public testimony...

This newsletter was distributed to Sen. Mike Padden’s subscribers on March 10, 2016. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. On what should have been the morning of adjournment, a rainbow appeared over the Capitol. Dear friends and neighbors, It shouldn’t have happened, but the Legislature is heading into...