On Monday the Senate unanimously approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden aimed at making it easier for law enforcement to obtain blood samples for forensic testing in criminal investigations – especially those concerning DUI offenses. “In some jurisdictions there is up to a five-hour delay in acquiring an...

No man is an island, and no Senator can fully serve the people of his district without a great staff. We are fortunate to have a tremendous team serving the Fourth District in the state Senate. Pictured above, my Legislative Assistant Mike McCliment, Intern Tyler Sherwin and Session Aide Esther...

Today the Senate approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden aimed at increasing the independence of the state’s administrative-law judges by limiting the ability of state-agency heads to add undue pressure or retribution during administrative hearings. “I was a district court judge for 12 years,” said Padden, who chairs...

Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to make a fourth DUI conviction in 10 years a felony is one step closer to Senate passage, after receiving a “do-pass” recommendation from the Senate’s Ways and Means committee today. “We heard from the family of Russell Bartlett, a wonderful man who volunteered at hospices,...

Fourth Legislative District residents are encouraged to participate in an upcoming telephone town hall hosted by their legislators: Sen. Mike Padden and Reps. Matt Shea and Bob McCaslin. The hour-long community conversation will take place Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. On the evening of the telephone town hall, participants...

A couple of bills introduced in the Washington State House and Senate could give victims of revenge porn some restitution by making a person civilly liable for distributing intimate images of another intentionally and without consent. Revenge porn is the online posting of explicit images of people without their permission....