Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers May 30, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.
Dear friends and neighbors,
Throughout my combined 28 years as a state legislator (15 sessions in the House from 1981 to 1995 and the past 13 sessions in the Senate), my time and energy have been focused on crime and public safety issues. For people in our communities to feel safer, we need to do all we can to make and enforce good strong laws and put criminals behind bars. It is why I always sought to serve on the House or Senate committee that addressed law and justice issues.
During these years, I have prime-sponsored or co-sponsored many bills that aimed to fight crime or protect crime victims better.
Public safety has always been my passion and my mission as a legislator, so it was a great honor to receive the highest honor from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs last week. WASPC officials presented me with the association’s Gene Cotton Award during its spring conference at the Spokane Convention Center. WASPC’s news release about the award is here. The photo above shows me standing between Douglas County Sheriff Kevin Morris (left), who is the WASPC Board president, and WASPC Executive Director Steve Strachan.
In the news release, Strachan said:
“Senator Padden has consistently and thoughtfully supported law enforcement and balanced public safety policies over more than forty years as a state legislator and judge. He has worked tirelessly to improve laws that help balance the need for public safety and ensure law enforcement is accountable to the community.”
According to the news release, the Gene Cotton Award, which is named for a former Clark County sheriff and WASPC executive director, “is given very infrequently and reserved only for extraordinary public officials who demonstrate their leadership to support law enforcement public policies.”
Special thanks to WASPC for this wonderful honor!
If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.
Thank you, as always, for the honor of representing you in Olympia!
Best Regards,
Senator Mike Padden
Attending Spokane Valley Veterans Memorial dedication
Senator Padden talks with 103-year-old Pat Tully, a World War II veteran, during last Friday’s dedication of Spokane Valley’s Veterans Memorial.
It was an honor to join about 100 other community members, veterans and elected officials at Balfour Park this past Friday morning for the dedication of Spokane Valley’s Veterans Memorial. It was special to talk with several of the veterans in attendance, especially World War II vet Pat Tully, who looks fit and strong at age 103.
Here is part of my speech during the ceremony: “One of the goals of this memorial is to celebrate the power of lifting each other up in times of need. It also will inform and teach our community about the historical grand contributions of our military, and recognize the military’s commitment to our nation.”
The Spokesman-Review published a very good story about Friday’s event. You can read it here.
Seattle Times runs Padden op-ed on rise in traffic deaths
You might remember that my previous e-newsletter focused on the troubling increase in traffic deaths in Washington. Soon after the Washington Traffic Safety Commission issued its recent report revealing that our state had reached a 33-year high in road fatalities, I submitted a guest editorial piece to The Seattle Times about this problem and suggestions on how to fix it. The Times published it over the weekend. You may read it here.
The WTSC report showed that about half of all of the traffic fatalities in Washington involved impaired driving. That’s why it is so important to have enough law-enforcement officers patrolling our roads and highways to watch out for impaired drivers and arrest them before they cause an accident.
KHQ-TV recently published a story about Barry Marcus, a Spokane-based State Patrol trooper who made his 4,000th DUI arrest on April 30. Trooper Marcus has served in the State Patrol for 32 years. The efforts and dedication displayed by Trooper Marcus and other WSP troopers, as well as officers with our local police departments and Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, are vital to keeping drivers and passengers safe.
Speaking to Spokane County realtors
Yesterday I reported on the recently ended legislative session to about 20 people at the Spokane County Realtors’ governmental affairs meeting in Spokane. Our discussion included my condominium bill (SB 5792) that was approved by the Legislature this year and how the Senate stopped a Democrat-sponsored bill, passed by the House, that would have established rent control in our state.
Local students to compete in national cybersecurity contest
Cybercrime is a growing problem in our state and across America. It is an issue that the Legislature has focused on more and more in recent years. If cybercrime is to be curtailed, we need skilled and talented people who can help improve and enhance cybersecurity and prevent cybercrimes.
Two potential cybersecurity experts live here in the 4th District. The Spokesman-Review ran a story last week about two Central Valley High School seniors, Lilian Miller and Quan Do, who will travel to Atlanta next month to compete in the SkillsUSA National Cybersecurity Championship. Lilian and Quan placed eighth in last year’s competition. Good luck to them!
Contact us!
If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the interim we are conducting business from our district office in Spokane Valley. We are here to serve you!
Phone: 509-921-2460
Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov
PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.
To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.