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 a special session. It means we’re going to be in Olympia at least a few extra days, and perhaps even longer. It is an enormous disappointment, given the fact that we should have been able to finish our business within the 60 days allotted to us by the constitution.

Today is the 60th day, however, and the Senate still does not have a budget deal with the House. Until we reach an agreement on taxes and spending we can’t go home. Those of us in the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus find this a particular disappointment, because it should have been easy.

There is much work that remains to be done, not just on the budget but on other issues. A number of us have worked several years on legislation to combat driving under the influence, and this week we called for the Legislature to finish the job. In other news, the Senate’s investigation of the Department of Corrections got a tacit boost from the governor when he acknowledged the serious shortcomings of the former secretary. And finally this week, I want to share with you the results of our 2016 legislative survey.

Best regards,

 

 

Renewing the call for DUI legislation

This week I joined with lawmakers of both parties in calling for the passage of DUI legislation this session. You can see the full news conference here. The most eloquent speakers were not legislators, but rather those people who have been impacted by this most preventable crime.

Joan Davis, board member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told how her daughter Jessica was killed by a drunk driver near Poulsbo in 2008. He survived. Since then she said he has been jailed on another DUI. Davis’ 16-year-old granddaughter Cassie was overcome with tears. “It really makes me wonder why these laws haven’t been passed,” she choked out. “I really don’t want other families to go through what my family has gone through.”

Other victims represented at the news conference included members of the Schulte and Panattoni families, both of whom also lost loved ones to drunk drivers. Their stories underscore the need for legislation to get the repeat offender off the road. This year we passed two bills that are part of a coherent DUI strategy. I am the sponsor of a third DUI bill, however, and until it passes the Legislature our job cannot be considered done. This felony DUI legislation could have the greatest effect of all, and its price tag is small in comparison with a life.

Senate Bill 5105 would allow an offender to be charged with a felony on the fourth offense during a ten-year period. Currently an offender can be charged with a felony only after four previous convictions. Washington is the most lax of any of the 46 states that permit felony DUI charges. Felony charges enable these repeat offenders to be locked away for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, even though this bill has passed the Senate unanimously four times, House leaders have not permitted a vote.

Other bills we have passed this session include House Bill 2700, which makes a number of changes to strengthen DUI laws and make them more efficient, and HB 2280, which increases penalties on the 5th offense.

DOC crisis brings a disappointing response

This week the governor announced his response to the serious management failure at the Department of Corrections that caused the improper early release of more than 3,200 felons. It was a big disappointment, to say the least. Although the case highlights management problems that start at the highest levels of the agency, the governor seemed to focus mainly on mid-level managers who carried out the directives of top agency officials.

The fact that the governor gave these managers reprimands and demotions should not make any of us feel comfortable. In the Senate’s independent investigation of this tragic case, we have learned that the agency failed to make public safety its top priority. Its former secretary, Bernie Warner, displayed an alarming lack of interest in his department’s day to day operations. Perhaps our inquiry helped the governor recognize what a poor manager he was. Just two weeks ago, the report of the governor’s investigators ignored Warner’s role. We note that the governor now tells us he would have fired Warner, if he hadn’t already quit.

We need to remember at least two people are dead. Many more have been injured by the felons who were released early. We should wonder why it took a horrific case like this one for the governor to recognize the mismanagement that was taking place within his department. In the Senate, we will ask these big-picture questions as our independent investigation continues. Accountability should never stop in the middle.

Thanks to Ashley Hartley and Maggie Knoll for serving as Senate pages!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last two pages for the session were Ashley Harley and Maggie Knoll. Ashley and Maggie are sophomores from University High School and Saint Michael’s Academy. Last week, Ashley enjoyed making new friends with the other pages and learning about the legislative process in page school. One highlight for her was meeting Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. Ashley enjoys reading, playing tennis, and writing poetry.

Maggie said she appreciated seeing the legislative process from the inside. She liked watching votes on the floor and debates on legislation. Although Maggie has been considering pursuing a career as a dental hygienist, she says her week as a page opened her eyes to new ideas and opportunities in politics. Maggie’s favorite subjects are history, literature, and speech.

Survey results are available

A few weeks ago, I asked residents of the 4th Legislative District for their thoughts on the biggest issues before the Legislature this year. Many of you may find the results interesting. I have posted them to my website, and you can see them here.

As an example, here is one of the questions I posed:

Washington politicians are fond of saying the state has recovered from recession and the economy is booming. But the growth is most evident in the city of Seattle and nearby areas. In the 4th District, how do you perceive the state of the economy?

Bills head to governor’s desk

Three of my bills cleared their final hurdles in the final days of the regular session and are headed to the governor’s desk. They are:
Senate Bill 5046, which corrects a codification error concerning the governor’s designee to the traffic safety commission.

SB 6338, which protects the cooperative rights and local authority of rural electric cooperatives while enabling them to pursue friendly mergers that would maximize efficiency.

SB 6261, which strengthens provisions relating to the discovery of human remains.

This bills may seem like small fixes, but each of them will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Washington state government. While the work of keeping government accountable sometimes results in sweeping investigations of big agencies like the DOC, more often than not government is made to work better for the people one incremental improvement at a time.