Padden school-safety bill passes Senate
February 14, 2018
Today the Senate voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 6410, concerning school safety. Under the measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, first-responders would be required to notify both public and private schools during any situation in their vicinity that would warrant an evacuation or lockdown. The bill would also create... Read More...
Bills – good and bad – flying off the floor
February 13, 2018
Week five was spent on the Senate floor voting on bills previously approved by their assigned committees. Below I highlight several good bills that are still in play, so please keep reading. Tomorrow is the final day for us to consider “house of origin” bills; in other words, it’s the... Read More...
Padden bill on police body cameras wins Senate vote, goes to House
February 09, 2018
Today the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 6408, aimed at clarifying the rules surrounding the use of police body cameras. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. Legislation approved in 2016 established public-disclosure and other requirements relating to body-worn camera recordings and created the Joint Legislative Task... Read More...
Padden school-safety bill clears committee deadline
February 07, 2018
The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously late Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 6410, concerning school safety. Under the measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, first responders would be required to notify both public and private schools during any situation in their vicinity that would warrant an evacuation or... Read More...
Senator Mike Padden honors the 107th birthday of Ronald Reagan
February 06, 2018
Today would have been the 107th birthday of Ronald Reagan. JIM VALLEY TALKED TO ONE REPUBLICAN SENATOR WHO HONORED THE 40TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE STATE CAPITOL IN OLYMPIA. Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911. In a speech on the Senate floor, Republican Senator Mike Padden from... Read More...
Survivor Olympia: Cut off deadline for policy bills
February 06, 2018
The 2018 Legislature has completed its fourth week; there are five weeks to go. On Friday we reached an important deadline for bills to pass policy (non-fiscal) committees if they are to move forward. I continue to be concerned about the new Senate majority’s focus on passing controversial bills that... Read More...
Issues of life and death, law and justice
January 30, 2018
We are now well into the 2018 legislative session. There was plenty of activity last week, including hearings and voting on a handful of bills Wednesday and Thursday. There were also a number of events on campus, including the annual March for Life and a visit by leaders and researchers... Read More...
Padden bill on police body cameras receives hearing in Senate committee
January 29, 2018
Today the Senate Law and Justice Committee received public testimony on Senate Bill 6408, aimed at clarifying the rules surrounding the use of police body cameras. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, the ranking member on the committee. In 2016, the Legislature passed House Bill 2362,... Read More...
Padden’s remarks on confirmation of Stephen Sinclair at DOC
January 26, 2018
Senator Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, urges a no vote on the confirmation of Stephen Sinclair to head the Washington state Department of Corrections. Padden urges a ‘no’ vote on SGA 9267 – STEPHEN SINCLAIR, appointed April 25, 2017, for a term ending January 01, 2075, as Director of the Department... Read More...