Mike Padden

Usually after a legislative session, I tell you how good it is to be back home in the district, getting to see all of you face to face for the first time in months at a variety of events. Not so this time. Home means home, as, like all Washingtonians,...

If you feel strongly that it is wrong for the state to require schools to begin teaching graphic sex education to children as young as 5 years-old, then contact Governor Inslee to ask him to VETO SB 5395; you can call his office at 360-902-4111 and/or send him an email...

On Thursday the House of Representatives voted 97-0 to approve Sen. Mike Padden’s measure to allow a parent of a minor child who is the victim of a crime to receive benefits under the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program. “This bill is about providing parents with some relief when their lives...

Hold on to your seats… and your wallets! The legislative session is rounding the curve into the final stretch. We have exactly one week to go in the 2020 regular legislative session. Tomorrow is the final cut-off deadline for the Senate to approve bills that originated in the House of...

A bill making it easier for foster parents to retain their state licenses was approved by the state House Tuesday and heads to the governor’s desk for final consideration. Senate Bill 6500, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, eliminates a requirement that all foster parents provide advance notice before...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week started with all eyes focused on the state budget. On Monday Senate and House Democrat budget writers released their proposed 2020 supplemental budgets. They were rushed into committee hearings hours later, and the Senate budget could come before the full chamber for a vote...

We’ve just wrapped up an eventful sixth week in this 2020 legislative session. It has left me thinking about one inescapable fact: there has been a lot of bad legislation going through the process this year. Why do I say that? The first reason is the revenue forecast that was...

Today the Senate voted 45-3 to approve Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to extend the “look-back” in DUI cases, allowing courts to consider convictions over the preceding 15 years when preparing to hand down a sentence. Padden urged the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead in protecting citizens from...

Today the Senate voted 48-0 to pass Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to increase the penalty for unlawful disposal of a human body or human body parts. “This was one of those times where the punishment just didn’t fit the crime,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Currently, someone who dismembers and destroys...