Senator Mike Padden

Corrections reform bill clears Senate committee, prompted by early releases, mismanagement OLYMPIA – A bill prompted by last year’s early-release scandal at the state Department of Corrections cleared the Senate Law and Justice Committee Thursday. Senate Bill 5294 enacts key reforms recommended by the committee following a months-long investigation into the improper early release of some 3,000 prisoners convicted of violent... Read More...

Longer sentences for habitual property offenders approved by Senate committee OLYMPIA – A bill allowing longer sentences for habitual property offenders cleared the Senate Law and Justice Committee Thursday, giving prosecutors tools to crack down on rising burglaries, thefts and similar crimes. Senate Bill 5703, sponsored by committee chair Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, allows sentences to be extended by up... Read More...

An out-of-bounds court casts shadow over Legislature   By Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley Note: This op-ed originally appeared in the Valley News Herald, Spokane Valley, Jan. 13, 2017. In Olympia this year we’re going to be talking about a number of specific issues that have a direct impact on the people of the Spokane Valley and... Read More...

Coroners’ inquests, investigations of police fatalities, subject of committee hearing Wednesday OLYMPIA – The Senate Law and Justice Committee will hold a work session Wednesday, Jan. 11, on coroners’ investigations of police use of deadly force – a topic that has garnered much comment during the run-up to the 2017 legislative session. The hearing begins at 8 a.m. in Senate Hearing... Read More...

2017 shaping up as busy year for Legislature Taxes, other key issues for Spokane Valley, are on the table By Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley Note: This op-ed was originally published in the January 2017 editions of the Liberty Lake Splash and the Valley Current. The buzz about next year’s legislative session is all about education funding, proposals... Read More...