The good news and the bad from the Washington statehouse
The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 27, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, This was a week of accomplishment and disappointment. After years of effort to toughen our state’s impaired-driving laws, my legislation to make...
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Ferguson ‘guidance’ on flouting immigration law goes too far, Padden says
See correspondence here: April 14: Letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson April 21: Letter from Attorney General’s Office April 26: Second letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson OLYMPIA – Sen. Mike Padden is questioning new “guidance” from the state Attorney General’s Office that could serve as an instruction manual for...
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Legislature votes to make 4th DUI a felony
Senate passes bill six times – House votes after Renton man arrested for 11th DUI OLYMPIA – The state House approved a bill Thursday night that makes the 4th DUI a felony in Washington state, sending the bill to the governor’s desk after two long years of effort. The Senate...
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Special session looms as Legislature fails to complete its work
The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 20, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, This is the last week of our regular session in Olympia – but our work is far from over. Our regular...
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Senate pays tribute to late Spokane jurist Sam Cozza
Final bill advocated by Judge Cozza signed into law Monday OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate paid tribute Tuesday to the late Judge Salvatore “Sam” Cozza, former presiding judge of the Spokane County Superior Court, with a resolution honoring his life and legacy. Cozza, a leading figure in the state’s...
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Padden bill cracking down on retail theft clears Legislature
OLYMPIA – A bill making it easier for prosecutors to crack down on retail theft won final passage in the Senate Monday, sending the measure to the governor’s desk. The 47-1 vote in the Senate on Senate Bill 5635 caps a session-long effort by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, to...
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Senate continues to expand public access through remote testimony
Update to leaders notes significant progress; House fails to offer report Since 2014, Senators Mike Padden and Sharon Brown have led an effort to increase the opportunities for public participation in the legislative process. The two recently requested an update from Senate and House administrators on progress to enable testimony...
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Barker Road project wins Senate nod as regular session nears end
The following newsletter was sent to subscribers to Sen. Padden’s Report From Olympia, April 13, 2017. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletters, click here. Dear friends and neighbors, As adjournment of our regular session draws near, major differences remain between the House and Senate over the state’s operating budget, and...
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Legislature votes to end trafficking defense – ‘I didn’t know how old she was’
Padden crimes-against-minors bill heads to governor’s desk OLYMPIA – Washington lawmakers Thursday passed a bill eliminating a line of defense in human trafficking prosecutions: “I didn’t know how old she was.” Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, said his crimes-against-minors bill makes it easier for prosecutors to seek longer sentences when...
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