Mike Padden

Today the Senate Law and Justice Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 6099, a measure to help ensure that deceased crime victims have an advocate at sentencing hearings when there is no one else to speak for them. The bill, known as the Victims’ Voice Act, is sponsored by Sen....

Today Sen. Mike Padden, chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, held a joint work session with the Senate Government Operations and Security Committee to examine concerns that a proposed state version of the Voting Rights Act could increase litigation and costs for local jurisdictions. “The proposed Washington State...

While there is still much work to be done, several bills did make it through the legislative process and are now being signed into law. Last week Senate Bill 5101, my legislation to allow courts to order a mental evaluation of an offender, even if the Department of Corrections does...

Sen. Mike Padden went into the 2015 regular session with a goal of increasing the opportunities for public participation in the legislative process. An analysis of the Senate’s remote testimony pilot program shows that Padden and his colleagues in the Senate took significant steps toward achieving that goal in that...

Today the Senate passed a resolution commending businesses that have made veteran employment a priority. Our state is honored to host several major military bases and significant installations from all branches of the military, including Spokane County’s own Fairchild Air Force Base. With our military having been engaged in two...

There are just nine days left in the legislative session. This week we hit the deadline for the Senate and House to take action on bills from the opposite chamber, except those necessary to implement the budget and bills in dispute between the chambers. While I am hopeful that I...

The scheduled end of the 2015 legislative session is only 12 days away. That’s a very short amount of time to complete all the work yet to be done – especially on the budget. This week the House and the Senate began formal negotiations over their budget proposals. The two...

Sen. Mike Padden saw his legislation to encourage the establishment of specialty, or “therapeutic,” courts move one step closer to becoming law, following a unanimous vote today in the state House of Representatives. The state Senate had given Senate Bill 5107 its unanimous support in February. “Therapeutic courts serve an...

Today the House Public Safety Committee heard public testimony on a measure sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden that would make a fourth DUI conviction within 10 years a felony. “This bill is really about going after those repeat offenders who are putting the public at risk and even taking lives,”...