January 23, 2015

Report from Olympia — Jan. 23, 2015

Today marks the end of week two for the 2015 legislative session. This has been a busy week for our office; we have had a number of visitors from the district and several of my key bills received hearings before their assigned policy committees. Click here to read the full...
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January 22, 2015

Victims of revenge porn could seek civil liability under Orwall and Padden bills

A couple of bills introduced in the Washington State House and Senate could give victims of revenge porn some restitution by making a person civilly liable for distributing intimate images of another intentionally and without consent. Revenge porn is the online posting of explicit images of people without their permission....
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January 22, 2015

Padden: Time for Washington to get tough on repeat DUI offenders

Law and Justice Committee hears testimony on Padden measure to make fourth DUI a felony When a father, mother, grandfather, husband or friend is ripped away by the actions of a drunk driver, the pain and impact caused by that can reverberate through a family and a community. The demand...
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January 21, 2015

In The News: Thousands converge on state Capitol for annual pro-life rally

McClatchy/Bellingham Herald Noreen Hobson has attended every March for Life anti-abortion rally at the state Capitol in her 37 years of life, except for once when she was giving birth.She was there again Tuesday, leading an estimated 3,000 people to the steps of the Legislative Building as president of the...
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January 19, 2015

Padden introduces parental-notification bill

Bill supporters to gather tomorrow at 37th annual March for Life in Olympia Calling it a common-sense measure to respect the rights of parents, Sen. Mike Padden today announced legislation to require that an underage girl’s parent or guardian be notified before she may have an abortion. Padden, R-Spokane Valley,...
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January 15, 2015

Report from Olympia — Jan. 15, 2015

The 2015 session began with a bang of the gavel as members were sworn in. The Legislature will have a Republican majority in the Senate and a Democrat majority in the House of Representatives this session. Given this reality, lawmakers will undoubtedly need to work together to achieve solutions on...
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December 30, 2014

Report from Olympia — Dec. 30, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas, and that you are enjoying this holiday season. In two short weeks, the 64th Legislature will convene. The 2015 session is a budget year, meaning it is scheduled for 105 days (opposed to 60 days in...
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December 10, 2014

Padden chair Law and Justice Committee, and vice chairman of new Accountability & Reform Committee

Members of the Majority Coalition Caucus have announced that Spokane Valley Sen. Mike Padden will continue to serve as chairman of the Law and Justice Committee, which deals with civil and criminal law and will assume responsibility for corrections issues. “In the last two years, the Senate Law and Justice...
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December 04, 2014

Report from Olympia — Dec. 4, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This interim (the time between legislative sessions) has been very busy. We have made major strides in bringing attention to issues ranging from impaired driving and the need to increase public safety to human trafficking, the separation of powers and open government. Please keep reading for...
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