Tag Archives: 4th Legislative District

Padden will not seek reelection to 4th District Senate seat

After serving in the Washington State Senate since 2011, Sen. Mike Padden announced today that he will not seek reelection to his 4th Legislative District seat this year.

“It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve our 4th District in the state Senate these past dozen years,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “After much thought and discussion with my wife, Laura, I have decided it is time to retire from office. I appreciate the opportunity to work with all of my legislative colleagues on a variety of issues over these years to make Washington better. I will miss my relationships with each and every one of them.”

Padden is the longtime Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee. He also serves on the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee and Senate Transportation Committee.

While much of his policy work has concerned public safety and the law, the hallmark of Padden’s legislative career has been his dedication to defending life, from the unborn to the innocent victims of crime.

He has been an outspoken opponent of efforts to expand access to abortions, particularly beyond what voters placed into state law decades ago, and worked tirelessly to strengthen Washington laws concerning impaired driving, which he describes as a completely preventable crime.

“While I have focused on many issues, public safety has been especially important to me throughout my years as a legislator,” said Padden, who pointed out crime has worsened in Washington.

“There has been a sharp increase in several types of crime in recent years, including auto thefts and burglaries. I’m disappointed that House Democrats did not follow the Senate on the habitual property offender bill (SB 5056, introduced by Padden) and Senator Lynda Wilson’s opioid reckless endangerment bill (SB 5010). Washington has far to go in terms of improving public safety.”

Padden became 4th District senator through a special election in 2011, then was reelected in 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Padden will leave office after serving a combined 28 legislative sessions in Olympia, including 15 in the House of Representatives, from 1981 to 1995. Padden was elected to a 4th District House seat in 1980 and was reelected seven times. He was House majority floor leader during the 1995 legislative session.

Padden resigned his 4th District House seat in March 1995 when he was appointed as a Spokane County District Court judge. He won three additional terms as a district court judge through countywide elections. Padden retired as a judge in January 2007.

In 2008, Padden was appointed to serve on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as the Judicial Outreach Liaison overseeing therapeutic traffic safety issues in five states — Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Alaska.

Padden is a graduate of Spokane’s Gonzaga University and earned his law degree from the Gonzaga University School of Law in 1974. He is active in his church, having served the past two years on the parish council, and is a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus. Padden has also served as a state commissioner for American Legion Baseball and is past president of the Spokane chapter. He is also a volunteer for the Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels program.

Padden and his wife, Laura, have five sons and four grandchildren.

“We look forward to traveling and spending even more time with our sons and grandkids,” said Padden.

4th District town hall meeting to take place April 2

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers March 27, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

You are invited to attend a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 2 to discuss the recently ended 2024 legislative session. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Gerald A. Scheele Training Room at the Spokane Conservation District Building, 4422 E. 8th Ave. in Spokane Valley.

During the one-hour meeting, key issues from the session will be discussed and questions taken. I hope you can attend. If you have questions, please contact my legislative assistant, Annalise, by calling our district office at 509-921-2460.

If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email. 

Thank you, as always, for the honor of representing you in Olympia!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Governor signs three Padden bills

In the nearly three weeks since the 2024 legislative session ended, Governor Inslee has been busy signing many bills passed by the Legislature. Three of them are measures that I introduced. More information about them is below. In addition, the governor is expected tomorrow to sign Senate Bill 5934, the pollinator habitat measure I sponsored at the suggestion of Girl Scout Julia Costello. 

Senate Bill 5792

Senate Bill 5792, signed March 15, will exclude buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than three stories high from the definition of “multiunit residential building” if one story is utilized for above- or below-ground parking or retail space. This bill builds on last year’s successful measure to have more housing options for Washington’s middle class. Condominiums provide an affordable path to homeownership for first-time homebuyers.   

During its public hearings this session, SB 5792 received positive testimony from Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley, Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins, Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson and an official with the Building Industry Association of Washington.

The law created last year by Senate Bill 5058, which I also prime-sponsored, exempts buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories high from the definition of “multiunit residential building.”

Washington has one of the lower homeownership rates in the nation, and both last year’s law and this year’s new law can help our state address this problem. These smaller condominiums will still have the same building requirements of a townhouse or single-family house.

Senate Bill 5840

Senate Bill 5840 will simplify the process of leasing property – a change requested by the Real Property section of the Washington State Bar Association to bring Washington in line with other states. Washington is the rare state that requires commercial leases with terms longer than a year to be acknowledged before a notary. Many legal documents do not need to be notarized. By eliminating the notary, these transactions will be a little easier. SB 5840 was signed March 13.

Senate Bill 5920

Senate Bill 5920 allows the state Department of Health to have more psychiatric beds in Washington. This proposal reinstates authority for DOH until 2028 to grant certificate-of-need exemptions related to increasing psychiatric-bed capacity by allowing additional psychiatric beds or construction of a new psychiatric hospital.  

A couple of years ago, a company was deterred from building a psychiatric hospital in Spokane Valley due to the certificate-of-need process. It was built in California instead, which does not require a certificate of need. The federal government figured out long ago that certificates of need do not work; it repealed federal certificate-of-need requirements in 1987. The governor signed SB 5920 on March 18.

During the public hearings on SB 5920 this session, the Washington Policy Center’s Elizabeth Hovde testified in favor of the measure. “I’m thankful for this bill,” said Hovde. “It addresses a need for vulnerable people. Experts say a minimum of 50 public psychiatric beds are needed for every 100,000 people. Washington state fails to meet that standard by a longshot.” She added that the state had an average of 13.3 psychiatric beds per 100,000 people in 2023.

Governor signs impaired-driving bill that includes Padden policy

Yesterday the governor signed House Bill 1493, a measure to combat impaired driving that includes policy that I have proposed for several years. This new and overdue law is a major step toward making Washington roads and highways safer. It includes provisions that will keep more repeat impaired drivers off the road.   

An amendment approved by the Legislature added language from Senate Bill 5032, a measure that I introduced that would expand the period for reviewing prior convictions of impaired driving to 15 years, from the 10 years now in state law, when determining whether a new offense of impaired driving is charged as a felony.

The policy language from SB 5032 kept in HB 1493 will increase the penalty to a felony offense, rather than a gross misdemeanor, for any person who has three or more prior DUI offenses within that “lookback” period.

Adding the ‘lookback’ language to the new law will help keep additional repeat impaired-driving offenders off the roads. Washington has seen a significant increase in traffic deaths over the past few years. Drunken driving and drug-impaired driving, especially by repeat offenders, are two leading causes. The law created by House Bill 1493 will help remove the most dangerous drivers from our roads and highways and get them into treatment or they will be held accountable by the state criminal justice system. This bill provides balance, as it is strong on treatment while also being strong on accountability.

Many traffic fatalities in the state involve drivers who have had as many as eight DUI offenses, but the current 10-year lookback period is not long enough to allow the state to impose stronger punishment against such offenders.

Repeat impaired-driving offenders commit most of the vehicular homicides and vehicular assaults in Washington. We now have a new law to prevent those horrible and senseless crimes.

According to a recent Seattle Times story, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission predicts 2023 will surpass 800 traffic fatalities, the most the state has seen since 1990.

WTSC data shows there were 740 traffic deaths in the state in 2022 (the highest in over 30 years), including 389 fatalities involving drug- or alcohol-impaired driving. There were 674 traffic deaths in 2021, including 345 fatalities involving impaired driving. In 2020, Washington had 574 traffic fatalities, including 282 involving impaired driving.

King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Amy Freedheim testified in favor of HB 1493 last year.  “We are a facing a crisis in traffic safety. Fatalities are at numbers we have not seen in over two decades, and over 60 percent of them involve impairment. This bill closes many of the loopholes,” Freedheim said during her testimony.

Report: WA has highest burglary rate of any state

Our state’s bad reputation for crime gets worse. It’s bad enough that Washington ranks first nationally for auto thefts. But according to a story published two weeks ago, an analysis of FBI crime data by a Arizona-based law firm shows Washington has the highest burglary rate of any state in America. The analysis revealed our state had 548.4 burglaries per 100,000 residents, more than twice the national rate of 254.3.

The Legislature’s approval this session of Initiative 2113, which fully restores law enforcement’s ability to pursue suspects, should help reduce burglaries and other crimes, although our state’s lowest-in-the-nation number of law enforcement officers per capita makes it hard for law enforcement to get the upper hand in its ongoing battle with criminals. I-2113 takes effect June 6 this year.

West Valley High School teacher honored

Like some of you, I read the Spokesman-Review article last week about a West Valley High School teacher and adviser, Shanté Payne, who recently received an award: high school adviser of the year from the Northeast region of the Association of Washington Student Leaders. It’s always good to see local teachers and other educators being recognized for their good work. Congratulations to Shanté on this honor.

New government guide available

With the election of many new officeholders in various local government positions, there is a new 4th District Government Guide for districts residents to use. It includes names and contact information for officials at the federal, statewide, legislative and local government levels. It also provides other helpful information. If you would like to have a copy of the new government guide mailed to you, please contact my legislative assistant, Annalise Hemingway, at annalise.hemingway@leg.wa.gov or call her at our district office at 509-921-2460.

Copies of the updated government guide also will be available soon at these locations:

  • Millwood City Hall (9103 E Frederick Ave., Spokane)
  • Argonne Library (4322 N Argonne Road, Spokane)
  • Spokane Valley City Hall (10210 E Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley)
  • Spokane Valley Library (12004 E Main Ave., Spokane Valley)
  • Liberty Lake City Hall (22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake)
  • Liberty Lake Library (23123 E Mission Ave., Liberty Lake)
  • Otis Orchards Library (22324 E Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards)
  • Spokane Valley Senior Center (2426 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley)

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the session we are conducting business from our Senate office in Olympia. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (360) 786-7606

Olympia Office: 215 Legislative Modular Building, Olympia, WA 98504-0404

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

Regional law-enforcement training center has grand opening

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers November 1, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

On October 19, many local and state officials gathered for the grand-opening ceremony at the Spokane County Sheriff Regional Training Center, near Fairchild Air Force Base. 

KHQ-TV televised a story on the grand-opening event.

Senator Padden speaks at the grand-opening ceremony of the regional law-enforcement training center near Fairchild Air Force Base.

The new training center, which is a state-of-the-art facility, will enhance public safety for everyone in Spokane County – officers and citizens alike. The center is the result of a joint effort between the U.S. Air Force and Spokane County. I commend the Air Force and the county for their excellent job of planning, funding and constructing this outstanding facility.

It will be used by several law-enforcement agencies in the area, including officers with the Spokane Valley Police Department and the county sheriff’s staff who serve in unincorporated areas. It’s encouraging to know that most law-enforcement officers in the 4th Legislative District will train at this new center.

The new training center will greatly reduce the backlog for training officers across the state. It’s important to note that Washington ranks last among all states for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita.

After the grand-opening ceremony ended, speakers and attendees received a tour of the new facility, which includes a high-tech simulation room in which officers will practice handling various situations with possible suspects. The facility also has an indoor firing range, featuring 21 lanes that are 50 meters in length. The range has adjustable lighting to enable daylight, dusk or night-time conditions. It can simulate multiple environments and will accommodate vehicles inside the facility to further enhance training. The training facility also has classrooms, offices and an armory on site.

If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.

Thank you, as always, for the honor of serving as your state senator!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Violent crime here rises while nation sees decrease

Violent crime throughout the U.S. has dropped slightly over the past year, but that is not the case here in Washington.

An October 23 story in The Center Square reported that while the national violent crime rate dropped by 1.7% from 2021 to 2022, our state saw an increase of 1.06% in violent crime during this period, according to the FBI. KIRO-TV in Seattle also broadcast a story on the rise in violent crime here.

The increase in violent crimes in our state is a major problem. There are factors that have contributed to this increase, including – as mentioned above – having the lowest number of police officers per capita of any state in the U.S., and a state law (modified slightly by the Legislature this spring) that makes it harder for law-enforcement officers to pursue suspects. Reducing the penalty for the possession of hard drugs such as fentanyl has also contributed to the increased in crime.

Area legislators tour Spokane community colleges

Senator Padden and 9th District Senator Mark Schoesler (right) listen to Chancellor Kevin Brockbank during the Community Colleges of Spokane Legislative Tour. 

On October 23, other local legislators and I went on a Community Colleges of Spokane tour, held on the Spokane Community College campus. During our tour, we visited several departments and learned what SCC and SFCC are teaching students. The information that Chancellor Kevin Brockbank and college instructors provided us during the tour was very helpful, as we learned very much about different programs.

An official welcome for new EWU President McMahan

Senator Padden and Senator Schoesler (left) with Swoop, the Eastern mascot.

A few hours after the community college tour, I was one of several area legislators who visited the Eastern Washington University campus in Cheney for the ceremony officially recognizing new EWU President McMahan as the university’s 27th president. Afterward, I attended the reception in her honor. President McMahan has done a very good job in her important role at Eastern. You can read the Spokesman-Review’s story about the ceremony here.     

Small-business center opening event

The Washington Small Business Development Center in Spokane Valley.

On October 26, many local officials and citizens attended the ribbon-cutting and grand-opening celebration event for the Washington Small Business Development Center’s new headquarters/lead center office, located in Spokane Valley at The Quarry in the Spokane Conservation District.

New data shows how much 4th District has grown since 2020

This map shows population changes in the state’s legislative districts since 2020.

Each year, the Office of Financial Management’s population division provides an estimate of various geographic populations in Washington, including legislative districts. 

OFM’s latest figures on legislative districts’ populations reveal that in the three years since the latest federal census, some districts have seen much greater growth than others, ranging from an increase of only 1,100 people (in Pierce County’s 28th District) to nearly 15,000 people (in Seattle’s 43rd District). 

Residents of the 4th District will be interested to know that ours is among the fastest-growing legislative districts in our state. Its population has climbed from 157,051 to 163,373, an increase of 6,322 (or 4.03%). Of Washington’s 49 legislative districts, the 4th District ranks 13th in population growth in the past three years, and it has seen the second-highest population increase of any legislative district in eastern Washington, behind only the 8th District (the Tri-Cities area).   

Grand Coulee Dam tour

Grand Coulee Dam.

The Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydroelectric power station in the United States. It provides, on a yearly average, 21 million megawatt hours of hydropower to eight western states and Canada. The Grand Coulee, which is the largest of the 11 dams on the Columbia River in our state, provides irrigation and helps increase stream flow for the migration of fish. This hydroenergy powerhouse is a blessing on both the national and state level. 

On October 18, our office participated in a bus tour to see the world-famous dam. The tour was organized by the Inland Power and Light Company. Other legislators from our region took part in the tour, as did staffers from the offices of our state’s two U.S. senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and the offices of U.S. Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse.

California ban (identical to Washington ban) on modern sporting rifles might go to nation’s highest court

During this year’s session our Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a law banning modern sporting rifles that are popular firearms 

As the language in our state’s new ban is almost identical to California’s prohibition on such rifles, it’s worth noting California’s ban is in legal jeopardy, having been overturned last month by a federal judge. (The judge previously ruled against the ban in 2021.)

A story by The Associated Press covers why the judge issued a second ruling against the California ban: 

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego conceded that powerful weapons like AR-15 rifles are commonly used by criminals, but said the guns are importantly also owned by people who obey the law and feel they need firearms to protect themselves. 

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the interim we are conducting business from our district office in Spokane Valley. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (509) 921-2460

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

Honoring fallen soldiers during Memorial Day ceremony

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers May 31, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

I hope all of you enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. While the three-day weekend provides a great opportunity for us to gather with family and friends, it’s also a chance for us to honor our veterans who gave their lives to our nation so that we, as Americans, can enjoy our cherished freedoms and rights.

Thank you to our veterans, living and dead, who served our great nation, and thanks to those who currently serve in our military.

Members of the Rodgers High School Junior ROTC during the Memorial Day ceremony at Pines Cemetery.

On Monday, my wife Laura and I attended the Memorial Day ceremony, sponsored by Spokane Valley American Legion Post 241 and held at Pines Cemetery to honor our fallen veterans. As anyone who has been to one of these ceremonies knows, it is a somber occasion that makes you appreciate even more the tremendous sacrifice these soldiers made to serve and protect America. It also helps you understand the profound loss experienced by families who had a beloved relative join the service, never to return.  

Sen. Padden talks about the 2023 legislative session during Saturday’s 4th District town hall meeting.

On Saturday morning, I joined my 4th District seatmates, Reps. Leonard Christian and Suzanne Schmidt, in participating in a town hall meeting at CenterPlace in the Spokane Valley. Nearly 60 people attended the one-hour event, which included a recap of the recently ended 2023 legislative session, followed by a question-and-answer period. A special thank-you goes to those who took time during their three-day weekend to join us at the town hall.

If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.

Thank you, as always, for the honor of serving as your state senator!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Tomorrow is deadline for some to opt out of WA Cares program

WA Cares, our state’s new long-term care program, will be activated on July 1, despite strong efforts by legislative Republicans to repeal or modify this costly and flawed program.

The program will be funded by a very expensive payroll tax, in which those making $50,100 (the median income in Washington) will have $24 a month (or $288 a year) taken out of their paychecks unless they have already obtained an exemption approval letter by purchasing private, long-term care insurance.

The WA Care program provides a maximum lifetime benefit of only $36,500, payable at a maximum of $100 per day – even though the cost of care currently averages up to more than three times that. This program is not only extremely expensive for workers, it also falls short of providing benefits at the level many people will actually need.

I was one of several Republican legislators who offered bills to stop WA Cares from becoming reality. In 2022, I introduced Senate Bill 5234, which sought to repeal the WA Cares program and its payroll tax. However, Senate Democrats did not allow it to even receive a public hearing in committee.

The state Employment Security Department says certain individuals in Washington can still apply for an exemption from the payroll tax that funds WA Cares, but the deadline to apply is tomorrow (June 1).

People who are still eligible to opt out of WA Cares include:

  • Workers who are a spouse or domestic partner of an active-duty U.S. armed forces member.
  • Workers who work in Washington but live out of state.
  • Workers who have a temporary nonimmigrant visa like a H-2A or H-1B visa.

Those who want to apply for an exemption should follow the instructions available here.

Governor signs three Padden bills after session ends

I was on hand to watch Governor Inslee sign Senate Bill 5058, which will make it easier to build smaller condominium buildings. Also at the signing ceremony were Tricia Gullion (left) of the Building Industry Association of Washington and Spokane City Council member Betsy Wilkerson (right). 

During the weeks after the 2023 regular session ended on April 23, Governor Inslee signed three more bills that I introduced this session.

Senate Bill 5058 exempts buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories high from the definition of “multiunit residential building.” Washington has one of the lower homeownership rates in the nation, and this bill would help our state address this problem. SB 5058 is one of several measures approved by the Legislature this year that aim to boost the supply of housing in Washington. This bill should result in condos that are less expensive, which should encourage more people to become homeowners.   

Senate Bill 5096 aids businesses looking to follow a business model that allows workers to be owners. Schweitzer Engineering, which has operations in the Spokane Valley, supported this bill, as did Ownership America.

Senate Bill 5218 makes mobility-improving equipment tax-exempt. This will help make motorized wheelchairs and similar equipment much less expensive to buy, helping people with disabilities to save money while also helping them maintain their independence. (This recent Seattle Times story on the Seattle Mariners recognizing ALS patients mentions how a motorized wheelchair can cost $60,000 nowadays.)

The laws created by all three bills take effect on July 23, as does Senate Bill 5033, another measure signed by the governor that I introduced this year. SB 5033 imposes longer sentences on sexually abusive jail and prison guards. I introduced the bill after KING-TV in Seattle reported about a prison guard in Clallam County who sexually abused several female inmates.

Legislative session recap given at Spokane Valley City Council meeting

Last night I attended the Spokane Valley City Council meeting, during which Brianna Murray provided a review of this year’s legislative session in Olympia. Brianna did a nice job discussing the highlights and lowlights of the session. Please click here to watch the city council meeting, including Brianna’s presentation.

Fuel prices rise sharply in recent days

If you noticed that fuel prices have risen significantly in recent days, you are now alone. This story published by The Center Square earlier this week pointed out the sharp increase in fuel prices over the three-day weekend.

The story’s lead paragraphs say it all:  

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded was sitting at $4.68 statewide on Monday, up from $4.60 the week prior according to AAA data.

This holiday weekend price hike marks the 17th week this year of rising fuel prices for Washingtonians, following the implementation of the new carbon tax earlier this year.

As the story implies, one of the main culprits for the fuel price spike is the cap-and-trade program that went into effect in January. Since cap-and-trade became reality, fuel prices in Washington have become even higher than in Idaho. According to the state-by-state fuel price comparison compiled by AAA, regular unleaded gas in Washington costs an average of $4.697, compared to $3.857 in Idaho. This price difference of roughly 85 cents a gallon is bound to hurt Washington gas stations located near the Idaho border, as gas consumers will be tempted to drive a few miles east to save on fuel.

Updated 4th District government guide still available

My office recently produced and mailed an updated version of a 4th District government guide to many households in our district. If you did not receive a government guide and would like one, simply contact my district office at 509-921-2460. You also may pick up a free copy of the government guide at any of these locations:

Millwood City Hall…………………….9103 E Frederick Ave., Spokane

Argonne Library………………………..4322 N Argonne Road, Spokane

Spokane Valley City Hall……………10210 E Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley

Spokane Valley Library………………12004 E Main Ave., Spokane Valley

Liberty Lake City Hall………………….22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake Library……………………23123 E Mission Ave., Liberty Lake

Otis Orchards Library…………………22324 E Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards

Spokane Valley Senior Center…….2426 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the interim we are conducting business from our district office in Spokane Valley. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (509) 921-2460

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

State capital budget passed by Legislature funds many 4th District projects, says Padden

Sen. Mike Padden appreciates that the two-year state capital budget passed by the Legislature includes several projects in the 4th Legislative District and allows district residents to see their tax dollars help their local communities.

“I’m pleased that the final version of the capital budget includes nearly everything I requested,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “The budget helps fund several local athletic and recreational projects in our district, as well as performing-arts projects and other local projects. It’s a good capital budget for the 4th District and for the state, and it’s good to see taxpayers’ money spent on local projects.”

The 2023-25 capital budget also funds these 4th District projects:

  • $1.176 million for Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center construction, with another $1.849 million provided for the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, which will be part of the performing arts center.
  • $1.03 million for the HUB sports fields in Liberty Lake.
  • $750,000 for Spokane Scale House Market in Spokane Valley.
  • $543,000 for Avista Stadium improvements in Spokane Valley.
  • $500,000 in Washington Wildlife Recreation Program funding for phase 2 work at Greenacres Park in Spokane Valley.
  • $350,000 for a synthetic turf field in Liberty Lake.
  • $207,000 for Veterans Memorial Balfour Park in Spokane Valley, with this funding having been repurposed from the 2022 state capital budget.
  • $130,000 for natural areas facilities preservation and access.
  • $100,000 for Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park in Mead.
  • $100,000 for the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum.
  • $100,000 from the Building Communities Fund Grant Program for expansion of the public food business incubator.
  • $40,000 to fund appraisals of two pieces of property, one in Liberty Lake that is being considered as the possible new location for the Army National Guard unit, and the other at Geiger Field, where the unit currently is located.

The state capital budget funds the construction and maintenance of state buildings, public-school matching grants, higher-education facilities, public lands, parks, and other assets.

After the House of Representatives passed the final version of the capital budget 96-0 yesterday, the Senate approved it 48-0 today. It now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for his consideration.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who took part in telephone town hall!

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers March 23, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

I held a telephone town hall that this past Monday night, when it was certain I would not be interrupting those who are once again following our local Gonzaga University Bulldogs in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (myself included!). Thanks to the 80 or so people who took an hour out of their evening to take part in the town hall, and a special thanks to those who asked me live questions.

The telephone town hall was similar to a call-in radio program, and it’s a convenient way to reach constituents during the week while I’m still having to be over at the Capitol. I provided an update on the 2023 legislative session, including the status of my bills that are still alive, before taking live questions from participants. During the event, listeners were asked by the call’s moderator to use their phones to respond to three questions relating to the 2023 legislative session.

The first question was “Would you support legislation that allows law enforcement to pursue criminals again under the reasonable suspicion standard?” All 100% who responded voted “yes.”

The second question was “Should the Legislature enact legislation to ban the use of natural gas in Washington state?” This time, 100% of respondents voted “no.”

The third and final question was “Should the Legislature use the state’s budget surplus for property tax relief?” The response here was not unanimous but it was decisive, with 81.8% saying “yes” while 9.1% said “no” another 9.1% saying they were unsure.

Again, thanks to everyone who listened to the telephone town hall and to those who took part in the survey. Your participation is appreciated!

This newsletter covers several other issues and events happening in Olympia in this past week.

If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.

Thank you, as always, for the honor of serving as your state senator!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Legislature passes bill raising penalty for custodial sexual misconduct

I’m very pleased to see a bipartisan bill I sponsored this year that aims to impose longer sentences on sexually abusive jail and prison guards is headed to the governor after being unanimously passed yesterday by the House of Representatives. 

Senate Bill 5033 would reclassify the crime of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct (in which the corrections officer has sexual intercourse with the victim) from a Class C felony to a Class B felony, allowing a prison term of 10 years instead of the current five-year maximum. The bill also would reclassify second-degree custodial sexual misconduct (in which the corrections officer has sexual contact with the victim) from a gross misdemeanor to a Class C felony, which would bring a maximum sentence of five years.

Officers who work in jails and state correctional facilities are part of the law-enforcement community just as much as the officers who patrol our communities and investigate crimes. Like all the other people we entrust to administer justice, corrections officers must be held to a high standard, especially considering the unique level of authority they have over people in custody.”

This bill was inspired by a KING-TV investigation about a Clallam County jail guard, John Gray, who served just over a year in prison after sexually assaulting four women.

You can view KING-TV’s story yesterday about the Legislature passing SB 5033 by clicking here.

When the bill was being considered by the Senate Law and Justice Committee early this session, it was named “Kimberly Bender’s law,” in honor of the 23-year-old Quileute woman who died by suicide in her Forks jail cell in 2019 after reporting to city officials that Gray sexually harassed her. Kimberly’s mother, Dawn Reid, asked me to name the bill after her daughter.

Gray was convicted in 2021 of two felony and two misdemeanor counts of custodial sexual misconduct and served 13 months of his 20-month sentence.

SB 5033 was passed by the Senate 48-0 on Feb. 27.

Senate’s capital budget includes several 4th District projects

The Legislative Building stands above blooming cherry trees early last spring.

The state capital budget funds the construction and maintenance of state buildings, public-school matching grants, higher-education facilities, public lands, parks, and other assets. The Senate version of the state capital budget for 2023-25 was released early this week. Just about everything I requested is included in this proposal, so I’m pleased with it.

The budget proposal helps fund several local athletic and recreational projects in our district, as well as performing arts projects and other local projects. It’s a good capital budget for the 4th District and for the state, and it’s good to see taxpayers’ money being invested in local projects.

Specifically, the Senate’s proposed capital budget would fund these 4th District projects:

  • $1.176 million for Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center construction, with another $1.849 million provided for the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, which will be part of the performing arts center.
  • $1.03 million for the HUB sports fields in Liberty Lake.
  • $750,000 for Spokane Scale House Market in Spokane Valley.
  • $500,000 in Washington Wildlife Recreation Program funding for phase 2 work at Greenacres Park in Spokane Valley.
  • $350,000 for a synthetic turf field in Liberty Lake.
  • $207,000 for Veterans Memorial Balfour Park in Spokane Valley, with this funding having been repurposed from the 2022 state capital budget.
  • $130,000 for natural areas facilities preservation and access.
  • $100,000 for Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park in Mead.
  • $100,000 for Spokane Valley Heritage Museum in the old Opportunity Township Building.
  • $100,000 from the Building Communities Fund Grant Program for expansion of the public food business incubator.
  • $40,000 to fund appraisals of two pieces of property, one in Liberty Lake that is being considered as the possible new location for the Army National Guard unit, and the other at Geiger Field, where the unit currently is located.

In addition, Senate capital-budget writers provided funding for several baseball-stadium projects across Washington, including $543,000 in local and community project funding for renovations to Spokane County Avista Stadium in Spokane Valley.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved the capital budget yesterday after holding a public hearing on it Monday. The full Senate is expected to vote on it tomorrow.

The House of Representatives is expected to release its proposed capital budget next week.

Update on Padden bills as new deadline for action approaches

The next key deadline for this year’s legislative session is next Wednesday, March 29. It’s the last day for House policy committees to approve Senate bills, and for Senate policy committees to pass House bills, except for proposals considered necessary to implement the budget.

With next week’s deadline approaching, I’m glad that some of my other bills besides SB 5033 are also alive and advancing through the Legislature:

  • SB 5032 would expand the period for reviewing prior convictions of impaired driving to 15 years, from the 10 years now in state law, when determining whether a new offense of impaired driving is charged as a felony. The proposal would increase the penalty from a gross misdemeanor to a felony offense for any person who has three or more prior DUI offenses within that “lookback” period. The bill received a public hearing Tuesday in the House Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee. You can watch my testimony on the bill here.
  • SB 5058 would help encourage home ownership in our state by making it easier for smaller condominium buildings to be constructed. It specifically would exempt buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories from the definition of multiunit residential building. The proposal received a public hearing yesterday in the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. My testimony can be viewed here. Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley and Spokane City Councilor Betsy Wilkerson also testified in favor of SB 5058. You can watch their testimony here. The committee is scheduled to vote on SB 5058 tomorrow.
  • SB 5096, which would aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure, was passed last Friday by the House Innovation, Community and Economic Development, and Veterans Committee. It is now in the House Appropriations Committee, which has an April 4 deadline to approve Senate bills sent there.
  • SB 5218, which would provide tax relief to people who require specialized, medically prescribed equipment such as custom wheelchairs, was passed last week by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It is now in the Senate Rules Committee, which acts as a final hurdle before bills reach the Senate floor. SB 5218 is considered necessary to implement the budget, so it did not to be approved by the Senate earlier this session.

Home Builders visit the Capitol

On Tuesday I enjoyed meeting with officials with the Spokane Home Builders Association, including Jacob Clark (second from right), who was my legislative assistant until he left late last year to work for the Home Builders Association. Others in the photo (from left to right) include Tyrell Monette, Sharla Jones, Katie Getman (who was holding her daughter, Anastasia) and Andrew Northrop. 

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the session we are conducting business from our Senate office in Olympia. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (360) 786-7606

Olympia Office: 215 Legislative Modular Building, Olympia, WA 98504-0404

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

Sen. Padden to hold 4th District telephone town hall Monday, March 20

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers March 17, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

I invite you and other 4th Legislative District residents to take part in a district telephone town hall on Monday, March 20, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Invitations to participate will go out just ahead of time via automated phone calls throughout the 4th District, which includes Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and other communities in northeast Spokane County. Constituents who don’t receive a phone call during this event may call (509) 224-9140 to join in.

The telephone town hall will be similar to a call-in radio program. During this event, I will provide an update on the 2023 legislative session before taking questions from participants.

A telephone town hall is a great and easy way to connect with 4th District constituents from the comfort of their home. It provides me a convenient way to communicate what lawmakers are doing in Olympia and to learn what issues are important to you and others back home.

Most of the legislative session has been completed, but there are several major issues for the Legislature to address during the homestretch, so I look forward to sharing information with you and others and answering questions during the telephone town hall.

I hope you can join me Monday night. 

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the session we are conducting business from our Senate office in Olympia. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (360) 786-7606

Olympia Office: 215 Legislative Modular Building, Olympia, WA 98504-0404

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

Padden to hold 4th District telephone town hall Monday, March 20

State Sen. Mike Padden is inviting 4th Legislative District residents to take part in a telephone town hall on Monday, March 20, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Invitations to participate will go out just ahead of time via automated phone calls throughout the district, which includes Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and other communities in northeast Spokane County. Constituents who don’t receive a phone call during the event may call (509) 224-9140 to join in.

The telephone town hall will be similar to a call-in radio program, with Padden providing an update on the 2023 legislative session before taking questions from participants.

“A telephone town hall is a great and easy way to connect with 4th District constituents from the comfort of their home. It provides me a convenient way to communicate what lawmakers are doing in Olympia and to learn what issues are important to people back home,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley.

“Most of the legislative session has been completed, but there are several major issues for the Legislature to address during the homestretch, so I look forward to sharing information with people and answering their questions during the telephone town hall.”

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end April 23.

Alarm bells still ringing at Department of Corrections

More than five years ago I stood at a podium before a room full of reporters to announce the findings of a detailed Senate investigation into systematic failures at the Department of Corrections, and what could be done to fix them.

A lot can change in 5 years, but apparently not as much as we had hoped for at DOC. As if this year’s Democrat-approved new restrictions on law enforcement weren’t enough, a similarly partisan effort to empty prison cells and return convicted felons to the street is creating new public-safety risks across the state.

That’s the conclusion of a Senate report I, along with two of my Senate Republican colleagues, released last week about new challenges for the state Department of Corrections. The report, “Prison Alarm Bells: Five Years of Failure at the Department of Corrections – and What Washington Can Do About It,” calls attention to the lessons that clearly were not learned following the worst state-government management debacle in recent memory: the accidental release of some 3,000 convicts before their sentences expired.

Five years after that debacle, is the premature release of felons has become a matter of official state policy.

Click here to read the full Report from Olympia.