Tag Archives: long-term care

ALERT – Property taxes could rise under bad bill moving in Senate

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers February 8, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Senate Democrats are considering a bill this session that could dramatically raise your property taxes if enacted.

Unfortunately, this very bad and very expensive proposal is still alive. The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday voted to pass Senate Bill 5770, which would triple the allowable growth rate of annual property taxes collected by local governments in Washington. Governments currently may collect an additional 1% annually in property tax, plus any revenues attributable to the value of new construction, without having to seek voter approval. This proposal would change that increase from 1% to 3%. The state Department of Revenue has estimated that the proposed substitute version of SB 5770 would increase taxes by a whopping $7 billion over the next 10 years, with the compounding effect of the increase continuing to escalate over time.

There is talk in the Capitol that Senate Bill 5770 might be brought to the Senate floor as early as later today. If so, I will strongly oppose this very bad and unnecessary bill. Homeowners and landowners are paying enough in property taxes without being put in a position by the Legislature to pay even more.

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

Bill requiring insurance to own guns dies in committee

Every year in Olympia, Democrats sponsor several bills that infringe on law-abiding gun owners in one way or another.

It’s good to report that one of the more outrageous anti-2nd Amendment bills has been stopped this year.

Senate Bill 5963, introduced by 48th District Senator Patty Kuderer of Bellevue, would require gun owners, including renters, to have a home insurance policy simply for owning a firearm.

The NRA provided ample reason why SB 5963 is bad legislation:

Mandating insurance policies will in no way reduce crime and the illicit use of firearms, as criminals and other prohibited persons could never secure coverage. Instead, this legislation would serve as a barrier to those seeking to exercise their rights, including unknown annual costs. SB 5963 could be utilized as a backdoor registration scheme, which would include sensitive personal information on firearm owners, including name, address, phone number and other identifiers. Additionally, given the uncertainty if this type of coverage would even exist, it could put insurance companies in a position of increased pricing on policies based on the types and number of firearms covered. This legislation is not rooted in public safety, but instead provides an additional avenue for the Washington State Legislature to harass and burden law-abiding citizens.

As Republican leader in the Senate Law and Justice Committee, Senator Padden helped lead the successful effort to keep Senate Bill 5963 from being approved by the panel.

For many gun owners, SB 5963 represents yet another Democrat-sponsored bill to make it harder and more expensive to own a gun. Of the nearly 2,100 people who signed up to express their opinion on this measure when it received a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee on January 29, over 1,300 (62%) opposed it.

Among the many people who testified against SB 5963 was Jeremy Ball, who owns a shooting range in Spokane. You can view and hear Jeremy’s testimony here.

Those testifying against the bill made several worthy arguments:

  • This bill will make housing in Washington even less affordable.
  • The bill would require an ongoing fee, in the form of insurance, to exercise a constitutional right.
  • SB 5963 would not reduce gun crimes because it only addresses accidental discharge.
  • If this passes, gun owners will be forced to choose between housing and keeping their firearm.
  • Reporting of firearm ownership to insurance companies is akin to a firearm registry.
  • The insurance products described in this bill do not exist.
  • Citizens will be priced out of gun ownership because of the increased cost of purchasing insurance.
  • This bill discriminates against gun owners.
  • Impoverished people would suffer the most under this bill due to the increased costs associated with protecting themselves.
  • This bill is unnecessary. Firearms account for less than one percent of preventable accidents.

Fortunately, thanks in large part to the vast opposition to SB 5963 during its public hearing, as well as the many calls and emails from gun supporters to key legislators on the Law and Justice Committee, the bill was not brought up for a vote, so it is dead – at least until next year.

However, it would not be surprising if Democrats choose to introduce the same bill in 2025.

Six initiatives to the Legislature still ‘held hostage’ by not receiving public hearings

This poster, featuring Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and seen on the Capitol campus in Olympia, underscores how the state’s capital-gains tax could force residents to leave Washington. 

It’s very disappointing that Democrat leaders in the Senate and House still have not scheduled public hearings on the six initiatives that were sent to the Legislature earlier this session. These measures each received more than 400,000 signatures and collectively over 2.6 million signatures. Here’s what each would do:

  • Initiative 2113 deals with police pursuits. It would erase certain requirements that since 2021 have prevented law-enforcement officers from pursuing a suspect unless they think someone has committed certain crimes, including a violent offense or driving while impaired. It has been sent to the Senate Law and Justice Committee for consideration.
  • I-2117 would repeal the state’s costly climate policy, called “cap-and-trade” by some but “cap-and-tax” or “cap-and-gouge,” by opponents who note this law has caused gas prices to rise substantially. The climate policy became state law in 2021 and took full effect early last year. It is now in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
  • I-2081 would give parents the right to review K-12 instructional materials and require parental notification of school-provided medical services. It has been referred to the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.
  • I-2109 would repeal the state capital-gains tax that was passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021. It is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
  • I-2111 would ban any local or state government in our state from imposing an income tax. Like I-2109, this measure is in the Ways and Means Committee.
  • I-2124 would allow people to opt out of the mandatory payroll tax for the state-run long-term care program. It is before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

Legislators have three options with initiatives to the Legislature: 1) adopt the initiative as written, in which case it becomes law; 2) refuse to pass it, which would result in the measure automatically being placed on the statewide ballot next fall; 3) propose and approve an alternative initiative, in which case both the original initiative and the alternative would both appear together on the fall statewide ballot.

Another poster found around the Capitol points out how I-2113 would help improve public safety by restoring police pursuits in Washington.    

There are rumors that the Democrats might schedule public hearings on three of the initiatives – parental rights (I-2081), banning any income tax (I-2111) and restoring the ability of police to pursue (I-2113). However, if the hearings occur, it would not happen until after the February 13 “floor cutoff” for the Senate to pass bills that originated in our chamber. 

Senate passes second Padden bill removing red tape from construction of smaller condominiums

A year ago, the Legislature unanimously approved a bill that I prime-sponsored that helps encourage home ownership in Washington by making it easier to construct smaller condominium buildings.

A similar condo-construction measure that I introduced is advancing this year following its unanimous passage Tuesday. The proposal now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

Senate Bill 5792 would 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 efforts to have more housing options for Washington’s middle class. Condominiums provide an affordable path to homeownership for first-time homebuyers.   

When SB 5792 received a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee last month, several people testified in favor of it, including Spokane Valley City Council member Rod Higgins, Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson, Greenstone Corporation’s Jim Frank and officials from the Washington Realtors Association and the Building Industry Association of Washington.

The law created by last year’s condo bill, 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 both policies can help our state address this problem. These smaller condominiums would still have the same building requirements that a townhouse or single-family house would have.

The combination of that law and this year’s new bill, if it is enacted, should result in more homeownership in the state. 

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.

Democrats refusing to act on six voter initiatives sent to Legislature

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers February 1, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

It is looking more and more likely that the six initiatives now before the Legislature will wind up going before Washington voters this November.

In late December, petitions containing more than the required number of valid voter signatures for the six measures were delivered to the Office of Secretary of State’s Elections Division, which then conducted a standard signature-check process.

Sponsors said each of the six initiatives had at least 424,896 signatures, well over the minimum of 324,516 signatures needed to be certified, and more than the recommended total of 405,000. According to the initiatives’ sponsors, the combined total number of signatures for the six measures was 2,684,663. 

As Secretary of State Steve Hobbs certified each of the six initiatives, it was delivered to the Legislature for consideration.

This graphic shows that Washington voters have rejected 11 income-tax proposals. It is appearing more likely that they will have their say again this fall on a measure that would ban any local or state government in Washington from imposing an income tax.

By the end of this past week, all six initiatives had been certified and sent to the Legislature:

  • Initiative 2113 deals with police pursuits. It would erase certain requirements that since 2021 have prevented law-enforcement officers from pursuing a suspect unless they think someone has committed certain crimes, including a violent offense or driving while impaired. It has been sent to the Senate Law and Justice Committee for consideration.
  • I-2117 would repeal the state’s costly climate policy, called “cap-and-trade” by some but “cap-and-tax” or “cap-and-gouge,” by opponents who note this law has caused gas prices to rise substantially. The climate policy became state law in 2021 and took full effect early last year. It is now in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
  • I-2081 would give parents the right to review K-12 instructional materials and require parental notification of school-provided medical services. It has been referred to the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.
  • I-2109 would repeal the state capital-gains tax that was passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021. It is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
  • I-2111 would ban any local or state government in our state from imposing an income tax. Like I-2109, this measure is in the Ways and Means Committee.
  • I-2124 would allow people to opt out of the mandatory payroll tax for the state-run long-term care program. It is before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

Legislators have three options with initiatives to the Legislature: 1) adopt the initiative as written, in which case it becomes law; 2) refuse to pass it, which would result in the measure automatically being placed on the statewide ballot next fall; 3) propose and approve an alternative initiative, in which case both the original initiative and the alternative would both appear together on the fall statewide ballot.

Regretably, Senate Democrats so far have refused to even schedule public hearings on any of the six initiatives. Any initiative not enacted this session will be placed on the statewide ballot this fall for you and other voters to decide.      

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

Panel passes pollinator proposal

A bill I introduced at the request of a Mount Spokane High School student to help bees and other pollinators is buzzing through the Senate this year.

The Senate Local Government, Land Use and Tribal Affairs Committee on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 5934, a bipartisan measure that aims to promote the use of pollinator-friendly shrubs or bushes in landscaping.

Mount Spokane High School senior Julia Costello approached me this past fall about sponsoring the bill.

Julia is a Girl Scout working to complete the requirements to earn the Gold Award, which is equivalent to earning the Eagle Scout award as a Boy Scout. One of Julia’s Gold Award requirements is working with a legislator on sponsoring a bill. Julia made a compelling case why improving pollinators’ habitat is beneficial. It was nice for Julia to see this bill pass out of committee. It has been an honor and pleasure to work with her.

Before passing SB 5934, the Senate panel approved an amendment that establishes that a local government may encourage, but does not have to require, applicants for project or commercial-building permits to include pollinator-friendly plants in any landscaped area. 

Spokane Conservation District Director Vicki Carter sent a letter in support of SB 5934.    

The proposal will be sent to the Senate Rules Committee, which serves as the final hurdle before bills reach the Senate floor for a vote by the entire Senate.

Gonzaga Prep student serves as page

Last week I had the pleasure of sponsoring Anthony DeGon (in photo above), a sophomore at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, during his week as a Senate page at the Capitol.

Anthony told me he is very interested in representative government, so I think he really enjoyed his time here in Olympia and seeing how the Legislature works.

He enjoys playing football, soccer, skating and reading in his free time. He also is an active member of the Prep debate team. He wants to attend college to further his future by studying political psychology. Anthony is the son of Alice DeGon. 

The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Students are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock committee.

Committee OKs Padden health-care bill

Last Thursday, the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee passed Senate Bill 5920, my proposal that would allow our state Department of Health to have more psychiatric beds in our state. 

This proposal would reinstate authority for the Department of Health 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.

SB 5920 addresses a need for vulnerable people and illustrates how certificates of need hurt Washingtonians. The need for more beds is clear, and the certificate-of-need law is an unnecessary barrier. States with these laws have higher costs and fewer medical services.

Two weeks ago, Elizabeth Hovde, who testified in favor of SB 5920 during its public hearing before the Health and Long Term Care Committee, wrote about the bill for the Washington Policy Center. You may read her article here.

TVW interview on “ditch the switch” bill

Senator Manka Dhingra (left) and I were interviewed last week by The Impact host Mike McClanahan about SB 5795, our legislation to “ditch the switch” by keeping Washington on year-round standard time.    

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of doing a sit-down interview at the TVW headquarters in Olympia for the weekly show “The Impact”. Host Mike McClanahan had invited Redmond Senator Manka Dhingra and me to discuss Senate Bill 5795, the proposal that we are sponsoring this year to “ditch the switch”  by keeping Washington on year-round standard time instead of going back and forth between standard time and daylight saving time each year. You may watch our interview here.

“The Impact” airs on TVW on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Unfortunately, the chair of the Senate State Government and Elections Committee, Senator Sam Hunt of Olympia, after originally scheduling SB 5795 for a vote, chose not to bring up SB 5795 for a vote before the committee cutoff yesterday. Unless something significant happens between now and the end of session, it appears that the “ditch the switch” bill will need to wait till next year, which means that Washingtonians will be forced to continue switching between standard time and daylight saving time each year. 

State senators send letter to Congress in support of Snake River dams

Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River. 

One federal issue that has the attention of many Washington state legislators is the fate of the four lower Snake River dams between Clarkston and the Tri-Cities. Last December’s announcement by the Biden administration that it and four Northwest tribes were “partnering to restore wild salmon habitats in the Columbia River Basin” while exploring the possibility of breaching the four dams in the future has been a major concern for state lawmakers, especially those from eastern Washington.

That is why I spearheaded a letter last week in support of the four Snake River dams, signed by 20 state Senate Republicans members. The letter was sent to 5th District U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the committee’s ranking member and chair and ranking member of the House Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee.   

Earlier this week, I met with two officials with Modern Electric Water Company – an electric and water utility in Spokane Valley – who visited Olympia, General Manager Joe Morgan and Government Relations and Communications Coordinator Chelsea Martin. Chelsea last week sent a letter of support for the dams on behalf of Modern Electric Water Company to Representative McMorris Rodgers and the other three U.S. House members.    

Senator Padden this week talked about energy issues and the four lower Snake River dams with two officials from Spokane Valley’s Modern Electric Water Company, General Manager Joe Morgan (left) and Government Relations and Communications Coordinator Chelsea Martin (middle).  

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.

Washington now leads U.S. in drug overdose deaths

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers July 25, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

Washington now has the dubious honor of having the highest gas prices of all states in America.

Unfortunately, our state has become a national leader in another undesirable category. According to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Washington state has become the national leader in drug-overdose deaths.

What led to this? Our Democrat-controlled Legislature and its successful effort in 2021 to erase felony drug laws from the books.

Statistics show drug deaths skyrocketed in Washington state after Democratic leaders insisted on not reinstating felony penalties for the possession of hard drugs after the BLAKE decision. For the period February 2022 to February 2023 Washington saw the biggest increase in overdose fatalities anywhere in the country, a stunning 23.9 percent increase.  Overdoses of heroin, fentanyl and other hard drugs claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people across our state. This is tragic and unacceptable.

I joined three other members of the Senate Freedom Caucus in putting out a news release earlier this week that decries this terrible moment for our state. Here is part of that news release:

The new statistics from the CDC illustrate the effect of Washington’s decriminalization effort because they show the rise in drug deaths between 2022 and 2023, as the liberalized drug law took effect.

Washington lawmakers revised drug laws in 2021 after the state Supreme Court overturned felony statutes for possession of hard drugs. Majority Democrats in the Legislature chose not to fix the language in the statute, arguing that the “war on drugs” was counterproductive and racially insensitive. Instead, the Legislature reduced the crime to a misdemeanor, with penalties accruing only on the third offense. As a result, there was Defacto decriminalization.

By eliminating the threat of jail time, the law eliminated incentives for addicts to enroll in drug-treatment programs. The law also eliminated a tool used by law enforcement in sweeps of homeless camps.   

Lawmakers changed the law again this year, keeping hard-drug possession as a hybrid misdemeanor, but allowing jail time on the first offense. The new law took effect on July 1, and the effect has yet to be seen.

On Monday, I was interviewed by KVI talk-show host John Carlson on the drug-overdose increase. You can listen to the interview here.

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

New report reveals that crime is increasing in Washington

This chart shows the number of murders in our state between 1980 and 2022.

Many people throughout Washington realize that crime continues to worsen in our state. The latest “Crime in Washington” report, released earlier this month by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, confirmed that crime is a growing problem. You can view the full report here. WASPC’s news release on its report is here.

The report showed that 2022 was another record year for murders in our state, with 394 homicides in 2022, an increase of 16.6% compared to 2021 and a shocking rise of 96% over 2019, when there were 201 murders in Washington.

There have been other startling increases in other crime categories since 2019: Motor vehicle theft skyrocketed 94%, robbery rose 31%, aggravated assault increased 41%, burglary went up nearly 26%, and destruction of property saw a hike of nearly 41%.

(This recent KHQ-TV story said July is National Vehicle Theft Awareness Month, and the Spokane Police Department pointed out “the Inland Northwest and the State of Washington as a whole is seeing an increase in vehicle thefts.”)

The report pointed out that Washington was last in the nation in per capita law enforcement and continued to see a decline in commissioned law-enforcement officers, falling by 70 statewide (from 10,736 in 2021 to 10,666), while the state’s population during this period has increased by 93,262.

Unless communities in our state hire more law-enforcement officers, crime likely will continue to rise in our state.

Spokesman-Review publishes op-ed on WA Cares program’s problems

Over the past several months, many 4th District constituents have reached out to me to complain about the WA Cares long-term care program, including the expensive payroll tax that funds it. After being delayed, the payroll tax became active on July 1.

On July 16, the Spokesman-Review published my guest editorial piece that points out problems with WA Cares, as well as the recent proposal by some of my Senate Republican colleagues for next session that would make WA Cares optional instead of mandatory, and, depending on when someone opted out of the program, would provide a refund on taxes already paid. You can read the guest editorial here.

It’s time to repeal law banning private prisons

On June 22, Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a notice in a pending federal court case stipulating that Washington cannot enforce the 2021 Democrat-sponsored ban on private prisons and detention centers (RCW 70.395.030).

This action recognizes the unconstitutionality of the statue. The unenforceable statute needs to be repealed. Senate Bill 5055 does that.

My news release that responds to the notice filed by the governor and attorney general can be read here.

In late June, I appeared on the Lars Larson Show to discuss this issue. You can listen to the interview with Lars here.

Kudos to East Valley High School on revamping wood and metal shops 

As a proponent of vocational classes in high schools and vocational and trade programs after high school, I was interested in a recent Spokesman-Review article that said East Valley High School “is in the middle of revamping their wood and metal shops to include updated machines and new opportunities for learning.” The story said the high school applied for a grant from the Washington Department of Commerce and received $200,000.

It’s important that people, especially those who are in high school or are college-age, have opportunities to receive enough training in vocational fields so they can earn a job in such a field and possibly make a career of it. Congratulations to East Valley High School for taking positive steps to help students who wish to take wood and metal classes.

WA does not fare well in SEL’s latest state rankings on business 

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories recently unveiled its latest “Index of Freedom,” which ranks states on a variety of business-related criteria. You can view the rankings here.

The top five scoring states were Utah (with a score of 11.53), South Dakota (11.58), North Dakota (11.97), Idaho (12.35) and Nevada (12.55). Where did Washington rank? Our state was 32nd, with a 26.78 score.

Here is what the report said about our state: “Washington suffers from a challenging regulatory climate and poor labor rates, driven by some of the most progressive prevailing wage and minimum wage laws in the nation. While Washington has been buoyed by the lack of a personal income tax, a newly implemented 7 percent capital gains tax sets a dangerous and highly irregular precedent, as the Washington State Supreme Court characterized this tax as an excise tax and not an income tax, as does the IRS and every other state in the country. This ruling opened the door for more bad tax policy in the state. On the positive side, Washington benefits from the most abundant hydroelectric power in the country, and this keeps electric power relatively cheap; any attempts to stop or lessen the use of hydro power would negatively impact the state and its standings. However, even with this important resource lifting the score, Washington remains in the bottom tier.”  

This annual report focuses on three critical variables: government efficiency, regulatory freedom, and energy resiliency. Information from this report highlights potential advantages or challenges that exist when doing business in each state.

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.