Tag Archives: Mike Padden

Sens. Baumgartner and Padden applaud ‘Hire-a-Vet’ program and local award recipient

Spokane-area business Haskins Steel to become first award recipient in four years

State Sens. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, and Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, today recognized the efforts of Spokane-area employer Haskins Steel for its stellar record of hiring military veterans and guardsmen.

Later this morning the state will award Haskins Steel general manager Craig Dias with the “Hire-A-Vet” Award – the first time the honor has been given since the economic recession started in 2008.

Padden, who will attend today’s ceremony along with representatives of the state Employment Security Department and state Department of Veterans Affairs, is a staunch advocate of the nation’s military men and women and the organizations that support them when they return home. He applauded ESD’s work in highlighting the job needs of returning veterans, and called on more employers to follow Haskins Steel’s lead. Continue reading →

Padden opens Spokane Valley legislative district office

Now that the 2012 legislative session has come to a close Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, is opening his 4th District legislative office in Spokane Valley. The office, which will open on Monday, April 30, will be staffed by Padden’s senior legislative assistant, Mike McCliment.

“It’s not easy to travel to Olympia, so I appreciated it very much when people from our district visited my Capitol office during the legislative session,” Padden said. “Having our office in the district for the next several months will be far more convenient for the people I represent.” Continue reading →

Senator Mike Padden with an update on the final budget and the end of the 2012 session

4th District Washington State Senator Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, talks about the passage of the final budget and the end of the 2012 legislative session, first special session and second special session.

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Governor signs bipartisan bill to help charities provide free glasses, hearing aids

Today Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a measure to shield, against civil lawsuits, charitable organizations working to provide much-needed eyewear and hearing aids to poor, homeless and uninsured people. House Bill 2261 was prime-sponsored in the House by , D-Longview. The bill’s language, as amended in the Senate, is similar to that of Senate Bill 6216, which was sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, and passed unanimously in the Senate.

Padden and Takko worked together with civic organizations to shepherd the bipartisan measure through the legislative process, and both applauded the governor’s signing of the bill.Rep. Dean Takko Continue reading →

Padden calls for support of Washington National Guard, Reserve

Sen. Mike Padden, a staunch advocate of the nation’s military men and women and the organizations that support them, is helping to call attention to a rarely publicized federal agency: the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which promotes the service and integration of National Guard members and Reservists in the civilian workforce.

“During the 2012 regular legislative session we took some time to honor our state’s National Guard with Senate Resolution 8674,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “But supporting our troops means more than just signing my name to the resolution. I believe it means getting active and doing everything we can to make it easier for these brave men and women and their families to transition back into civilian life after they’ve completed their terms of service.”

Padden says his goal is to raise awareness of the unique sacrifices made by Washington National Guard members and Reservists, and one way to do that is by supporting the ESGR. Those in the National Guard and Reserve who get called to active duty leave behind both their families and civilian employers, and ESGR advocates supportive employment initiatives for the Guard and Reserve community.

“Our country’s reserve components comprise about 48 percent of our total available military manpower,” Padden added. “Because our reserve forces spend time away from the workplace defending the nation and training to maintain their mission readiness, it’s imperative that we get behind initiatives like these to show our support.”

ESGR was made part of the U.S. Department of Defense 40 years ago to protect the workplace rights of service members in the Guard and Reserve and provide resources to them. For the past 17 years, ESGR has annually recognized up to 15 American employers who have gone over and beyond what is required in their employment and support of National Guard members and Reservists, by honoring them with the Freedom Award, the U.S. government’s highest award given by the Secretary of Defense to an American employer. This year, 3,236 employers have been nominated nationwide for this award including 66 nominations made by Guard and Reserve members in Washington.

Legislature approves Padden-backed bill to let Lions Clubs and other charities provide free glasses, hearing aids

Sen. Mike Padden today applauded the Legislature for approving a measure to shield, against civil lawsuits, charitable organizations working to provide much-needed eyewear and hearing aids to poor, homeless and uninsured people. The House voted 98-0 yesterday to approve his rewrite of House Bill 2261. The bill’s language is now similar to that of Senate Bill 6216, which was sponsored by Padden and passed unanimously in the Senate before stalling in the House.

“I applaud my colleagues in both the House and the Senate for their overwhelming support for this important bill,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley.

Padden has been working with civic organizations and Rep. Dean Takko, the Longview Democrat who introduced HB 2261, to shepherd the measure through the legislative process.

Continue reading →

Spokane Republicans vote to approve sustainable bipartisan budget

Baumgartner and Padden join bipartisan coalition to dump budget gimmicks and keep spending in line with revenue

Early this morning, the Washington State Senate approved its operating budget with a bipartisan vote of 25 to 24, with three Democrats joining all 22 Republican members. The bipartisan reform-based plan rebalances the budget adopted last year in a sustainable manner that will keep the Legislature from having to deal with another budget crisis next year.

“For fifty-three days, the people of Washington waited patiently for the Senate majority to do its job and produce a fiscally responsible budget,” said Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane. “Today members of the Senate Republican Caucus, along with a handful of reform-minded Democrats, finally delivered. The reform budget passed tonight builds upon the bipartisan, reform-oriented budget we produced last year; it spends less money than it expects to take in and provides for an ample reserve; most importantly, it will do so without major gimmicks or tax increases.”

Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, agreed.

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Padden recognizes local finalist for civic teacher of the year award

Sen. Mike Padden with Ned Fadeley, 2012 Civic Educator of the Year for the 4th Legislative District in the Spokane Valley, in the Senate Chamber.

On Monday Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, honored West Valley School District teacher Ned Fadeley, a top finalist for the Washington State Legislative Civic Educator of the Year Award. Padden presented Fadeley with a certificate recognizing his hard work and achievement, while many of Fadeley’s students who were able to make the trip to Olympia looked on.

“Ned Fadeley is a truly remarkable educator,” said Padden. “He continually demonstrates a level of commitment to his students and dedication to service and excellence that has been fully reflected in everything he does, leading to one of the state’s most innovative high school civic curriculums, which has put his school on the cutting edge of education reform.”

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Hearing on controversial abortion-mandate bill set for this afternoon

Padden says bill is ‘unnecessary, unconstitutional and could prove costly for state’

The Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a public hearing at 3:30 p.m. today on House Bill 2330, a controversial measure that would require private-insurance plans which provide maternity coverage to also pay for elective abortions.

“Proponents of this legislation are jeopardizing nearly six billion dollars’ worth of revenue from the federal government through their support of this bill, which almost certainly constitutes a violation of federal law,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley and a chief opponent of the measure.

Padden, along with other Senate Republicans, sent a letter to Governor Gregoire in late January detailing some possible ramifications of HB 2330 (and its Senate companion bill, SB 6185). It warns of the conflict between HB 2330 and a provision in the federal omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2055) passed in December, specifically within the “Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012”:

Continue reading →