Tag Archives: Spokane County wildfires

Nearly 97% of those testifying on I-2113 support it

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers February 29, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

After constant pressure from citizens across the state, three of the six initiatives sent to the Legislature this session finally received public hearings before joint legislative committees earlier this week.

Attendees hold up signs during a rally about the six initiatives to the Legislature, which was held on the Capitol steps last week. Senator Padden was among many legislators who attended.

One was on Initiative 2113, which aims to restore police pursuits in our state to what they were before unreasonable restrictions were imposed by majority Democrats in 2021. The hearing on this initiative was Wednesday morning before a joint meeting of the Senate Law and Justice Committee (on which I’m the Republican leader) and the House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry Committee. 

Judging by the number of people who signed up to provide either written or verbal testimony during the public hearing, the vast majority of the public supports I-2113. The initiative’s hearing had 5,461 people (96.6% of everyone who testified) sign up in support of it, while only 183 signed up in opposition.

Among those who spoke in support of the measure was 19th District state Representative Jim Walsh, who filed I-2113 last year. Brian Heywood, a citizen, and James McMahan with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs also testified in favor of the measure.

The joint committee heard compelling testimony from concerned citizen Amber Goldade, who told legislators about how a driver who had eluded law enforcement two weeks earlier struck and killed her 12-year-old daughter and a friend in Pierce County in 2022. Amber urged the Legislature to pass I-2113. You can watch her testimony here. During a media availability this morning that included Senate and House Republican leaders, I talked about Amber’s important testimony and the need for the Legislature to pass I-2113 this session.

A concerned citizen named Amber Goldade provided compelling testimony in favor of I-2113 during the joint legislative hearing Wednesday morning on the measure.

On Tuesday, a joint meeting of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Finance Committee held a public hearing on Initiative 2111, which would ban any state or local income tax in Washington. That hearing attracted 6,189 people (89.6%) in favor while 673 signed up against it. You may watch TVW’s video of the hearing here. The Center Square wrote an article about the hearing.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, I-2081, which would give parents the right to review K-12 instructional materials and require parental notification of school-provided medical services, received a hearing before a joint meeting of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and the House Education Committee. That measure drew 5,906 people (89%) who signed up in support, while 693 were opposed.  TVW covered that hearing. You may watch it here.

Democratic leaders have said the other three initiatives sent to the Legislature this session will not receive public hearings, meaning they automatically go on the statewide ballot this November for Washington voters to decide. Those are:

  • I-2117, which 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-2109, to repeal the state capital-gains income tax that was passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021. It is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
  • I-2124, which would allow individuals 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.

Here are videos on the initiatives that our caucus created earlier this session:

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.

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

Legislative session enters final week

The Senate chamber in the Legislative Building.

Besides today being Leap Day (which happens every four years, as 2024 is a leap year), we are one day from the final key deadline of this legislative session.

Tomorrow is the last day for the House to pass bills approved earlier by the Senate this session. Tomorrow’s cutoff also applies for the Senate to pass House-approved bills.

After tomorrow, the Senate will focus on whether to “concur” (agree) with amendments (changes) made to Senate bills before the House approved them.

If the Senate concurs with the House changes to a Senate bill, the bill is viewed as having received full legislative approval and goes to Governor Inslee for his consideration.

If the Senate does not concur, the House has a choice: either “recede” from its position, meaning drop the changes it made and pass the bill as it came over from the Senate, or “insist” on its position. More often than not, the choice to insist ends up with both chambers designating members to confer and come to a compromise. The report resulting from this conference then comes to us for a final vote.

Another important task for the Senate and House to complete is for legislative leaders to reach agreement on compromise versions of the state supplemental operating, capital and transportation budgets. The supplemental budgets make adjustments to the original two-year state budgets enacted by the Legislature last year.

Senate Democrats pass bill that could end retail gun sales in Washington

The Senate’s Democratic majority Tuesday night passed a controversial bill that might result in the end of retail firearm sales in Washington.

House Bill 2118 would require firearm dealers to install burdensome security features and alarm and surveillance systems, and adopt redundant storage and very burdensome record-keeping practices. It also would set minimum insurance-coverage requirements and require employees to undergo annual background checks.

It’s important to know that our state already maintains electronic records of every firearm transaction, through the Washington State Patrol and state Department of Licensing. Despite that, HB 2118 would force the roughly 1,300 retailers with federal firearms licenses (FFLs) to keep paper copies of these transactions as long as they are in business.

Under the bill as passed by the House earlier this session, these retailers would have to maintain 730 days of surveillance video, even though no other agency or business in Washington is required to maintain more than 60 days of surveillance video. An amendment adopted by the Senate lowers that to 90 days, which is an improvement. Despite that amendment, HB 2118 remains a terribly flawed measure that will put many gun shops in our state out of business.

Because the Senate amended HB 2118, it must return to the House so that chamber can concur (or agree) with the Senate’s changes. Unfortunately, this extreme measure very likely will be passed by the Legislature and then signed by the governor.

The Seattle Times, which typically publishes editorials that support gun-control measures, actually ran an editorial earlier this week that opposes HB 2118. The editorial said this bill pushes gun control to a level of punishment for legitimate businesses, and it pointed out that HB 2118 would impose costs on small firearms sellers that could force them out of business and expand the black market for gun sales.   

Spokane student serves as Senate page

This week I had the pleasure of sponsoring Colleen Kittilstved as a Senate page. Colleen, the daughter of Mike and Kathleen Kittilstved, is a homeschooler who lives in Spokane. 

Colleen is on a club swim team and plays varsity basketball for Chesterton Academy. When she is not playing sports, she enjoys being with her family and friends. Colleen also enjoys history and politics.  

It was nice to meet Colleen this week. She did a terrific job as a page. Colleen said she was able to create friendships with other pages, and she enjoyed working on the Senate floor

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.

FEMA in-person disaster resource centers now open in Spokane County to assist homeowners, renters and businesses affected by 2023 wildfires

Earlier this week, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that two in-person disaster outreach centers are available for survivors of the Gray and Oregon Road Fires beginning today in both the Elk Chattaroy and Medicine Lake communities. The locations and hours are below.

Elk Chattaroy Disaster Outreach Center:

Country Church of the Open Bible, 40015 North Collins Road, Elk, WA 99009.

Medical Lake Disaster Outreach Center:

Medical Lake City Hall, 124 South Lefevre St., Medical Lake, WA 99022.

Hours of operations for both centers: Monday, Tuesday, Friday 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sundays closed.

The application process with both FEMA and SBA is now open.

  • The fastest way to start the process is to register with FEMA by visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov
  • The fastest way to enroll with SBA is by doing one of three things: visiting SBA’s disaster site: sba.gov/disaster; emailing SBA at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or calling SBA customer service at (800) 659-2955
  • Or visit the in-person locations detailed above.

In addition, the SBA and the Washington Small Business Development Center opened an SBA Business Recovery Center in Spokane this past Tuesday to provide a wide range of services to businesses impacted by the wildfires that occurred last August.

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 says key 4th District projects funded in Senate capital budget

The Senate’s proposed two-year state supplemental capital budget includes funding to efforts to recover from two major wildfires that struck Spokane County last year, and reduce emissions at the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Spokane Valley, says 4th District Sen. Mike Padden.

“I’m pleased to see the $975,000 to help with the recovery from last summer’s Gray fire, and the Oregon Road wildfire near the community of Elk,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley, noting that the wildfire recovery effort will be administered by the Spokane Conservation District. “The $4.8 million to replace the boiler at the Kaiser plant is about meeting state emission requirements, so this funding is a big win for Kaiser and its workers. It’s a good capital budget for the 4th District and for the state, and it’s good to see taxpayers’ money coming back to be invested in local projects.”

The Senate’s supplemental capital budget also funds three other 4th District projects:

  • $118,000 in phase two funding for Spokane Scale House Market in Spokane Valley. The 2023-25 budget included $750,000 for Spokane Scale House Market.
  • $150,000 for the city of Spokane Valley Cross Country Course.
  • $32,000 for the West Valley Centennial Middle School baseball field’s fences and dugout.

“The phase-two funding in the Senate budget should help Spokane Scale House Market complete its project,” said Padden. “I’m also pleased that our budget helps fund the new cross-country course and Centennial Middle School’s baseball field project.”

The Senate’s supplemental capital budget plan, Senate Bill 5949, funds the construction and maintenance of state buildings, public-school matching grants, higher-education facilities, public lands, parks and other assets.

The Senate supplemental capital budget was approved this afternoon by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the spending plan later this week.

The House Capital Budget Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the House’s proposed supplemental capital budget tomorrow.

No state worse than WA for jump in drug-overdose deaths

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Aug. 24, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Let’s hear it for firefighters, others battling area wildfires

Dear friends and neighbors,

Over the past week, firefighters and others have heroically battled two wildfires in parts of Spokane County, including the Oregon Road Fire near Elk in the northern part of the county. Firefighters also have worked hard to contain the Gray Fire affecting the Medical Lake area. The governor last weekend declared a state of emergency due to the wildfires. 

A special thank-you goes to all of the professional and volunteer firefighters who are working so hard in high heat and difficult conditions to try to contain these dangerous wildfires. Their courage, determination and toughness are to be admired and commended. Thanks also to those who have helped in other ways, including providing food, water and other needed supplies to those affected by the fires.   

Fire trucks have been a key part of the effort to subdue wildfires in eastern Washington.

On Wednesday morning I attended three meetings regarding the Oregon Road fire. During the first meeting, at Deer Park City Hall, federal and state officials discussed the extent of the fire and the resources deployed to battle and contain it: 876 people, 43 fire engines, nine bulldozers, 38 water tenders and six helicopters. Not surprisingly, they noted the half-inch of rain that fell Wednesday helped tremendously.

Next was a community meeting at Riverside High School that drew 300 people, where it was announced that the Oregon Road fire had burned more than 11,000 acres. Riverside School District Superintendent Ken Russell was there, as was Spokane County Undersheriff Michael Kittilstved and Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns. Afterward Superintendent Russell asked me to attend another meeting about whether to delay the start of the school year in the Riverside School District. Here is the link to the story that Riverside School District put out yesterday in which it is postponing its start date for school.

Below is state and local resource information below to use and share as we navigate this disaster.

Please do not hesitate to contact my district office at 509-921-2460 if you are having trouble reaching a state agency for assistance.

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

WA has fastest drug-overdose death-rate increase in U.S.

Our state has a serious and growing problem with drug-overdose deaths.

New statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Washington’s fatal drug-overdose situation is even grimmer than a month ago.

For the third straight month, the CDC has issued a report that finds Washington having the negative distinction of seeing the fastest drug-overdose death rate increase of any state in the country. According to the CDC, Washington has seen a nation-leading 28.4% increase in drug-overdose deaths between March 2022 and March 2023 (up from 23.9% for the period between February 2022 and February 2023). Oregon ranks second at 19.6%, followed by Nevada (19%) and Alabama (14%). The national average is a miniscule 0.1% increase.

But, according to the latest CDC report, Washington now leads the country not just in the percentage increase in deaths, but also the number of increased deaths (688 more than in the prior 12-month period). The full CDC report can be viewed here.

The CDC figures illustrate the effect of Washington’s decriminalization effort because they show the rise in drug deaths between 2021 and 2023, as the liberalized drug law took effect.

The 2021 Blake ruling by the state Supreme Court declared Washington’s felony drug-possession statute was unconstitutional because it criminalized possession even when a person did not knowingly have drugs. The Democrat-led Legislature responded that session with a law that reduced the criminal penalty for illegally possessing hard drugs to a misdemeanor – a change not directed by the court. As a result, many police agencies ceased enforcement efforts.

By eliminating the threat of jail time, the 2021 law eliminated incentives for addicts to enroll in drug-treatment programs. It also eliminated a tool used by law enforcement in sweeps of homeless camps.  

The punishment under the new drug-possession law (called the “Blake fix”), approved by the Legislature during a one-day special session in May, is basically a hybrid between a gross misdemeanor and a misdemeanor. It will not be an effective deterrent for drug offenders.

The new law took effect on July 1, and no benefit has been seen yet. More must be done to combat drug use and overdoses, including tougher punishment for using hard drugs, before even more lives are lost.  

State has collected nearly $1 billion since cap-and-trade auctions began  

Throughout the summer, Washington has been in the unenviable position of being either #1 or #2 for worst gasoline prices in the nation. According to AAA’s state-by-state gas price averages, California topped the nation with regular gas at $5.259 a gallon as of yesterday, while Washington was second at $5.063.

The top reason for these exorbitant gas prices is Washington’s “cap-and-trade” program, which took full effect this January. According to a recent Capital Press story, gas prices here are up $1.25 a gallon just since then, while prices nationwide have fallen by 70 cents over the past year.

Only California and Washington have a cap-and-tax law. It is not a coincidence that no other state has gas costing at least $5 a gallon. In fact, no other state is even close to $5 a gallon for gas.

The cap-and-trade law allows the state Department of Ecology to auction “carbon allowances.” The Capital Press goes on to report this month’s auction of carbon allowances brought Ecology’s year-to-date auction proceeds to a staggering $919.5 million. That is nearly $1 billion of your money being taken by the state for a program that is extremely unlikely to NOT reduce global carbon emissions at all. This is why I voted in 2021 against the bill that created the cap-and-trade program.

Lawsuit filed against new state law that weakens parents’ rights

A legal organization run by a former adviser to President Trump is challenging the new state law which allows shelters to notify state authorities but not parents when a young person seeks refuge to pursue what the law’s supporters call “gender-affirming care” or “reproductive health services.” Democrat majorities in the Legislature approved Senate Bill 5599 earlier this year. No Republican legislators supported the proposal, which took effect in July, because it weakens parents’ rights.  

America First Legal, headed by Stephen Miller, filed its lawsuit on behalf of eight Washington parents and two nonprofit groups that oppose this so-called “care” of children – International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc. and Advocates Protecting Children. The lawsuit argues the new law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. 

The Washington State Standard story on the lawsuit is here.

Recent events and meetings

Meeting with “future big-leaguer” Jack Murray at August 16 Spokane Indians game.

Over the past several weeks, I have attended a number of meetings and events in the 4th Legislative District or nearby. Here is a recap of them:

  • Attended the city of Spokane Valley’s “State of the City Luncheon” at the Centerplace Regional Event Center on July 26.
  • Attended the Regional Small Arms Range and Training Facility tour in Medical Lake on August 8. The event was hosted by Spokane County Sheriff Nowels and Spokane Valley Police Department Chief Ellis.
  • Attended the Conservation District open house on August 10.
  • Attended the Spokane Indians baseball game against the Tri-City Dust Devils on August 16. In what was an exciting, back-and-forth contest, the Indians won 5-4 on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. During the top of the fifth inning, I was a guest in KGA radio’s booth during its broadcast of the game. You can hear the audio of that brief appearance here.
  • Took a tour of Spokane International Airport on August 18 to see the latest changes and improvements there.
  • Attended the Modern Electric board meeting yesterday.

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.