Tag Archives: Washington Traffic Safety Commission

Washington reaches highest number of traffic fatalities in 33 years

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers May 17, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

Our state is experiencing an increase in fatal and serious-injury crashes on our roads and highways that is shocking and heartbreaking. We’re failing to protect our families, friends and children.

Earlier this week, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission issued a report revealing our state has reached a 33-year high for traffic fatalities. The report showed 810 people were killed in crashes involving a motor vehicle in 2023, an increase from 743 killed in 2022.

Of the 810 traffic deaths last year, nearly half (400) involved a drug- or alcohol-impaired driver, while 251 involved excessive speed, 171 involved not wearing a seatbelt or other restraint, and 135 involved a distracted driver. What is so tragic about these fatality figures is that these deaths could have been prevented if drivers were more careful and responsible when behind the wheel. 

What is especially troubling about Washington’s rise in traffic deaths is that the rest of America is driving more safely. According to a Seattle Times story about the WTSC report, Washington’s increase in road fatalities runs counter to national figures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 40,990 people died on U.S. roads last year, a 3.6% decrease from 2022. The Times story noted that nearly every other state recorded fewer deaths than the year before.

It’s unacceptable that nearly half of the 810 traffic deaths in 2023 in our state involved impaired drivers. The Legislature has taken recent steps to reduce impaired driving, including making a fourth DUI conviction a felony and expanding the “lookback” period for reviewing prior impaired-driving convictions to 15 years, instead of 10. We also passed the initiative restoring police pursuits, which should allow officers to apprehend more bad drivers on roads and highways.

But more needs to be done! It would be good to see the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Washington State Patrol work to increase public awareness about impaired driving so more people avoid driving after downing too many drinks or taking drugs that can impair their driving ability. The Traffic Safety Commission and State Patrol also should do more to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road instead of focusing on their cell phones or other things that can distract them.    

The Legislature also can do more to reduce impaired driving, which contributes to so many of our state’s traffic deaths. Last year, I introduced Senate Bill 5791, a bipartisan proposal, supported by the State Patrol, that would require WSP to establish a pilot program to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of oral fluid roadside information (basically, an oral swab) collected by law enforcement when impaired driving is suspected. (Taking the oral swab would be voluntary for drivers.) After being passed by the Senate Transportation Committee during this year’s session, SB 5791 died when it was on deck for a full Senate vote.

Several other states have implemented oral swab testing (which detects six drugs and alcohol) on suspected impaired drivers, and the results have been positive. My hope is that another legislator will sponsor this bill next year after I retire from the Senate and that the Legislature will finally pass this measure. It should help reduce impaired driving and lower the number of traffic deaths in our state.         

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

Efforts to increase number of law-enforcement officers in state

Senator Padden and other attendees during last October’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new law-enforcement training center run jointly by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Air Force. 

Another reason for Washington’s rise in traffic fatalities is the lack of law-enforcement officers in our communities. Many law-enforcement agencies, anti-crime advocates and legislators have pointed out in recent years that Washington ranks dead last (51st out of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia) for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita.

Washington’s extremely low number of police officers in communities also is a key reason why crime continues to rise across our state.

An article recently published by Seattle-based Crosscut offers some reasons for the low number of law-enforcement officers across Washington, beyond the simple fact that more are leaving the profession than entering it. The net loss in officers makes it hard for the remaining officers to maintain law and order in their communities.

The Crosscut story cited several likely reasons for the drop in police officers: job pressures, burnout, frustrations, the fluctuating stigmas of being a cop, bad hours for raising a family, sometimes long commutes because an officer cannot afford to live in the city they are protecting and a lack of local money to hire new law-enforcement officers.  

Many people argue that the backlash against police officers in 2020 following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the ensuing demonstrations and riots in Seattle and other cities across the nation caused many officers to leave law enforcement for other jobs. The combination of “officer loss” and pro-criminal laws passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in recent years has contributed greatly to the increase in many types of crime in Washington, including murders, auto thefts and robberies.      

Fortunately, the Legislature finally has recognized the problem of a lack of law-enforcement officers and taken steps to fix it. This part of the Crosscut article discusses what the state has done to tackle the lack of officers:

In 2022, the Criminal Justice Training Center added a campus in Spokane. This year, other satellite centers started operating in Pasco and Vancouver. Another is expected to open in Arlington later this year. One of the hurdles to training recruits is that it is difficult for many — especially those with children — to spend four and a half months in Burien. The satellite campuses are designed to address that while raising the total capacity to train 870 police recruits in 2025, plus 800 correctional officers, misdemeanor probation officers and other roles. 

Another improvement is that it no longer costs local law enforcement to send their recruits in for training. Until this year, local police and sheriff’s departments had to pay 25% of the training costs for each recruit. After legislative action this year, the state is paying 100% of the bill.

4th District Government Guide still available at many locations

As mentioned in my e-newsletter in recent weeks, there is a new 4th District Government Guide for districts residents to use. The free guide 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 call my legislative assistant, Annalise Hemingway, at 509-921-2460 or email her at annalise.hemingway@leg.wa.gov.

There also are copies of the updated government guide 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 (22 N. Herald Road, 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)

Washington had largest increase for drug-overdose deaths among states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday released its monthly report on drug-overdose deaths by state. This report covers all 12 months of 2023. A Seattle Times story reported that overdose deaths in the U.S. declined by nearly 3,500 deaths from the prior year, or 3.1%.

Unfortunately, Washington state actually is leading the nation in the increase in overdose deaths in 2023 (going from 2,763 in 2022 to 3,526 in 2023, an increase of 763). In percentage terms, this was a 27.6% year-over-year increase, only outpaced by Alaska (44.1%), Oregon (30%) and Nevada (28.9%).     

To put this in perspective, California and Texas combined saw a smaller increase in overdose deaths than Washington, despite having nearly 10 times our state’s population.      

When the state Supreme Court issued its Blake decision in February 2021, Washington was 31st in the country in per-capita drug overdose death rate, with a rate 20% below the national average. Washington now ranks ninth-highest in the country, with a rate over 40% higher than the national average.   

West Virginia ranks first in drug-overdose death rate with 81.2 deaths per 100,000 population, followed by Tennessee (53.4 deaths), Delaware (51.6), Louisiana (49.0), Alaska (48.5), New Mexico (47.9), Kentucky (47.1), Nevada (45.7), Washington (45.3) and Maine (42.9). Oregon ranks 11th, with 42.7 deaths. 

See WSDOT’s aerial photo of new Barker Road roundabout

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)

Even though the recently completed Barker Road roundabout was mentioned in an earlier e-newsletter just a couple of weeks ago, the Eastern Region office of the state Department of Transportation provided this aerial photo of the new roundabout near I-90. It is worth a look.

Video shows problem with ranked choice voting

In recent years, some individuals and groups have been pushing an unusual and very rarely used voting system called “ranked choice voting“ or “RCV.”

Pierce County used ranked choice voting for a couple of years in the early 2000s before getting rid of it.

This video discusses the problems with RCV. If a bill to implement ranked choice voting in Washington had reached the Senate floor for a vote, I would have been a resounding “no.”

Receiving lifetime award

It was my honor to recently receive this lifetime achievement award from the Spokane County Republican Party for my years as a 4th District legislator.

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.

    

Governor signs impaired-driving bill that includes Padden policy

Amid Washington traffic fatalities reaching their highest point in over 30 years, Gov. Jay Inslee today signed House Bill 1493, a measure to combat impaired driving that includes policy proposed by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden for years.

The final version of HB 1493 was passed March 6 by the House on a 69-27 vote. The Senate approved it 49-0 on Feb. 29. The new law takes effect June 6.

“This new and overdue law is a major step toward making Washington roads and highways safer,” said Padden, Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “It includes provisions that will keep more repeat impaired drivers off the road.”

An amendment approved by the Senate added language from Senate Bill 5032, a measure introduced by Padden 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 Padden’s SB 5032 kept in the bill signed today also would 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, said Padden, R-Spokane Valley.

“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. 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 good balance, as it is strong on treatment while also being strong on accountability,” added Padden.

Padden said many traffic fatalities in the state involve drivers who have had as many as eight DUI offenses, but he noted 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,” said Padden, a former Spokane County district court judge.

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.

 

Legislature keeps Padden policy in bill passed to combat impaired driving

With traffic deaths in Washington reaching their highest point in over 30 years, 4th District Sen. Mike Padden applauded the Legislature’s passage of House Bill 1493, a measure that would combat impaired driving and includes policy he has proposed for years.

The final version of HB 1493 was passed tonight by the House on a 69-27 vote. The Senate approved it 49-0 on Feb. 29. It now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for final consideration.

“The passage of this bill is a major step toward making our roads and highways safer,” said Padden, Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “It includes provisions that will keep more repeat impaired drivers off the road.”

An amendment approved by the Senate on Feb. 29 added language from Senate Bill 5032, a measure from Padden 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 Padden’s SB 5032 kept in the bill passed today also would 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.

“I’m pleased that the ‘lookback’ language added to House Bill 1493 by the Senate stayed in the final version passed by the House today,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley.

“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. House Bill 1493, as passed by the Legislature, 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 good balance, as it is strong on treatment while also being strong on accountability,” added Padden.

Padden said many traffic fatalities in the state involve drivers who have had as many as eight DUI offenses, but he noted 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. The Legislature now has passed a bill to prevent those horrible and senseless crimes,” said Padden, a former Spokane County district court judge.

According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, 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.

For fourth straight year, Senate passes Padden bill to combat impaired driving

With traffic deaths in Washington reaching their highest point in over 30 years, the Senate today again approved an anti-impaired driving bill sponsored by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden. It is the fourth straight year the Senate has passed such a measure.

Senate Bill 5032, which was passed 43-5, 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.

“Washington has seen a significant increase in traffic deaths over the past few years. Drunk driving and drug-impaired driving, especially by repeat offenders, are two leading causes,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “This bill tries to remove the most dangerous drivers from our roads and highways and into treatment or being accountable by the state criminal justice system.”

During his floor speech in support of the bill, Padden said it tries to address a crisis on Washington roads and highways.

“So many repeat impaired offenders are the ones who have vehicular homicides, vehicular assaults, and they are causing havoc on our roadways for innocent victims,” Padden told senators. “The numbers have gone up so much, especially on the alcohol/drug combination impaired driving. In 2023, there were over 800 deaths on Washington roadways.

“This bill has a good balance – strong on treatment but also strong on accountability,” added Padden.

Before the Senate approved SB 5032, Padden successfully added a floor amendment that permits a person who participates in a deferred prosecution for a first gross misdemeanor driving under the influence (DUI) or physical control of a vehicle under the influence (PC) charge to participate in a second deferred prosecution on a person’s next DUI under very strict sideboards.

Noting how tomorrow is Groundhog Day, Padden said the response to his bill is reminiscent of the motion picture “Groundhog Day,” in which the lead character repeatedly relives the same day.

“In 2021, the Senate approves the bill – and the House lets it die. In 2022, and again this past year, the Senate approves the bill – and the House lets it die. We’ve seen this movie enough, and it’s doing nothing to make Washington safer.”

Padden, the Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, said 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. This bill tries to prevent those horrible and senseless crimes,” said Padden, a former Spokane County district court judge. SB 5032 would give offenders a chance to undergo a highly structured treatment program, he added.

According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, 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.

Padden laments Legislature’s lack of progress to address impaired driving

The day after its annual session at the state Capitol ended, 4th Legislative District Sen. Mike Padden is criticizing the Legislature’s inability to pass a meaningful bill that would help combat impaired driving.

“The Legislature missed a golden opportunity to start reversing the disturbing increase in traffic accidents caused by impaired driving,” said Padden, the ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “In the final days of the session, a bill that represented a significant step toward addressing impaired driving stalled because of inaction by House Democrats and because certain legislators did not like it for one reason or another. As a result, our state likely will continue to see even more traffic accidents and traffic deaths because of impaired driving.”

According to statistics compiled by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Washington road deaths reached a 20-year high in 2021. There were 670 traffic deaths in 2021, including 272 fatalities involving drug-impaired driving and 155 deaths involving alcohol-impaired driving. In 2020, Washington had 574 traffic fatalities, including 214 involving drug-impaired driving and 135 involving alcohol-impaired driving.

The commission has a current preliminary estimate of 745 traffic fatalities in 2022. No 2022 figures on traffic deaths involving drug- or alcohol-impaired driving are available yet.

“This year offered a great chance to start to turn things around in our state when it comes to impaired driving,” Padden, R-Spokane Valley, added today. “Many legislators wanted to strengthen the law to finally tackle this growing problem. It’s very disappointing to see our effort thwarted at the very end. The people of Washington deserve better.”

Padden pointed to House Bill 1493, which had been unanimously passed by the House in March and the Senate earlier this month. The version passed by the Senate included language from Senate Bill 5032, Padden’s bipartisan measure 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. Under SB 5032, any person who has three or more prior DUI offenses within that 15-year lookback period would face a felony, rather than the current penalty of a gross misdemeanor. SB 5032 would give offenders a chance to undergo a highly structured treatment program.

Padden said state Rep. Roger Goodman, the chair of the House Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee, agreed to add SB 5032 language to HB 1493 while SB 5032 was in the House.

After the House last Monday voted to refuse to concur (or agree) with the Senate’s amendments, the Senate last Thursday voted to recede from its original amendments to the bill and then added a floor amendment that included language found in SB 5032 before unanimously passing the newly amended HB 1493. In other words, the Senate passed the policy language for SB 5032 three times this session, and the Senate approved HB 1493 twice this year.

However, the House did not bring the latest version of HB 1493 to the floor for a vote before the 2023 session adjourned last night.

It was the third straight year that the language found in SB 5032 had been approved by the Senate, only to not be passed by the House.

“We don’t know why Representative Goodman could not help bring House Bill 1493 to the House floor for a vote during the final days of the session,” said Padden. “It just languished in the House after the Senate made the changes to it that the House wanted. It was on the House concurrence calendar and there was time for the House to vote on it. The inaction by the House to bring it up for a vote is mind-boggling and a huge disappointment.”

Another disappointment for Padden was an 11th-hour decision to pull $400,000 from the 2023-25 state transportation budget – money that would have funded the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to establish a pilot program by March 2024 to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of oral swab tests to detect alcohol/drug combination DUI violations.

“The Traffic Safety Commission would have worked with the State Patrol and law-enforcement associations in selecting at least 10 locations to implement the pilot program as part of field-sobriety evaluations for possible DUI violations,” said Padden. “That funding would have allowed law enforcement to see how effective the oral-swab tests would help in determining if drivers were legally impaired. The funding was part of the Senate transportation budget plan, so it’s very disappointing that it was yanked out at the last minute.”

Padden noted that the new state operating budget passed by the Legislature yesterday does include ongoing funding for drug courts and the operating budget and the new state transportation budget together provide roughly a $6 million increase for toxicology labs, primarily to deal with backlogs and to open a new lab in Federal Way.

“It was good to see money for the drug courts and toxicology lab in these budgets, so there is some positive news this session about combating impaired driving. But so much more should have been done this year. What a wasted effort,” added Padden.

For third consecutive year, Senate passes Padden bill to combat impaired driving

Following a 20-year high in traffic deaths in Washington, the Senate today again approved an anti-impaired driving bill sponsored by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden.

Senate Bill 5032, which was passed 48-1, 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.

“Washington has suffered a significant increase in traffic deaths over the past few years, and drunk driving and drug-impaired driving are two leading causes,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “This bill tries to remove the most dangerous drivers from our roads and highways and into treatment. Our state has seen too many accidents and fatalities caused by drunk and drug-impaired drivers, especially repeat offenders. This bill could help reduce traffic deaths.”

Padden, the ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, said 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. This bill tries to prevent those horrible and senseless crimes,” said Padden, a former Spokane County district court judge.

Padden pointed out that SB 5032 would give offenders a chance to undergo a highly structured treatment program.

According to statistics compiled by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Washington road deaths reached a 20-year high in 2021. There were 670 traffic deaths in 2021, including 272 fatalities involving drug-impaired driving and 155 deaths involving alcohol-impaired driving. In 2020, Washington had 574 traffic fatalities, including 214 involving drug-impaired driving and 135 involving alcohol-impaired driving.

The commission has a current preliminary estimate of 745 traffic fatalities in 2022. No 2022 figures on traffic deaths involving drug- or alcohol-impaired driving are available yet.

SB 5032 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

A similar proposal introduced by Padden, Senate Bill 5054, was passed by the Law and Justice Committee and the full Senate during the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions, including unanimous approval last year. The bill later died in the House both years.

Senate committee passes bill to combat impaired driving

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers Dec. 19, 2022. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

The Legislature is now in the second week of its 2023 session in Olympia. The focus early in this 105-day session is on committee meetings, where many bills that have been introduced so far receive public hearings.

A key issue this session is public safety. While there are several important areas that fall within the public-safety umbrella, one of the most crucial involves the startling increase in traffic fatalities in recent years.

Statistics compiled by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission show Washington road deaths reached a 20-year high in 2021. There were 670 traffic deaths in 2021, including 272 fatalities involving drug-impaired driving and 155 deaths involving alcohol-impaired driving. In 2020, Washington had 574 traffic fatalities, including 214 involving drug-impaired driving and 135 involving alcohol-impaired driving.

The commission has a current preliminary estimate of 745 traffic fatalities in 2022. Figures for traffic deaths involving drug- or alcohol-impaired driving aren’t available yet.

For the third time in three years, the Senate Law and Justice Committee has passed my legislation to combat impaired driving. The committee approved the bill this morning, sending it to the Senate Transportation Committee for further consideration.

Senate Bill 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.

It’s very similar to another proposal I introduced, Senate Bill 5054, which was passed by the Law and Justice Committee and the full Senate during the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions, including unanimous approval last year. The bill later died in the House both years.

Like its predecessor, SB 5032 has bipartisan sponsorship.

Repeat impaired-driving offenders commit most of the vehicular homicides and vehicular assaults in Washington. This is a measure to try to prevent those horrible, senseless crimes. Four years ago, I was out driving here in Olympia on a weekend on I-5. Right at the Pacific Avenue exit I saw the remains of a crash in which a 17-year-old Hispanic woman from the Tri-Cities was killed. They were changing a tire on the shoulder and a repeat drunk driver crashed into them on the shoulder. 

Many similar 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. It’s common sense to extend the lookback period 15 years instead of the current 10 years.  

This year’s bill also would give offenders a chance to undergo treatment with the hope they eventually will no longer have a problem with alcohol or drugs.

While we can’t blame drunken driving and drug-impaired driving entirely for the alarming increase in traffic deaths over the past few years, preventing impaired driving should be a key goal in our state. We’ve seen too many accidents and fatalities caused by drunk and drug-impaired drivers, especially repeat offenders. This bill should help get the most dangerous drivers off the road and into treatment.

The bill received supporting testimony from several people and organizations, including Gov. Jay Inslee’s public safety policy official, the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. 

TVW’s coverage of the public hearing on SB 5032 can be viewed here.

I am optimistic this will be the year the Legislature finally passes this important proposal.

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

Bill helping employee stock ownership plans receives committee hearing  

Last Thursday, the Senate Business, Financial Services, Gaming and Trade Committee held a hearing on one of the proposals that I introduced before session even began. Senate Bill 5096 would aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure.

The bipartisan proposal aims to do three things. It would:

  • Create the Washington Employee Ownership Program at the state Department of Commerce to offer technical support and other services to certain businesses considering certain employee ownership structures.
  • Form the Washington Employee Ownership Commission to oversee the program.
  • Provide a business and occupation tax credit for costs related to converting a qualifying business to an employee ownership structure.

Last week’s public hearing on SB 5096 went well. You can view TVW’s coverage of my testimony on the bill by clicking here.  Several people from different business-related organizations, including an official with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman, also testified in support of it. TVW’s coverage of their testimony on the proposal can be viewed by clicking here.

The next step is for the committee to approve it. I’m hopeful that will happen sometime in the next few weeks.

During its annual meeting last November, the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion on ESOPs to promote employee ownership of businesses. During the event, I took part in a  discussion on how businesses can implement this policy and possible legislation to help implement ESOPs. Several chamber members who attended the panel presentation said they were enthused by it, which was encouraging.

Meeting with constituents about early childhood education

Last week I enjoyed having a meeting in my Olympia office with two Spokane-area residents to talk about the importance of early childhood education. With me were Tami Boone (left) of Riverside and Rachel DeDomenico (right) of Spokane. Both are family services specialists with the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. 

District survey results

About a week before Christmas, our office mailed out a presession survey to households throughout the 4th Legislative District. In the few weeks since the survey was sent out, our office has received about 600 responses from constituents. We appreciate everyone who took time out of their busy lives to answer the questions and mail the survey back to my Olympia office! Here are the results from the survey as of last week:

Question 1: Washington’s revenue forecast indicates a surplus of $3.9 billion for the current 2021-23 biennium and just over $5 billion for the 2023-25 budget cycle. Should taxpayers receive tax relief from the Legislature due to high inflation’s impact on family budgets?

87% said yes.

12% said no.

1% didn’t respond or had a different response.

Question 2: If you think the Legislature should provide tax relief for Washingtonians, what type of tax relief do you most favor?

13% favored a decrease in the state property tax.

7% favored a decrease in the sales tax.

7% favored a decrease in the gas tax.

11% wrote in multiple decreases in taxes.

56% favored decreases in all of the taxes listed above.

5% said none.

Question 3: Recently the majority party in Washington decriminalized fentanyl, meth, heroin and other hard drugs for the first two offenses. What position should the 2023 Legislature take with regard to hard drugs?

11% said possession or use of hard drugs should stay decriminalized in Washington.

86% said possession or use of hard drugs should return to being a felony in Washington.

3% didn’t respond or had a different response.

Question 4: The Legislature in 2021 passed a state law changing the standard for law-enforcement officers to pursue suspects in vehicles from reasonable suspicion to probable cause. This has made it far more difficult for law enforcement to pursue suspected criminals. What do you think?

89% said the Legislature should change state law to again make it easier for law-enforcement officers to pursue suspects.

10% said the current law is fine as it is.

1% didn’t respond or had a different response.

Question 5: The State Building Code Council recently voted to essentially ban the use of natural gas to heat new homes and apartments and instead use heat pumps. What do you think?

12% agreed with the Building Code Council that natural gas should be banned from new homes and apartments.

86% said natural gas should still be allowed to heat new homes and apartments.

2% didn’t respond or had a different response.

Question 6: Many Washington students suffered learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and policies implemented by some school districts that resulted in the closing of schools and reduction in classroom time. What do you think is the best way to help students overcome learning loss?

25% said curriculums need to change.

17% said more or redirected funding (funds follow kids, tutors, alternatives to public school, more teachers, etc.).

8% said we need to keep schools open and end all COVID restrictions and eliminate online classes.

22% said kids need a make up a school year, or that school should be extended through summer, etc.

28% didn’t respond or had very unique opinions.

Two local teens serve as Senate pages

This week I had the privilege of sponsoring two Senate pages from the Spokane Valley: Abby Lind (left) is a freshman at Ridgeline High School. Abby lives in Greenacres, plays the violin, competes in tennis and softball, and is involved in the school orchestra. Hailey Huff (right) is a freshman at University High School. Hailey lives in Mead and is involved in Future Business Leaders of America, Key Club, tennis and youth group. It was nice to meet Abby and Hailey this week!  

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.