106 Newhouse Building ● P.O. Box 40404 ● Olympia WA 98504-0404

Report from Olympia |  April 30, 2015

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2015 special legislative session began yesterday. The Senate spent the first day of this 30-day-maximum overtime period voting on bills, and today the Senate Law and Justice Committee toured the state Department of Corrections’ Maple Lane facility in Grand Mound, south of Olympia.

Although technically any bill may be passed during a special session, there is general agreement that the Legislature should focus on completing the 2015-17 operating and capital budgets and passing the bills related to those budgets. There are also a small number of important policy bills that are likely to be considered.

If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to give me a call, write or send me an e-mail. I appreciate hearing from you! 

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

2015 Government Guide still available

If you did not receive the hard copy of the 2015 Government Guide, but would like one, please contact my office. We have a limited supply still available. Starting next week copies will also be available at our local libraries and senior centers. This 4th Legislative District guide to government provides information on how to contact federal, state and local government offices and services. It also has some great information about our legislative district and some of the institutions and people that make our part of the state such a great place to live, visit or start a business. To get your online copy of the guide, click here.

From the District…

Spokane International Airport

On Tuesday two representatives from Spokane International Airport stopped by our Olympia office. Larry Krauter, CEO of the airport, and his director of public affairs Todd Woodard were in Olympia to discuss the needs of the airport and some of the exciting developments at Felts Field.

Spokane International Airport is a 7,000-acre commercial-service airport served by six airlines and two air-cargo carriers. The airport processed nearly 3 million passengers and 64,174 U.S. air cargo tons in 2013. It is the second largest airport in Washington and recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a small hub. The airport is an employer for more than 3,000 people and has a $1 billion annual economic benefit to the Spokane region.

As I mentioned in a previous update, it was recently announced that Felts Field will be the home of a new Aviation Flight Center – a 40,000-square-foot multi-tenant complex that will house the Western Aviation and Honor Point Military and Aerospace Museum.

This is exciting news for our community.

Special-session update

When a special session begins, bills that passed in one chamber but not the other revert back to their house of origin. On Wednesday the Senate got down to work, passing several budget-related measures for the second time and sending them to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Among those bills passed by the Senate Wednesday were:

• Senate Bill 5355, which would modify the definition of “resident student” to comply with federal requirements established by the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014;
  
• SB 5944, which would require new state-spending programs to expire after no more than 10 years and undergo an audit and review by the Legislature;
  
• SB 5954, creating the College Affordability Program to reduce tuition; and
  
• SB 5978, aimed at requiring political parties to consider the results of the presidential primary if they want them to be included on the ballot.

The Senate also passed SB 5105 – my measure to make a fourth DUI offense in 10 years a felony.

Meanwhile, House and Senate budget negotiators continue their work to pull together agreements on operating, capital and transportation budgets. With school districts facing a May 15 deadline to make their hiring and/or layoff decisions, there is no time to waste.

Remote testimony offered 53 times in 2015 regular session

One of our goals going into the 2015 regular session was increasing the opportunities for public participation in the legislative process. The Senate recently released an analysis of its remote-testimony pilot program, aimed at achieving that goal.

I am very pleased with the success of the pilot program. The Senate was able to test the technology and the public has embraced the idea. The Senate chairs who took advantage of this opportunity all reported they were encouraged by hearing voices from outside Seattle and Olympia.

Remote testimony was offered 53 times during the regular-session pilot project – 31 times by invited participants and 22 times on an unsolicited basis from members of the public. Remote testimony was accepted by six different Senate committees. The Law and Justice Committee, which I chair, and the Trade and Economic Development Committee, chaired by Sen. Sharon Brown of Kennewick, led the pack with five times each. The Agriculture Committee (chaired by Sen. Judy Warnick of Moses Lake) followed with four uses of remote testimony. The Higher Education Committee (chaired by Sen. Barbara Bailey of Oak Harbor) and the Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee (chaired by Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale) each used it twice, with Ways and Means (the budget committee, chaired by Sen. Andy Hill of Redmond) accepting remote testimony once.

The people’s representatives should listen to the people as much and as directly as possible. The challenge of traveling to the Capitol has undoubtedly prevented countless people from speaking out about bills – especially people east of the Cascades and in the northwest and southwest corners of the state. We have the tools now to let Washingtonians be seen as well as heard, regardless of their ZIP code. So let’s use it.

Mental evaluation bill signed into law

While there is still much work to be done, several bills did make it through the legislative process and are now being signed into law.

Last week Senate Bill 5101, my legislation to allow courts to order a mental evaluation of an offender, even if the Department of Corrections does not file a pre-sentence report, was signed by Governor Inslee. The new law was introduced, in part, due to the 2013 judgment in State v. Locke. In that case, the trial court sentenced the defendant to 12 months' confinement and ordered a mental-health evaluation and treatment as a sentencing condition without first obtaining the required pre-sentence report. The state conceded the error and the case was sent back to the trial court to vacate the sentence condition.

This was a case of the law not keeping up with real-life practices. While a pre-sentence report was required, such reports are no longer routinely prepared by DOC. By making this technical change, we are helping offenders who need treatment for mental illness receive that care. Ultimately, this will help our criminal-justice system better protect the public, once those offenders are released.

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