Bills – good and bad – flying off the floor

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

Report from Olympia |  February 13, 2018

Mike Padden

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Week five was spent on the Senate floor voting on bills previously approved by their assigned committees. Below I highlight several good bills that are still in play, so please keep reading.

Tomorrow is the final day for us to consider “house of origin” bills; in other words, it’s the cut-off deadline for the Senate to vote on Senate bills and for the House of Representatives to vote on House bills.

After that, all of the approved House bills will come to the Senate to begin the evaluation process all over again, starting with public hearings in committees. This will continue to whittle down the number of viable bills so that we are left with only the measures that have broad support in both chambers, or those bills that are a priority for the majority.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for staying connected and for the great privilege of serving as your state Senator.

Sincerely,

Senator Mike Padden

Remembering Reagan

Reagan

As I mentioned in my last update, Feb. 6 would have been the 107th birthday of Ronald Reagan, the nation’s 40th president. Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911, and was a witness to, and major player in, some of the most important milestones in history. A Hollywood actor, Democrat, and union leader, Reagan would become Mr. Republican, the leader who stood up for freedom and against communism, who reinvigorated the American economy and spirit, and inspired generations of us who cherish freedom and smaller government. 

On his birthday, I was honored to take to the Senate floor to honor President Reagan – a personal hero of mine, and someone who inspired me personally to serve the public.

You can listen to a report on my comments by clicking here.

Meet our Page: Emma Bowman

Emma

The Senate Page Program provides an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working at the Legislature. Students transport documents between offices, as well as deliver 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 session.

Last week, we were happy to sponsor Emma Bowman as our page. Emma, a freshman at West Valley High School in Spokane Valley, is an intelligent and hardworking young lady. It was a pleasure having her page with us.

If you know of a motivated young person who is interested in learning about the legislative process, please direct them to the Senate Page application found here.

School-safety bill clears committee deadline

school safety

The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously last week to advance Senate Bill 6410, concerning school safety. Under the measure, which I was happy to introduce, first responders would be required to notify both public and private schools during any situation in their vicinity that would warrant an evacuation or lockdown. The bill would also create two school safety centers – one in eastern Washington and one in western Washington.

Many times, schools have to call law enforcement for information about emergencies when it should be the other way around. This bill would help increase safety in all schools, public and private, and it takes a proactive approach by requiring law enforcement to notify schools in these critical situations.

I’m pleased that my colleagues on both the K-12 policy committee and the Ways and Means fiscal committee have advanced this bill, and I look forward to the full Senate having an opportunity to approve it soon.

The bill now goes to the Senate Rules Committee – the final stop before a full vote of the Senate.

Police body cam bill wins Senate vote, goes to House

police body cam

On Friday, the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 6408, aimed at clarifying the rules surrounding the use of police body cameras

Overall, this is a balanced bill that supports truth and accountability, while protecting privacy and decency in the process. Body cams are generally a good thing, and they show events as they happen. They protect the public against police excesses, which do happen, and they protect officers from false allegations.

SB 6408 would make permanent the existing requirements and Public Records Act provisions governing body-worn cameras (set by a bill passed in 2016) and apply them to all law-enforcement and corrections agencies deploying body-worn cameras. This year’s bill also would strengthen privacy protections for intimate images in such recordings, and clarify record-retention requirements for body-worn camera recordings.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.

Public-safety bill would allow judges to set pretrial-release conditions

judge

The state Senate on Friday approved our measure aimed at restoring judicial authority to set pretrial bail determinations and conditions of release. Senate Bill 5987, if it becomes law, would let judges make common-sense decisions to save lives and protect the public. It passed with a 47-0 vote.

SB 5987 would:

  • allow the imposition of conditions of release for any felony, gross misdemeanor, or misdemeanor case;
  • require protecting the public from harm as a purpose for imposing conditions of release; and
  • clarify that a pretrial-release program is any program in superior, district, or municipal courts.

The bill is a product of a legislative work session that included judges and prosecutors. Both the Washington District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association and the Washington State Superior Court Judges’ Association testified in support of the bill.

Allowing judges to set reasonable pretrial conditions would also help defendants.

Judges don’t always want to impose high bail amounts or jail time pending trial. If possible, many would prefer less harsh restrictions, so long as they are still able to do so while protecting the public.

This bill will allow them to order the most reasonable pretrial conditions of release, while still putting public safety first.

SB 5987 now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.

In the News: Surrogate mothers could be paid under Senate bill

Spokesman-Review | Jim Camden

Surrogate mothers could be paid for carrying a child for another couple under a bill that passed the Senate despite criticism that it could turn babies into “commodities like a bushel of wheat or widgets.”

Washington law currently allows women to act as surrogate mothers, but not to receive compensation above the cost of medical and other expenses. A proposed change to the Uniform Parentage Act, which covers a wide range of issues involving parental rights and responsibilities, would allow a surrogate to be paid more than that by the couple who have arranged for her to carry a baby for them.

Some of the loudest objections came from Spokane-area senators. Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, tried unsuccessfully to strip the bill of the ability to pay the surrogate mother more than her expenses.

“Are we dealing with commodities, like a bushel of wheat or widgets?” Padden asked, arguing there should at least be some cap on what a surrogate mother could be paid. “We forbid parents from selling their children. We’re buying and selling here.”

Click here to read the full story in the Spokesman-Review.

Save the date

TTH

Join your 4th District lawmakers for

a telephone town hall!

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

6:30 to 7:30 PM

You should receive a call, but if not, you can call us!

(509) 404-3049

Contact us

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are here to serve you!

 

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