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Report from Olympia | September 11, 2018
 Sen. Padden with his attorney David DeWolf, Gonzaga University School of Law professor emeritus.
Dear
Friends and Neighbors,
The interim period
between legislative sessions is usually a quiet time, but that has not been the
case this year. It’s been a summer busy with court actions due to legislative decisions
that stretched, or even broke, the limits and obligations set forth in
Washington’s constitution.
Shortly after I sent
my previous update, we got word that the state Supreme Court had issued a
favorable ruling in our case against the Legislature over its unconstitutional response
to I-940. The ruling sends the police-deadly-force initiative to the November
ballot, protects the initiative process, and establishes the supremacy of the
state constitution over the whims of some legislators who find it inconvenient.
We also recently
received a report from the Senate on remote testimony. As you know, this issue
directly affects us in eastern Washington. We must keep pushing to make this
important tool available across our state.
You can read more
about these, and other important topics, in this Report from Olympia.
Last, but not least, today is the 17th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on our country. The phrase we all said at the time was "never forget!" Unfortunately, far too many of us have forgotten the spirit of unity and purpose we had in the early days after the attack. Today, and as we approach session in January, let us each remember that spirit of unity. Let's work together to solve the problems we face as a state. And, yes, let's never forget.
It continues to
be a great honor to represent you in the Washington State Senate.
Sincerely,
Senator
Mike Padden
Condominiums provide
affordable home ownership
 Click here to watch the presentation before the Spokane Valley City Council.
Late last month, I had the opportunity to address the Spokane Valley City
Council on the issue of condominium construction regulations that have almost
fully eliminated the building of affordable condominiums in our state.
Arthur Whitten of the Spokane Home Builders Association and Jim Frank with
Greenstone Homes joined me in updating the council on changes that were made to
the Condominium Act in 2009, which were aimed at providing consumer protection
but ended up creating an insurmountable barrier to new condominium
construction.
At a time when many communities are facing a shortage of affordable
housing, policies that get in the way of increasing the housing supply make
absolutely no sense. The law needs to be changed in the 2019 legislative
session, and I hope to work in a bipartisan manner to accomplish this goal.
You can watch our full presentation by clicking
here or on the image above.
The state Supreme Court ruled late last month that the
police-deadly-force initiative should go to the voters on the November ballot.
Putting my personal views on Initiative 940 aside, the ruling was a decisive
victory for those of us who want to protect the initiative process. It
establishes clearly the supremacy of the state constitution over the whims of
some legislators who find it inconvenient, and try to work around the people.
I was one of the
plaintiffs in Eyman vs. Wyman, the
case that challenged the Legislature’s decision this year to amend I-940
without asking voters for approval. The court’s ruling means voters will be
asked to approve or reject the original proposal, without the changes adopted
by this year’s Legislature.
When I-940 came before
the Senate, our caucus unanimously warned the majority party that its tactic was an end-run around
the constitution, because the rules concerning ballot measures are clear. The high
court has reaffirmed the people’s ability to pass legislation by initiative,
independent of the Legislature. Hopefully my colleagues who supported the
unconstitutional move will learn that you can’t block a public vote on changes
to the people’s initiative and expect to get away with it.
Click
here to read my full comments on the ruling.
You can read additional coverage of the decision here:
In the News:
By Wilson Criscione, Inlander | Sep. 6, 2018
 Spokane Valley Homeless Connect is modeled after Spokane Homeless Connect, pictured above in 2014. Clarke Humphrey photo
On Friday, Sept. 14, the
first ever Spokane Valley Connect will take place at Opportunity Presbyterian
Church on 202 N. Pines Rd.
At Spokane Valley Connect,
people can find housing resources, get free youth sports physicals, sign up for
dental and health check-ups, or find mental health services. A full list of the
more than 40 on-site providers can be
found here.
…The event will have more
of a "family feel," says Aileen Luppert , the chair of the event's organizing
committee, recognizing that homelessness in Spokane Valley may look a little
different than it does in downtown Spokane. There will be educational services
there, along with school supplies for families that can't afford them.
Luppert says the event is
something that's been in the works for years, ever since the Spokane Homeless
Connect — which usually takes place in January — launched seven years ago.
Click
here to read the full article.
In the News:
U.S. nonfarm payrolls
expanded by 201,000, while private-sector hourly wages grew 2.9% from a year
earlier
By Harriet Torry and Sarah Chaney, Wall Street Journal |
Sep. 7, 2018
A robust economy drove U.S. wages higher in August,
new evidence that workers are gaining bargaining power with their employers as
the nation’s pool of available labor tightens.
The Labor Department reported Friday that
worker payrolls expanded by 201,000 in August and private-sector hourly wages
grew 2.9% from a year earlier. The payroll gain marked the record 95th
consecutive month of job growth—much of it near or slightly below that 200,000
monthly mark—and the year-over-year wage increase was the largest since
mid-2009.
The unemployment rate was 3.9% in August for
the second month in a row.
Wage growth has been a missing ingredient in
the expansion… but has been creeping higher, with the August reading marking a
new high.
You can read the full article by clicking
here.
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In our continuing effort to provide more
opportunities for the public to participate in the legislative process, I
requested an update in August on the remote testimony pilot program in the
Senate. Our Senate Committee Services staff responded with a summary of remote
testimony during the 2018 session. Here are some of the highlights:
  
I am pleased to see that remote testimony
is continuing to progress in the Senate, and that technical issues present in
the early days of the pilot program are being eliminated.
Remote testimony is so important because it
allows those unable to travel because of time, resources or physical ability to
still have their voices heard in Olympia on issues important to them.
The 2019 session starts in January, a time
when driving across the mountain passes can be impossible or life-threatening
due to weather.
Technology advances allow remote testimony to
serve as a fairly simple, common-sense solution to this problem. There is no
excuse for it not to be widely available in Washington, one of the most wired
and technologically advanced states in the country.
As a lawmaker who represents a district far
away from Olympia, I appreciate having an opportunity to hear directly from you
– the men and women I represent.
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