Report from Olympia -- Dec. 4, 2014

105 Newhouse Building ● P.O. Box 40404 ● Olympia WA 98504-0404
4TH DISTRICT OFFICE (open through December 2014): (509) 921-2460

Dec. 4, 2014

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This interim (the time between legislative sessions) has been very busy. We have made major strides in bringing attention to issues ranging from impaired driving and the need to increase public safety to human trafficking, the separation of powers and open government. Please keep reading for the latest news concerning these topics and our outreach efforts.

One of the things that's nice about being back home is getting to see many of you face-to-face, including the opportunity to meet with numerous local businesses, community organizations and church groups, as well as meeting with local groups working to stop human trafficking here in eastern Washington.

As we prepare for the 2015 legislative session, I hope you'll take the time to connect with my legislative office and share your thoughts. As always, if there is anything we can do for you, or if you have questions about anything in this e-newsletter, please don't hesitate to contact me. My 4th Legislative District office is in Suite 305 at 11707 East Sprague Avenue, in the Spokane Valley City Hall building. It is staffed by my legislative assistant, Mike McCliment. The phone number is 921-2460. Starting in January, Mike and I will be back at the Capitol and you can reach us there via the toll-free legislative hotline: 1 (800) 562-6000.

It's my privilege to serve you in our state Senate. 

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden
4th Legislative District

 

Historic Law and Justice committee work session builds support for remote testimony 
The Senate Law and Justice Committee held a historic work session on Nov. 21, which featured a live audio-video connection to what served as a satellite hearing room on the Spokane Community College campus. This test of the Legislature's ability to host a remote-testimony site was a tremendous success, with three people successfully testifying and the media supporting our call to expand this option to other locations and committees.

The technology used is not new. Since becoming committee chair in 2013, I have frequently arranged for policy experts to address members of the panel by telephone, e-mail and even by video. Other committees have done this for years as well. What made this work session historic is that for the first time, the Legislature set up a remote location, where members of the public could gather and be seen as well as heard by lawmakers back in Olympia. 

As this positive editorial in the Seattle Times points out, "Remote testimony increases transparency of the lawmaking process. It saves citizens interested in particular legislative proposals time, money and the potential hazard of wintertime driving. And both are gained at minimal cost.

"...This session, remote testimony should become routine. Testimony sites could be set up at meeting rooms at community colleges across the state."

The Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board agrees, writing: "Constituents now have a number of communication tools via email, snail mail or telephone, but video conferencing allows for a much more in-depth and insightful give-and-take. The visual component allows the use of charts and other cues for communication that can be much more effective than the alternatives."

The Spokesman-Review editorialized in favor of remote testimony in advance of the work session, and reported on the successful trial after the fact.

There is still more work to be done. Legislative administrators still need to give final approval in order for remote testimony to become a mainstay of public hearings during a session, but I am optimistic that our history-making test run last month went a long way toward proving the technology is viable and building public support for this common-sense approach to increasing public access to, and engagement with, state government.

If you missed this historic work session, it is available on TVW's website: 

 

Work session puts spotlight on new technology to stop impaired drivers

 
One of the important topics discussed at last month's Law and Justice work session was the effort by Dr. Herb Hill, longtime chemistry professor at Washington State University, to develop a breath-analysis test for marijuana. The device uses technology similar to those already used by law enforcement to detect explosives or chemicals during security screenings.

With Washington, Colorado and other states legalizing recreational marijuana use, it is more important than ever that law enforcement has all the tools it needs to protect citizens from impaired drivers.

Coverage of the work session in the News Tribune has resulted in national attention for WSU's groundbreaking research, including mentions in USA Today, Tech Times, the Drudge Report, and on CBS News, among others.

 

Committee sends 2014 report on child sex trafficking to Legislature
On Tuesday the attorney general's office announced that the Washington Statewide Coordinating Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children had released its 2014 Initial Report to the Legislature. Its first recommendations include:

• Expand and support task forces. Washington has already established five regional anti-trafficking task forces, which promote coordination and training among law enforcement, social services, businesses, schools and other groups that may encounter child victims.
• Better publicize the warning signs. Educate the public about danger signs so friends and family can recognize when a child may be involved in sex trafficking.
• Improve data collection. The more that is understood about the scope of the problem and the activities of traffickers, the more leaders can build effective strategies to stop them.
• Support victims. The Legislature and the committee should work to find new funding to support victim services, from medical care to job training to housing. Stakeholders should also work to leverage existing funding, such as drug and gang task forces.

In the past year, Washington's anti-trafficking efforts have received the highest possible marks from two organizations involved in eradicating sex trafficking: Vancouver, Wash.-based Shared Hope International and Washington, D.C.-based Polaris Project.

Even though we have some of the strongest anti-trafficking laws on the books, we cannot be complacent. We will continue our efforts to shine a light on this issue and work in a bipartisan manner to enact solutions.

The protection of our children is everyone's responsibility and each of us has a role: the Legislature, through the laws it makes; the officers who enforce those laws in our communities, and the community leaders and parents who are in the best position to notice when children are being targeted.

 

Teens: Come learn more about your state government
Applications being taken now for teen page program

 

Last month, Horizon Middle School invited me to share information about the legislative process and the Senate page program.

Each year I have the privilege of sponsoring local teens to serve as legislative pages in Olympia. If you are between the ages of 14 and 16, please consider applying for the 2015 session.

As a page you will spend a week performing tasks like delivering items, assisting legislative offices and working on the Senate floor. Part of the day is also devoted to attending Page School where you learn all the ins and outs of the legislative process in a more detailed way. You can find out more information by watching this video.