|
Report from Olympia | March 3, 2015
Dear
Friends and Neighbors,
Today
is day 51 of the 105-day legislative session. We’ve now passed a couple of
significant deadlines: the cutoff for policy bills to be passed by committees
and the deadline for the fiscal committees to complete their work, which came
on Friday.
We
now have a much better idea of which bills are still “alive” for this session,
and which are now considered “dead” for the year.
Yesterday,
the Senate also debated and voted on a transportation-revenue package, which
includes an 11.7-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gas tax, along with a
number of other fee increases. The package passed and was sent over to the
House of Representatives.
I
voted against this package, as I would have preferred that the important reforms
contained in it had been signed into law before any talk of new taxes.
I also think you should have had the right to overturn the package at the
ballot box, using the power of referendum reserved to the people by our state
constitution; unfortunately a referendum is prohibited thanks to the “emergency
clause” that was added to the bill.
One
of the casualties of the debate over the package was the two-thirds rule
for creating new taxes, which Republicans adopted at the beginning of session. Lt.Gov.
Brad Owen, who doubles as the president of the Senate, ruled that while the
transportation package did include newly-created taxes (in addition to the
increase in the gas tax), he didn’t view the two-thirds rule as constitutional
and he would not enforce it.
It
now appears a constitutional amendment is the only way to make sure that the
will of the people on this matter is taken seriously in Olympia.
We
anticipate spending the remainder of this week in the Senate chamber, voting on
measures to send to the House. Likewise, the House will be voting on bills to
send to the Senate. Each chamber has until March 11 to finish its work on bills
that originated there.
If
you have any questions about the legislative process or anything in this
newsletter, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to
serve as your state senator.
Best
Regards,
Senator
Mike Padden
 No man is an island, and no Senator can fully serve the people of his district without a great staff. We are fortunate to have a tremendous team serving the Fourth District in the state Senate. Pictured above, my Legislative Assistant Mike McCliment, Intern Tyler Sherwin and Session Aide Esther Ripplinger are committed to serving the people of our district and are always here to answer any questions you may have.
The bill to make a fourth DUI conviction in
10 years a felony is one step closer to Senate passage, after receiving a
“do-pass” recommendation from the Senate’s Ways and Means committee late on
Friday.
As you may know, the bill passed out of the
Law and Justice committee earlier this session with unanimous support, similar
to previous years when we have put forth similar measures. Everyone seems to
agree that the policy is a step in the right direction, but getting the bill
through the Senate fiscal committee has always been a bit tougher.
That’s why it was so important that the Ways
and Means Committee heard directly from the families of DUI victims such as the
Bartlett family.
Russell Bartlett, a wonderful man who
volunteered at hospices, was mowed down in 2014 by a drunk 27-year-old woman
driving her boyfriend’s RV. His family testified about the cost of not getting
serious about repeat DUI offenders.
Lawmakers have an obligation to look at the
emotional and financial costs to the Bartlett family and other victims of these
completely preventable crimes, when they weigh the cost of approving a bill.
(Last
week, Dale Panattoni, the son-in-law of Russell Bartlett, appeared on Seattle KIRO-FM’s
Dori Monson Show to urge support for the bill. You can listen to that interview
by clicking this
link.)
SB 5105 has the full support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, members of law enforcement and prosecutors. The bill now moves to the Senate Rules
Committee, the final stop before a vote of the full Senate.
|
 |
A lingering stink regarding judicial fairness
Last year there was a furor when it appeared the staff of the Office of Insurance Commissioner leaned on a judge in order to obtain favorable decisions. This rather troubling situation was possible because the judge in question, Patricia Petersen, was employed by the Insurance Commissioner’s office. But here’s the part I think ought to chill everyone who is concerned about the fairness and impartiality of the quasi-judicial hearings that take place within state-government agencies: Since then nothing has been done.
Click here to read my full blog entry...
Last
week my legislative seatmates, Rep. Matt Shea and Rep. Bob McCaslin, and I held
a telephone town hall.
I am happy to report that more than 3,400 residents of the 4th
District participated, and the feedback we received was tremendous.
This was a great way for the three of us to hear directly from
you, and there were a lot of interesting questions asked.
We also had the opportunity to ask participants several questions,
thanks to those of you who answered our instant polls. We averaged about 166
responses to each of the five questions that we posed. The topics ranged from
transportation to parental notification.
The results were enlightening. For example, we asked listeners if
they supported the proposed 11.7-cent- increase in the gas tax. Only 7 percent
of people said yes; 56.7 percent said no, with the rest undecided. More than 80
percent of those who took part in the poll were in favor of a constitutional
amendment to require a supermajority in order to raise taxes or a vote of the
people. Nearly 84 percent of respondents supported parental notification in
order for a minor to get an abortion (see
chart to the above).
I understand your schedule is extremely busy, so I really
appreciate the input and time of those who took part in the call.
|
| 
