This guest column appeared in the Seattle Times, Feb. 24, 2016. After this column appeared, the Senate completed its investigation, revealing information about the conduct of the executive branch that was not mentioned in the governor’s report. By Sen. Mike Padden,...
Uncategorized
![Bipartisan plan to keep charter schools open passes Senate](https://src.wastateleg.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/20160112_140526jg.jpg)
Bipartisan plan to keep charter schools open passes Senate
Public charter schools would remain available to Washington students under bipartisan legislation passed today by the Washington State Senate. The plan, sponsored by Sen. Steve Litzow, directs charter school funding to come from the state’s Opportunity Pathways...
Linda Evans Parlette: 2016 a Year to Build on Results
By Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee In a short time, we begin a legislative session in which anything can happen – more true in 2016 than in most years. The key thing to remember is that, at least on the Senate side, we will hold true to the priorities that have...
Pam Roach: Preparation can shield state’s valued assets from cyberattack
This guest column was published in the Seattle Times, Jan. 3, 2016. The Legislature tackled cybersecurity during the 2016 session by passing Senate Bill 5628. The bill directs the state chief information officer to devise a process to detect and respond to...
Mike Padden and Dave Reichert: State needs greater justice system transparency
This guest column was published in The (Tacoma) News Tribune, Dec. 28, 2015. Ultimately the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board denied Timothy Pauley’s request for early release. The board instead noted the egregiousness of the crime, observed that Pauley’s...
Tim Sheldon: Opposing Inslee’s climate proposals is a bipartisan affair
This guest column was published in Crosscut, Oct. 21, 2015. In June 2016, the Inslee Administration released a new plan to impose carbon-cap regulations without a vote of the Legislature. By Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch A couple of weeks ago, Gov. Jay Inslee announced...
Sharon Brown and Mike Padden: Videoconferencing the next step in Washington’s participatory democracy
This guest column was pubished in The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review, Oct. 4, 2015. During the 2016 legislative session, opportunities for remote testimony were expanded as the Senate added Skype capabilities to its communication apparatus. Further upgrades to switching...
Sharon Brown and Tim Sheldon: State needs better clean energy approach than Inslee’s
This guest column was published in The (Tacoma) News Tribune, Aug. 13, 2015. In June 2016, the Inslee Administration released a new plan to impose carbon-cap regulations without a vote of the Legislature. By Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, and Sen. Tim Sheldon,...
Don Benton: Legislature stepped up for our state’s veterans
This guest column was published in The (Vancouver) Columbian, Aug. 8, 2015. As a result of Senate Bill 5974, the Legislature revisited the issue in 2016 and passed legislation (SB 6405) allowing supplemental veterans’ health insurance to be offered in the state of...
A messy session with a splendid finish
If ever there was a legislative session that proved Otto von Bismarck right, it is the one we just finished. Von Bismarck is the former German chancellor we always quote about legislating and sausage-making: “Laws are like sausages – it is better not to see them being...
A session that rewrote history, not always accurately
I was reading the other day that this year’s Legislature raised taxes by $480 million. This was news to me and I think to just about everyone on my side of the aisle, mainly because it isn’t true. That hasn’t kept our Democratic colleagues from claiming it. The whole...
Time at long last for House to pass drunk-driving bill
This post originally appeared in the leadership blog of the Majority Coalition Caucus, Exit 105. Before we wrap up our business for the year and start thinking about the long drive home, a drunk-driving bill awaits our action in the Legislature. Something we need to...