Two Republican state Senators pre-filed three bills ahead of the 2023 legislative session to reverse what they consider “criminal-friendly” laws recently passed by Democrats in the Legislature.
“One of our main goals this session is to advance bills that will help make people and communities safer in our state,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who is ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee and was a Spokane County District Court judge from March 1995 until January 2007. “Unfortunately, thanks in large part to harmful laws passed by our Democratic colleagues, many people throughout Washington are feeling less safe in recent years. They have every right to expect the Legislature to take action to reverse this alarming increase in crime.”
The first bill, Senate Bill 5034, is sponsored by Padden and would make it easier for law enforcement officers to pursue vehicles. The bill is a response to a law passed by the Legislature in 2021 changing the legal standard for vehicular pursuits.
“It’s no coincidence that crime has dramatically increased since this law was passed because it has severely restricted law-enforcement officers from pursuing suspects. Until we make it easier for officers to do their job, we’ll continue to see this spike in crime. Communities deserve better,” Padden said.
Senate Bill 5035, also sponsored by Padden, would make possession of illegal drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin a class C felony with diversion opportunities and drug court.
“In 2021 the Democratic majorities in the Legislature passed SB 5476, which reduced the penalty for drug possession to an unenforceable misdemeanor that does not effectively utilize data-supported drug court programs. It’s no wonder fatal drug overdoses are expected to hit record numbers in Washington this year. The Democrats’ law that decriminalized drugs has been an absolute and costly failure,” Padden said.
State Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, pre-filed Senate Bill 5011, which would restore second-degree robbery to the list of offenses counted as a strike under Washington’s voter-approved “three-strikes” law. In 2019, the Legislature dropped second-degree robbery from the list, a change made retroactive in another law in 2021. The changes allowed Roy Wayne Russell, Jr., a Clark County child rapist and murderer, to evade the mandatory life-without-parole sentence that comes with a third “strike.”
“There are more on the lifer list who could be resentenced and walk free someday. It’s as though the majority did this with no regard for the victims’ families,” Wilson said. “We need laws that are fair to victims, and this mistake needs to be fixed. I hope those who thought weakening the law was a good idea will recognize the error they made and join us to correct it.”
The 2023 legislative session begins on Jan. 9 and ends on April 23.
