GOP Files 3 Bills to Rollback Limits on Law Enforcement

A pair of GOP Senators have pre-filed some bills ahead of the legislative session that begins January 9th.

  Bills would restore police chases, re-criminalize drugs

Senator Mike Padden (R-Spokane Valley) has introduced two of the bills. They are Senate Bill (SB) 5034 and 5035. According to GOP Senate Republicans, by way of Communications Director Tracy Ellis:

"Senate Bill 5035 would make possession or use of illegal drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin a class C felony with diversion opportunities and drug court."  This bill would counter the 2021 Democrat Senate Bill 5476 that basically de-criminalized hard narcotics and drugs.

" Senate Bill 5034  would change state law to again make it easier for law-enforcement officers to pursue suspects in vehicles."  This bill would counter several measures passed by Democrats that have basically all but eliminated the ability of law enforcement to pursue suspects.

Senator Lynda Wilson (R-Vancouver) has also pre-filed a bill that would return certain levels of crime to the three-strikes level. Again, from Ellis:

"Senate Bill 5011 R-Vancouver, supports her recent vow to restore second-degree robbery to the list of offenses counted as a strike under Washington’s voter-approved “three-strikes” law."

2nd-degree robbery was removed from the three-strikes criteria in 2019, then retroactively added again in 2021, but not before a number of criminals in our state were able to 'dodge' the three-strikes mandatory life-without-parole sentencing.

The legislative session begins January 9th in Olympia.