Disaster mitigation, domestic violence, financial crimes and marijuana processing in residential zones are just a few of the items on Washington State Senator Kirk Pearson's agenda going in the 2015 legislative session.
Pearson (R-Monroe) represents the 39th Legislative District, which includes most of Snohomish and Skagit counties and a small section of King County. He is in his 15th year serving in the Legislature, having served six terms in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2012. He is the chairman of the Natural Resources and Parks Committee and sits on three other committees: Law and Justice, Governmental Operations and Rules.
Last year, Pearson received the 2013 Legislature of the Year award from the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.
The 105-day budgeting session officially began on Jan. 12. Before leaving for Olympia, Pearson provided the Monroe Monitor & Valley News with a snapshot of a few of the bills he plans on introducing.
Disaster mitigation
Not surprisingly, emergency response and disaster mitigation are one of the senator's priorities for the 2015 session. He has been working with the Washington Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) on an All Risk Mobilization bill, which would allow state mobilization resources to be used in the case of any disastrous incident GÇô not just in the case of fire.
"I'm delighted to be co-sponsoring that, especially with Oso being in my district,GÇ¥ Pearson said. "2014 was the year of disasters in our state; the biggest wildfires and then also the slide.GÇ¥
The WFCA has been pushing for all risk mobilization legislation as well, in response to an unintended specificity in the current RCW.
Washington state RCW 43.43.961, which was adopted after the Spokane County firestorm in 1991, is meant to efficiently provide equipment, personnel and other resources from around the state in the event of "disastrous fires or other disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness.GÇ¥ The law provides a source of reimbursement to a host fire department once it has exhausted all of its resources, and streamlines a more comprehensive emergency response in the event of a major incident.
As the regional coordinator of the northwest region of the state fire defense committee, Snohomish County District 26 Fire Chief Eric Andrews has been advocating for All-Risk Mobilization.
"As we know, fires are not the only natural disasters we face,GÇ¥ he said. "The legislation in the 1990s dealt with the most common disaster we face, which is fire. As fire service leaders, we knew this, and clearly it was our intent to utilize the mobilization act for any such disaster that overwhelmed the local fire resources.GÇ¥
A recent assistant Attorney General opinion interpreted the RCW in such a way that limited state mobilization resources to incidents involving fire only. This opinion disallowed support for other incidents including flooding or landslides.
"We immediately set out to fix this in the wording of the law,GÇ¥ Andrews said. "For several years now, we have, along with the Fire Commissioners Association, been lobbying the state lawmakers to fix this problem. We knew a major non-fire incident was around the corner, and the lack of authority to deploy all needed fire resources would be an issue. Unfortunately, it did happen this last year with the Oso mudslide.GÇ¥
Pearson said the All-Risk Mobilization legislation will be introduced at the very start of the session. "If you have good mobilization, lives can be saved,GÇ¥ he said.
Another bill that Pearson has on his agenda is a bill that would establish a library of LiDAR mapping, which would be accessible to municipalities as a resource. Geologists, city officials and other relevant parties would be able to use the mapping for the purpose of risk assessment when contemplating zoning changes and more. LiDAR technology uses lasers to gauge distances remotely by measuring reflected light.
"This bill would make the department of natural resources kind of the main repository,GÇ¥ Pearson said. "It's part of a disaster package I'm working on.GÇ¥
Marijuana processing in R5 zones
After attending a town hall meeting near Monroe last October, Pearson was motivated to craft legislation that would disallow marijuana production and processing in rural residential (R-5) zoning. Residents came together last year and formed the Concerned Citizens of Wagner Lake Community (CCWLC) after learning that a marijuana production and processing facility was being proposed for a 10-acre parcel on 132nd Street and 227th Avenue near Wagner Lake.
The CCWLC was concerned about a marijuana facility operating in the heavily residential, family-oriented neighborhood, close to Salem Woods Elementary school and Wagner Lake, which meets the criteria of a public park.
Pearson said that he is by no means prohibiting growing operations; he just doesn't feel that it's an appropriate land use for areas that are zoned residential.
"That is not the place,GÇ¥ he said. "I believe it's a public- safety issue.GÇ¥
Domestic violence bill
Pearson's domestic violence bill was introduced last year but didn't make it to the floor due to the short 60-day session. The legislation would strengthen laws against domestic violence by requiring felony domestic violence perpetrators to participate in community corrections supervision upon their release from incarceration.
"When they get out, they'll have to be under community corrections supervision for a duration,GÇ¥ Pearson said. "Right now we don't have that.GÇ¥
The law would serve to increase offender accountability, he said. When an offender is placed on community corrections, regular check-ins with a probation officer are typically mandatory. Offenders may be required to participate in things like drug and alcohol counseling, urinalysis testing and domestic violence treatment.
"I want people protected,GÇ¥ Pearson said. "Hopefully something like that will save lives, so I'm passionate about it.GÇ¥
Financial fraud
Pearson will also introduce legislation that would allow for larger penalties in cases of financial fraud. Designed to target professional identity thieves and career perpetrators of financial fraud, the law would affect individuals found guilty of financial fraud and possession of instruments like credit card skimmers, fake checks, fake identification cards and equipment used to produce fake driver's licenses or checks.
He said, under this legislation, possession of financial fraud instrumentation would become a Class C felony, which would allow prosecutors to seek more ambitious sentences.
"I'm targeting those that are more professional at what they're doing,GÇ¥ Pearson said. "I think it's a very good consumer bill.GÇ¥
Other legislative priorities for Pearson this session include education, mental health and transportation.
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