Archives

Making Us Safer on the Roads, in Public Places and in our Homes

Traffic Problems and Transportation Choices

Roger is the Chair of the House Public Safety Committee and also as a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Roger has worked successfully to enhance public safety. Roger is especially distinguished for his work to reduce drunk driving and domestic violence, which are the greatest sources of harm in our society.

He has passed more than a dozen pieces of major legislation to address these chronic problems and his work in this area has earned him national acclaim.



Awards

 

  • The District and Municipal Court Judges Association for his work to reform the trial courts
  • The Mountains-to-Sound Greenway for his work to link trails along the I-90 corridor
  • And by several other diverse organizations.

Legislative Accomplishments

Roger has won countless awards during his decade in office, including being the first Washington state legislator to win the “Safety Champion Award” from the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA). In 2013, he received national recognition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). He also received the 2012 Norm Maleng Award from the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence for his groundbreaking work in revising Washington’s domestic violence laws. (more…)

Reforming the Courts and the Justice System

Roger has held countless meetings of experts in the justice system over the years to help reform the operation of our court system and to provide better access to justice.

Roger has sponsored many bills to improve the local court process for citizens like you.

So, what is the effect of these changes? If you need to go to court, you’re more likely to deal with the matter locally.

  • For victims, that means not traveling far from home.
  • For those running afoul of the law, you’ll have local courts keeping you in line.

Roger’s many bills reforming the justice system include:

  • HB 1328 (Chapter 260, Laws of 2015, enacted as companion SB 5125), expanding the jurisdiction of the District Courts.
  • HB 1320 (enacted as budget proviso to SB 6052, Chapter 4, Laws of 2015), providing Washington State ID cards to prisoners upon their release to ease their re-entry into the community.
  • HB 1406 (Chapter 294, Laws of 2013, enacted as companion SB 5236), reforming the law of defamation, providing opportunities for clarifications and corrections.
  • HB 1065 (Chapter 92, Laws of 2013), requiring that the statute of limitations for initiating arbitration proceedings apply as they do in all other civil causes of action.
  • HB 2603 (Chapter 177, Laws of 2012, enacted as part of SB 6240), revising the Juvenile Disposition Grid, the sentencing system for juvenile offenders.
  • HB 1361 (Chapter 227, Laws of 2009), a significant reform of criminal sanctions allowing sentencing courts to hold non-violent offenders accountable through the use of county-supervised treatment programs and other alternatives to incarceration.
  • HB 1261 (Chapter 81, Laws of 2009), putting in place a new system of interstate court procedures in cases of establishing guardianship of vulnerable adults by parties outside Washington State.
  • HB 1159 (Chapter 26, Laws of 2009, enacted as companion SB 5135), increasing the number of King County District Court judges to accommodate overwhelming caseloads.
  • HB 1158 (Chapter 330, Laws of 2009), allowing for electronic juror registration, resulting in a significant expansion of the juror pools for the trial courts.
  • HB 2557 (Chapter 227, Laws of 2008), a major piece of legislation reorganizing the jurisdictions of the District and Superior Courts and the roles of judges and commissioners, among many other reforms.
  • HB 2236 (Chapter 475, Laws of 2007), a comprehensive revision of Washington’s probate laws, governing the inheritance of property.