<div dir="ltr" style=""><div><br />I never really thought of it that way. I guess that does seem like a reasonable policy rather than an unjust one. </div><br />
<div>Reminds me of the tenure system in an indirect way.</div><br />
<div>Bob Dickow, troublemaker<br /><br /></div>
<DIV style="BORDER-LEFT: #777 3px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px">-----Original Message-----<br />Subject: [Spam 4.11] Re: [Vision2020] Law lets legislators get pass on speeding tickets<br />From: "Paul Rumelhart" <GODSHATTER@YAHOO.COM><br />To: "Tom Hansen" <THANSEN@MOSCOW.COM>, "Moscow Vision 2020" <VISION2020@MOSCOW.COM><br />Date: 09/16/13 17:24:46<br /><br />
<DIV style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; COLOR: #000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The reasoning isn't just that they have to be *able* to get there to vote, it's there so that a local police department somewhere along the line can't just pull them over in an effort to delay them so that they are not able to vote in a way in which the police department doesn't approve of, or whoever might have "suggested" they delay them. <br /><br />While it does sound like an entitlement, it is there for a reason.<br /><br />Paul<br />
<DIV><SPAN><br /></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV dir=ltr>
<HR SIZE=1>
<FONT size=2 face=Arial><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com><br /><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com><br /><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Cc:</SPAN></B> Jeanne McHale <jeannemchale@hotmail.com>; Fritz Knorr <fritzknorr@gmail.com><br /><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Monday, September 16, 2013 8:11 AM<br /><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Vision2020] Law lets legislators get pass on speeding tickets<br /></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=y_msg_container><br />
<DIV id=yiv0427089517>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Courtesy of today's (September 16, 2013) Spokesman-Review.</DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV>--------------------------------------</DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV>
<H1 style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.2; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17); CLEAR: both; FONT-SIZE: 28px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Law lets legislators get pass on speeding tickets</H1>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>TACOMA - It's a joke shared privately among some state lawmakers in Olympia: Go ahead, drive as fast as you want on the way to the Capitol. You won't get a ticket - it's the law.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Though said in jest, the advice is rooted in reality. Legislators headed to work can't get speeding tickets - or so says the Washington State Patrol and at least one local police department.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>A spokesman for WSP said Washington lawmakers are constitutionally protected from receiving noncriminal traffic tickets during a legislative session, as well as 15 days before. The Tacoma Police Department abides by a similar policy, a spokeswoman said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The privilege not only applies to moving violations near the state Capitol in Olympia, but potentially anywhere in the state, State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The logic? Detaining lawmakers on the road - even for the time it takes to issue them a speeding ticket - may delay them from getting to the Capitol to vote, Calkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Lawmakers could be in Spokane, hundreds of miles from Olympia, and still get a pass if they tell a trooper they're headed to legislative business, Calkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"As soon as we find out they are a legislator, if they choose to tell us, then we need to get them on their way as soon as possible," Calkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The State Patrol's rule is known to many at the Capitol, though some consider it "informal mythology," said state Sen. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"It's commonly joked about," said Darneille, who has been in the Legislature since 2001. "I have never seen anything in writing … and I've never tested it."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Calkins said the dispensation comes from Article II, Section 16 of the state constitution, which says lawmakers "shall be privileged from arrest in all cases except treason, felony and breach of the peace" while the Legislature meets. That section of the constitution also says legislators "shall not be subject to any civil process" during the session and the 15 days prior.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The State Patrol considers a noncriminal traffic ticket a civil process, Calkins said, much like being summoned to court to respond to a civil suit.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The state attorney general's office issued a 1979 opinion that would suggest lawmakers aren't protected from receiving traffic tickets, but the law has changed since then, spokeswoman Janelle Guthrie wrote. Although traffic offenses were once considered criminal matters, the state began punishing most of them via civil fines in 1981.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Calkins said state lawmakers still can be arrested and cited for criminal behavior, such as driving under the influence. They can also receive parking tickets.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"It's not a complete free pass to go do anything they want to do and never be held accountable," Calkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The privilege doesn't apply year-round, as legislative sessions generally last 105 days in odd-numbered years and 60 days in even-numbered ones.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>But extra sessions can make the benefit last longer, as was the case this year, when lawmakers met for 153 days between January and June.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>State Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said when lawmakers discuss the perk, they mostly warn each other to avoid using it.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"If you're an elected official and you're ever involved with law enforcement, it's only going to create more problems for you if you say, 'Hey, I'm a member of the House,' or 'I'm a state senator,' " Jinkins said.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>But state Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, said sometimes lawmakers can't get a ticket even if they want one. Hunter said he was stopped for speeding during his first term in the House, and a state trooper refused to issue him a ticket even after he asked for a citation.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"I was going 71 miles per hour in Fife on the freeway," Hunter said. "I should have gotten a ticket."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>After that, Hunter introduced a bill in the House that would have clarified state law so legislators could still receive traffic tickets year-round. The 2005 bill didn't receive a hearing.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Other state lawmakers said they weren't aware of the State Patrol's practice and disagree with the idea of troopers giving legislators special treatment.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>"I think if they determine to give a ticket, they should," said Republican Sen. Mike Padden of Spokane Valley, a retired Spokane County District Court judge who chairs the Senate Law and Justice Committee.</SPAN></DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV>--------------------------------------<br /><br />
<DIV>Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV>"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.MoscowCares.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Tom Hansen</DIV>
<DIV>Moscow, Idaho</DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV>
<DIV>"<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">There's room at the top they are telling you still</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"> </SPAN> </DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">But first you must learn how to smile as you kill </SPAN><BR style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">If you want to be like the folks on the hill."</SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><SPAN><br /></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><SPAN>- John Lennon<br /></SPAN></FONT>
<DIV> </DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><br /></DIV> </DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV><br />=======================================================<br />List services made available by First Step Internet,<br />serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br /> <A href="http://www.fsr.net/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.net</A><br /> mailto:<A href="index.html?_n%5Bp%5D%5Bmain%5D=win.main.tree&_n%5Bp%5D%5Bcontent%5D=mail.compose&to=Vision2020@moscow.com" ymailto="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</A><br />=======================================================<br /><br /> </DIV> </DIV></DIV> </DIV>
<HR>
=======================================================<br />List services made available by First Step Internet,<br />serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br /> <A href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</A><br /> mailto:<A href="index.html?_n[p][main]=win.main.tree&_n[p][content]=mail.compose&to=Vision2020@moscow.com" target=_top>Vision2020@moscow.com</A><br />=======================================================</DIV></div>