MORNING SESSION

Senate Chamber, Olympia, Monday, June 10, 2013

The Senate was called to order at 10:00 o’clock a.m. by President Owen.

[Editor’s Note: The Senate convened a memorial session this day in memory of and to pay tribute to the late Senator Michael J. Carrell (April 10, 1944 – May 29, 2013) of the 28^th Legislative District who passed away while holding office. Members of the House of Representatives were present at seats within the Senate Chamber. His Excellency, Governor and Mrs. Jay Inslee and other invited speakers were seated at the rostrum.]

The Secretary called the roll and announced to the President that all Senators were present with the exceptions of Senators Bailey, Baumgartner, Benton, Billig, Hobbs, McAuliffe, Murray, Nelson and Roach.

The Washington State Patrol Honor Guard consisting of Lt. Zach Elmore; Lt. Johnny Alexander; Trooper Pete Stock; Trooper Makayla Morgan and Trooper Russ Sanders presented the Colors. Rev. Bill Johnson, Christ Lutheran Church, Lakewood and pastor of Senator Mike Carrell, offered the prayer.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the reading of the Journal of the previous day was dispensed with and it was approved.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the Senate advanced to the fifth order of business.

INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING

SB 5948 by Senators Braun, Chase, O'Ban, Keiser, Padden, Hill, Holmquist Newbry, Becker and Brown

AN ACT Relating to state procurement of goods and services; and amending RCW 39.26.200.

Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the measure listed on the Introduction and First Reading report was referred to the committee as designated.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the Senate advanced to the eighth order of business.

MOTION

Senator Schoesler moved adoption of the following resolution:

SENATE RESOLUTION
8664

By Senators Schoesler, Hargrove, Bailey, Baumgartner, Becker, Benton, Billig, Braun, Brown, Chase, Cleveland, Conway, Dammeier, Darneille, Eide, Ericksen, Fain, Fraser, Frockt, Harper, Hasegawa, Hatfield, Hewitt, Hill, Hobbs, Holmquist Newbry, Honeyford, Keiser, King, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Litzow, McAuliffe, Mullet, Murray, Nelson, O'Ban, Padden, Parlette, Pearson, Ranker, Rivers, Roach, Rolfes, Schlicher, Sheldon, Shin, Smith, and Tom

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was first elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1994, and spent ten years in the House before being elected to the Washington State Senate in 2004, again in 2008, and again in 2012, comprising a distinguished 19-year career dedicated to public service; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell authored the state's "Becca" laws, which help identify at-risk youth who skip school so they can be given the assistance they need to keep from becoming juvenile – and later adult – offenders; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell spearheaded the landmark prison and supervision reform bill, changing the criminal justice system in Washington and better protecting the public by assuring that no single community is overburdened by returning felons; and

WHEREAS, Balancing the care and treatment needs of the mentally ill with the protection of the public and employees of the state's mental health facilities was always a priority for Mike Carrell, who worked tirelessly to reform the state's mental health system; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was a vigilant watchdog of state government operation, constantly working to identify and eliminate areas of fraud, waste, or abuse of programs and services, drafting the first real reforms to the state's welfare laws since the program's creation; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell's fight to ensure those in management within state agencies were held to the highest ethical standard culminated with his Ethics in Public Service Act, which provides whistleblower protections to state employees who file ethics complaints; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was a stalwart defender of the United States and Washington State Constitutions, successfully shepherding two separate state constitutional amendments through the legislative and electoral process; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was as staunch a supporter of our country's military men, women, and families as ever could be found, sponsoring dozens of bills and resolutions honoring their service and sacrifice; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was an ardent pro-life supporter, each year speaking to crowds of thousands gathered on the Capitol steps for the annual March for Life in Olympia; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell could see history that needed preservation where others saw only dilapidation, driving his efforts to restore the grounds of Western State Hospital, identify the occupants of thousands of unmarked graves in its nearby cemetery, protect Fort Steilacoom's historic parade grounds, and restore DuPont's historic narrow-gauge dynamite train; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell – a self-professed "car buff" – spent his free time working under the hood restoring his three Triumph automobiles; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was also a lover of animals, sponsoring bills to combat animal neglect, cruelty, and abuse, and spending his weekends training and playing with his beloved German Shepherds; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell was also a master gardener, often spending his evenings in his backyard greenhouse cultivating lemons, grapefruits, and hibiscus; and

WHEREAS, Mike Carrell had a lifelong career in science and math education, retiring from the Franklin Pierce School District after having taught at Keithley Middle School, Franklin Pierce High School, and the district's GATES alternative school, as well as at the collegiate level; and

WHEREAS, Of Mike Carrell's many titles, such as "teacher," "mentor," "advocate," and "senator," perhaps his most cherished roles were as "husband" to his loving wife, "dad" to his four children, and "grandpa" to his five grandchildren;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor and remember the life and legacy of Senator Mike Carrell – a true statesman, devoted husband and father, and unwaveringly loyal friend who always put the needs of others before his own – who will be missed by his family, constituents, friends, and colleagues more than this resolution can convey; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Mike Carrell's wife, Charlotte Carrell, his three sons, Matthew, Larry, and Carlton, the commanding officers of Camp Murray and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Pierce County's executive and councilmembers, and representatives of each city in Washington's 28th Legislative District.

Senator Schoesler spoke in favor of adoption of the resolution.

The President declared the question before the Senate to be the adoption of Senate Resolution No. 8664.

The motion by Senator Schoesler carried and the resolution was adopted by voice vote.

REMARKS BY SENATOR HARGROVE

Senator Hargrove: “Well Mike was a good friend and it goes back a long time. When I first met Mike Carrell when he was lobbying for POPS an organization, father’s rights organization when I was in the House. I think about twenty nine years ago. Got to know him a little bit then and then when he got elected to the legislature and I came to the senate. We worked hand in hand on the states Becca Laws which I think is still our proudest moment as far as how it has changed our juvenile crime rate is this state and has actually reducing our adult crime rate too. It was land mark legislation. It was sweeping juvenile justice change and it was complicated legislation also. And then we worked together on the Hope Act because of his concern of at-risk youth and street kids extended beyond just Becca. Then when he came to the Senate he had a little bit of reputation of being a bomb thrower in the House. I think they’d gone into the minority but when he came to the Senate he was, quickly we found out that he was a statesman. We worked hard together on our Human Services & Corrections Committee which I think I can proudly say was the most bi-partisan committee in the legislature over the last two decades. Virtually every bill passed out of there unanimously in two decades. Obviously we had other Senators that were involved. Senator Jeanine Long was a good friend of mine also and Val Stevens but Mike Carrell was instrumental. He was maybe a little bit more conservative than some of the rest of us but he still worked to find solutions. I’m very happy to see retired Senator Debbie Regala setting next to me to because she worked with him. In fact, we thought he was brother and sister with her because their hair color as they worked on offender re-entry. They attended numerous meetings and worked with community groups and all sorts of advocates realizing as Senator Carrell did, if we don’t make a way for a future for people coming out of prison that they are going to re-offend and that’s going to be a public safety risk again so he was able to see through to that. He was always very interested in the safety of the workers at Western State Hospital, introduced legislation and worked on that continually. And then of course, we all remember his reputation of Mr. Science. I mean he always was giving us an explanation as a former science teacher on the floor of some chemical something that none of us could understand and I’m sure he was totally accurate but that all rolled up to the session when he came in front of the Natural Resources Committee and was explaining the problem with a lake near Western State and we had a twenty minute explanation of all the chemical dynamics in that lake and why this bill needed to pass and help fix that. Again, it was all Greek to us but he understood it very well. Something that I didn’t mention when we talked a week ago that I wanted to get in here is that he was also really Mr. Data. He actually loved WSIPP, the Institute for Public Policy. Every time we were considering a criminal justice bill he would be on the phone with Steve Aos over there going, ‘How is going to affect our crime rate and how many people are going to recidivate if we do this? Is this program going to benefit or is this just a good idea that doesn’t have any evidence behind it?’ He was very into doing things that scientically made sense and had real good research behind it. Well, there was other times too besides the work we did together where we’d sit around and talk about sports cars. When I was in college I owned an Alfa Romeo and he had Triumphs and he was convinced that his Triumphs were way faster and way better and we talked about that. Actually I enjoyed that quite a bit. I’ve moved from sports cars to motorcycles but none the less we just had a great time talking about those things too. So, it was a good friend as well as a great colleague and I have a few things for Charlotte and the family because I know that this is a very hard time and I have a scripture I’d like to read here. I read it when we did this last week and I think it’s still appropriate. Mr. President, if that is ok. Its Romans 8:35 and then 38 and 39.

‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distress or percussion or famine or nakedness or peril or sword.’ And verse 38 and 39:

‘For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come, nor heights nor depth nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.’

So we know that Mike is not separated from God. In fact he’s in a far better place but this love is here for the family and people that miss him so much and I wanted people to know that. There’s one more scripture that I’d like to read and that is Proverbs 22 verse 1:

‘A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving

favor rather than silver and gold.’ Mike Carrell has a good name.

Nobody is going to think of Mike Carrell with anything but the

goodness that was in him. There’s not going to be any part of his

memory that people are going, there was some scandal that

something negative to think about him. Mike Carrell passed with

a good name and I hope that’s a comfort to his family also. Thank

you Mr. President.”

REMARKS BY SENATOR SCHOESLER

Senator Schoesler: “Thank you Mr. President. Thank you Charlotte for asking that I be a part of this today for my good friend and colleague Mike. Thank you to Michelle, his aide, who stood with us through all of Mike’s difficult times. I said in a Point of Personal Privilege a week ago that this might be the most difficult speech I’ve given in my career, not much has changed. My confidence was brimming that Mike would be back here with us. Mike had the best medical care in the world available to him, the perfect match, the love and prayers of so many of us here and around the state that I just didn’t see anything else but Mike being here in November with us next year but he’s home with the Lord and that’s as it should be I guess. Had it not been for 1992 Mike’s career and mine would have been the same number of years together in the House and the Senate, an exact match. Mike had a passion here and will be talked about a lot for welfare reform. When he came that we all like to take credit for the savings now, improving people’s lives. His passion for corrections, Eastern State Hospital and others and how he cared about those people that worked there. The year before Mike came and started working the Becca bill I had a phone call a woman in my district who said, ‘Becca Hedman I think is my daughter:’ Found out for her sake it wasn’t but it could have been her, could have been my district. Mike took charge of that and he worked and worked for those passions. We’ve talked about his passion for his cars, his dogs and I really didn’t realize the extent of his gardening expertise and knowledge. That was really difficult for me because I had that passion and I never talked to him about it. And the ‘Mr. Science. ‘Well, we all talked about physics, geology, astronomy, agronomy, he could talk to me like a farmer. That was really good. You know, all those kids out there that had Mike for a teacher, they benefited. I pray all the children in this state have teachers of science as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as Mike Carrell. Afterwards we found out that one of the members of the Third House was one of Mike’s students. She never talked about it but she said, ‘Boy, did I learn.’ That’s what it’s most important about is learning. The bi-partisan work on corrections, the famous coin toss with Debbie Regala about who would sponsor a bill. That’s what this place is about. What it should be about anyway. Never forgetting the taxpayer, whether it’s what happened at DOC or EBT cards, Mike never forgot about the taxpayers that’s setting here. We in the Majority Coalition Caucus knew that no matter what happened with the Human Services & Corrections Committee, whether it was Co-Chairs, Chairs he could work with a tied committee and move policy and that’s important about this place in making it work, people that can work in any situation we ask them to serve in. So critical to the success of this state. We got to the cut off, you know for those of you that are not members of this body, we get a little growly at cut off time. My members are a little growly that there not getting what they want. Your members a little growly they don’t get everything they want and as we stepped off the floor that evening Mike walked up to me and he said, ‘Mark, thank you for the greatest session I ever had’ and I put it in perspective. A man with serious health risk said this is the greatest session ever. It really made you stop and realize what was important and it did for me. The other thing was, we’re voting on a budget, we didn’t know how the budget would turn out, what was going to happen that day. A little bird in the wings told me Mike wants to come down here and vote. He had no business being here and his nurse and angel Charlotte made sure he didn’t try to come down here and do that because above all we wanted Mike back and we would have never risked Mike’s health for any gain here. So, his dedication was to the end. A man of character, hard work and love. He’ll leave a whole in my heart and that of many others. Thank you.”

REMARKS BY SENATOR DAMMEIER

Senator Dammeier: “Thank you Mr. President. I rise in strong support of this resolution. I’m confident that Mike Carrell is the type of citizen legislator that our fore fathers had in mind when they created this government and that our citizens want us to be. He was extremely hard working, started on the campaign trail. For those of you who aren’t familiar, I grew up in Mike’s legislative district and currently have the privilege of serving in the district right next to him so we have a lot of things in common in Pierce County. Being from a swing district he was a very hard campaigner. It started as many members from Pierce County know the folks from the Twenty Eighth District are very familiar with, he had some not too subtle campaign signs that were all variety shades of fluorescent colors with the name Carrell in there so they got your attention. He was also know for door belling very hard and he wanted people to know that he didn’t take their vote for granted, that he was out there earning their vote every time even through the times that he served here he continued to door bell and get out there on the door step and earn their vote. He also understood that there are things you can only learn about your district by walking the streets and talking to people on their door step, that if you’re going to represent them well down here you have to know your community and that’s how you do that. There’s been a lot of talk already about the fact that he was a very hard working legislator. This session alone besides being a chair of a major committee with I don’t know how many bills going through it. He prime-sponsored thirty nine pieces of legislation. Seventeen of which passed the senate, eight of which were signed into law. Those of you who may not be familiar with this place, that is an incredible testament to the respect to this institution both here and across the rotunda that have for Mike that when he wasn’t even here his bills moved forward. That’s because he worked very hard on policy, we’ve heard a lot of talk about the work with Senator Regala and Senator Hargrove. He wanted to get it right for the citizens of this state, for the citizens of his community, for the taxpayers of the State of Washington. He wanted to do the right thing for the right reasons. He also, and some of you may have noticed in the slide show we have up there, occasionally there’s been more than one picture where Mike would stand on the senate floor with the red book in his hand. Now, for the people down here they all understand what that means but for the people up there may not appreciate the significance of that. While he was extremely collaborative, he was always looking solutions. If anybody is standing on the floor with this book in their hands, this is our rules, and you only pull this out when there’s some vigorous and spirited debate going on on the senate floor. So, he would always rise to that challenge as well. He was not one that would shy away from a good dust up on the senate floor. I’ll close with a kind of personal story of Mike and I. In typical Senator Carrell fashion he offered a bill in 2009 he thought struck that important balance of helping our felons re-enter life successfully, get back on the right track and become constructive members of our society and balancing tax payer’s needs, saving some money. He offered that bill. It passed. I was in the House at the time, voted against it, probably a mistake on my part maybe at this time. He reminded me of that on more than one occasion but there was a situation that came up in my community around a half-way house that had to do with that bill. I was proposing that we make some adjustments to that bill. Now, there are many legislators, none on this floor I’m sure, that treat their legislation kind of like their babies and if you were to challenge the cuteness or the perfectness of their legislation some legislators would take great offense at that and rise in defense. There’s no way it could ever get better. This is my legislation and it passed and all that. So, when I was approaching Senator Carrell about this situation in my community in this legislation I was hoping to offer I was a little concerned he might take that kind of approach and I could understand that because, like I said, I had opposed the bill in the House. That wasn’t Mike Carrell. Mike Carrell wanted to get it right all the time. He was perfectly open. He understood the situation in my community. He was always open trying to make the bill, make the legislation better. If there was a way to do it, he was open to it. He didn’t have that pride of ownership that can become counterproductive. We worked on that bill so, despite the fact that he had thirty nine of his own bills to look after, despite the fact that he had a committee to look after with very significant legislation going through it and despite the fact that this legislation I was proposing was delicate. It had a lot of interest groups and a lot of different ways and it was a challenging bill to work your way through. We went through I believe twelve revisions of the bill in the Senate. Took an incredible amount of work on Mike’s behalf. Again, when he had a ton of work load and at a time when he was ill. He took the time to work with me to help me pass that bill despite all the reasons why he could have very easily chosen not to. He invested a lot of time in me and a lot of time in that legislation. That legislation passed both houses unanimously and when Mike was ill and I would call him in the hospital the first thing out of his mouth was always, ‘What’s the status of that bill? What’s the status of 5105?’Always thinking about me, always thinking about others first. So, I guess I would close with the fact that Mike Carrell sets a tremendous example for all of us to emulate. I am going to do my best to live up to that example. Thank you Mr. President.”

REMARKS BY SENATOR O'BAN

Senator O'Ban: “This is my first speech on this floor, what an honor. No one felt the honor of this place greater than Mike Carrell, No one lived the honor of this place better than Senator Mike Carrell. Mike Carrell now belongs to the ages but we preferred it when he belonged to us here. We admired him. We admired his tenaciousness, his diligence, his conscientiousness. We admired his statesmanship, the way he would reach across the aisle and get things done. We respected his natural inquisitiveness and for about his love of science and we admired the way he valued anyone with any idea to get good legislation passed for the good of this state. Mike said that every day when he stepped onto this campus he told me he would thank the Lord for the privilege of being here. He was famous for responding to constituents calls so promptly that it would make the constituents shocked. I can’t tell you how many times I would be on the phone with Mike about something important, as far as I was concerned and he would say, ‘Oh, I got to take this call from a constituent.’ I had a chance to sit in Mikes office when I was preparing my remarks. I looked around his office, there’s the photograph of Becca Hedman, the name sake for perhaps his most important bill. On the other wall was full of awards he’d received from interest groups that crossed the political spectrum. There was a photo of him with his beloved caucus smiling. And then there was that plague of Freedom Bridge which he had renamed in honor of those men and women who marched across that bridge to Iraq and Afghanistan. Mike was, as has been mentioned a prodigious campaigner. No one had the science of campaigning down better than Mike Carrell. He showed me the precise manner in which you were to pound a campaign sign into the ground and when I thought I got it all and I was pounding my first sign into the ground to show him I can still see the flash of disappointment that crossed his face. You can tell a lot about a man by the amount of loyalty that he evokes in others. Mike and I this last election cycle had a chance to run for public office at the same time and when we each put out a call for volunteers they all gravitated over to Mike’s campaign to put up his signs, wave his signs and lick his envelopes. But I wanted to say what I regard and I think everyone in this body would regard was the most admirable trait of my friend Mike Carrell and that’s Charlotte, the love of his life. They met in 1976 and married within months. What a team. What a partnership. You can tell about the character of a man by the intensity of the love of those closest to him. Charlotte, the pain is always greater when we risk the most to love fully but one is not possible without the other. The greatest tribute to Mike is the devotion he evoked in you, the love of his life. Charlotte told me that on the day of Mike’s death that it was her greatest honor to be Mike’s wife. My endearing memory of Mike is when I came over from the House after hearing that he’d been diagnosed with this illness and I wanted to talk with him. We sat over there on one of the couches. His scientific detail, methodically explained what was happening inside his body and then for a moment his voice broke and he turned to me and he said, ‘Steve, I put my hands in the Almighty God’ and then he recovered his composure and greeted his senators who came up to him and wished him well. A great life like the one Mike lived leaves a great hole but big lives illustrate something, that our lives have tremendous meaning, that our lives have tremendous significance. Mike was a Christian and the Almighty God that he entrusted his life to will raise him up to the great last day and on that day, redeemed from sin and his body whole, I will see my friend again. His weariness will be gone. He’ll have a sound mind and we’ll greet each other with a smile and the sorrow of this fading parting will be gone. Precious in the eyes of the Lord are the death of the saints.”

INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS

The President welcomed and introduced His Excellency, Governor and Trudi Inslee who were seated at the rostrum.

REMARKS BY GOVERNOR INSLEE

Governor Inslee: “On behalf of the people of the State of Washington and the entire state wants to extend our condolences to the family and friends, colleagues of Senator Carrell. We know that this is so difficult for Charlotte and sons and five grandchildren but I do hope we can attempt to assuage them from that grief by reflecting on the twin legacies of Senator Carrell. And when I say twin legacies because I think there are two equally important parts of his public service, legacy. The first being his time as a science teacher and I just want to note that legacy and part because I have some sense of what it means to our community. I’m the son of a science teacher myself and I know that there’s three things that I want to note about his public education legacy. First, we know he spent hours grading papers late at night. I know what that means. I want to show the respect for that part of his legacy. Second, I want to thank him for his sharing science with our community. It’s nice to know that in the state of Washington there are people out there who understand the problems of the acidification of our lakes and oceans now in part because of his commitment to the legacy of teaching science. Third, most importantly I know that there are people out there today who have heard of the Senator’s passing who thinks you know I remember my teacher Mr. Carrell and I’m a doctor because of that or a teacher or I’m a nurse and it’s because of that legacy. There are people all across the state of Washington walking that legacy. His legacy is as much in his pupils as it is in his legislation. But I also want to remark on a very significant public career as a legislator. We know his commitment as protecting at-risk youth from harm and exploitation that was translated to the Becca Bill and that was as Senator Hargrove said a major achievement. It was not easy. It was not a slam dunk. It was something that took some gracious legislative work and that happened because of his leadership. I didn’t get to know the Senator as well as anyone else in this chamber because I came late to this in his legislative career but it was amazing to me as I was signing bills this year I think every other bill was Senator Carrell’s bill. And I got to give a lot of pens to his staff. He did as much during his illness as we do in our health, in the last few weeks of his legislative career. The last bill of his I signed Senate Bill No. 5282 was a continuation of his recognition of the importance of mental health. That bill will allow law enforcement to access a complete list of individuals who should be prevented from owning firearms due to mental illness. It passed the House and Senate unanimously. He had twin legacies. We should celebrate them both and for that we want to honor his legacy and public service.”

The President introduced former Representative Gigi Talcott for a reading of the Scriptures

REMARKS BY FORMER REPRESENTATIVE TALCOTT

Representative Talcott: “Thank you. Our memorial to Mike will be closing with a word of thanks, a prayer and a musical tribute by current Representative Maureen Walsh. Senator Carrell’s family would like to thank each and every one of you on the floor of the chamber and up in the galleries for making the time to join them in this special place to pay tribute to their loving husband, father, grandfather and loved one. Please join me in prayer:

Father, we thank you for the precious freedom to gather in this special place and all places of worship. As we grieve the loss of our loved one and special friend Mike Carrell, may be each remember Mikes legacy of integrity, passion, teamwork, devotion to his loved ones and equal dedication to our representative republic that he so loved. May each of us take a piece of Mike’s amazing legacy or legacies with us to add to our own and as we go our separate ways we ask that the peace of God, the Father, and the love of Christ, His Son will strengthen Mike’s loved ones in each of us as we continue our own life journeys.”

Representative Walsh performed ‘I Can See Clearly Now.’

The President offered his thanks and the appreciation of the Senate and the Carrell family to all who attended and participated in the day’s memorial for Senator Carrell.

INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS

The President recognized Senator Carrell’s widow, Charlotte Carrell and the Carrell family as well as friends who were present in the gallery

MOTION

At 10:49 a.m., on motion of Senator Fain, the Senate was declared to be at ease subject to the call of the President.

AFTERNOON SESSION

The Senate was called to order at 1:35 p.m. by President Owen.

MOTION

Senator Ranker moved adoption of the following resolution:

SENATE RESOLUTION
8663

By Senators Ranker, Eide, King, Bailey, Hasegawa, Padden, Hewitt, Billig, Dammeier, Chase, Keiser, Tom, Honeyford, Kohl-Welles, Hobbs, Nelson, Fraser, Pearson, Becker, Holmquist Newbry, Braun, Kline, Brown, Smith, Litzow, Ericksen, Conway, Frockt, Parlette, Hargrove, Roach, Hill, Fain, Rivers, Schoesler, Baumgartner, Darneille, Murray, Schlicher, McAuliffe, Shin, Harper, Hatfield, Benton, Cleveland, O'Ban, Sheldon, Rolfes, and Mullet

WHEREAS, Sean M. O'Connell Jr. was born September 10, 1974, in West Islip, New York and graduated from Pawling High School in Pawling, New York; and

WHEREAS, Sean M. O'Connell Jr. served our country honorably in the United States Navy from October 13, 1992, to June 24, 1997, receiving numerous commendations and service medals; and

WHEREAS, Sean M. O'Connell Jr. was commissioned on March 1, 1999, with the 82nd Trooper Basic Training Class as a Washington State Patrol Trooper and assigned to Marysville; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. became a strong and vital link between the work of the Washington State Patrol and the community he served; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. fully embodied the Washington State Patrol's motto of "Service with Humility" by performing his duties professionally with a positive attitude, a ubiquitous smile, and a deep respect for the community he served; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. honored Washington State Patrol Badge #1076 on his chest and on his patrol car license plate through years of selfless and courageous service; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. was tragically killed in the line of duty on May 31, 2013, after preserving the safety of others for nearly 15 years with the Washington State Patrol; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. will be missed dearly by his brothers and sisters in the State Patrol family and law enforcement, and his spirit of service will continue through the lives he impacted as well as those he touched throughout the community; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. was not only a loving son and brother but also a devoted husband to his wife Alissa for more than 12 years and an adoring father to his 7 year old son Kian and 5 year old daughter Miley;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate express its deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and community that have lost Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr.; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate join the people of the State of Washington in commending, saluting, and honoring Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr. for his exemplary and exceptional service; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate express profound appreciation and enduring gratitude to the brave men and women who protect our state every day as members of the Washington State Patrol; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the surviving family members of Trooper Sean M. O'Connell Jr., Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste, and Washington State Patrol Marysville District Commander Jeffrey R. Sass.

Senators Ranker, Eide and King spoke in favor of adoption of the resolution.

The President declared the question before the Senate to be the adoption of Senate Resolution No. 8663.

The motion by Senator Ranker carried and the resolution was adopted by voice vote.

INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS

The President recognized Trooper O’Connell’s widow, Alissa O’Connell and their children, Kian and Miley as well as Trooper O’Connell’s father and stepmother; his mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law; WSP Chief John Batiste and Trooper Dian Glover; and other Troopers and representatives of the Washington State Patrol who were present in the gallery.

MOTION

At 1:50 p.m., on motion of Senator Fain, the Senate adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

BRAD OWEN, President of the Senate

HUNTER GOODMAN, Secretary of the Senate