Friday April 28, 2023
On behalf of the Legislative Committee for the Mill Creek City Council:
“The Mill Creek City Council has made public safety one of its top priorities. Clarifying state law regarding drug possession in response to the State Supreme Court’s Blake decision should have been one of the Legislature’s top priorities, especially in light of the growing opioid and fentanyl epidemics plaguing our communities. We were therefore disappointed that the Legislature this session did not pass a permanent fix in state law for drug possession. The Mill Creek City Council was in favor of Senate Bill (SB) 5536 as it was passed by the Senate, which had bipartisan support. This issue cannot wait until the next regular session in January 2024 and should be addressed at the state level so there is uniformity in drug possession laws across the state.
The City Council’s Legislative Committee is pleased to hear that Governor Inslee may call a special session to pass a permanent fix prior to the July 1st expiration of the temporary fix the Legislature adopted in the 2022 session shortly after the Blake (controlled substance) decision was issued. However, unless a special session is called and the Legislature adopts a permanent fix it will be left to counties, cities and towns to individually fill the void. Mill Creek will be prepared if this happens. The City Council has directed the City Manager to work with Police Chief, City Attorney and Prosecuting Attorney to propose steps the City Council can take prior to July 1st in the event a special session is not called. Regardless, the City will then explore the adoption of an ordinance that will address the controlled substance issue(s) left in question. The Committee on behalf of the Council would like to thank Senator John Lovick for his work and dedication to public safety and addressing this issue."