Roach Bill Would Bring Parity to City and County Governments, Protect Property Values

Editor's Note: The following is a press release issued by Sen. Pam Roach's office Tuesday.

Sen. Pam Roach’s bill to grant a city or town the authority to define potentially dangerous litter as a nuisance and require its removal received a unanimous vote Monday from the Senate.  

“This bill, if signed into law, will bring parity to cities which currently cannot enforce nuisance laws,” said Roach, R-Auburn. “Counties can enforce laws aimed at requiring property owners to remove nuisance-level litter. Cities should have that authority, too.”  

Senate Bill 5323 was suggested by the Association of Washington Cities.  

SB 5323 would give local governments the authority to determine that litter and potentially dangerous litter is a nuisance and would require the cost of removal to be borne by the property owner. Roach says this legislation will help preserve property values in areas where homeowners or tenants store wrecked cars or trash in their front yards.  

“Local governments have a better handle of the needs of a community, and this is another tool cities will have to serve those needs.”  

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

More Local News:

Gretchen Corliss, an eighth grader at North Tapps Middle School in Lake Tapps, spent the last week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia.

Corliss was one of 27 students who served as Senate pages for the sixth week of the 2013 legislative session.  

“The program is a lot of fun and you get to see things most people don’t,” Corliss said. “I have been able to see offices people cannot get to, use the back stairwell in the Senate Chamber and be out on the Senate Floor with the Senators.”  

31st District Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, sponsored Corliss for the week.  

“I am proud Gretchen took advantage of the opportunity to Page in the Senate,” Roach said. “She is learning about what it takes to keep Washington the great state it is.”  

Corliss enjoys snow skiing, participating in her church youth group and being a spirit leader. She is the daughter of Beverly and Robert Corliss of Lake Tapps.  

Junior high/middle school and high school students who are interested in the Senate Page Program are encouraged to visit http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/.  

The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Pages, like Corliss, are responsible for such tasks as transporting documents between offices as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber in addition to attending page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process.

A photo of Corliss with Sen. Roach accompanies this story.