Salomon touts success in passing legislation on foreign campaign contributions, false police reports

State Sen. Jesse Salomon D-32

By Evan Smith

State Sen. Jesse Salomon noted success in enhancing enforcement of laws on foreign campaign contributions and on false police reports when he recently looked back at the 2020 legislative session that ended in March.

Salomon said Tuesday that with the federal government not enforcing campaign finance laws, it falls to the states to fight against foreign political influence.

“I was successful in passing Senate Bill 6152, which sets up state enforcement mechanism to prohibit foreign corporations from making donations to candidates for political office in Washington state,” Salomon said.

He also noted that he sponsored the Senate version of House Bill 2632, which increases penalties for people who make false police reports in order to dispatch swat teams to false emergencies.

“With HB 2632 now signed into law, I hope this will put a stop to this disturbing scare tactic used recently by white nationalists to threaten and traumatize people of color,” he said.

Salomon said that a disappointment was having Gov. Jay Inslee veto one of his bills.

“I was able to pass through the legislature a gill-net buy-back program to significantly reduce harm to salmon runs,” he said. “Unfortunately the Governor vetoed it.”

He noted Tuesday that he was continuing to work on several other issues including these: enacting training requirements for concealed-pistol-license applicants, helping orca and salmon recovery by increasing habitat and improving fisheries management practices, criminal justice reform, and fighting climate change.

Salomon is a Democrat representing the 32nd Legislative District which includes Shoreline, part of northwest Seattle, Woodway, part of Lynnwood, south Edmonds, six blocks of Mountlake Terrace, areas of unincorporated Snohomish county.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com