| Geoff Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 47th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2000 |
|
| Preceded by | Phil Fortunato |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Washington |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Covington, Washington, Issaquah, Washington, Kent, WA |
| Alma mater | Saint Louis School (Honolulu, HI) |
| Occupation | firefighter, small business owner |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1981-1986 |
| Rank | E-5 |
Geoffrey H. "Geoff" Simpson is serving as a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 47th district. Prior to his election in 2000, Simpson served as a member of the City Council of Covington, Washington and as Mayor Pro Tempore.[1]
Contents |
He is a member of three committees, including the Transportation Committee, the Insurance, Financial Services, and Consumer Protection Committee, and the Local Government Committee, where he serves as chairman.[2]
Simpson’s legislative career has focused on several key issues and problems. The second bill Simpson introduced after being elected to the state legislature was to equalize the penalty for hit-and-run death with the penalty for vehicular homicide involving alcohol. [3] Previously the law allowed hit-and-runs resulting in death to be punishable by sentences only up to 2 years and 3 months, in effect incentivizing a person to leave the scene of vehicular homicide crimes if they had been drinking. Simpson’s inspiration for the legislation came from a first-hand experience as a Kent firefighter when he was dispatched to the scene of a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of Carol Thueringer. [4] Simpson also sponsored HB 2713 which expanded the state database of DNA samples from criminals primarily convicted of sex-related offenses.
In the wake of reports of price gouging by various merchants around the state of Washington after the September 11, 2001 attack on America, Simpson introduced legislation to protect consumers from the practice.[5] In January 2003, Rep. Simpson introduced legislation to regulate the practice referred to as "dead peasants insurance" whereby corporations purchased life insurance on employees without that employee’s knowledge or consent.[6] On April 28, 2003, Simpson was pictured on the front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer receiving a bi-partisan hug from Republican legislator Shirley Hankins of the tri-cities.[7]
On January 19, 2004, Simpson introduced HB 2660 which was signed into law and required a DUI offender to install an ignition interlock device as a condition of restoration of their driving rights.[8] The legislation was hailed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as the first of its kind in the nation.[9] Simpson also sponsored legislation lauded by the Seattle Post intelligencer that would create the SR 167 HOT Lanes pilot project, which was instrumental in maximizing throughput and reducing congestion during peak commute times on this important South King County corridor.[10]
In February, 2005, Simpson sponsored a bill that passed the Washington State House focused on offering financial incentives for state employees who chose to purchase cheaper Canadian prescription drugs. The bill also authorized state agencies to buy prescription drugs directly from Canada pending FDA approval. Governor Gary Locke was inspired by Simpson’s legislation to create a Washington State website to assist residents in purchasing drugs from Canada.[11] [12] Simpson continued his efforts to help Washingtonians access cheaper prescription drugs from Canada in the 2005 legislative session.[13] [14] In the 2006 legislative session Simpson supported HB 2292, which regulated medical malpractice by focusing on patient safety, insurance industry reform, and health care liability reform by reducing cost of dispute resolution without infringing on fundamental rights of individuals.[15]
Simpson sponsored two resolutions in the Washington State Legislature opposing the war in Iraq. The first, HJM 4008, opposed pre-emptive action in Iraq and was introduced in January 2003, nearly two months before the ill-advised invasion. The second, HJM 4004 introduced on January 23, 2007, opposed escalated action in Iraq.[16][17] In the 2008 session, Simpson prime sponsored House Bill 3289 [18] that was enacted to create a “Washington Gold Star Families” license plate to honor the sacrifice of families who had lost a loved one to war.[19]
In February 2007, Simpson introduced legislation to create a NASCAR track in Washington.[20] The bill was supported by Washington Lt. Governor Brad Owen and others as a tool to create thousands of new jobs and bring billions in new revenue into Washington State.[21]
In January 2008, Simpson wrote a guest editorial for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the issue of taxes and regional transportation. The editorial was critical of policy that requires Puget Sound residents to pay more for their highway costs than the rest of the state and proposed ending regional financing of the state highway system.[22] In the 2009 legislative session, Simpson prime-sponsored HB 2214,[23] which allowed a consolidated rental car facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to restart construction after being halted during the 2008 global economic meltdown. Restarting construction created an estimated 3,000 jobs in South King County at a time when thousands of construction workers were unemployed.[24]
In the 2010 legislative session, Simpson was the prime sponsor for HB’s 2830 and 2831 which increased regulatory tools for the Department of Financial Institutions to intervene when financial institutions were in financial trouble. The legislation increases the Department’s ability to suspend officers who commit fraud and the ability to impose civil fines on law-breakers.[25] Simpson also sponsored HB 2739 in the 2010 session,[26] the House companion of a new law to increase the safety of children in school crosswalk zones by allowing crossing guards to report vehicles driving dangerously to police who can issue double fines after investigation.[27]
The President of the Association of Washington Business praised a new law enacted by Simpson in the 2010 session which clarifies regulatory authority over shorelines noting that “If the bill had not passed, scores of existing residential, commercial and industrial buildings — homes, restaurants, hotels, marinas, resorts, and manufacturing buildings — were in jeopardy of being declared "nonconforming" uses, a designation that threatened to stifle business growth.” [28]
In 2003 Simpson was declared Legislator of the Year by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.[29]
In May 2006, Simpson was awarded the 2006 Community Champion Award from Futurewise.[30]
In 2008, Simpson was endorsed by dozens of organizations, unions, businesses, and individuals, including the Sierra Club for his work on the House Transportation Committee.[31]
Rated “Very Good” by the Municipal League of King County in 2008 and downgraded to "Adequate" in 2010 .[32]
According to Project Vote-Smart, Simpson has strong ratings from pro-labor, environmental, children, family and educational organizations, pro-choice organizations, the government reform group WASHPIRG, and moderate ratings from agricultural and business organizations.[33]
Prior to elective office, Simpson served in the United States Navy and as a Boeing firefighter for 5 years. He has been a firefighter for the Kent, Washington Fire Department since September 1990 and is the former owner of a small business.[1] He attended Bellevue Community College, Edmonds Community College, and Highline Community College.[1] He was named a "Certified Municipal Leader" by the Association of Washington Cities in 2000.[34] He has three children.
In October, 2003, Simpson was dispatched to the scene of a murder where at least one victim was identified and a severely wounded 7 year old girl was found. Simpson and three other fire fighters entered the scene without police backup to rescue the girl and provide medical assistance. The four fire fighters were honored for their heroism with departmental Distinguished Service Awards.[35]
On April 27, 2008, Simpson was arrested and charged in King County District Court with fourth-degree assault and interfering with a domestic violence report after an alleged altercation with his ex-wife.[36] Simpson immediately declared the charges "unwarranted" and predicted his exoneration.[36][37][38] On May 28, 2008, the prosecutor in the case dropped the charges against Simpson, saying that he "no longer believes there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the charges."[39]
On July 9, 2010 the Seattle City Attorney's office charged Rep. Simpson with one count of assault stemming from an alleged incident of domestic violence at Seattle Children's Hospital on May 22, 2010. According to news sources, "A social worker told police she saw Simpson “barrel” into the room, push the former wife and shut the door. He 'closed the blinds and barricaded himself inside using his body' and was yelling inside, according to the report. Once he came out, he left the property, witnesses said."[40]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | Libertarian | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000[41] | Geoffrey Simpson | 21,989 | 50.15% | Phil Fortunato | 21,856 | 49.85% | |||||||
| 2002[42] | Geoffrey Simpson | 16,666 | 51.55% | Phil Fortunato | 15,665 | 48.45% | |||||||
| 2004[43] | Geoffrey Simpson | 26,152 | 51.79% | Steve Altick | 23,396 | 46.33% | Duane Grindstaff | 952 | 1.89% | ||||
| 2006[44] | Geoffrey Simpson | 22,210 | 59.66% | Donna Watts | 15,016 | 40.34% | |||||||
| 2008[45] | Geoffrey Simpson | 27,439 | 52.62% | Mark Hargrove | 24,707 | 47.38% |