Pam Roach

Pamela Roach (born April 26, 1948) is an American Republican politician and a Washington State Senator representing the 31st district.^[3]

Personal Life and Education

Senator Roach received a Bachelor's degree in History from Brigham Young University in 1970, and received a teaching certificate the next year. ^{[citation needed]}

Senator Roach and her husband, Jim, have been married for 33 years. They have five grown children, one of whom (Dan Roach) was a member of the Washington House of Representatives and is now a member of the Pierce County Council.. Another, Steven, is a convicted drug trafficker who was released from jail under suspicious circumstances.^[1]

Senator Roach is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon).^[4][5]

Elected Office

Roach was elected to the senate in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010. Her current term expires January 2015.

In 2010 fellow Senate Republicans banned her from the Senate Caucus after colleagues told her she had repeatedly mistreated staff and should get counseling to manage her anger. Republicans barred her from the caucus room, though she could still vote on the Senate Floor.^[6]

Despite Roach's attempts at appeal, the disciplinary sanctions against Roach were maintained for almost two years, until they were abruptly lifted in February of 2012, when the Senate Republican leadership wrote a letter to Sen. Roach inviting her back into the Republican caucus.^[7] Not long after Roach was invited into the Senate Republican caucus, Senate Republicans- joining with three Democrats- utilized an obscure procedural motion to wrest control of the budget writing process from the Democratic caucus and pass their own budget. ^[8] However, in Roach's absence, even with the votes of the three Democrats, the Republicans would still come up one vote short of being able to pass their budget on the floor of the Senate. In one interview, Roach said, "I was the 25th vote (for the GOP), and my caucus finally did the right thing." Her return to the caucus room prompted Mike Hoover, a GOP staffer who had been verbally abused by Roach in the past, to sue the Washington State Senate for $1.75 million for creating a hostile workplace by readmitting Roach back into the caucus room.^[9]

In September of 2012, the Washington State Senate reaffirmed their sanctions against Senator Roach. ^[10]

Standing Committees (2011-12)

• Government Operations, Tribal Relations and Elections
• Judiciary

Civic activities

• Director, Reading Tree Advisory Board
• Board member, Valley Cities Counseling & Consultation
• Member: Rotary International of Sumner
• State Farm Bureau; Boy Scouts of America (Guardian Member); Founding member, Lake Tapps Task Force
• Sons of Italy
• Past Member: Auburn Food Bank Board of Directors
• Auburn Chamber of Commerce
• Local Council, Boy Scouts of America
• Soos Creek Action Response

Special Committees

• Sunshine Committee (Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee)
• Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation
• Washington Institute for Public Policy
• Joint Select Committee for Veterans and Military Affairs (Executive Board)
• Economic Development Finance Authority
• Sentencing Guidelines Commission^[1]

Awards

Roach was awarded Legislator of the Year by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, 1996,1997,1998,1999 R ^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 SRC - Seattle PI news article. Seattle PI Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
2. ↑ Senator Pam Roach (WA). Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
3. ↑ Sen. Pamela Roach (R-WA 31st District)
4. ↑ "Pam Roach Fires Away", Seattle PI. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
5. ↑ Seattle Times Aug. 30, 2012
6. ↑ "GOP caucus bans state Sen. Pam Roach, tells her to get anger counseling", Seattle Times. Retrieved on January 29, 2010.
7. ↑ http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2017906943_roach05m.html
8. ↑ http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/update-on-attempted-budget-coup-senate-at-ease-as-both-sides-plot-next-move
9. ↑ http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2017906943_roach05m.html
10. ↑ http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Senate-claim-settlement-reaffirms-sanctions-against-GOPs-Roach-171817261.html