Rep. Mike Hope (left) joined legislation co-sponsor Rep. Mike Ericks (right) with the Seattle Police Color Guard in Olympia.

The Washington State House of Representatives passed the Lakewood Police Officers Memorial Act on Thursday, Feb. 4, a state constitutional amendment to change bail provisions in Washington.

If approved by the state Senate, the measure will be presented to voters for ratification.

House Joint Resolution 4220 would give judges the discretion to deny bail for a suspect charged with a class A felony or facing a possible life sentence. According to the current state constitution, only first-degree aggravated murder can result in a denial of bail.

Rep. Mike Hope (R-Lake Stevens), sponsored the constitutional amendment. Hope is in his first term as a state representative and is employed as a Seattle police officer.

"After the immediate shock and frustration of the Lakewood shootings, I looked into how this tragedy could have occurred. When I learned Maurice Clemmons received bail when he was being charged with his third-strike felony offense, I realized we could have stopped these murders," Hope said. "The system failed these officers, and it failed the public. Today the House corrected that injustice, and I'm optimistic about the measure passing in the Senate as well."

The House passed the measure 80-17, enough for the two-thirds requirement of 66 votes to amend the state constitution. It now goes to the Senate for consideration. If passed by two-thirds of that chamber, or 33 votes, the resolution will go to the voters, who would need to approve the constitutional amendment by a simple majority.

The day before passing the legislation, the House honored six police officers in the Puget Sound area who were killed last year.

That same day, the House passed two measures Hope co-sponsored.

House Bill 1679, approved unanimously, would provide continued medical benefits for officers who are catastrophically injured and can no longer work. Currently, it would help a Seattle police officer who was nearly beaten to death when he responded to a call.

"Jason McKissack put his life on the line to save a stranger's life. He had our back, and now we need to have his," Hope said. "This is a minimal cost that will make a big difference in his life."

House Bill 2519 would expand death benefits for family members when a public safety employee is killed in the line of duty. It passed the House 93-3.

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