For most of his professional career Roger has worked in government and politics. Before his election to the Legislature in 2006, Roger had already served as senior staff in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., and here in Washington State he had served as a state agency director. As the youngest son of a college political science professor, Roger’s rigorous undergraduate and graduate education in law and public policy prepared him for a life of public service. At the State Capitol, Roger has served for many years as Chair of the House Public Safety Committee, with jurisdiction over the state’s criminal justice system.
When he first arrived in the Legislature back in 2007 he had already hit the ground running, appointed as Vice-Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, a position he held for six years. As a lawyer and expert in criminal justice, Roger has led the Legislature to enact a series of important bills, including landmark measures to reduce drunk driving, comprehensive reform of our state’s domestic violence laws, and a historic agreement between police and community groups to strengthen the law related to use of deadly force and police training. Roger also enacted a major expansion of early childhood education, improvements to our court system and measures to help us prepare better for emergencies. Roger is ranked as one of the most effective legislators in the United States, as half of the bills he has introduced have been enacted into law, a remarkable accomplishment.
He has developed long-lasting and productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to address important policy issues. Roger brings considerable professional experience from his legal practice, service in federal and state government and his work in the non-profit world. Trained in environmental law, Roger employs his working knowledge of the laws that protect our air, water, species, habitat and other natural resources, and he has served on the House Environment Committee.
He has also developed an expertise in energy policy, especially in alternative motor fuels. In Washington State in the late 1990s Roger served as Executive Director of the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, where he became an expert in sentencing policy and was elected to the board of the National Association of Sentencing Commissions. Roger has been a national voice in the movement to end the failed “War on Drugs.” From 2001 to 2009 Roger worked on a ground-breaking initiative to promote cheaper, more effective and more humane alternatives to punitive drug policies. Directing the King County Bar Association’s Drug Policy Project, Roger coordinated an impressive coalition of two dozen professional and civic organizations, which spurred the Washington State Legislature to reduce needless incarceration of the addicted and to shift funding into drug treatment. Working with bar associations in several other states, Roger has also served as Executive Director of the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, partnering with attorneys, judges and state legislators to enact drug policy reforms nationwide.
