Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Democrat from Bremerton, is facing ethics charges that she used her standing as a lawmaker to get a friend hired at a nonprofit she is closely associated with, and that she used leftover campaign money to help another nonprofit where she used to work.
The accusations culminated in a rare two-day public hearing before the state’s Legislative Ethics Board this week. Proceedings wrapped up Tuesday evening, but it could be weeks or months before the board makes a final decision about Simmons’ conduct.
Simmons, the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in the Legislature, could face a fine of $5,000 per violation and would have to pay the state’s legal costs, if she’s found to have violated ethics rules…