WA lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing

For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of which was her employer.

Simmons emphatically denies wrongdoing and calls the charges unsubstantiated. But as the case has dragged on, she said her political foes have been wielding the allegations as a cudgel in an ongoing campaign of harassment.

“Even if all of the facts were true, which they are not, there is no evidence that I violated any ethical rules,” Simmons said.

But the state’s Legislative Ethics Board isn’t convinced. It concluded last fall that “reasonable cause existed” that the Democratic lawmaker violated conflict of interest and special privilege laws.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/18/wa-lawmaker-stares-down-ethics-charges-ahead-of-rare-public-hearing/