Wrongful death: Legislator shouldn’t serve on health committee

Re: “Wrongful death settlement includes lawmaker,” (TNT, 2/19).

Congratulations to the News Tribune for covering this issue of serious public concern. Now that the case is resolved with state Rep. Kelly Chambers of the 25th District (Puyallup) settling out of court, there are still outstanding questions.

The lawsuit against Chambers and her company, Visiting Angels, was filed before she was sworn into office in January 2019. As the case involved a party who died while in her company’s care, how was it she was appointed to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee?

Did she make her legal status available to the committee, and how did she have the audacity to sit on the committee throughout the entire Superior Court case?

Chambers should announce that she is not running for reelection and the State Ethics Commission should examine whether she violated any transparency rules with regard to her committee membership while a defendant in a subject-related court action.

This whole matter is just plain wrong. The public deserves better.

This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Wrongful death: Legislator shouldn’t serve on health committee."