Roach sanctions lifted

OLYMPIA – A state Senate panel removed sanctions against a Republican lawmaker Tuesday night despite a fresh allegation that she mistreated staff members in the Legislature.

The Senate Facilities and Operations Committee, altered by a new GOP-led majority in the chamber, decided in a private meeting that Sen. Pam Roach can now resume direct contact with staff. The change allows Roach to serve as chair of a Senate committee focused on government operations. Roach is a key vote in a new Republican-leaning coalition in the Senate, since that caucus has only a one-vote advantage in the chamber.

Documents obtained earlier this month concluded that Roach violated the Senate’s policy in March by verbally attacking a Senate Republican staffer.