Rep. Tarra Simmons Violate State Ethics Rules & is Fined $15,000

The Washington State Legislative Ethics Board has fined State Representative Tarra Simmons $15,000 after concluding that she committed three violations of Washington’s conflict-of-interest and special-privileges laws.

Simmons represents the 23rd Legislative District, which includes northern and central Kitsap County. The nine-member board imposed the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 for each sustained violation. Simmons was also ordered to reimburse the state for costs associated with the case.

The decision followed a two-day public hearing in June concerning Simmons’s relationships with two nonprofit organizations and her involvement in directing and administering state funding.

What the Ethics Board Found

Two of the violations involved a $1 million state budget proviso that Simmons helped secure in 2024 for the expansion of a criminal-justice data dashboard.

Under the proviso, the American Equity and Justice Group was required to subcontract $500,000 of the work to an organization focused on equity in technology and education. The organization selected for that work was the Equity in Education Coalition, where Simmons was employed as a part-time director of strategy and later worked as an independent contractor.

The Ethics Board concluded that Simmons violated the state’s conflict-of-interest law by sponsoring a proviso that financially benefited her employer. Although the board did not find that the grant money was paid directly to Simmons, it determined that the funding strengthened the organization’s financial position and its ability to pay her salary.

The second violation arose from Simmons’s intervention in a contract dispute between the two organizations. The board found that she used her position as a legislator to influence changes that allowed her former employer to continue receiving funding while being relieved of some of the work originally required by the proviso.

The third violation concerned Simmons’s response to the individual who filed the ethics complaint. According to the board, Simmons asked the complainant’s employer to take action against the complainant and threatened to withdraw legislative assistance from the organization. The board characterized this conduct as an attempted use of legislative influence to retaliate against the complainant.

The board’s complete findings are available through the Legislative Ethics Board’s official decision.

Other Allegations Were Dismissed

The board dismissed three additional allegations. Those involved claims that Simmons improperly attempted to help a friend obtain employment, used surplus campaign funds to support that position, and violated ethics rules merely by working for an organization that received state funding.

Simmons Plans to Appeal

Simmons has denied wrongdoing and said she intends to appeal the decision. She has argued that the penalties are unfair and excessive, particularly because half of the allegations were ultimately dismissed.

Unless the decision is changed through an appeal, however, the Ethics Board’s findings and the $15,000 penalty remain in effect.

The case underscores the responsibility elected officials have to maintain a clear separation between their public duties and outside employment. Legislators routinely work with community organizations and advocate for public funding, but those relationships require heightened transparency whenever a funding decision could benefit an organization that employs the legislator.

Public confidence depends not only on whether a policy or appropriation serves a legitimate public purpose, but also on whether the process is free from personal conflicts and the misuse of official influence.