Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons faces an ethics complaint alleging she improperly used $30,000 in surplus campaign funds by directing donations to a Nevada-based nonprofit with no active platform and no federal filings since 2021. The complaint, filed Jan. 12 with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, links the nonprofit to Jovan Jackson, another first-time formerly incarcerated legislator now serving in the Nevada Legislature.
Simmons, who serves as deputy speaker pro tempore, said she followed all applicable laws and ‘had no knowledge of any businesses affiliated’ with the nonprofit. The complaint represents one of three pending ethics investigations into the lawmaker’s conduct.
The complaint against Simmons, filed by Val Torrens, chair of the 23rd Legislative District Democrats in Kitsap County, alleges she donated $30,000 in two separate allotments from her surplus campaign fund to Better Minds Better Communities. State law permits candidates to use unspent campaign funds for restricted purposes including charitable donations, though the restrictions are intended to prevent personal benefit.
Questions About Better Minds Better Communities
Better Minds Better Communities does not have an active website or donation platform, according to the complaint. The nonprofit has not filed annual tax reports with the IRS since 2021 and is registered to Jovan Jackson, a Democratic assemblymember in the Nevada Legislature who, like Simmons, is the first formerly incarcerated lawmaker in his state.
The complaint cites Simmons’ Facebook posts showing photos with Jackson during Las Vegas visits, including a May 2025 trip to the Nevada Legislature. Simmons also appeared to be in Las Vegas again in June 2025, about a month before the first of the two payments. “Timing alone does not establish intent or wrongdoing, but it raises reasonable questions about how the organization was selected and whether personal or professional relationships influenced that decision,” according to the complaint.
The address Simmons listed for Better Minds Better Communities in her financial disclosures is the mailing address for Jackson’s family trust fund, which he lists as a business entity in his 2025 Nevada financial disclosure. The organization shares a business address with True Family Services, which Jackson listed as his only source of income in a 2022 financial disclosure.
The Nevada Office of Attorney General found in 2024 that True Family Services was fraudulently billing Medicaid for health care services that were never provided. Jackson did not respond to requests for more information.
Simmons Denies Knowledge
Simmons said she had no knowledge of any businesses affiliated with Better Minds Better Communities. “I donated to BMBC and followed all laws utilizing a professional treasurer,” she said.
Three Pending Ethics Investigations
The campaign-fund complaint is one of three pending ethics investigations into Simmons’ conduct. A second complaint, filed with the state Legislature’s ethics board, was submitted by American Equity and Justice Group regarding a $10,000 donation from her surplus fund that the organization later returned.
A third complaint, filed Jan. 8 with the Legislative Ethics Board, was filed by Torrens and alleges that Simmons used her position as a state lawmaker to intimidate Daria Ilgen, a member of the Democratic executive board who was considering a challenge to Simmons in the next election. The complaint includes a text message in which Simmons referenced elected officials she knew who could pressure Ilgen against running.
“If (Gov.) Bob Ferguson calls you will you stop doing this?” Simmons wrote. “Because I worked my ass off for our district. I’m a really great legislator and you’re really ruining the only time I’ve had with my mother since I was 13 years old!”
A History of Prior Complaints
Simmons previously faced two ethics complaints in 2023. One was found to be valid; she was found to have violated the state’s Ethics Act for accepting a $1,000 fee for speaking on a panel where she discussed her legislative work. The other complaint alleged a conflict of interest regarding her simultaneous roles as a state lawmaker and executive director of Civil Survival, a civil legal aid organization with a paid lobbyist on staff. The ethics board determined it was not a conflict of interest as long as she did not oversee the lobbyist’s work or set the legislative agenda.
Simmons was fired from Civil Survival in July 2024. Prior to her termination, public records obtained by InvestigateWest revealed that she had advocated behind the scenes for budget cuts to civil legal aid groups working to remove unconstitutional drug convictions from people’s criminal records.
Simmons, who holds the position of deputy speaker pro tempore in the legislature, said she believes the ethics complaints filed against her are motivated by a “narrow political interest” but did not elaborate.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins said she will follow the Legislative Ethics Board’s process. “This complaint is before them now, and I look forward to hearing the results of their review,” Jinkins said in a written statement.
The Public Disclosure Commission will assess the merits of the campaign-fund complaint within 90 days to determine if a full investigation and ethics board hearing are warranted.