WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Brian Blake’s Legislative Update – March 18, 2013

Dear neighbors,

The cutoff deadline has officially passed, so bills that didn’t make it out of its house of origin last week are likely dead, unless they are necessary to implement the budget.  The House will now turn its attention to legislation our Senate colleagues have passed to us. The next couple of weeks will be busy with public hearings.  Over in the Senate, they’ll be doing the same thing, holding hearings on bills we have passed to them.  Remember, you can sign up for email updates from committees so you can keep up with what is happening in your state legislature.  You can also track specific legislation.

In the final days before cutoff, the House passed legislation to help improve our state’s long-term care system and prepare for an aging population, as well as measures to support veterans and members of our military with their education and job training as they transition to civilian life. 


Meeting the needs of an aging population

oldcoupleCurrently there are 830,000 people over the age of 65 in our state. That’s about fourteen percent of the population.  But that number is expected to rise in the coming years.  In fact, in about a decade over 30 percent of Washington’s population will be over of the age of 65.  Some of the measures we passed over the last week to help us meet the needs of our aging residents include:

House Bill 1441 cuts the amount of time in which a long-term care denial can be made. Because a patient’s condition often worsens as they wait for a decision, this change allows critical decisions to be made in a more timely manner.

House Bill 1629 addresses the major roadblocks to getting quality long-term care workers certified, such as extending the timeframe for certification and establishing a provisional certification for certain workers. Long-term care workers will continue to be in demand, and we need to make sure our state can meet that demand.

House Bill 1499 requires the state Department of Social and Health Services to allow clients enrolled in the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to elect to remain in the program, even when their health status improves. These clients shouldn’t lose the services that are keeping them healthy.

House Bill 1727 makes it easier for individuals to stay in assisted living homes rather than going to a nursing home.

House Bill 1631 establishes the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging and Disability, which would be tasked with coming up with a plan of action to handle the needs that will emerge in communities as our population ages.


Opportunities for our veterans and military members

big flagOur troops put their lives on the line to protect our country, and it’s only right that when they return from deployment and transition back into civilian life, we help them achieve their educational and career goals.

Several measures that aim to boost educational and professional for veterans and other service members are now on their way to the Senate for consideration.  These include:

House Bill 1858, which requires public colleges and universities to develop policies to award academic credit for military training courses or programs that have been completed by their students. The policies must be adopted by the end of 2014.

House Bill 1859, which provides that military training and experience satisfies requirements for professional licensing if the training or experience is documented and substantially equivalent to the licensing requirements in state law.

House Bill 1109, which calls for state community colleges and universities that offer early course registration to some students to extend the offer to veterans and National Guard members so they can get into the courses they need to train for new careers. 

House Bill 1909, which allows businesses owned jointly by a veteran and the veteran’s spouse or domestic partner to be certified as a veteran-owned business. It also encourages state agencies to award 5 percent of their procurement contracts to veteran-owned businesses.


Do your kids need health insurance? The first open-enrollment of the year is underway!

insuranceThanks to the federal Affordable Care Act, sick children can no longer be denied health care coverage. Beginning in 2014, this provision extends to anyone with a pre-existing condition – no matter their age.

In the meantime, should you need individual coverage for your child or would like to add them to your family’s plan, the first open enrollment of the year runs from March 15th to April 30th. The open enrollment period applies to all health plans in the individual market – where people go when their employer doesn’t offer coverage.

For more information on how to utilize the open-enrollment window, you can visit the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s website.

Beginning in October 2013, you’ll be able to access Washington Healthplanfinder to shop for insurance. Washington Healthplanfinder is our state’s health insurance marketplace, which also comes courtesy of the Affordable Care Act. Using the website, you will be able to shop for and compare plans, so you can decide what is best for you and your family.


What’s going on in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee?

Policy committees have started meeting again for public hearings, work sessions, and executive sessions. The Agriculture and Natural Resource committee has received 21 bills from the Senate.agnr

Committees do their best to provide public notice at least 5 days in advance to a public hearing. This is a courtesy that the legislature does their best to adhere to so that citizens may arrange to come to the capitol and testify on a bill. Keep in mind that things are always changing around the legislature and everything is subject to change. Below is a look ahead to next week’s plans for the Agriculture and Natural Resources committee.

Tuesday:

The committee will be holding a work session on the unique issues facing small forest landowners and the Department of Natural Resources’ Watershed Services Transaction Demonstration Project.

Wednesday:

Public Hearing:

SSB 5187 – Protecting domestic animals against gray wolf attacks.

SSB 5786 – Requiring certain information in commercial fishing guide license applications.

SB 5337 – Modifying expiration dates affecting the department of natural resources’ timber sale program.

ESSB 5663 – Regarding derelict and abandoned vessels in state waters.

E2SSB 5193 – Concerning gray wolf conflict management.

Executive Session:

SB 5139 – Concerning milk and milk products.

SB 5377 – Extending the program establishing Christmas tree grower licensure.

SSB 5634 – Clarifying the department of natural resources’ authority to enter into cooperative agreements.

SSB 5760 – Providing compensation for commercial crop damage caused by bighorn sheep.

Thursday:

2SSB 5199 – Concerning de facto changes in water rights for irrigation purposes that involved conversion to more efficient irrigation technologies.

E2SSB 5219 – Retaining water resources to assure the vitality of local economies.

ESSB 5200 – Concerning consolidating a new exempt withdrawal of groundwater into an existing public water system.

SSB 5702 – Concerning aquatic invasive species.

ESSB 5324 – Concerning mosquito abatement in storm water control retention ponds.

To access the documents and presentations from all the legislative committee work sessions online, feel free to check the Electronic Bill Book.

If you want to know what bills passed through committee or are interested in following what’s going on in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee you can sign up here to receive E-mail notifications. You can also check out our committee agenda to see what’s coming up next week.


Thank you for continuing to read my legislative updates!

Blakesig