Busy day for Liias as four bills clear House

WASL fix, restroom access among those measures now headed for Senate

March 3, 2009

OLYMPIA - The state House passed dozens of bills in a marathon floor session today, including four sponsored by state Rep. Marko Liias (D – Mukilteo). Two of the four bills passed the chamber unanimously.

The first piece of legislation, House Bill 1138, would permit persons with certain qualifying medical conditions, such as Crohn’s Disease, to use employee restroom facilities in retail establishments that do not offer public restrooms. Liias was motivated to sponsor the bill after being contacted by a constituent, Lois Fink of Edmonds, who is a Crohn’s sufferer.

“Lois really educated me about the challenges people who have these diseases face when they are out in public,” Liias said. “She also did her homework and researched how a similar bill was passed in Illinois. It’s been great working with her.”

When the measure had its public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, musician Mike McCready of the rock group Pearl Jam came to Olympia to speak in favor of it. McCready has battled Crohn’s Disease for over 20 years.

Another Liias bill, House Bill 1562, will help many Washington high school seniors graduate on time despite not retaking the WASL. The students, who didn’t pass the math WASL last year, were not properly informed by their schools that they still needed to retake the test in order to graduate, even if they didn’t pass it the second time.

“The bill is a technical correction, but it will relieve a lot of stress across the state,” Liias said. “In Edmonds alone there are 150 students in danger of not graduating. Some of these students already have acceptance letters from colleges. To deny them a diploma because of a technicality is not fair.”

Local governments like Snohomish County will have another way to fund small public works projects during challenging economic times under House Bill 1569, which Liias also championed in the House.

“Allowing counties to create local public works trust funds will help with economic recovery,” Liias said. “Some projects are too small to qualify for state funds, but these local funds would allow the projects to still move forward.”

The fourth Liias bill that successfully passed today, House Bill 1225, is a simple, technical fix that helps public transit agencies. It clarifies that they are exempt from the special fuel tax, even when they operate in multiple counties.

“There was confusion in the statute, and it created a bookkeeping nightmare for the transit agencies that was more costly than the tax itself,” Liias said.

All four bills now go to the Senate, where they will undergo the same process that they were subjected to in the House, beginning with public hearings.

“It seems like starting all over again, but once a bill passes the House, it’s actually already won half the battle,” Liias said. “Democracy sometimes means taking things step by step.”