February 4, 2011
Message from Rep. Sells
I hope you are finding these e-memos informative. Please feel free to forward them on to your friends and colleagues if you think they would also be interested in what’s happening in the Legislature.
Also, you can keep track of the daily highlights on the HDC blog, The Advance. Short summaries of important hearings, breaking news, and background information – it’s all there, and updated regularly. Check it out!
Bringing a University to Our Community
I introduced a bill this week that includes a planning process to bring a Washington State University presence to Everett. It is a bill that requires interested stakeholders to work together over the next year to look how we can move ahead with a 4 year degree institution in Everett. It will involve the Everett CC University Center and Washington State, business, labor and community leaders in the planning process with an end date for action. WSU President Elson Floyd has indicated the university’s interest in helping build programs in one of the most underserved areas of the state. With the high demand we will be having in the next few years in aerospace and health care jobs, a greater 4 year university presence is a high priority for the community. Look for HB 1792 for detail.
Old, unwanted medications need safe disposal options
Washington is one of 16 states where accidental poisonings have surpassed auto accidents to become the number one cause of accidental deaths. Even more troubling is that most accidental poisonings are from medications found in our own homes. Young children and pets sometimes get into old, unwanted medicines, but a growing number of teenagers are misusing prescription drugs – often with tragic consequences. Flushing old medicines down the toilet isn’t a solution either, since most wastewater treatment plants aren’t set up to filter out medications and they end up harming our water supply.
This week, a bill that would create a statewide program for the collection, transportation, and disposal of unwanted medications had a public hearing before the House Environment Committee. Some local jurisdictions already have drug “take back” programs, usually run and paid for by local law enforcement agencies. Under House Bill 1370, the drug companies would be the ones to pay for a streamlined, efficient take-back system, allowing law enforcement to focus on its core functions. Some local jurisdictions already have drug “take back” programs, like our own Snohomish County, usually run and paid for by local law enforcement agencies.
Looking out for patients, consumers
One of the fastest-growing parts of a budget – whether we’re talking about the state budget or your own budget – is health care and health insurance.
It’s important to keep insurance companies accountable for rate hikes, some of which have skyrocketed by double digits annually. Too many families are being priced out of health care, leaving them one accident away from bankruptcy or being forced to access care in the emergency room.
That’s why we’re working on a bill this year that would continue to allow the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner to review the rate changes proposed by insurers for individual health plans. Unless we act now, this authority will expire at the end of 2011, allowing insurance companies to jack up their rates as high as they want. The Insurance Commissioner is your elected watchdog of the insurance industry – he needs this tool to do his job.
In This Issue
College in Everett
Drug Disposal
Insurance Protection
Contact
MAIL
132B Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
PHONE
(360) 786-7840
1 (800) 562.6000 toll free
1 (800) 635-9993 TTY-TDD (hearing impaired)
EMAIL
sells.mike@leg.wa.gov
WEBSITE
My home page