WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Tina Orwall’s e-newsletter for March 20, 2013

Update on my bills

I am so pleased that all 9 of my remaining bills passed the House before cutoff!  SHB 1341, regarding compensation for those wrongly convicted and imprisoned; SHB 1290, which requires county auditors to place postage-free ballot drop boxes at each campus of a public institution of higher education; and 2SHB 1526, which expands access to the Running Start program, were my final 3 bills to pass the House last week.   I have already begun testifying on my bills in the Senate. You can watch my testimony on the Running Start bill below:

runningstarttestimony

 


Telephone Town Hall

oldphone

Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Dave Upthegrove and I will be having a Telephone Town Hall focusing on education, health care, and environmental issues on Thursday, March 28th from 6 to 7 PM. Stay tuned for more information!

 


House of Origin Cutoff

Last week was House of Origin Cutoff week, and the cutoff deadline has officially passed. With some exceptions – namely, bills that are necessary to implement the budget – the House will now be turning its attention to legislation our Senate colleagues have passed to us.  Senate bills are being referred to House committees, and the next few weeks will be busy with more 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

agingCurrently 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 help us meet the needs of our aging residents:

House Bill 1441 cuts the amount of time in which a long-term care denial can be made.   House Bill 1629 addresses the major roadblocks to getting quality long-term care workers certified.   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. 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

Our 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:

flagHouse 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!

Thanks 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.


Our Evergreen legacy

skyProtecting our state’s quality of life is the overarching theme of several environmental and natural resource-related measures championed by House Democrats. Maintaining a healthy and sustainable quality of life in our state will strengthen our economy and attract employers, as well as tourists, to the region.

HB 1245 provides funding for the clean-up and removal of unsafe, unsightly derelict marine vessels. These abandoned vessels pose a pollution threat to waterways and create blight along our shorelines. HB 1294 gets our state off the so-called “toxic treadmill” once and for all by banning two forms of the chemical Tris – a known carcinogen – from most upholstered furniture and children’s products, and preventing equally toxic chemicals from being substituted in their place. HB 1364 establishes a manufacturer-financed rechargeable battery stewardship program, keeping toxic waste out of our landfills and giving consumers a safe way to dispose of old batteries they may have lying around their homes.


Thank you for reading my updates. I appreciate your feedback.

Sincerely,

Tinasigsmall