WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Wylie’s Legislative Update for January 23, 2014

Dear neighbors,

We started our 2014 legislative session last week and passed a great bill with a strong bipartisan vote: the DREAM Act, which will level the playing field for all students to compete for financial aid for college.

If you talk to these students, they’ll tell you America is the only home they’ve ever known. They’ll tell you they want to give back to their community. They’ll tell you they want to become somebody.

I was proud to vote for a bill that will help them achieve that goal. It’s the right thing to do for those kids and the right thing to do for our economy.

We are a nation of immigrants, and I believe every child in Washington state, regardless of race, religion or circumstance, should have a great education and a fair shot at the American Dream.

This legislation, though, only has a fair shot if the Senate will allow it to come to the floor.  We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.

Watch my latest video update!

  Walsh, Megan


Washington’s Health Care Exchange is working well

It’s been just over three months since our state’s online health insurance marketplace officially got up-and-running. Washington Healthplanfinder is quietly helping thousands of Washingtonians access affordable, quality health care for the very first time.

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange (WHBE) just released new enrollment figures that show 248,270 Washington residents have signed up for coverage – through either private providers or Washington Apple Health – since October 1.

From the launch date of October 1st – January 2nd, the Healthplanfinder website has had 1,079,663 unique hits and the call center has serviced 16,953 calls.

From the beginning, our state has led the nation in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. We created our own online marketplace, Healthplanfinder, rather than depending on the federal exchange. We also led efforts to expand the Medicaid program – closing the gap for Washington families that could not otherwise afford private insurance.  Recently, PBS News Hour ranked us the fifth best state in the country for Affordable Care Act enrollment.

To learn more about your health care options or to see if you are eligible for a subsidy, visit www.wahealthplanfinder.org or call 1-877-WAFINDER. The call center is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. To receive in-person assistance, please go here for a list of participating assister agencies in our area.


Students visit from WWU

 Every day of the legislative session I welcome visitors.  Last week, students from Western Washington University dropped by to visit – Ethan Kopiecki,  Preston Edde, and Graham Marmion.


Follow all the action

You don’t have to come to the capital to be up on what’s happening this session. I’ll do my best to keep you informed with these newsletters, but you can also sign up for email notifications about House and Senate committees, schedules, and other information.  And here’s a list of all House committees.

Most public hearings and floor action in the House and Senate can also be viewed online through TVW’s website (click on “Schedule” or “Archives” at the top of the page for current or past audio and video clips).

Confused about how to read a bill online?  Here’s a great video tutorial.

Want to come to Olympia anyway and testify for or against a bill, or visit me in my office?  Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Legislature, and be sure to contact Megan Walsh, my legislative assistant, if you want to schedule a meeting with me.