WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Blake’s Legislative Update – January 23, 2014

January 23, 2014

Pick-up the phone on Monday, Jan 27 @ 6 PM

oldphoneRepresentative Dean Takko, Senator Brian Hatfield and I will hold a telephone town hall this coming Monday, January 27 at 6 PM.You will likely get the call and all you have to do to participate is to stay on the line and follow the prompts. If you have a question for us, you’ll be asked to press *3 on your keypad. If for some reason you don’t get the call, you can dial the toll free number 1-877-229-8493 and enter the ID code 18646 to participate.

I hope you’ll join us.

My bills

The 2014 Legislative Session started last week. As you know, it’s a short session, so we only have three weeks for public hearings and things are moving very quickly. Some of my bills have already been heard in committee:

  • HB 2150 – Encouraging recreational access to private property.
  • HB 1156 – Consolidating designated forest lands and open space timber lands for ease of administration.
  • HB 2151 – Concerning recreational trails.
  • HB 2243 – Encouraging private landowners to allow public access to their land.
  • HB 2459 – Ensuring hunter safety.
  • HB 2460 – Regarding fish and wildlife law enforcement.

Scroll down t the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee section for a list of my prime-sponsored bills that are scheduled for upcoming hearings.

Now, there’s one bill that won’t be heard in my committee, but that I am particularly proud to sponsor because a group of students asked me to do so. It’s HB 2387, which declares the Ostrea Lurida the official oyster of the state of Washington. The Ostrea Lurida is native to our region, it is important to the history of our state and it is one of our first exports, not to mention the fact that it is also delicious. The bill is scheduled for public hearing and executive session in the House Committee on Government Operations & Elections at 1:30 PM on January 29.

Watch My Video Update Nieto, Lilia

Washington’s Health Care Exchange Update

It’s been just over three months since our state’s online health insurance marketplace officially got up-and-running. While hiccups at the national level have grabbed the majority of headlines, 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, Washington 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. To receive in-person assistance from a certified Navigator, contact the Cowlitz Family Health Center at 360-353-3256 for help in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties, and CHOICE Regional Network at 360-539-7576 for help in Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties

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

Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee Steven M. Herppich
Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

Policy committees have been meeting for public hearings, work sessions, and executive sessions. Below are work sessions and my prime-sponsored bills scheduled in the Agriculture & Natural Resources committee:

Friday, January 24:

Work Session: Declining bee populations.

HB 2427 – Addressing wildfires caused by incendiary devices.

Thursday, January 30:

HB 2454 – Developing a water quality trading program in Washington.

HB 2517 – Concerning wildlife conflict funding to encourage proactive measures.

Friday, January 31:

HB 2584 – Allowing prepayment of the penalty for removal of land from the farm and agricultural land current use property tax classification.

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, which gets updated anytime there’s a change.

Follow all the action

You don’t have to come to the capitol to be up on what’s happening this session.  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 my legislative assistant, J.D. Rossetti, if you want to schedule a meeting with me.