Hello from Olympia!

 

We’ll make time to watch the Seahawks win on Sunday, but when the game ends we’ll be back to work. 

We’re nearing the end of week three! The first deadline of session—policy committee cut-off—is just weeks away.  Policy bills that don’t pass out of committee by February 20th will not move forward in the legislative process this year.

This week we’ll talk about some of the bills we’ve introduced this session. We’ll expand on some of these policies later, but now seems like the perfect time for a brief overview.

And we hope you’ll spend some time perusing the more than 1800 bills introduced so far this session. When you find a bill that interests you, click “Comment on this bill” to let us know your take!

House Bill 1314: Carbon Pollution Accountability Act Global climate change threatens not only Washington’s natural beauty, but also our economy and the health of our families.  In Washington we can see the effects of climate change in our rapidly acidifying oceans, and the increasing number of wildfires and floods.Joe’s HB 1314 would address carbon pollution, one of the leading contributors to climate change. When emitted, carbon becomes trapped in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, warming the planet and making oceans more acidic.Large polluters such as oil and gas companies have been making profits, but not paying for the true cost of their polluting activities. In the end we all pay the costs for pollution in clean-up efforts, poor health outcomes and degradation of our natural resources. HB 1314 would require carbon polluters to pay—literally.  The bill would place limit on the total amount of carbon that could be emitted in our state. Pollution allowances would then be auctioned off and the proceeds would go towards things that benefit everyone in our state like transportation, education, affordable housing and a tax rebate for working families.

House Bill 1437: Health Care Cost Transparency When we go to a hospital for care, our first thought is rarely about the bills that will come in the mail later; we’re there because we need to be, sometimes immediately and at any cost. This is one of the reasons health care costs have skyrocketed over the last several decades.As more and more people access health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, demand for health care services is only going to rise. On top of that, the health care industry moving towards a more copay-based system so patients often face up-front costs for the procedures they need. Now is the time to make health care costs more transparent across the board—so we know where we can get affordable, high-quality care.Eileen’s HB 1437 will create a database of health insurance claims so we can compare health care costs across our state’s hospital system. The bill will provide the cost transparency our health care system so desperately needs.

House Bill 1041: Marijuana Misdemeanors In 2012 Washington voters passed Initiative 502 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana and allowing recreational marijuana stores. Prior to legalization many Washingtonians were charged with a crime that no longer exists – possession of marijuana.Having a criminal record can make it harder to get a job or find a place to live. It doesn’t make sense for people to continue having a black mark on their records for doing something that the voters in our state have decided should no longer be against the law.Joe’s HB 1041 would allow many people convicted of marijuana possession to have the conviction cleared from their criminal record.

House Bill 1713: Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Right now in Washington we have a process to involuntarily treat those suffering from debilitating mental health problems who refuse or are unable to seek help on their own.

But when a family member is gravely disabled by addiction and refuses help, there is very little their loved ones can do. Instead family members often watch helplessly while their loved one suffers overdoses, suicide attempts and expensive hospitalizations.

Eileen’s HB 1713  will merge Washington’s mental health and chemical dependency systems so family members can get their loved ones the help they need–regardless of whether their problems are related to mental health, addiction or both.

House Bill 1040: Subversive Activities

During the Red Scare of the early 1950s Federal and State legislators passed laws left and right to protect against the “threat” of communism.  In 1951 the state passed the Subversive Activities Act, excluding members of the communist party from public employment, public office and even from voting.

In 1964 the US Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutionally vague. But fifty years later the law is still on our books. In the state of Washington, we don’t discriminate against people based on their political beliefs and it’s a shame to have this outdated policy in our statute. Joe’s HB 1040 would repeal this act in its entirety.

Go Hawks!