Monday
This week kicks off with a focus on health care. The House Health Care & Wellness Committee is hearing HB 1110 by Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane). Rep. Riccelli’s bill requires local boards of health to include more health care providers, public health officials, and community-based organizations. HB 1110 will standardize and bring accountability to public health boards while making sure the public health system is serving everyone in Washington state.
Also up for public hearing in Health Care is Rep. Riccelli’s HB 1196, which requires insurers to provide reimbursement for audio-only telemedicine services, which will better serve rural and underserved areas with poor internet connection.
House and Senate Democrats their weekly media availability at 2:15pm.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, the House is hearing bills related to police accountability, housing, and COVID-19.
Appropriations will hear the Step One for Washington’s Community and Economic Recovery bills, HB 1367 and HB 1368. The Step One proposal will ease the financial hardship of struggling renters, small restaurants and other neighborhood businesses, school districts, uninsured and underinsured individuals, and Black and Brown communities, which have been disproportionately hurt during the pandemic
In Public Safety, the committee is hearing public testimony for HB 1203 by Rep. Jesse Johnson (D-Federal Way) and HB 1267 by Rep. Debra Entenman (D-Kent). HB 1203 establishes community oversight boards to bring accountability to policing and rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. HB 1267 addresses the need for independent investigations of police use of force. It will establish an independent agency under the office of the Governor to investigate police uses of deadly force and other custody deaths.
The Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee is holding a hearing on HB 1236, Rep. Nicole Macri’s (D-Seattle) “Good Cause Eviction” bill that will bring greater housing stability protections for hundreds of thousands of renters who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the committee will hold possible executive session for HB 1083 which will provide mobile and manufactured home owners access to cash assistance by removing certain conditions that are normally required.
And in the House Finance Committee, there is a hearing on HB 1332, which defers property tax payments for those struggling most during the pandemic.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, the Children, Youth & Families Committee is scheduled for possible executive session for the Fair Start for Kids Act, HB 1213, by Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island). Fair Start for Kids addresses the child care crisis, racial equity, and economic impacts due to COVID-19. It aims to make child care more affordable for families, stabilize and expand the diverse child care workforce, support the expansion of child care, and strength prevention and intervention services.
The Community & Economic Development Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1336, Rep. Drew Hansen’s (D-Bainbridge Island) proposal to allow public broadband by removing restrictions in state law on public utilities providing broadband access directly to consumers.
Rep. Hansen also has the Worker Protection Act, HB 1076, which will be heard in the Labor & Workplace Standards Committee. The Worker Protection Act allows whistleblowers to bring actions on behalf of the state for violations of workplace protections.
The House will have potential floor session in the afternoon, voting on bills to be announced later this week.
Thursday
On Thursday, the Consumer Protection & Business committee has scheduled executive session on Rep. Mia Gregerson’s (D-SeaTac) “Right to Repair” bill, HB 1212. The Right to Repair requires tech companies to make their tools, parts, and repair information available to smaller independent repair shops, a boost to local economies that reduces tech waste and increases access to affordable electronic products.
Friday
Environment & Energy will hear testimony on the HB 1280, which encourages electrification of public buildings.
The Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1310, Rep. Johnson’s proposal to establish a standard for the use of physical and deadly force and encourage de-escalation measures for law enforcement.
The House will have potential floor session in the afternoon, voting on bills to be announced later this week.