Dear Friends:
Greetings to all of you throughout the 32nd District.
My last e-letter focused on Cradle-to-Career Education. I would like to now give you a report on the bills I sponsored in the 2015 session.
As many of you know, my focus is to always advocate for and protect the consumers of Washington state.
Thank you to all of you who voiced your dismay to me about Senate Bill 5899, which would eliminate Washington’s current payday lending protections and replace it with a new “installment lending” product. This bill would have allowed a new charge of 36 percent interest, 15 percent origination fee, and an additional (new) 7.5 percent monthly maintenance fee!
I have worked hard against the for-profit payday lenders who have been trying to change our current system to expand their industry. Once again, the payday lenders are trying very had to charge much higher rates than Washington State’s maximum interest rate under the general usury law of 12 percent while vastly expanding their payday lending practices.
This bill passed in the Republican Senate with 30 yeas and 18 nays. I am very pleased that this bill did not come to the floor of the Democratic House for a vote. I will always continue to vigorously work against any bill that tries to fix that which is not broken.
These are the bills I introduced. Some bills that did not pass were adopted as Senate bills or included in the budget.
Electronic Notice by storage unit owners (House Bill 1043): Governor Inslee signed this bill into law on April 17, 2015.
Whistleblower protection – Employee anti-retaliation (House Bill 1354): This bill did not come out of committee.
Fairness on debt management (House Bill 1489): This bill did not come out of committee.
Unclaimed property laws (House Bill 1551): This bill passed unanimously in the House, but never made it to the Senate floor. Both its policy and revenue has been included in the adopted operating budget.
Preventing human trafficking (House Bill 1651): This bill passed unanimously in the House, but did not make it to the Senate floor.
Distinguishing cannabis health and beauty aids from marijuana (House Bill 1753): This bill did not come out of committee but it is included in the adopted omnibus cannabis policies bill.
Delay of median wage requirements community economic revitalization board program funding (HB 1856): This bill did not come out of committee.
Credit Union Governance and Investments (HB 1871): This bill passed unanimously in the House, but its Senate Companion was signed into law.
Credit Union Capital (HB 1872): This bill did not come out of committee.
Effective oversight of law enforcement conduct – body cameras (HB 1910): This bill did not come out of committee.
Expanding traffic safety education requirements (HB 1994): This bill did not come out of committee.
Imposing a new studded tire fee (HB 1995): This bill passed in the House (57 yeas, 40 nays) but did not come to the Senate floor. It is now part of the new Transportation Revenue budget.
As always, I thank you for contacting me on any and all issues. Your input is important to me especially when I am voting on a bill.
Please keep in touch, especially if you have an idea to make the 32nd District, and Washington state, a better place for all of our families.
Best wishes to all.
Sincerely,
Representative Cindy Ryu (D)
for the 32nd Legislative District