Dear friends,
The 2020 legislative session has passed both policy and fiscal cut off and now we have finished days full of floor action. Bills need to go through a policy committee, fiscal committee, or both to be considered on the House Floor.
For those of you following along at home, you may have noticed that a bill you are tracking did not receive a vote in committee and is not moving forward. Have you looked to see if the bill has a companion bill in the other chamber? Since we are only in Olympia for sixty days during a short session, a House member and Senate member will introduce the same policy and work on it together during session. A few of my bills that are not moving forward but have a Senate companion are:
- House Bill 1562, which you may remember from a from previous newsletter. This bill requires anyone practicing as a health care benefit manager in Washington to obtain a registration. I’ve heard from many of you when you’ve visited my office this session that this bill is a priority for you. The Senate bill to follow is Senate Bill 5601.
- House Bill 2381 expands Apple Health coverage program for pregnant and postpartum people from 60 days post-pregnancy to one year. We know how important the continuity of care is during this critical time and uninterrupted health insurance provides parents access to stable and consistent care. The Senate Bill to follow is Senate Bill 6128.
Welcoming House Pages!
Every year I look forward to sponsoring House Pages! This session, I was honored to sponsor William Clark as my page. The page program is such a rewarding experience for students who are 14, 15, or 16 years old. We are booked for this session and my office’s spots usually fill up fast, so please email me at monica.stonier@leg.wa.gov if you want to be added to our list for next session. Click below to hear about William’s experience as a page last week!
Podcast
Last week, I was a guest on the podcast “Capitol Ideas”! You can listen to me talking about my role as House Majority Floor Leader, what the issues I am working on this session, and what’s next in the legislative process here.
Save the Date: Telephone Town Hall on February 26th!
Join Senator Cleveland, Representative Wylie, and me for our mid-session telephone town hall. Here are the details:
- What: 49th Legislative District Telephone Town Hall
- When: Wednesday, February 26th
- Time: 6:00 pm
- RSVP: Here
I am looking forward to answering your questions and providing you an update about my legislative work!
Best,
Monica