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Legislative Session 2021

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the third week of the legislative session. January 20th was the one-year anniversary of when the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) confirmed a positive COVID-19 test for a patient to the Snohomish County Health Department. The following day, the Snohomish County Health District announced the first case in the nation to the media. We might not have understood it then, but our lives were about to dramatically change. The Department of Health put out a blog post last week discussing this historic anniversary.

One year later, the legislature, except for leadership and a few legislators with broadband issues in district are meeting in Olympia under strict COVID-19 guidelines. The rest of the legislature is meeting virtually. Legislators, staff, lobbyists, and advocates are navigating this new environment. There certainly are some advantages to meeting virtually, people can testify from any where in the state without a trip to Olympia and written testimony is being accepted. Other disadvantages are surfacing. Primarily, the ability for legislators, staff, lobbyists, and others to speak before and after hearings, meet in hallways, the cafeteria, around the sundial or in meetings to discuss issues about bills. 

On Friday, House and Senate Democrats announced their proposed “Early Action Budget” relating to COVID relief. The early action bill is meant to respond to the immediate need for relief in several different areas (housing, child care, education, food security, etc) resulting from the pandemic. The dollars funding the items in the proposal are mostly funded by dollars received under the federal stimulus package at the end of 2020. Click here for more details on the proposal.
 
We are fortunate to have a great resource in Washington with TVW. This is a website and an app where you can watch most things related to session including committee hearings and floor sessions. If you know when a bill is scheduled, you can watch that hearing live by going to the 'Schedule' and finding the hearing you are looking for. If you missed being able to watch something live, or if you want to go back and watch it again, you can go to the 'Archives' and search for the hearing or floor action you want to watch. 

TVW's video will also be embedded on the legislative website, leg.wa.gov. Select the "Agendas, Schedules and Calendars" link, and navigate to the Committee Schedules, Agendas, and Documents page. TVW's video icon is right there with every legislative hearing, just click and watch. It has never been this easy to follow your State Legislature on TVW. You can also watch hearing in sped-up time up to 2x. When watching a hearing, just click on the settings button (gear at the bottom of the video box), click the word 'speed' at the top, and then select the speed you want. This will help make some of those long hearings go by a little faster!

TVW also does shows that highlight some of the activity in Olympia each week. I want to highlight and encourage you to listen to this week’s episode of Inside Olympia with Austin Jenkins. The Senate's bipartisan Special Committee on Economic Recovery, which met throughout the summer and fall, just released its COVID recovery plan for Washington State. Austin discusses the plan with Senators David Frockt (D-46th) and Shelly Short (R-23rd). 

Austan Goolsbee PhD., an economist was the first witness to address the Special Committee on Economic Recovery. “The first rule of virus economics is you must get the virus under control so you can get some semblance of normalcy to resume,” according to Dr. Goolsbee. Senator Frockt believes the way to get the virus under control is vaccine distribution. 

In addition, Austin interviews Senate Ways & Means Chair Christine Rolfes (D-23rd) about the state budget, spending and proposals for new taxes. 

Gov. Jay Inslee announced an updated statewide vaccine distribution and administration plan to increase the number of Washingtonians vaccinated and establish infrastructure capable of mass vaccinations in the coming months. With the expanded vaccine distribution system, the state set a goal of vaccinating 45,000 Washingtonians per day. 

Included in the plan is the Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center, a new statewide public-private partnership to boost vaccine distribution efforts. The collaboration includes Washington corporations, labor unions, health care groups and government entities.

We have added more bills to the bill tracker this week. Under a few of them, we have links to one-pagers. 

We will continue to keep you updated with future status updates. If you have bill or policy questions, please feel free to direct them to Julie Peterson at juliep@healthygen.org or my Twitter handle, @HealthyGenJulie.

Ever forward,
Julie Peterson
Julie Peterson, Executive Director
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Bills We're Watching
BY TOPIC:  Clinical & Community Linkages | Social & Economic Conditions | Physical Environment
Please note, this status is as of Saturday, January 23rd. Please check www.leg.wa.gov for further status updates. Check for new bill additions each week.

Clinical & Community Linkages

 

“Creating the state office of behavioral health consumer advocacy.”
HB1086
Sponsor: Simmons
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Health Care
Jan 27: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 AM


“Expanding accessible, affordable childcare and early childhood development programs.”
HB 1213 & SB 5237
Sponsor: Senn
Sponsor: Wilson
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Children, Youth and Families
Status: Senate Early Learning & K-12
Jan 27: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Children, Youth & Families at 8:00 AM
Click here for the Fair Start Act Summary 


“Concerning working connections childcare eligibility and unemployment benefits.”
SB 5023
Sponsor: Wilson
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Early Learning & K-12
Jan 27: Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM


“Improving maternal health outcomes by extending coverage during the postpartum period.”
SB 5068
Sponsor: Stonier
Sponsor: Randall
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Health Care & Senate Health Care


“Ensuring equity in health coverage.”
HB 1191
Sponsor: Thai
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Health Care


“Concerning health equity continuing education for health care professionals.”
SB 5229
Sponsor: Randall
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Health Care

Jan 29: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM

“Concerning the possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors.”
SB 5129
Sponsor: Saldana
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Human Services
See one-pager from Healthy King County Coalition here.

 

“Funding foundational public health services.”
HB 1201 & SB 5149
Sponsor: Riccelli
Sponsor: Robinson
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Finance & Senate Health 
Jan 27: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM 


“Supporting measures to create comprehensive public health districts.”
HB 1152 & SB 5173
Sponsor: Riccelli
Sponsor: Robinson
Healthy Gen’s position: Monitor
Status: House Health Finance & Senate Health


“Concerning the regulation of products sold to adults age 21 and over.”
HB 1345SB 5266
Sponsor: Pollett
Sponsor: Kuderer
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Commerce & Labor Senate Labor
Jan 25: Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 9:30 AM


“Developing comprehensive school counseling programs.”
SB 5030
Sponsor: Mullet
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Early Learning & K-12
Jan 20: Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM. 
EDU - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. (View 1st Substitute) (Majority Report)
Jan 21: Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.


“Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services.”
HB 1182 & SB 5209
Sponsor: Orwall
Sponsor: Dhingra
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Health Care & Senate Behavioral Health
Jan 28: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 10:00 AM
Jan 29: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long-Term Care at 10:30 AM

Social & Economic Conditions

 

“Concerning professional learning, equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism in the public school system.”
SB 5044
Sponsor: Das
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Second Reading 


“Prohibiting the use of credit scores to determine rates for personal lines of insurance.”
SB 5010
Sponsor: Das
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Business & Finance


“Addressing firearm safety measures to increase public safety.”
HB 1164 & SB 5078
Sponsor: Valdez
Sponsor: Liias
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Civil Rights & Senate Law & Justice 
Jan 25: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 9:30 AM 
Jan 28: Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM 


“Prohibiting weapons in state capitol buildings and grounds and certain other governmental buildings and facilities.”
HB 1234
Sponsor: Senn
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Civil Rights


“Prohibiting the open carry of certain weapons at public demonstrations and the state capitol.”
SB 5038
Sponsor: Kuderer
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Law & Justice
Jan 26: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM 
Jan 28: Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM 

“Including the open carry or display of weapons within the offense of criminal mischief.”
HB 1283
Sponsor: Senn
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Civil Rights


“Concerning the restoration of the right to possess a firearm.”
HB 1026
Sponsor: Walen
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Civil Rights


“Modernizing, harmonizing, and improving the efficacy and accessibility of laws concerning civil protection orders.”
HB 1320 & SB 5297
Sponsor: Goodman
Sponsor: Dhingra
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Civil Rights & Senate Law & Justice 
Jan 27: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:00 AM 
Jan 29: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 8:00 AM 


“Providing for an additional revenue source for eviction prevention and housing stability services.”
HB 1277 & SB 5279
Sponsor: Ormsby
Sponsor: Robinson
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Housing & Senate Housing
Jan 29: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Housing, Human Services & Veterans at 10:00 AM


“Concerning foster care and childcare licensing by the department of children, youth, and families.”
SB 5151
Sponsor: Wilson
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: Senate Early Learning & K-12
Jan 27: Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM

Physical Environment

 

“Improving the state's climate response through updates to the state's comprehensive planning framework.”
HB 1099
Sponsor: Duerr
Status: House Environment & Energy 
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Jan 28: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Environment & Energy at 1:30 PM 
Jan 29: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Environment & Energy at 10:00 AM

Click here for a one-pager from Futurewise.

“Concerning long-term forest health and the reduction of wildfire dangers.”
HB 1168 
Sponsor: Springer
Healthy Gen’s position: Support
Status: House Rural Development
Jan 29: Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture & Natural Resources at 8:00 AM 
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