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  3. WA Lege Day 15: First quarter almost over

WA Lege Day 15: First quarter almost over

If this were a football game, we'd be down to the last minute or so of the first quarter. This is day 15 of a 60 day session.

The Service Employees union is at the Capitol lobbying today, as are dental hygenists, and the state Medical Association. The Legislature is also holding "Civic Education Day."

The governor has a morning press conference to discuss the importance of national health care reform, which may seem more questionable after last week's Massachusetts election for the U.S. Senate seat. Washington Democrats were counting on some changes in federal rules that would increase payments for Medicaid, and ease the state's budget problems, and had some  hopes the state's Basic Health program would become a national model.

The afternoon will be busy with committee hearings. Of possible interest to the Spokane area is HB 2717, which would restrict outings from state facilities, drafted in the wake of the Philip Paul's walkaway from the County Fair last fall.

A full schedule of hearings can be found inside the blog.

Legislative Meeting Schedule

Monday, January 25, 2010
Time Committee Location
10:00 AM HOUSE SESSION/CAUCUS
Agriculture & Rural Economic Development (S) Senate Hearing Rm 3
Government Operations & Elections (S) Senate Hearing Rm 2
Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection (S) Senate Hearing Rm 4
12:00 PM PRO FORMA SENATE SESSION
1:30 PM Early Learning & K-12 Education (S) Senate Hearing Rm 1
Economic Development, Trade & Innovation (S) Senate Hearing Rm 3
Health & Long-Term Care (S) Senate Hearing Rm 4
Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation (S) Senate Hearing Rm 2
Community & Economic Development & Trade (H) House Hearing Rm C
Human Services (H) House Hearing Rm D
Judiciary (H) House Hearing Rm A
Local Government & Housing (H) House Hearing Rm E
Technology, Energy & Communications (H) House Hearing Rm B
3:30 PM Transportation (S) Senate Hearing Rm 1
Ways & Means (S) Senate Hearing Rm 4
Transportation (H) House Hearing Rm B
Ways & Means (H) House Hearing Rm A

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House Committees

Community & Economic Development & Trade*
1/25/10 1:30 pm
House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/22/2010 3:57 PM

Public Hearing:
  1. HB 2651 - Authorizing port districts to participate in activities related to job training and placement.
  2. HB 2985 - Concerning infrastructure financing for local governments.

Executive Session:
  1. HB 2577 - Creating community facilities districts.
  2. Other bills previously heard in committee.

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Human Services*
1/25/10 1:30 pm
Watch on TVWHouse Full Committee
House Hearing Rm D
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/21/2010 12:46 PM

Public Hearing:
  1. HB 2717 - Restricting outings from state facilities.
  2. HB 2882 - Detaining persons with mental disorders.
  3. HB 2932 - Concerning the assessment and treatment of certain persons with mental illnesses.
  4. HB 2725 - Modifying community custody conditions for persons convicted of assaulting a child in the first degree.
  5. HB 2664 - Concerning supported living vendor rates.
  6. HB 3076 - Concerning the involuntary treatment act.

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Judiciary
1/25/10 1:30 pm
House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Overview of mens rea and insanity in criminal law.

Public Hearing:
  1. HB 2887 - Concerning criminal defendants who are guilty and mentally ill.
  2. HB 2690 - Prohibiting the use of voluntary intoxication as a defense against a criminal charge.
  3. HB 2457 - Placing restrictions on pro se defendants when questioning witnesses.

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Local Government & Housing
1/25/10 1:30 pm
House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm E
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:
  1. HB 2428 - Concerning fees for locating surplus funds from county governments, real estate property taxes, assessments, and other government lien foreclosures or charges.
  2. HB 2848 - Repealing RCW 36.32.210.
  3. HB 2851 - Restricting mailings by local officials.
  4. HB 2884 - Authorizing limited expansions of urban growth areas into one hundred year floodplains in areas adjacent to a freeway interchange or interstate in counties wholly or partially bordering salt waters with more than one hundred thousand but fewer than one hundred fifty thousand residents.
  5. HB 2891 - Extending time to complete recommendations under RCW 36.70A.5601 conducted by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center.
  6. HB 2962 - Allowing county treasurers to use electronic bill presentment and payment that includes an automatic electronic payment option for property taxes.
  7. HB 2986 - Requiring the appointment of nonvoting labor members to public transportation governing bodies.
  8. HB 2988 - Regarding local improvement districts in flood control zone districts.

Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

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Technology, Energy & Communications
1/25/10 1:30 pm
House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing: HB 3034 - Modifying the energy independence act.

Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

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Transportation
1/25/10 3:30 pm
Watch on TVWHouse Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Department of Transportation Tolling Studies.
  1. Columbia River Crossing.
  2. Interstate 405.
  3. Alaskan Way Viaduct.


Public Hearing:
  1. HB 2941 - Authorizing the use of express toll lanes in the Interstate 405 corridor.
  2. HB 2897 - Concerning the administration, collection, use, and enforcement of tolls.
  3. HB 2929 - Clarifying the use of revenue generated from tolling the state route number 520 corridor.

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Ways & Means*
1/25/10 3:30 pm
Watch on TVWHouse Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/21/2010 12:11 PM

Public Hearing:
  1. EHB 1547 - Increasing the duty-related death benefit for public employees.
  2. EHB 1679 - Providing access to catastrophic disability medical insurance under plan 2 of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system.
  3. HB 2872 - Establishing a period of public and legislative review of appropriations legislation.
  4. HB 2877 - Authorizing payment of regulated company stock in lieu of a portion of salary for educational employees.
  5. HB 2998 - Suspending certain monetary awards and salary increases.
  6. HB 2731 - Creating an early learning program for educationally at-risk children. (If measure is referred to committee.)

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Senate Committees

Agriculture & Rural Economic Development
1/25/10 10:00 am
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 3
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6556 - Changing the fees for certain types of agricultural burning.
  2. SB 6520 - Extending time to complete recommendations under RCW 36.70A.5601 conducted by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center.
  3. SB 6559 - Protecting operation of anaerobic digesters under the Washington right to farm act.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Early Learning & K-12 Education*
1/25/10 1:30 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/22/2010 8:33 AM

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6696 - Regarding education reform.
  2. SB 6630 - Updating references to the Washington assessment of student learning.

Executive Session:
  1. SB 6502 - Restoring the school district levy base.
  2. SB 6466 - Authorizing advertising on school buses.
  3. SB 6403 - Regarding accountability and support for vulnerable students and dropouts.
  4. SB 6518 - Changing school levy provisions.
  5. SB 6488 - Regarding school levies.
  6. SB 6601 - Adjusting local school finance related to nonresident students enrolled in online learning.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Economic Development, Trade & Innovation*
1/25/10 1:30 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 3
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/21/2010 4:26 PM

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6374 - Regarding fiscal note instructions.
  2. SB 6598 - Requiring LEED standards for certain excise tax credit eligibility.
  3. SB 6599 - Requiring high performance building standards for eligibility for certain tax incentives.
  4. SB 6613 - Modifying the sales and use tax deferral program for investment projects in rural counties.
  5. SB 6637 - Increasing the small business credit for the business and occupation tax.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Government Operations & Elections*
1/25/10 10:00 am
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 2
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/21/2010 8:44 AM

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6287 - Concerning annexation of a city, partial city, or town to a fire protection district.
  2. SB 6288 - Authorizing counties, cities, and towns to request background checks for certain license applicants and licensees.
  3. SB 6362 - Concerning government accountability.
  4. SB 6425 - Transferring the board of accountancy to the department of licensing.
  5. SB 6480 - Concerning impact payments of a municipally owned hydroelectric facility.
  6. SB 6418 - Regarding cities and towns annexed to fire protection districts.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Health & Long-Term Care
1/25/10 1:30 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6487 - Repealing the expiration of the fair payment for chiropractic services requirement.
  2. SB 6497 - Concerning direct practices.
  3. SB 6522 - Establishing the accountable care organization pilot projects.
  4. SB 6523 - Concerning the apple health community care demonstration waiver.
  5. SB 6582 - Concerning nursing assistant credentialing.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection*
1/25/10 10:00 am
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/22/2010 4:02 PM

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6574 - Authorizing issuance of subpoenas for purposes of agency investigations of underground economy activity.
  2. SB 6575 - Concerning the recommendations of the joint legislative task force on the underground economy.
  3. SB 6492 - Authorizing the department of labor and industries to issue subpoenas to enforce production of information related to electricians and electrical installations.
  4. SB 6728 - Concerning classroom training for electrical trainees.
  5. SB 6545 - Adopting the international wildland urban interface code.
  6. SB 6586 - Regarding membership on the state building code council.
  7. SB 6435 - Requiring the building code council to adopt rules for installing outlets to charge vehicles.

Executive Session:
  1. SB 5046 - Placing symphony orchestras, operas, and performing arts theaters under the jurisdiction of the public employment relations commission for purposes of collective bargaining. (Executive Session is on the Proposed Substitute.)
  2. SB 6348 - Prohibiting certain communications of collection agencies and their employees.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation*
1/25/10 1:30 pm
Watch on TVWSenate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 2
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/21/2010 4:11 PM

Work Session: Background on Falconry.

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6644 - Concerning the possession and capture of birds of prey.
  2. SB 6481 - Clarifying which local governments have jurisdiction over conversion-related forest practices.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Transportation
1/25/10 3:30 pm Back to Top
Ways & Means*
1/25/10 3:30 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/22/2010 10:54 AM

Public Hearing:
  1. SB 6551 - Documenting wholesale sales for excise tax purposes.
  2. SB 6552 - Concerning excise taxation of certain products and services provided or furnished electronically.
  3. SGA 9207 - Stephen L Johnson, Member, Board of Tax Appeals.
  4. SB 6331 - Concerning tax relief for aluminum smelters.
  5. SB 6339 - Concerning a sales and use tax exemption for wax and ceramic materials used to create molds for ferrous and nonferrous investment castings.
  6. SB 6326 - Creating uniformity among annual tax reporting survey provisions.
  7. SB 5885 - Removing public disclosure exemptions for tax exemption information.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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