How they voted

The following summaries for Eastern Washington legislators are compiled by WashingtonVotes.org, a free, nonpartisan Web site.

Substitute House Bill 1154 – Mental health insurance: Requires that mental health services should be delivered under the same terms and conditions as medical and surgical services. This bill requires group insurance plans to provide the same amounts and terms of coverage for mental health services as is provided for medical and surgical services and allows the mental health parity requirements to be phased in between Jan. 1, 2006, and July 1, 2010. The bill passed 67-25 in the House.

Yes: Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane; Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane.

No: Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane Valley; Rep. Lynn Schindler, R-Otis Orchards; Rep. John Serben, R-Spokane; Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane; Rep. Bob Sump, R-Republic; Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda; Rep. David Buri, R-Colfax.

Senate Bill 5048 – Tobacco samples: Prohibits the distribution of free or low-cost tobacco-product samples. This bill outlaws the practice known as “sampling,” whereby tobacco distributors provide no-cost or low-cost tobacco products to people. The bill passed 38-9 in the Senate and is under consideration in the House.

Yes: Sen. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane; Sen. Bob McCaslin, R-SpokaneValley; Sen. Bob Morton, R-Orient.

No: Sen. Brad Benson, R-Spokane; Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

Substitute House Bill 1014 – DNA testing: Revises DNA testing provisions and altering the procedure by which convicted felons may request and the state carry out DNA testing. The bill eliminates the dates and deadlines established for convicted persons to request post-conviction DNA testing, requires requests for post-conviction DNA testing to be submitted directly to the courts instead of the Office of Public Defense and the county prosecutor’s office, provides for indigent persons to obtain legal counsel to prepare and present a motion for post-conviction DNA testing, and requires all biological material secured in connection with a criminal case to be preserved for a length of time as determined by the court. The bill passed 96-0 in the House and is under consideration in the Senate.

Yes: Wood, Ormsby, Crouse, Schindler, Serben, Ahern, Sump, Kretz, Cox, Buri.

Senate Bill 5151 – Metropolitan parks: Revises the authority of a metropolitan park district to dispose of surplus property. The bill would allow a park district governing body, by simple majority vote, to sell or exchange surplus real property if the transaction is aimed at resulting in a project that provides programming and activities for disadvantaged youth. The proposed program must have a funding endowment that exceeds $50 million, and it must require the transfer of surplus property title to a federally recognized charitable organization. The bill passed in the Senate 40-0. Yes: Brown, Benson, Schoesler.