Welcome to Policy Watch 2002

WEEK 9

Every POLICY WATCH has three parts. (1) Information: on contacting legislators, learning more about issues, etc. This section was up-front the first week; it has been moved to the end. (2) A description of what is happening week by week in Olympia. (3) Brief items about specific bills, arranged by category.

This bulletin focuses primarily on health, social welfare, and low-income issues. And while it attempts to give readers enough information to guide actions (calls, letters, visits), it will not take positions or urge a particular action. That is up to you.

Go to Part III Issues

The 2002 Regular Session ended on March 14, 2002 (actually about 1:00 am on March 15.)

After a week that included honoring Olympic Speed-Skater Apolo Ohno, non-stop meetings, late nights, and frayed nerves ("Everybody's crabby"), the Session came to a no-Special-Session-thank-goodness contentious close. Sighs of relief could be heard in the land.

The Budget in Brief.
To fill a $1.6 billion deficit, the final budget includes:
-- $381.5 million in spending cuts ($180 of that in cuts to health and human services),
-- $325 million from emergency reserves (leaving just $50 million),
-- $450 million from selling off some future tobacco suit payments,
-- $ 53 million from joining the "Big Game" and ending 3 tax exemptions.
(Other savings come from about 1,000 layoffs and a variety of administrative changes and efficiencies.)

One "hole" remains: budget writers thought they had agreement for a 5% tax on some liquor sales, expected to bring in $40 million. At the last minute, the House failed to pass the tax - so the Governor must "line item veto" another $40 million from programs.

Bill status.
In this issue of PW there is less information about the many bills, in part because those of you following specific bills probably know their fate by now. More important, by now there are many good, detailed, issue-specific bulletins available (e.g., from: the ARC of Washington, the Association of Alcoholism and Addiction Programs, the Children's Alliance, the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Low-Income Housing Network, the Senior Lobby, Statewide Poverty Action, etc.).
Alert readers will also note that very few bills tracked by PW made it through the process this year - passing both House and Senate and being sent to the Governor for his signature.

Action -- The Bottom Line.
POLICY WATCH is written with four notions in mind.
1) PW tries to help readers understand what is happening week by week in the process.
2) PW covers a range of health, human service and low-income issues, so readers can see a fuller array of issues and get some sense of the many difficult choices facing legislators - not just for a specific program, bill, or issue, but within and among issue categories.
3) PW tries to help readers follow particular bills, and understand their changing status from week to week.
4) PW takes special note of the many ways in which all of us help influence the process --through calls, letters, visits, and testimony.

That is because in "civic engagement," the bottom line is not just information. The key is ACTION. Nothing happens by accident: every good bill that was passed, every bad bill that was defeated, every budget decision that made it through the competition to the final budget - EVERYthing happened because people took action. If you played a part, take credit. It is a great feeling known only to those of us lucky enough to be living in a democracy.

A group once asked for a briefing about issues before the legislature, "for information purposes only." They wanted to be better informed, they explained, but not take any action -- because that would be "political." The answer I gave then is the one I'd give today.

Information is good; being informed is important. But just being informed is like going to a restaurant just to read the menu. You would be informed, but you'd be missing the point. In citizenship and restaurants, at some point you have to decide what you want, what you are willing to pay for it, and then communicate with other people to make those wishes known.

Unless you are worried about a possible Governor's veto of a bill or budget item you care about, the opportunity for taking action is largely over for this Session. That does not mean our job is finished - it just means the job has changed.

First, Review the Session's Results.
Check on bills or budget items that concern you (here, and with other sources), and then get together with others to assess the Session's results. Whether you are on the Board of a non-profit, working for a public or private agency, a student in a policy class, living at a senior residence, part of an advocacy group, or someone who takes part in the discussion series at your faith community... find an opportunity to talk about the Session just ended, and about next steps.

For starters, here are six questions to apply to the Session just finished. From the perspective of issues you care about....

(1) WERE GOOD BILLS PASSED?
Generally this was not a big Session for new laws - though there were several notable successes. For example, thanks to the perseverance and advocacy of many, the legislature passed: a Drug Sentencing Reform bill that will increase funds for substance abuse treatment, the Anti-Bullying bill - after five long years, a bill to extend unemploy-ment insurance to victims of domestic violence, a family-friendly bill to expand the use of sick leave, a bill to generate funds for low-cost housing, bills to improve foster care and to make contraceptives more readily available to victims of rape. All were important victories - often won despite serious obstacles.

One big disappointment was the legislature's failure to pass a Prescription Drug Bill - apparently because the biotech industry's concerns were allowed to outweigh everything and everyone else.

Considering the fact that this was a year when legislators faced both a massive deficit and a fall election, be generous in your assessment. Virtually nothing that might require new spending was likely to pass.

(2) WERE BAD BILLS DEFEATED?
Sometimes defeat is a victory. Civil libertarians had raised red flags about SB 6704 - which would have increased penalties for terrorist acts by allowing expanded wiretaps and use of capital punishment. It appeared to be cruising to victory, and then - near the end - died. Similarly, HB 2459 would have removed statutory authority for a long list of programs serving children, youth and families; it also died. Numerous other bills that had caused anxious moments for advocates for youth, women, and/or low-income families also died.

Think back over the Session - which bills made you uneasy and are no longer alive or sitting on the Governor's desk?

(3) WERE GOOD BUDGET (CUTS/SPENDING) DECISIONS MADE?
This will be a very subjective assessment for any group. Generally speaking, the human services community started the session with over fifty programs or activities slated for elimination. By the end of the session that was true of fewer than half. It is true that many vital services are being scaled back, and the route to a balanced budget is being paved with some questionable methods. But many of the alternatives would have been far worse. E.g., nobody "likes" the idea of selling off future Tobacco payments, but without enough votes to raise revenues, not going that route would have required $450 million in additional program cuts.

This final PW is full of indications of budget items cut, restored, or partially restored. Many services that seemed destined for elimination will live to fight another day. Think which elements of the budget packages you/your group regards as critical spending choices, and whether you prefer some other outcome.

Some of the most striking in terms of their likely long-term impact on vulnerable people and the communities they live in are the "savings" from cuts in SSI and GAU - programs serving poor adults with mental and physical disabilities who have nowhere else to turn, and the "savings" wrung from low-income children who are to be "Directed" away from Medicaid and toward the Basic Health Plan.

(4) WERE GOOD REVENUE (TAX, FEE, INCOME-GENERATING) DECISIONS MADE?
This will be equally subjective, but very important. The decision made by many legislators - up front - not to agree to any general tax increase put all other decisions in a box and almost scuttled the session.

Among the more significant revenue decisions include the decision to send the transportation package to the voters (delaying road construction and other transportation fixes by at least a year) because of its increase in the gas tax.

The legislature had many opportunities to raise small amounts of revenue from non-essential products and activities - like a small increase in the price of liquor, a tax on soda pop or junk food, an opportunity to review the effectiveness of tax exemptions. None of those opportunities was seized.

(5) WHAT GROUNDWORK DID THE SESSION LAY FOR NEXT YEAR?
As always, this picture is mixed. Some might argue that adopting any short-term budget fix was a poor idea, but with only 9 weeks to resolve so many complex issues, that may have been inevitable. Others would point to the legislature's failure to consider new revenues as a poor groundwork for the future.

But there are other considerations. For example, several items that survived are based on the belief that prevention is a better investment than after-the-fact-crisis-care; that could provide a useful foundation for similar actions in the future. Similarly, the Drug Sentencing reforms demonstrate a way to lower future costs - in dollars and lives - by investing up-front in substance abuse treatment. That could provide a useful basis for future policies. Meanwhile, state workers are asked to shoulder a significant piece of the budget fix (no cost-of-living increase, over 900 lay-offs, more co-pays for health coverage), but vendors will at least get a small increase of 1.5%. Recognizing the value of services provided by people under state contracts is important.

(6) WHAT ROLE DID YOU PLAY?
Here's where this conversation gets interesting. Everything that got into one of the categories above, got there as the result of advocacy: for/against - or because some did nothing. In a democracy, doing nothing is a political act: it says you like whatever others decide.
What part did you play?

Consider the good bills that passed, the bad bills that were defeated, all the budget/revenue decisions that were made.... What propelled them into the winners' corner? What produced the final result?

The usual cynical answers don't apply. Some of the winners were issues affecting small, less-powerful groups; among the losers were issues with powerful forces - including professional lobbyists and big campaign contributors - involved. For every example of a powerful lobby group having an influence, there are as many or more examples of un-powerful community groups making the critical difference.

If money and power were the only deciding factors, then virtually none of the health, human services, and low-income issues monitored by POLICY WATCH would have had a chance. The fact that they not only had a chance, but won more than anyone might have expected, is a real tribute to advocacy in a democratic environment.

Next Steps. Five things are critical.
a) Stay informed. Join a group or email list that monitors the issues you care about. Every bill that is passed by the legislature has to be implemented by a state agency; pay attention to how this year's bills get implemented in the months ahead. This summer will be critical because many bills take effect as of July 1.

b) Get ready for the Fall elections. At stake are all 98 seats in the State House of Representatives, and half the seats in the state Senate. All nine of our state Representatives to the U.S. Congress will also be running for re-election. If we want good people in office next year, we need to make sure the candidates are informed about issues that concern us while they are running for office. Then we have to work for the candidates that best reflect our views.

Non-profit groups cannot engage in partisan political activity (i.e., for one political party or its candidates at the expense of another), but they can help sponsor Forums where candidates from all parties are asked to explain their views on a set of related issues. For example, a number of childrens' advocates could jointly sponsor a Candidate Forum on children's issues; ditto for groups concerned with mental health, long-term care, or any issue category.

People who work for public agencies cannot use agency time or resources to work for candidates, but they can provide background information on the issues being discussed at a candidate forum.

c) Register voters and work to increase voter turnout. That's some-thing everyone can do. Last November only 44.5% of Washington's registered voters bothered to vote. We can and should do better.

d) Document the effects of the budget changes. Hear of people affected by larger caseloads? longer waiting lists? a cut in services? inadequate reimbursement? increased need? Write about it for your local newspaper or group's newsletter. There is a tendency to make changes in policies or budgets, and then fail to connect those changes with the impact they have on people's lives.

e) Think ahead to next year's budget. We already know that next year the legislature will face another budget shortfall - estimated at $1 billion, and capable of growing before next January. Unless we want the legislators boxed in once again, and forced into more short-term solutions, we need to understand how the state budget is put together, what might reasonably be cut, and where new revenue might reasonably be found. If you belong to a group, decide now to use the next 8 months to make yourselves better informed about budget and revenue options. Suggest a series... invite in speakers... draw up a reading list... give yourselves assignments... get smart.

If you or your group have trouble thinking through how you can make a difference, contact POLICY WATCH: increasing civic engagement in the policy process is what this is all about.

WEEK NINE IN OLYMPIA

They finished, wrapped up, closed shop, went home. An Operating Budget passed. You can find it, and details agency-by-agency, at:
www.leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2002/senate_prop_os2.asp.

Watch for information about potential vetoes. If a bill you care about has been sent to the Governor, let him know whether you wish him to sign, veto, or exercise his power to veto certain sections. If a budget item you care about might be at risk because of the remaining $40 million budget hole (created by the legislature's failure to pass a 5% tax on liquor), let the Governor know. The ball is now in his court.

(A Capital Budget and a Transportation Budget have also passed; they are not covered here.)

PART III - SOME ISSUES

This section notes upcoming hearings, plus categories of bills, including:

Aging/Long-Term Care
Child Care
Child Welfare
Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
Disabilities
Health Care
Housing/Homelessness
Hunger and Nutrition
Juveniles/Youth
Mental Health
Sexual Abuse/Domestic Violence
Substance Abuse
Tax Options
Welfare
Miscellaneous

Fair warning: This bulletin only comes out weekly, and does not pretend to be comprehensive. If there is an issue category you care about, use the legislative website to monitor (www.leg.wa.gov) because the action changes daily.

REMINDER:
House Bill numbers begin with 1 or 2;
Senate Bill numbers begin with 5 or 6.
More recent bills have higher numbers.

A Substitute House or Senate Bill (SHB, or SSB) is a bill that replaces or substitutes for the original bill. It incorporates changes that key members have agreed to, to make the bill acceptable to a majority.

WARNING:
Information on specific bills was still being updated as this was written, and bills are being passed (or rejected) every hour. If there is a specific bill you care about, go to: www.leg.wa.gov, click on Bill Info, and then go to the Daily Status Report.

Bills that appear to be DEAD are continued in PW for one week, then deleted. From this point on, if one version of a bill dies, that will be eliminated from the heading for the bill - leaving the "alive" bill. As a result, every POLICY WATCH will be shorter than the one before it.

If a bill you care about is listed as "before the Rules Committee..." or "on the Floor..." contact your legislators to tell them how you feel about it. Time is running out.

AGING/LONG-TERM CARE

EHB 2444- SPECIFIES QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADULT FAMILY HOME PROVIDERS AND RESIDENT MANAGERS.
This bill was revived, passed, and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items.
Payments to nursing homes. Except for an increase in licensing fees, nursing homes appear to have escaped the big budget hits proposed earlier in the session. For a fuller picture, contact advocates familiar with nursing home payments.

Assisted Living cuts would total about $2.6 million in combined state and federal funds. A provision intended to encourage expansion is eliminated for facilities with fewer than 50% medicaid clients.

Homecare Workers will get a 25 cent per hour wage increase starting October 1.

Personal Care did well in the final Budget -- no lowered eligibility.

The AIDSNets funding -- for prevention and care services, received a $360,000 cut. But they had feared deeper cuts, and in any case anticipate increased federal funds - which would cancel out the cut.

The Evergreen Health Insurance Program (EHIP) was saved and
transferred back to DSHS, where it originally laid. However, the final budget requires that EHIP participate in cost-sharing to the tune of $301,000 (a 12% reduction). I t is hoped that DOH and DSHS will work together to minimize the adverse affect of that cut.

CHILD CARE

Budget items
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM - ECEAP , is reduced by $838,000 - all of which is to be taken from program Administration, not by reducing the number of children served.

HEAD START is reduced by $235,000 - half the state's share of matching funds. That money will have to be found at the local level.

For changes in child care funding due to short-falls in the "Welfare Box" and more recent actions taken during the final budget, see the section on "WELFARE."

- - - - - - - - -

CHILD WELFARE/CHILDRENS' SERVICES

ESHB1397- KINSHIP CARE
This Bill acknowledges the value of kinship care, but just instructs DSHS to convene a workgroup on kinship caregivers, develop a briefing on the policy issues for the Legislature, and report to the legislature by November 1, 2002.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

SB 6709- PROVIDING STABLE EDUCATION FOR FOSTER CHILDREN.
Requires that school age foster children attend the same school after placement in foster care, to avoid the instability that comes from moving from school to school as well as from one home to another.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

ESHB 2379 - MAKING IT A CRIME TO LEAVE A CHILD WITH A SEX OFFENDER.
This bill would charge parents and persons entrusted with the care of a child, including a child care provider, who knowingly leaves the child with a registered sex offender with criminal mistreatment, a fourth degree misdemeanor.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

ESHB 2382 - REVISING PROVISIONS RE CRIMINAL MISTREATMENT OF A CHILD OR DEPENDENT PERSON
This bill adds a criminal sanction if a person entrusted with the care of a child, or dependent person puts them at risk of injury or mental distress by withholding the basic necessities of life.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

ESHB 2574 - ESTABLISHING A DEMONSTRATION SITE FOR A STATEWIDE CHILDREN'S SYSTEM OF CARE.
Establishes "...a centralized community care coordination system representing a philosophy about the way services should be delivered to children and their families, using existing resources of various child-serving agencies, and allowing for "blended funding." Involved agencies may include mental health services, drug and alcohol services, services for the developmentally disabled, county juvenile justice and state juvenile rehabilitation, child welfare and special education.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items.
The various Budget proposals included cuts in a variety of programs that offer prevention and/or early intervention for children at risk.
The final budget provides:
-- the ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE SERVICES - NO cut;
-- the PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE PROGRAM - NO cut;
-- the CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM - NO cut;
-- FAMILY RECONCILIATION SERVICES PHASE II -$1.7 million cut;
-- PARENTS TRUST - NO cut;
-- VENDOR RATE INCREASE - reduced to 1.5% for -$1.4 million cut;
-- ELIMINATE SECOND YEAR OF FOSTER CARE RATE
INCREASE - $921,000 cut;
-- THERAPEUTIC CHILD DEVELOPMENT is reduced by 25%, for a savings of $2,007,000.

CIVIL RIGHTS/CIVIL LIBERTIES

ESHB 1444 - REQUIRING POLICIES PROHIBITING HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION, AND BULLYING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS AND AT SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
The bill declares that a safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards. Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behavior, is conduct that disrupts both a student's ability to learn and a school's ability to educate its students in a safe environment.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

ESHB 2505 - PENALIZING UNLAWFUL INSTRUCTION IN CIVIL DISORDER.
This bill deals with groups that train with the intent of creating "civil disorder." Not to be confused with civil disobedience, civil disorder is an act of violence by a group of people that results in injury to a person or person's property. The legislation would affect groups that are training individuals (and the individuals being trained) in the techniques and mechanisms intending to create civil disorder.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

DISABILITIES

HB 2969 - ADDRESSING TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT AND FINANCING.
This is the big transportation improvement plan that just passed and will be sent to the public for a vote. It raises new revenue for transportation over the next ten years, and includes about $580 million for buses and para-transit. These funds are important to access for people with disabilities.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items

As a result of savings to be realized from a complicated shift of funds between several programs, families in which there is someone with a disability will lose in a variety of ways. There will be:
-- Liquidation of Family Support as family Support dollars are turned into cash supplement for families with disabled members.
-- A loss of Medical Assistance (the "coupons") and Medicaid Personal Care coverage for several thousand children with developmental disabilities
-- A loss of $500,000 in technical assistance dollars (e.g., for self-determination, safety training and support to senior families)
-- A loss of funding for Parent to Parent
-- A loss of funding for community guides
-- A new requirement that parents of disabled children pay toward the Voluntary Placement Program and Foster Caid agree to provide:
-- $14.0 million to fund Phase I of the Arc settlement:
-- $ 7.8 million for additional residential services
-- $ 3.6 million for additional Family Support and employment
for high school transition graduates
-- $ 2.7 million for case management, information and education, and
-- Providers will receive a 1.5% vendor rate increase (down from 2.3%) effective July 1, 2002.
-- SSI State Supplement. The House Budget would reduce and then phase these payments out, and divide the remaining money among other SSI-eligible persons. High school transition graduates are also affected.

In Week Six the House Transportation committee issued its ten-year transportation plan, with a recommendation of just $214 million for transit and special needs transportation. Compared with last year's talk of $913 million and the Governor's proposed $588 million, the Committee's recommendation is inadequate. It represents about one-tenth of pre-Initiative 695 funding - a clear step backward.

HEALTH CARE

SSB 6426 - ALLOWING SICK LEAVE TO CARE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.
This bill provides that an employer shall not in any way discriminate against an employee because an employee excises the right to use sick leave to care for family members. Few other states have extended sick leave to care for family members. An effort to include domestic partners failed.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items:
-- SHIFTS FROM MEDICAID TO BASIC HEALTH PLAN - BHP (for 2,000 Legal Immigrant Adults, and 25,000 Undocumented Children) -- for a combined savings of $23.3 million.

Our state provides medicaid coverage for legal immigrants and undocumented children (though not their parents). Medical Assistance provides good coverage and interpreter services (a necessity for immigrants and refugees), without premiums. They will be "Directed" to the BHP - which means they are being terminated from Medicaid.

Those who do get into the BHP will: get less-good coverage (e.g., no dental or mental health services), be required to pay money they don't have, have to go through a new application process with new rules and restrictions, and no longer qualify for interpreter services. Up to half the children may lose health coverage entirely. Also, more Basic Health Plan slots will be filled by these transfers, rather than remaining available to families in low-paying jobs who do not qualify for Medi-caid, and whose employers cannot (or will not) provide health benefits.

-- MEDICAL INTERPRETER SERVICES will not be eliminated, but will get savings of $1.1 million through the end of the budget year, using a new "brokerage" model.. Savings will increase in the next biennium.

-- PRESCRIPTION DRUG FUNDING appears to be reduced by $12.4 million ($24.4 million when federal and other funds are included). Access to services, both in community and residential settings, could become more difficult for Medicaid patients.

-- LOCAL HEALTH AGENCIES were apparently spared a direct hit when budget writers maintained "public health backfill" funds - state monies going to county governments for public health, to make up for losses (i.e. "backfill) from I-695. However, the overall impact on counties will be severe, because other pieces of the "backfill" money were not restored. For example, King County estimates it will lose over $20 million from a variety of budget cuts.

-- BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING - NO cuts.

The transfer of funds from the TOBACCO TRUST to the HEALTH SERVICES ACCOUNT was not made, as had been feared earlier.
The "Securitization" of future TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PAYMENTS to fill this year's deficit raises concerns; advocates worked hard to protect that money for health and tobacco-prevention purposes, and using it to shore up the General Fund undermines that.

However all TOBACCO-RELATED BILLS (e.g., to prevent youth access to tobacco) DIED.

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS

HB 2060 - TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR HOUSING PROJECTS
Would require a $10 fee for each real property document recorded, with the proceeds to be added to the Housing Trust Fund to provide for low-income housing projects and other housing development. 60% of the funds stay in the communities where the fee is collected, to meet locally-identified low-income housing needs; and 40% will support housing for very low-income persons statewide.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items:
Funds for Emergency Shelter Assistance, and for Overnight Youth Shelter were saved. They may come from revenues generated by HB 2060 (above).

HUNGER AND NUTRITION

SHB 2325 - DONATED FOOD
This bill springs from concerns raised in Eastern Washington after local health departments placed severe restrictions on potluck-type (home-cooked) dinners for the hungry, usually by faith communities.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

SB 6425 - AUTHORIZING ACCESS TO SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMS AND KITCHEN FACILITIES.
This bill is concerned with access by catering groups.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

HB 2767 - PROHIBITING THE USE OF ELECTRONIC BENEFIT CARDS FOR SOME PURPOSES.
This bill ensures that EBT cannot be used for gambling.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items
-- EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, NO cuts.
-- FARMER'S MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM - NO cuts.
-- WIC - Women Infants and Childrens health and nutrition program for high risk women and children - will lose $423,000, though budget writers expressed hope for off-setting federal funds. (Those familiar with the WIC program believe that is unlikely.)

WIC was also at risk if the state ended funds to "back fill" what county health departments lost with the passage of I-695. That was restored.

JUVENILES/YOUTH

HB 2380 - CHANGING PROVISIONS RELATING TO SEGRE-GATION OF CHILD OFFENDERS FROM ADULT OFFENDERS.
This bill stipulates circumstances under which an offender over 18 years but under 21 years of age may be maintained in a housing unit for offenders under 18.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items
-- licensed youth shelters - NO cuts ($120,000 for all five; each gets about $22,000) to come from revenues raised by HB 2060 - see HOUSING;
-- Juvenile Violence Prevention Grant - NO cuts.
-- VRDE - Violence Reduction and Drug Enforcement - Account,
reduced by $571,000 - not $1.2 million as originally proposed.
-- HOPE beds and Responsible Living Skills beds - NO cuts.
-- COMMUNITY HEALTH & SAFETY NETWORKS - NO cuts.
(The Senator who championed funding for several of the programs in this section was presented with a bag of twinkies - to keep his energy up through the fight.)

MENTAL HEALTH

SB 6469 - AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES INFORMATION TO DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS.
This bill has been signed by the Governor.

Budget Items
-- Regional Support Networks - rather than reduce rates or cut services, the RSN's are instructed to spend down $21 million of accumulated reserves.
-- Community mental health services - several small projects providing anti-psychotic medications and Contracts with Children's Hospital and Fairfax Hospital for children's inpatient services are eliminated for a savings of $2.7 million.
-- Program for Adaptive Living Skills (PALS) unit at Western State - reduced by $351,000. This closes 30 beds and sends those individuals to community facilities, but would require that services be in place in the community before any PALS beds were closed down.

Other proposed cuts would affect individuals with mental illness - e.g., cuts in GAU and the SSI State Supplement - see WELFARE.

SEXUAL ABUSE/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

HB 1248 - TO ALLOW VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR STALKING TO GET UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.
This bill recognizes that people being stalked or followed by abusers may miss work through no fault of their own, and thus should be eligible for UI.
This bill has been signed by the Governor.

SHB 2381-TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS.
This bill would provide a coordinated, humane response for victims of human trafficking, and it creates a Washington state task force against the trafficking of persons.
This bill has been signed by the Governor.

SSB 6412 - MAIL ORDER BRIDES
This bill would require the disclosure of critical information by international matchmaking organizations, in order to protect "mail order brides" from prospective partners with a history of violence.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

SSB 6537 - PROVIDING EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION TO SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS
This bill deems it essential that all hospital emergency rooms provide emergency contraception as a treatment option to any woman who seeks treatment as a result of a sexual assault.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Item.
VRDE Account (Violence Reduction and Drug Enforcement) reductions of $571,000 will be accomplished through a 1.1% across-the-board reduction in all funded programs; that could affect services for victims of Sexual Assault and crime victims' services.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE/TREATMENT

SHB 2338 - DRUG SENTENCING REFORM, REVISING SENTENCES FOR DRUG OFFENSES.
This bill would increase the use of substance abuse treatment for defendants and offenders in order to reduce recidivism and increase the likelihood that they will become law-abiding persons.
The bill makes sentences for drug offenses accurately reflect the impact of substance abuse and addiction on public safety, protects the public from violent offenders, and bases sentences on research and clear public policy goals. It includes a new drug sentencing "grid," offers judges wide discretion, and sets aside funds for treatment and drug court expansions.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

SB 6482 - REMOVING TIME LIMITS FOR TREATMENT
This bill would eliminate the 60-day limit on state-funded treatment, and better tailor treatment to the individual.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget items
-- the Treatment Accountability for Safe Communities - TASC program - is reduced by $1,036,000 (a one-third reduction). TASC works to reduce drug abuse and criminal activity, and to connect the criminal justice and chemical dependency systems.
-- GRAVELY DISABLED PROGRAM - substance abuse treatment for people in danger of serious physical harm - is reduced by $1.8 million.
-- RECOVERY HOUSE BEDS - one-fourth of beds eliminated, and clients limited to 60 days; coincides with closing of Cedar Hills.
-- VRDE Account (Violence Reduction and Drug Enforcement) reductions of $571,000 will be accomplished through a 1.1% across-the-board reduction in all funded programs.
-- PUBLIC SAFETY and EDUCATION ACT - PSEA - funds for drug court and SSI supplemental funds; reduced by $18,000.
-- VENDOR RATE CHANGE - reduced from 2.3% to 1.5%.

TAX OPTIONS

6819 - AFFECTING THE STATE'S EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS AND TO ADDRESS THE REVENUE SHORTFALL IN THE 2001-2003 BIENNIUM.
This bill permits revenue-raising actions (or revenue-neutral tax shifts) to be taken with a majority vote (not a super-majority) during the 2001-2003 biennium. It also provides that, during the 2001-2003 biennium, the legislature may transfer moneys from the emergency reserve fund to the general fund with a majority vote. It was a time-limited way (good for this session only) to give the legislature increased flexibility as it works to meet the current deficit crisis.
This bill was signed by the Governor.

WELFARE

HB 1144 - MODIFYING GOOD CAUSE REASONS FOR FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE IN WORKFIRST.
This bill would restore the 12-month exemption for new mothers to stay at home with a new baby, but adds a requirement for 20 hours/week of community service or work-related activity.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

Budget Items.
-- Earlier this year the "Welfare Box" was found to have a $50-60 million short-fall. So the Governor cut a variety of services and programs which aid families making the transition from welfare to work, and directed new co-pays and lower eligibility for child care.

However, the legislature inserted language into the budget (a budget "proviso") ending what had previously been unlimited control over these funds by the Governor, and directing how the shortfall should be addressed.

Cuts the Legislature restored include:
The Child Care co-pay would only increase $2/month (not $5.00);
Substance abuse services to TANF parents;
Assistance for providers serving children with special needs;
After-School Programs for middle school youth;
Indigent Legal Services.

To make up for the shortfall, legislators cut other TANF funding:
-- the Post-employment Labor Exchange Program (WPLEX),
-- Job Search (enhanced case management program to help TANF recipients find jobs).
These programs are regarded as less effective, so losing them is less serious.

-- SSI STATE SUPPLEMENT ($5-$25 per person per month) now going to 90,000 poor adults with mental and physical disabilities - eliminated to "save" $24.5 million. (They are "Re-formed" into DD cash payments.)
-- GENERAL ASSISTANCE UNEMPLOYABLE (GAU), saves $5.4 million in "efficiencies." GAU assists 18,000 adults with mental and physical disabilities who receive a $339 a month cash grant and medical coverage. Advocates fear these reductions may lead to increased homelessness, hospital emergency room use, and mental health crises.

MISCELLANEOUS

SB 6571 - PROVIDING FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENTS FOR BALLOT MEASURES.
This bill assumes that voters should know the budget consequences of the votes they cast on Initiatives and other ballot measures. Fiscal notes are routinely prepared by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) on bills during the legislative session; that same service would be provided whenever voters are asked to act as legislators, i.e., when deciding ballot measures or referenda.
This bill was passed and sent to the Governor.

| Back to Policy Watch main page |