Welcome to Policy Watch 2007

PART I: Upcoming Advocacy Days
PART II – WEEK 11 IN OLYMPIA

PART I: Upcoming Advocacy Days

From 3/26 – 4/22

No lobby days reported to POLICY WATCH for the remainder of the 2007 Session.

Weekly (or Multiple) Lobby Days
EVERY WEDNESDAY, The Arc of Washington State hosts a weekly Developmental Disabilities mini-Advocacy Day, from January 31 thru April 11. Each week a different disability issue is highlighted. For location and other details – go to: http://www.arcwa.org/advocacy_day.htm

EVERY THURSDAY, the Children’s Budget Coalition hosts a brown bag lunch.
Noon – 1:00 pm. – John L. O’Brien Building, Briefing Room. Briefings available on request. Contact: sarah@childrensalliance.org , or, jon@childrensalliance.org (206-324-0340 X 19).

PART II – WEEK 11 IN OLYMPIA

THE SCENE

The flowering trees are all in bloom, and the tulips lining the paths from the Capitol building have begun to do the same. We have a truly beautiful Capitol campus. Anyone who’s been reluctant to stop by because they think it will be “scary,” or “intimidating,” should come now: it’s gorgeous.

This is also a time when Legislators are putting in extra-long hours, and schools are bringing busloads of students to Olympia. So it is common to see legislators with bags under their eyes from lack of sleep leading groups of lively schoolchildren across the Capitol grounds, pointing out interesting sights along the way.

Town Hall Meetings
Legislators in roughly half the Districts spent much of last Saturday at local Town Hall Meetings, as a quick way to get a sense of the issues most important to their voters. (Some Senators and Representatives held multiple meetings in different parts of their Districts - to accommodate more constituents; this brief report is based on meetings in about 20 Districts.) Sadly, in some places hardly anybody but the legislators showed up: just 10 or 12 constituents. That may have been a great opportunity for those who attended, but it was a missed opportunity for all the other voters. They passed up a chance to meet with THEIR elected Senator and Representatives, near HOME, and pose questions about ANYTHING before the legislature.

Where constituents did show up that’s exactly what happened. There the numbers ranged anywhere from 30 or 40 people to almost 200. And if the numbers showed a wide range, so did the issues: education came up a lot (e.g., changes in the WASL, the effort to let school levies pass by a “simple majority”), as did better access to health care, better wages for caregivers, and transportation. Then, depending on the District, legislators also faced questions about: NASCAR, gambling, ferries, PayDay loans, horse trails, mobile homes, local building projects, services for Veterans, mental health, paid family leave, childhood obesity, even ham radios. In a few meetings legislators were urged to “send a message” to the other Washington about Iraq, or impeachment. Several meetings were described as “very civil.” (hmmm… as opposed to?)

Those Town Hall Meetings are as revealing for what constituents mention, as for what they do not -- and legislators listen for both. They want to know: what are voters in their District happy with? Or angry about? Since only a fraction of the voters contact their legislators directly, and even fewer show up in Olympia, Town Hall Meetings are a great way for legislators to “take the pulse of the District,” as one elected official put it.

They are also an opportunity for constituents to learn useful details about the process - like the fact that legislators can pass a “shell bill,” to which important details like funding (or other bills) can be added later. Or they can get explanations for why particular bills made progress this year and others did not (e.g., it’s sometimes a matter of which bills can attract federal matching funds, and which must be entirely state-funded). One legislator who was asked why he hadn’t co-sponsored a particular bill replied that they typically see ten pages of bills to review for co-sponsorship – daily! Not sponsoring a bill, he explained, doesn’t necessarily mean opposition: with so many bills to review it is easy to just miss some. (Anyone can see which bills their legislators have sponsored or co-sponsored by going to their websites at www.leg.wa.gov, and clicking on “bill sponsorship.” By tradition the Speaker sponsors no bills, but every other member does.)

Organized groups work to turn out their members at Town Hall Meetings, so it isn’t surprising that legislators would face questions about education, the impact of various transportation options on the environment, or wages/benefits for caregivers (given the efforts of the League of Education Voters, environmental groups, and labor unions urging their members to attend). But anyone can attend, and get their message heard by legislators and other voters alike -- witness the fact that most of the time is devoted to questions from the audience. One first-term legislator had been unsure about the idea, given the cost in time, money, and staff involved. Afterward, he was glad they’d hosted the event, saying that for him, it was “a real eye-opener.”

THE PROCESS – a bit more on Opposite House Bills in Committee
There is only one more week – in most cases just 3 Committee meetings – in which “opposite house” bills can get a Public Hearing and Executive Session (vote) by the next cut-off on 3/30.

Many of the bills now getting a Public Hearing and a vote in the various Policy Committees have already been considered in an identical, or very similar, form. And even if they haven’t been formally “heard,” Senators and Representatives with common interests often find opportunities to talk about the bills that may be coming their way. As a result, many of the Committee Agendas have a manageable number of bills to “hear,” and when it’s time for Executive Session (occasionally during the same Committee meeting), Committee votes can move very quickly.

Even on a controversial (and sometimes contentious) measure like the bill to require medically accurate sex education in the schools, the amendments, and votes, sped by. One Committee member began by saying, “…some of us were up until 2:00 am this morning, working on the Capital Budget… so I’ll be brief.” Another said: “…we’ve discussed this all before: enough already.” Members mentioned the many compromises that had already been made to accommodate their colleagues’ concerns (parental consent and “opt out” provisions, exceptions for faith-based schools, and as one put it: “…in this bill we’re just saying ‘you may not mislead, you may not misinform…”).

As each amendment was called up, the Chair turned to Committee members supporting, and those opposing, for one last comment before the vote. Each then stated their case in a sentence or two (at most a few paragraphs), taking care to mention the role their constituents’ views played in their votes. One member noted that “…based on the calls and letters I’m getting from constituents, the reaction from my district is: ‘Oppose.’” Another said, “…from my district it’s a big NO.” Those supporting the bill had equally strong reasons for their votes. There is a reason this issue keeps coming up, said one, “…parents know the stakes are different now. It isn’t just about an ill-timed pregnancy … it’s about a life-threatening disease. They tell me to PASS this bill!” After each amendment, the Chair would call for the Ayes and Nays on the amendment being discussed.

Finally, it was time for a “vote on final passage,” when the members of the Committee are asked to decide – through a recorded, roll call vote – whether to move the bill as amended to the next stage, or not. The clerk of the Committee called each of the member’s names in turn, and then announced the vote: 8 had voted AYE, 5 had voted NAY; the bill had passed. Next stop (because there is a cost to implement the bill) -- the House Appropriations Committee. If that vote is favorable it will go on to the Rules Committee, and, from there - to the House Floor.

And that is only one of the hundreds of bills still being considered. The long days that often stretch into long nights and even weekends are beginning to take a toll. Some legislators are beginning to sound tired, even a bit testy. Even the lobbyists have circles around their eyes. When asked if she’d stayed through the 2:00 am votes, one Seattle-based lobbyist said, “oh no! I left for home at 11:00 (pm)!” That gave her just enough time to briefly see her family, change her clothes… and drive back for an early morning meeting in Olympia the next day.

Tips: First, make sure “your” bills don’t get lost in the final weeks of the Session. Pay close attention to the Committee schedules and any legislative alerts you’re getting -- and be sure to let your legislators know how you wish them to vote on the bills/budget items important to you.

Second, the House and Senate budgets are becoming public now. They are critical: even the best-written public policy won’t help anyone if there’s no money to implement it. If the House budget doesn’t contain funding for something you care about, check to see if it is funded in the Senate budget. If an item is included in at least one budget (including the Governor’s), there is hope it might get into the final budget; if an item isn’t in any of the proposed budgets – it will take a near-miracle to get it added on the floor.

There are two excellent sources of information on the pending budget proposals.
1) You can read “Budget Highlights” (47 pages), or “Agency Detail” (250 pages) to find an agency you care about, or you can read every detail of the proposed budgets. Just go to:
http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/proposals.asp

2) You can check the websites/email alerts of an advocacy group that monitors the issues you care about. Virtually all have up-to-date information on those aspects of the budget proposals most important to their issues.

Budgets represent some of the toughest decisions: whether to continue to support a slimmed- down version of a good bill (that might not pass in more robust form), or to work to defeat something so under-funded it has no chance of being effective. The late Eveline Burns was once asked how to tell whether a compromise is a good one. In most cases, she said, a small version of something good will be an acceptable compromise, because there is a chance to add to it later. By contrast, it is never a good compromise to enact bad policy into law; once something becomes law it must be implemented, public employees and grantees must carry it out, and bad practices take hold.

Snapshots
** In explaining why newly-elected legislators are sometimes given responsibility and recognition for bills in their very first term, one long-time legislator referred to them as “kittens.”

** When a group of nurses wanted to do some effective lobbying on a priority bill, they asked if any of their members had a personal relationship with any legislators. The result: one Senator found himself being lobbied by his old baby-sitter (now a practicing nurse).

** An Occupational Therapist was back in Olympia for the fourth time this week – though until a few weeks ago she’d never been there even once. It wasn’t the legislative process that held her back, she said, just a general unease at the thought of speaking to lots of strangers, and having to persuade them to do something. But now, mere weeks later, she’s discovered that it’s such a friendly place the shyness is gone -- and she’s right at home in her Capitol.

** Here’s the latest Weekly Trivia question, complements of the ever-wonderful Legislative Information Center. What prominent city was known as the "Town of Payrolls?" (Check at the end of the update on bills for the answer.)

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REMINDER: Whatever your bill or budget issue, and where-ever it stands in the process, your legislators need to hear from you. They are just a Toll-Free call away: 1-800-562-6000.

Enter the number of a bill you care about in the search box at www.leg.wa.gov, and check frequently to see whether a Public Hearing or Executive Session have been scheduled in its “opposite house” Committee. If not, contact your legislators and ask them to do whatever they can to see that your bill is scheduled. Then keep track by checking on your bill.
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SOME ISSUES –Because issue-specific groups and the state’s website provide such good information, POLICY WATCH only mentions a few of the many, many bills being considered. To see a list of all the bills introduced to date, go to www.leg.wa.gov and at Bill Information, and check the DAILY STATUS REPORT.

From now until COB on Friday, 3/30, the action is in the House and Senate Committees, and much of the attention will be on the BUDGET.   So:
   1) check often with an advocacy group that is working on the issues you care most about, and
   2) check the legislature’s website often to track the status of the bills you care about;         then
   3) urge your Senator and Representatives to vote for/against the bills you care about.

Action on Bills
The big test for most bills will come next week when the budgets start to emerge: will Washington provide the money that the Foster Care/mental health/health care/related systems need to make a positive difference in the lives of the Washington’s people.

Some examples of the many bills for children and youth, Foster Care that passed
in their House of Origin and are now moving through the “Opposite House.”
HB 1131/SB 5155 – helping foster youth go beyond high school; passed out of the Senate
            Committee on Higher Education; it is now in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
HB1201 – extending Medicaid benefits to age 21; 1201 passed out of the Senate Committee on
            Health & Long-Term Care; it is now in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
HB 1333 – Child Welfare protections; got a Public Hearing in the Senate Committee on
Human Services & Corrections, on 3/22; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
HB 1377 – Placement of children; passed out of the Senate Committee on Human Services
& Corrections; it is now in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
HB 1472 – re racial disparities in the child welfare system (1472 had a Hearing in the Senate
            Cttee on Human Services & Corrections, on 3/16; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
HB 1716 – educational achievement for children in Foster Care; got a Hearing in the Senate
            Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education, on 3/21; needs a Cttee vote by 3/30.
HB 1922 – Housing Assistance for foster youth; got a Hearing in the Senate Committee on
            Human Services & Corrections, on 3/22; ; needs a Cttee vote by 3/30.
SB 5497 – Dropout prevention, including for foster youth. Got a Hearing in the House
            Committee on Education, on 3/15; needs a Cttee vote by 3/30.
SB 5909 – supporting the needs of youth in Foster Care – scheduled for a Hearing in House
            Cttee on Early Learning & Children’s Services on 3/27; needs a Cttee vote by 3/30.

Several bills to expand health and mental health coverage have passed in their House of Origin
and are now moving through the “opposite house:”
  HB 1088 – expanding mental health services for children. Got a Hearing in the Senate
            Cttee on Human Services & Corrections, on 3/20; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
HB 1460 -- extend Mental Health Parity, passed the House 75-22; passed the Senate 41-3.
            On the Governor’s desk soon.
  HB 1569 – Reform the WA Health Care system for small business/individ’s; got a Hearing in
Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care, on 3/19; needs a cttee vote by 3/30.
  HB 1644 - Health care for Com’ty & Tech. College employees; passed out of the Senate            Committee on Higher Education; now in the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 1825 – provide funding for Public Health; Passed the House. Passed out of the Senate
            Cttee on Health & Long-Term Care, on 3/22; now in the Senate Ways & Means Cttee.
HB 2094 – Taxpayer Health Care Fairness (employers with >1,000 employees to pay a
            premium for employees using Basic Health Plan or Medicaid). Appeared dead, but
            then had a Hearing on 3/15, and may be revived.
  SB 5093 – health coverage for all children by 2010. Passed both houses; signed into law
by the Governor on March 13.
  SB 5659 – Family & Medical Leave Insurance; passed the Senate. Voted out of the House
            Committee on Commerce & Labor, on 3/23. Now in House Appropriations Cttee.
  SB 5830 – Home Visitation for high risk families; passed the Senate, 46-0. Voted out of the
House Cttee on Early Learning & Children's Services, 3/23. Now in House Rules cttee.
SB 5930 – to enact recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Health Commission; passed 48-0;
            Needs a vote in the House Cttee on Health Care & Wellness by 3/30.

Some key Elderly and/or Disability-related bills have passed their House of Origin, are
now moving through the “opposite house.”
HB 1008 – Protecting Vulnerable Adults; passed the House 97-0, got a public hearing in the
            Senate Judiciary Committee on 3/16; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
HB 1097 – Crimes Against Vulnerable Adults; passed House 96-0; on the Senate Floor.
HB 1461 – regarding mobile home community dispute resolution; passed the House 96-0;
            Now on the Senate Floor.
HB 1694 – Coordinated Transportation; passed the House 97-0. Got a Public Hearing in the
            Senate Committee on Transportation, on 3/15. Needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
SB 5340 – Definition of Disability; Senate bill passed the Senate 42-6. Voted out of House
            Judiciary Committee, on 3/23. Now in House Rules Committee.
SB 5450 – Kevin’s Law; passed the Senate 48-0; got a Public hearing in the House
Committee on Education, on 3/15. Needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
SB 5467 - Individual and Family Services program for people with Developmental Disabilities;
            passed the Senate 46-0. It is scheduled for a Committee Vote in the House Committee
            on Human Services, on 3/28.

Some Domestic Violence-related bills that passed in their house of origin and
are now moving through the “opposite house:”
   HB 2191 – Deferred prosecution in domestic violence cases; scheduled for a Public
Hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, 3/28; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
   SB 5470 – Family law related to DV; got a Public Hearing in the House Judiciary Committee
on 3/21; needs a Committee vote by 3/30.
   SB 5953 – Penalties for domestic violence involving strangulation; Senate bill passed out of
Committee; it is now in the House Rules Committee.

     All of the four bills proposing to shift to public financing of campaigns died (to provide public financing in judicial campaigns, and to allow public funding of local campaigns).

  One key Education issue is still alive: House Joint Resolution 4204/Senate Joint Resolution 8207 - allowing local education levies to win by a “simple majority” (rather than 2/3rds, as is now the case). Winning this change has been a priority issue for parents, teachers, PTA’s, and many education-related groups for several years; it has passed the House four times in the past, only to lose in the Senate. Because it involves a constitutional change, it requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
     In Week 8, the Senate once again voted “no” – by a 30-17 vote, just three votes short of the two-thirds needed. Then, in Week 9, House Joint Resolution 4204 passed the House and is now the vehicle. It is now on the Senate Floor where supporters will try again for a 2/3rds vote.

     Economic fairness is always tough to win, but a few bills remain alive.
HB 1096 - creating an Opportunity Grant program to help low-income students go
back to school; passed out of policy cttee; now in Senate Ways & Means Committee.
HB 2312 – Legislative Oversight committee for TANF. A Public Hearing is scheduled in the
            Senate Cttee on Human Services & Corrections, 3/27; needs a Cttee vote by 3/30.
HB 2256- Asset Building for low-income families; was voted out of the Senate Committee
            on Financial Institutions and Insurance on 3/23. Likely next stop: Ways & Means Cttee.

Tax fairness issues are always tough to sustain momentum for, and this year was no exception. One key bill - HB 1827, requiring a tax expenditure report as part of biennial budget documents died, but bills involving new tax breaks totaling over $100 million have been introduced.

Answer to this week’s Trivia Question: Renton, WA., long-time manufacturing center and transportation hub -- from rivers to highways, from rails to skyways.

BUDGET
The March Revenue Forecast was released in Week Ten, and while the news was good – it wasn’t quite as upbeat as some anticipated. There is a net addition of $126 million – which is good news, but that is lower than was hoped for, and it is not money that will be available on an on-going basis. For an analysis of the latest forecast, see one at the non-profit, non-partisan Washington State Budget & Policy Center (http://www.budgetandpolicy.org/).

   Because writing the two-year budget is the one thing the legislature must do, and because it affects every resident of the state, it is the legislature’s major task this year. BUDGET WORK is well under-way.
   The House Appropriations Committee issued the House budget on 3/20, with a vote expected on the House Floor vote on Monday, 3/26.
   The Senate Ways & Means Committee’s Senate budget is expected in Week Twelve (3/27).

Links to the House and Senate Operating, Capital, and Transportation budgets are available at:
http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/proposals.asp

If your bill or issue has budget implications, “speak up now or forever hold your peace.”

SOME BUDGET-RELATED COMMITTEE MEETINGS NEXT WEEK

On Tuesday, 3/27 at 9:00 pm, the HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE will hold a Work Session on the k-12 provisions of HB 1128 – the operating budget for 2007-09.
J.L. O’Brien Building – House Hearing Room A.

On Tuesday, 3/27 at 3:30 pm, the SENATE WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE has scheduled a Public Hearing on SB 5140 – Senate version of the operating budget for 2007-09. On TVW.
J.A. Cherberg Building - Senate Hearing Room 4

PART III

BILL NUMBERS:
House Bill numbers have four digits and begin with 1_ _ _ , or 2_ _ _;
Senate Bill numbers have four digits and begin with 5_ _ _, or 6_ _ _.
Thus a bill identified as HB 1058 would be the 58th bill introduced in the House; SB 6264 is the 1,264th Senate Bill introduced in the session. More recent bills have higher numbers.
Joint Resolutions begin with a 4_ _ _ (House) or 8_ _ _ (Senate).

KEY DATES It is important to understand the Legislative Calendar.
The Legislative Session in Olympia runs from January 8 – April 22, 2007. Every day – including Saturdays, Sundays, and all holidays – is counted in setting the 105-day Session. The legislature may also be in session on weekends later in the Session. The “cut-off dates” below control the action on bills. Bills that fail to get the requisite action before “cut-off” usually die.

…here are critical points in the 2007 Session:

1/08 – 2007 Session begins.
2/28 – last day for bills to be considered in the Policy Committees of the House/Senate - where they originate (a.k.a. "house of origin")
3/5 – last day for bill consideration in the Fiscal Committee (House or Senate) where they originate
3/14 – last day for bills to be considered on the floor in their “house of origin”
3/30 – last day for bills consideration in the Policy Committees of the "opposite house"
4/02 – last day for bill consideration in the Fiscal Committees of the "opposite house"
4/13 – last day for bill to be considered on the floor of the opposite house
4/22 – 2007 Session adjourns for the year. (May actually happen on 4/20 or 4/21.)

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