Welcome to Policy Watch 2007
PART I: Upcoming Advocacy Days
NEXT WEEK – 3/12-16
No Lobby Days reported to POLICY WATCH for this week.
WEEK of 3/19 – 3/23
3/21 Childrens’ Home Society Day
Contact: Norma Wainright (normaw@chs-wa.org)
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 9 IN OLYMPIA
THE SCENE
Just six weeks to go in the Session, and there’s an air of expectation in Olympia… depending on where you happen to be.
Over in the House and Senate office buildings, things seem pretty quiet. Until now, the halls of the Cherberg, Newhouse, and O’Brien buildings were teeming with people: lobby day participants, lobbyists (paid and volunteer), reporters, constituents of all kinds. Sometimes, when a high-visibility Hearing was underway in a Committee room, the corridors just outside would be so jammed with people they’d be hard to walk through. Now those same buildings feel eerily quiet. Plus, the big Pritchard building cafeteria has lots of empty tables, and an air of relative calm.
Part of the relative calm is explained by the fact that there aren’t any big “lobby days” at this point: the advocacy groups that plan those events try to bring large groups of constituents to Olympia early in the process, at a point when Committee Hearings and Executive Sessions play a critical role, and when legislators’ schedules allow some time for meetings. But this week (and part of next) when all the legislators are spending most of every day on the House and Senate Floors, getting even a 15-minute meeting with a legislator is much harder. Plus, there aren’t any Hearings where constituents might testify or “sign in” on a bill.
That doesn’t mean nobody shows up. Some groups regard this as an excellent time for small, targeted lobby days. E.g., this week the ElderCare Alliance brought its supporters to the Capitol. This wasn’t the sort of event where a few hundred people come for briefings, legislative visits, and a rally on the Capitol Steps. Rather, it involved just 45-50 people – most of them very experienced in the ways of Olympia, and each of them able to speak for hundreds or thousands more. Among them were all of their Regional Representatives (thus speaking for people in all 39 counties), plus representatives from 12 allied organizations (thus speaking for groups like the Alzheimer’s Association, Elderhealth NW, Adult Day Services, the Area Agencies on Aging, and more). They had a very specific task: to make legislators aware of their funding priorities just as the budget-writing is getting underway. For their purposes, very brief conversations were enough to get their “package” of funding requests on legislators’ radar screens at a critical time.
In any case, “relative quiet” doesn’t mean inaction. For some health and human services advocates, this was a good week for making noise. On just one day this week they celebrated final passage of an historic bill to provide health coverage for all kids by 2010 (it’s on the Governor’s desk and due to be signed on 3/13), plus a long list of favorable votes on foster care/child welfare/kids’ bills in the House of Representatives – all of which are now in the Senate. Those victories are owed to a combination of skillful professionals in Olympia, backed by lots and lots of grass roots support from constituents in the legislators’ Districts back home.
Bottom line: with virtually non-stop negotiations occurring behind the scenes and Floor votes being taken almost every hour of every day, a long list of bills that appeared dead in their “house of origin” mere days before have taken on new life – in the “opposite house.”
THE PROCESS
All of this means there was plenty of noise and action – it just wasn’t in the buildings with the legislators’ offices. From now until C.O.B. on 3/14, the action is in the “leg building” -- that big marble capitol building (the one with the dome) that houses the House and Senate chambers. Just step into that building and right away you can hear where all the lobbyists and citizen activists have gone; go a few steps up the marble stairs and you can spot them. They’re up on the 3rd floor, clustered just outside the doors leading to the House and Senate chambers - where the action is.
One flight farther up, on the 4th floor, it’s possible to step inside one of the visitors’ galleries to watch – up close and personal – as legislators debate the various bills, offer amendments, and cast their votes. Being right in the action like that is a heady feeling.
Here’s the short version of what’s happening at this point in the process. (A description of Floor Action can also be found in POLICY WATCH-Week VII.)
Every day now the House and Senate Rules Committees spend some time sifting through all the bills that made it out of Committee by March 5. As of Thursday, for example, roughly 500 bills had been sent to the House Rules Committee, and were waiting to be “pulled” to the Floor; another long list awaited action in the Senate Rules Committee. (See PW – Week VI for a description of voting in the Rules Committees.) That makes everyone who sits on a Rules Committee very popular, and very powerful. They’re the deciders: they get to say whether a bill moves out to the floor for a vote… or dies for lack of action.
As bills are voted out by the Rules Committee members, they get listed on the House and Senate Calendars. (As this is being written, there are 147 bill listed on the House Floor Calendar, and 137 waiting for action on the Senate Floor Calendar.) It’s worth checking just to see the amazing array of topics we ask our legislators to vote on: mental health parity is right there along with Brassica seed production, park land, horse races, on-site sewage systems, waste tire removal, thermal electric generating…. That’s why legislators may not sound familiar with the details of every bill, and why they sometimes follow the lead of their party leaders or the Chair and ranking minority member of the relevant Committee in deciding how to vote. If the Committee did a thorough job, those opinions can usually be trusted. Besides, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could know everything about all the bills.
Thanks to an exceptionally accessible legislature and a great website, we can follow the action even at this stage. Knowing what’s on the Floor Calendars is just 3 clicks away for anyone with access to a computer. Start at: www.leg.wa.gov, click on “Agendas, Schedules, and Calendars,” and then click on thee House and Senate Floor Activity Reports. That’s also where it’s possible to see which bills have been voted on, by what margin, and - with another click on the bill number – see any Floor amendments being offered (or adopted) for a given bill.
Want to follow the debate but can’t get to Olympia? In that case, watch or hear it all by going to www.tvw.org. E.g., this week TVW is offering extensive coverage of Floor Action – including the Senate’s 3+ hour-long debate one night over SB 5297 - a bill concerning sex education in the public schools. (The bill passed by a vote of 30-19, but not before several Senators walked off the floor, and quite a few used language not normally heard on the Senate Floor.) And TVW is there for the frequent “possible sessions” at night, as well as any sessions on Saturday.
Floor Action: Our Part
Lucky for us, we can be involved in influencing our legislators even at this stage.
Some legislators sit at their desks on the House and Senate Floors, lap-tops open, skimming through constituent emails and HotLine messages about the very bills that are being debated. So using the HotLine or sending a quick email is a good way to be in touch. And it’s also common to hear legislative aides asking callers and visitors, “Is this time sensitive? Do you need me to get this message to the Representative over on the Floor?” The aides know that if a bill is being debated (or about to be) the legislators will want to know what their constituents think about it.
For those who can get to Olympia, it’s also possible to get a message directly to legislators while they are on the House or Senate Floor. Just outside the House and Senate Chambers are small message pads that anyone can use to send a message to a legislator. The doormen will take the written note to one of the young pages who are waiting just inside, and they in turn will deliver it directly to a legislator’s desk. If the constituent’s note asks the legislator to step outside for a brief conversation, the legislator will know where to find them because the note pads are marked – North Door, or South Door. This week when two constituents had sent in notes to the same legislator (at roughly the same time), asking him to come out to talk about their bills, he stepped out from the chamber and in a matter of minutes managed brief conversations with both.
It’s also possible to see a legislator come out from the chamber, call out a garbled version of the note-writer’s name, and look around to see if anyone steps forward. That happens any time the note-writer hasn’t met the legislator before. It’s just one more bit of proof that you needn’t be personally known to a legislator to get a little face-time: even during Floor Action, the constituent is king.
Snapshots
** An activist parent listened to the debate over sex education in the schools, and wondered aloud at adults who believe their teenagers only hear (or think) about sex if a teacher mentions it, only get information about sex in a class, and only as it is spelled in Washington laws. Not only does that ignore everything that is readily available via friends, magazines, or the internet, her son is taking his Health Education class on-line - from a curriculum developed in another state.
** Some newcomers to Olympia were pleasantly surprised by the experience. “It wasn’t as scary as I expected,” she said. “People were very nice, very helpful, and just a whole lot less intimidating than I thought they would be!”
Another newcomer had a similar reaction: “I was afraid to go down there, but now I know it’s really simple: it’s basically just a matter of showing up and telling them my concern. Easy.”
** One literally small memento from some Week IX visitors: groups wanting support for a rodeo arena left tiny (1” diameter) white cowboy hats at all the offices they visited.
Meanwhile, in one staff office a huge (maybe 2’ in diameter) witch’s hat hangs on the door.
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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 it’s been voted out of the Rules Committee. If not, find ways to contact members of the Rules Committee and ask them to schedule your bill for the floor. If your bill is listed on the Floor Calendar for 2nd or 3rd Reading, contact your legislators and tell them how you want them to vote on the bill. Keep track by clicking on the Floor Activity Reports.
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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 Tuesday, 3/6 until COB on Wednesday, 3/14, the action will be on the House and Senate Floors where every Senator, every Representative, has a vote. After that, action on the budget will heat up… fast. 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
This week there was a lot of movement related to Floor votes. Here are a few of the bills that have been voted on in the House or Senate this week.
Many of the bills listed last week that would help children and youth, and in Foster Care have passed in their House of Origin. Some examples:
SB 5909 – supporting the needs of youth in Foster Care – on the Senate Floor;
HB1201/ SB 5305 – extending Medicaid benefits to age 21; 1201 passed the House 95-1, is
already scheduled for a Senate Hearing on3/15; passed the Senate 47-0. It’s looking good.
HB 1131/SB 5155 – helping foster youth go beyond high school; passed the House 81-16
Already scheduled for Senate Hearing on 3/15; Senate bill is in Rules Committee.
HB 1716 – educational achievement for children in Foster Care; passed House 95-1; in Senate.
HB 1922 – Housing Assistance for foster youth; Passed the House 64-32; now in the Senate.
HB 1333 – Child Welfare protections; Passed the House 64-32; now in the Senate
HB 1377 – Placement of children; passed the House 94-0, already scheduled for a Senate
Hearing on 3/16.
HB 1602 – Basic Health Plan eligibility for foster parents; dead unless handled in the budget.
HB 1472/ SB 5971 – re racial disparities in the child welfare system (1472 passed the
House 95-2, already scheduled for a Senate Hearing on 3/16; SB 5971-on Senate Floor.
SB 5497 – Dropout prevention, including for foster youth. Passed the Senate 47-0; Hearing
Scheduled in the House on 3/15.
The big test will come in the budget: will Washington provide the money that the Foster Care system needs to make a positive difference in the lives of the children.
Several bills to expand health and mental health coverage have passed in their House of Origin:
HB 1088 – expanding mental health services for children. Passed the House 92-4.
HB1460 -- extend Mental Health Parity, passed House 75-22.
SB 5446 – extend Mental Health Parity; on the Senate Floor.
HB 1569 – Reform the WA Health Care system for small business/individ’s; on the Hse Floor.
HB 1601/ SB 5279 – Creating a Children’s Environmental Health & Protection Council; both
Bills are in their respective Rules Committees.
HB 1644 - Health care for Com’ty & Tech. College employees; passed the House 97-0.
HB 1658/ SB 5659 – Family & Medical Leave Insurance; Senate bill is in Senate Rules Cttee.
HB 1825 – provide funding for Public Health; on the House Floor.
HB 2094/ SB 5977 – Taxpayer Health Care Fairness (employers with >1,000 employees
To pay a premium for employees on Basic Health Plan or Medicaid. Appears Dead
- but could be revived because it is related to the Budget.
HB 2098/ SB 5930 – to enact recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Health Commission;
Each bill is on its body’s Floor.
SB 5093 – health coverage for all children by 2010. Passed both houses; being signed by the
Governor on Tuesday, March 13.
SB 5830 – Home Visitation for high risk families; passed the Senate, 46-0.
Some key Disability-related bills are still alive, or have passed their House of Origin.
HB 1097 – Crimes Against Vulnerable Adults; passed the House 96-0; is scheduled for
a Senate Hearing on 3/16.
HB1322 / SB 5340 – Definition of Disability; House bill is on the House Floor;
Senate bill passed the Senate 42-6. Is now in the House.
HB 1548 - Individual and Family Services bill; it’s in the House Rules committee. The Senate
Version, SB 5467 – is on the Senate Floor, waiting for a vote.
HB 1694 – Coordinated Transportation; passed the House 97-0.
SB 5450 – Kevin’s Law; passed the Senate 48-0; scheduled for a Senate Hearing on 3/15.
Some Domestic Violence-related bills are still alive:
HB 1703 – for a Pilot Program in DSHS offices; appears Dead.
HB 2119/ SB 5953 – Penalties for domestic violence involving strangulation; House bill
Passed the House 96-0; Senate bill is on the Senate Floor.
HB 2191 – Deferred prosecution in domestic violence cases; on the House Floor.
SB 5900 – Domestic violence victim safety; still in the Senate Rules Committee.
Three of the 4 bills proposing to shift to public financing of campaigns (as a way of reducing or even eliminating undo influence of large individual donors) are still alive:
HB 1186– to provide public financing in judicial campaigns, 1186 is in the House
Rules Committee; SB 5226 – similar topic, appears Dead -- and
HB 1551– to allow public funding of local campaigns; is on the House Floor;
SB 5278 – similar topic, ready for final vote on the Senate Floor.
One key issue on the Education front remains troubled: 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 even 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.
Last week, the Senate once again voted “no” – this time by a 30-17 vote, just three votes short of the two-thirds needed. But notice was given that supporters intend to try again. SJR 8207 may be down, but it isn’t yet “out.” (House Joint Resolution 4204 remains in the House Rules Committee, but House members won’t be asked to vote on it again unless the Senate does.)
Tax fairness issues are always tough to sustain momentum for, but one bill remains alive:
HB 1827 – requiring a tax expenditure report as part of biennial budget documents. This is simply an attempt to bring some visibility to the 500+ “tax expenditures” (a.k.a. tax breaks) that often simply get renewed year after year with little scrutiny. Since a list of all tax expenditures already exists, and every tax break represents revenues the state does not have for meeting critical needs – like mental health services or basic health care – this bill just asks that they be part of budget deliberations. This bill is in the House Rules Committee, waiting to be scheduled for a Floor Vote.
Economic fairness is similarly tough to win, but a few bills remain alive.
HB 2256- Asset Building for low-income families; now on the House Floor.
HB 1096 - creating an Opportunity Grant program to help low-income students go
back to school; passed the House, 96-0.
BUDGET
Some preliminary budget figures began appearing this week, from the new Appropriations Sub- Committees on Education and on General Government. More on that topic soon.
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 DRAFTING is already underway. If your bill or issue has budget implications, or a Fiscal Note, you need a champion on the budget-writing committees for your item/your bill (the Appropri-ations Committee in the House, and the Ways & Means Committee in the Senate). If one of your legislators sits on a fiscal Committee, be sure they know the budget areas important to you.
SOME BUDGET-COMMITTEE MEETINGS NEXT WEEK
The House and Senate versions of the Budget will be out following the March 13 Revenue Forecasts. This year the House budget will come first - on or about March 19, to be followed by the Senate version a few days later.
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 – 2005 Session adjourns for the year.