The Washington State
Labor Council's
pretty-much-weekly report from Olympia
Previous editions of this year's Legislative Updates
MONDAY, MARCH 3 (PDF version)
Legislation Comes Down to the Wire
Bill that Moved from House to Senate
HB 2203 Interests Arbitration Energy NW House vote 68/34
Now in Senate Rules
HB 2216 Labor Member Transit Board House vote 63/33
Now Dead
HB 2699 Service Charge Disclosure House vote 70/25
Now in Senate Rules
HB 2815 Climate & Green Jobs House vote 64/31
Now in Senate Ways & Means
HB 2893 Labor Member Forest Board House vote 90/4
Now in Senate Rules
HB 2963 Bargaining for TA's @ WSU House vote 62/32
Now in Senate Rules
HB 3121 Underground Economy House vote 92/2
Now in Senate Ways & Means
HB 3122 Independent Contractor Test House vote 92/2
Now in Senate Rules
HB 3139 Benefits on Appeal House vote 62/32
Now in Senate Rules
HB 3145 Bargaining for Sp. Foster Parents House vote 72/22
Now in Senate Rules
Bills that Moved from Senate to House
SB 5261 Insurance Comm. Rate Senate vote 31/18
Passed by both houses House Vote 68/28
SB 5831 HVAC Senate vote 47/2
Now in House Rules
SB 6241 Prescription Privacy Senate vote 26/22
Now in House Rules
SB 6333 Health Working Group Senate vote 31/17
Now in Appropriations
SB 6438 High Speed Internet Senate vote 49/0
Now in Appropriations
SB 6732 Underground Economy Senate vote 48/0
Now in House Rules
SB 6751 UI for Apprentices Senate vote 35/13
Now in House Rules
SB 6776 Whistleblower Senate vote 48/0
Now in House Rules
SB 6809 Working Families Credit Senate vote 32/16
Now in House Rules
A real opportunity to help working families
It is time for the House of Representative to step up to the opportunity to pass the Working Families Credit. This credit would allow individuals who receive the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit to apply for a state credit worth 5% of their federal credit in 2009 and 2010 and starting in 2011 a state credit worth 10% of their federal credit.
This will conservatively impact 350,000 Washingtonians and the number will grow as more workers become aware of both the federal and state credits available.
The Earned Income Tax Credit is held up as the most important anti-poverty tool that the federal government has to offer. Washington State needs to add this anti-poverty tool to its tool kit as well. As gas prices begin to skyrocket again with prices projected to reach $4 a gallon by this summer, low-income workers need every dollar they can get to make ends meet.
Some legislators have mused about tying the credit to education or saving accounts; others have talked about only triggering the tax during robust economic times. We think that the legislature needs this additional anti-poverty tool available to them every time they sit down to think through their spending and taxing priorities.
It is time to step up to the opportunity to help low income earning workers help themselves.
Benefits on Appeal
Let's speak frankly about HB 3139, the bill that would allow workers to receive the income and medical benefits that they are entitled to under the law when the Department of Labor and Industries determines that the worker is entitled to those benefits. The bedrock of the workers’ compensation law is to provide "sure and certain" relief to injured workers so that they can heal, come back into the workforce and be productive members of the economy again.
Current law, which allows self-insured employers to suspend benefits to workers simply because they appeal L&I’s decision, is a clear violation of the intent of the statute and leads to the exact opposite of what the system is supposed to do. Starving workers through a long appeals process makes workers bitter to the process. When their employer forces them to settle for pennies on the dollar this makes state government look bad and turns workers into the long-term disabled.
HB 3139 has been amended to give self-insured employers all of the tools in L&I's toolbox that deal with the issue of recouping overpayments when they occur. L&I has also been authorized to help self-insured employers recoup overpayments. The bill will allow us to analyze the extent to which there are actual problems with recouping overpayments and time to figure out an appropriate fix.
HB 3139 will actually have an on-the-ground impact of making the appeals process quicker and more efficient. Employers will be significantly more likely to file their appeals quickly and not continually ask for continuances during the process. This, along with the ability to get an expedited stay hearing, will save the system, employers and workers tens of millions of dollars.
Scholarships for health care professionals
Washington State’s health care system is facing a crisis. Right now it is a quiet but growing problem that threatens the very core of our health care system. Part of the problem is a critical shortage of qualified, competent primary care providers.
Neither the House budget nor the original Senate budget provided additional funding for the expansion of the Loan and Scholarship program for primary care providers. Late Thursday afternoon, Senator Karen Keiser successfully introduced an amendment in the Senate Ways and Means Committee to add $1.25 million in additional funding.
We believe that expanding the State Loan Repayment and Scholarship program by $3 million is a cost-effective, proven way to address the growing primary care provider shortage. We cannot wait another year to get more students in the pipeline and more providers in underserved communities.
A $3 million investment would almost immediately allow health care practices to recruit and retain an estimated 50 additional primary care providers. It would also enable an estimated 100 more students to enter the primary care training pipeline each year.
This program has a proven track record of paying dividends far beyond the initial investment. On average providers stay in underserved communities six years, twice as long as their commitment.
Health Care Update
The Healthy Washington Coalition saw some success in their agenda last week. Both the House and Senate have voted to turn over control of insurance rate increases in the individual market to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (SB 5261). We applaud this step and urge the Governor to sign this bill into law.
SB 6333, a bill that creates a Working Group/Actuarial Study to evaluate and promote plans to create affordable, comprehensive health insurance for all Washingtonians, is currently in the Appropriations Committee. We hope the legislators act quickly and send this on to the Rules Committee.
The legislation ensures that a comprehensive cost benefit analysis of each potential plan will be done while also taking into consideration how each plan will improve the quality and cost of our overall health care system. This type of process has been adopted in a number of other states and has proved extremely beneficial.
While the actuarial study and Working Group public process was funded in both budgets, SB 6333 was amended in the Health Care Committee requiring that the public process for the Working Group not begin until after the actuarial study is completed. The Healthy Washington Coalition believes it is a big mistake to delay the public process until Dec. 15, 2008 or later. We believe that the public dialogue with Washington residents about the need for state-driven ambitious health care reform must begin much sooner than the time line established in the legislation. The Healthy WA Coalition intends to engage in that process with or without the legislature and the Governor.
Also last week, the Senate earmarked $10 million for mental health. We believe the final budget should allocate $2 million of that $10 million to go toward mental health coverage for children who are currently not on Medicaid.
Finally, the House budget funded subsidies for low wage employees of small employers under the Health Insurance Partnership program. The Senate failed to fund the program in their budget. We believe the final budget should include the funding for the health care subsidies for the low wage employees of small employers.
HVAC certification moves forward
The Sheet Metal Workers are reporting that SB 5831, HVAC-R certification/licensing legislation, continues to advance in the legislature despite rampant misinformation from the anti regulatory opponents of the bill. This legislation is supported by a diverse coalition of labor and business groups who believe this bill is in the best interest of both workers and consumers.
The House Commerce and Labor Committee amended the bill Tuesday evening restoring the original purpose of the bill. The amendment eliminated the redundant legislative task force which was passed in the Senate version. The amendment also included language to address concerns raised by opponents dealing with fuel oil products, refrigeration, hearth appliances and propane services.
The bill was heard this weekend, passed out of the Appropriation Committee and has now been sent on to the Rules Committee for a second reading.
Call the Legislative Hotline and leave messages
for your legislators on these bills! 1-800-562-6000
January 21, 2008 (PDF Version)
January 24, 2008 (PDF Version)
February 5, 2008 (PDF Version)
February 12, 2008 (PDF Version)
February 15, 2008 (PDF Version)
February 25, 2008 (PDF Version)
Copyright © 2007 Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO