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Happy Easter!
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The WSCC hopes that you and your families had a glorious celebration of Easter. May the Risen Christ continue to bless you during this Easter season with mercy, peace and joy. |
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Special Session Concludes
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After a 20-day special session, the 2016 legislative session adjourned on March 29. The House passed the supplemental operating budget 78-17 and a few hours later the Senate did so by a 27-17 vote. The budget deal includes about $191 million in new spending from general revenues as well as $190 million from the "rainy day" fund to pay for costs stemming from last year's wildfires. Among the new spending in the supplemental operating budget is about $40 million for mental health care. Another approximately $13 million will go to expanded services for homeless youth.
When the Governor called the special session on March 10, he also vetoed 27 bills, none of which WSCC was tracking. Before adjourning, the Legislature overrode the Governor's vetoes on all of the 27 bills. Once a veto is overridden, the bill becomes law. The last time the Legislature overturned a gubernatorial veto was in 1998.
Now that the 2016 legislative session is over, the following is a summary of the bills WSCC has included in the Advocacy Bulletin. |
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Bills that Passed which WSCC Supported
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Mental Health
HB 2439 will establish the Children's Mental Health Work Group to identify barriers to access of mental health services for children and families. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 31.
Toxic Flame Retardants
HB 2545 will prohibit a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer from manufacturing, selling, or distributing for sale or for use in this state children's products or residential upholstered furniture containing any of five flame retardant because of their toxicity. The House passed HB 2545 by a 76-21 vote. The Senate amended the bill preventing the Department of Health from adding other flame retardants to the banned list. Instead the Department of Health can only make recommendations to the Legislature. The amended bill unanimously passed the Senate and the House. The Governor signed HB 2545 on April 1.
Statewide Reentry Council
HB 2791 will create the Washington Statewide Reentry Council for the purpose of promoting successful reentry of offenders by recommending funding for housing, employment, and education programs. The Governor signed HB 2791 on April 1.
Bills on Human Trafficking
SB 5342 will adjust certain legal definitions concerning human trafficking to protect foreign workers. The bill unanimously passed the full Senate (49-0). The House also unanimously passed SB 5342 which has been signed by the Governor.
SB 6376 will recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Washington State. The bill unanimously passed the Senate, and passed the House by a 96-1 margin. The bill was signed by the Governor. |
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Bills that Died which WSCC Supported
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Breakfast After the Bell: HB 1295 would have required each high-needs school to offer breakfast after the bell to qualified students. HB 1295 passed the House in January by a 69-28 margin but it did not pass the Senate. In the last few days of the special session, a version of this bill (HB 3009) was introduced. It would have allowed schools to voluntarily offer a morning food program but it did not come up for a vote.
Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs): Most people convicted of a crime must pay Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) that include victim restitution, crime victims' compensation fees, etc. The interest rate on repayment is 12 percent. As it passed the House by a 97-0 vote, HB 1390 would have eliminated the interest on most of the debt. As amended in the Senate, the bill would not eliminate the interest rate, but would have reduced it from twelve percent to four percent. The amended bill did not pass the Senate.
Cesar Chavez Day: HB 1560 would have recognized March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. Cesar Chavez, a Mexican-American born March 31, 1927, was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who worked to improve the treatment, pay, and working conditions of farm workers. The bill passed the House by a vote of 67-29. HB 1560 was heard in the Senate but it did not pass.
Voting Rights Act: HB 1745 would have promoted equal voting opportunity in certain political subdivisions by authorizing district-based elections, requiring redistricting and new elections in certain circumstances. The bill passed the House 50-47, but it was not brought to a vote in the Senate.
WorkFirst: The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program is called WorkFirst in Washington State. This program provides eligible adults assistance to find work. HB 1875 would have increased the amount of vocational training for WorkFirst recipients from 12 to 24 months, subject to the amount appropriated. HB 1875 passed the House 89-7. In the Senate, amendments were added that would have limited training beyond 12 months to only high-demand/high-wage jobs. The House rejected the Senate amendments, and the bill did not pass.
Religious Organizations Providing Shelter for the Homeless
HB 2086 would have made it easier for religious organizations to host homeless camps by limiting the ability of counties, cities or towns to discourage such encampments on church property. The bill passed the House by a 53-43 margin but it died in the Senate.
Intergenerational Poverty
HB 2518 would have established the Intergenerational Poverty Reduction Commission to develop two-generation strategies to reduce intergenerational poverty and welfare dependence in Washington State. The bill passed the House by a 75-22 margin, but the Senate did not pass it.
Temporary Homeless Housing by Religious Organizations: HB 2929 would have mandated that local governments liberally construe state building and energy codes to allow religious organizations to offer shelter to the homeless in their buildings. The bill passed the House unanimously. HB 2929 was amended in the Senate, adding restrictions on churches housing homeless people. The bill then passed the Senate unanimously. After the House refused to concur with the Senate amendments, the bill died.
Parental Notification: SB 5289 would have required parental notification for a minor considering an abortion. The bill was heard by and passed the Senate Law and Justice Committee, but did not come up for a vote in the Senate.
Human Trafficking: SB 5880 would have required people who work in certain businesses to complete a minimum of one hour of training in identifying and assisting human trafficking victims. The Senate amended this bill to strip out the training requirement. The bill died in the Senate.
Homeless Students: SB 6298 would have created a grant program for school districts to increase identification of homeless students. The bill also would have established a grant program to link homeless students and their families with stable housing. It died in the Senate. However, HB 1682, which will improve educational outcomes for homeless students through increased in-school guidance supports, housing stability, and identification services, did pass the Legislature and was signed by the Governor on April 1.
Safe Surrender of Newborn Children: SB 6586 would have required the Department of Social and Health Services to collect and report information on the safe surrender of newborn children. An example of safe surrender is someone leaving a newborn baby at a fire station. The Senate heard the bill but it died in committee.
Sex-Selection Abortions: SB 6612 would have prohibited sex-selection abortions - intentionally performing an abortion with the knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely on account of the sex of the unborn child. The bill would have provided sanctions for the provider of the abortion, but did not contain sanctions for the woman seeking the abortion. The bill was heard in the Senate but it did not come up for a vote. |
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Bill that Failed which WSCC Supported
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SB 6443 would have required the Human Rights Commission to repeal its rule allowing individuals the use of gender segregated facilities "consistent with their gender expression." The bill failed in a close vote by the full Senate, 24-25. |
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Bills which WSCC Monitored
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Oil Transport Safety
HB 2575 would have directed the Department of Ecology to update and improve emergency planning to better respond to oil spills and fires. The House passed HB 2575 by a 93-2 margin but the Senate did not vote on it.
Charter Schools: SB 6194 will address the Washington Supreme Court's concerns about charter schools by designating them as schools which are not common schools. The bill passed both the Senate and the House and has been delivered to the Governor. |
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Initiatives
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There are two types of initiatives:
- Initiatives to the People are submitted for a vote of the people at the next general election.
- Initiatives to the Legislature are submitted to the Legislature at its next regular session in January. Once submitted, the Legislature must take one of the following three actions:
- The Legislature can adopt the initiative as proposed, in which case it becomes law without a vote of the people;
- The Legislature can reject or refuse to act on the proposed initiative, in which case the initiative must be placed on the ballot at the next general election; or
- The Legislature can approve an alternative to the proposed initiative, in which case both the original proposal and the Legislature's alternative must be placed on the ballot at the next general election.
I-732 was an Initiative to the 2016 Legislature. I-732 would impose a carbon emission tax on the sale or use of certain fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-generated electricity, at $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide in 2017, and increasing gradually to $100 per metric ton (2016 dollars adjusted for inflation), with more gradual phase-in for some users. It would reduce the sales tax rate by one percentage point over two years, increase a low-income sales tax exemption, and reduce certain manufacturing taxes. Although committees in both the House and the Senate heard I-732, neither chamber took any further action. Therefore, the initiative will be on the general election ballot in November.
Click here to view WSCC bulletins on our website.
The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) is the public policy voice of the Catholic Bishops of Washington State. |
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