Washington State Catholic Conference Newsletter
February 3, 2017  
 Inside this issue
  Weekly Summary  
  Most of the legislative activity continues to be in the hearing rooms, but the Feb. 17 deadline for bills to pass out of the policy committees is beginning to be felt. If bills are not voted out of their assigned policy committees in the next two weeks, they will be considered dead for the 2017 regular session. One other development worth noting is the release of the Republican plan for funding basic education to comply with the McCleary decision. The Senate passed the Republican proposal (SB 5607) by a 25-24 margin on Feb. 1.  

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  Legislation WSCC Supports  
  School Nutrition Programs - HB 1508: The House Education Committee has scheduled a vote on HB 1508 for Feb. 9. The bill would require high-needs schools, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, to offer breakfast after the bell to each qualifying student and provide adequate time for students to eat. Each high-needs school may determine the breakfast after the bell service model that best suits its students. All public schools are encouraged to offer breakfast after the bell even if not required to do so. The bill would also direct districts with school lunch programs to begin eliminating lunch copays for qualifying students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and to complete the copay phase out in the 2020-21 school year. HB 1508 would authorize the OSPI and school districts to coordinate with the state's Department of Agriculture to promote new and existing farm-to-school programs and small direct marketing farm programs in districts.
 
Homeless Housing and Assistance - HB 1570:  The House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on HB 1570 next week, possibly as early as Feb. 7. This bill would make the temporary $40 local Homeless Housing and Assistance surcharge permanent while increasing the local Housing and Assistance surcharge from $40 to $90. Without extending the surcharge, thousands of people would likely become homeless.
 
Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) - HB 1783: Most people convicted of a crime receive at sentencing a notice of their Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs). These obligations include victim restitution, crime victims' compensation fees, etc. Upon completion of their sentence, the court-imposed debt, plus the very high interest rate (imagine the burden if your mortgage rate was at 12%) and sanctions, often presents a formidable barrier to persons integrating successfully back into their communities. HB 1783 would eliminate the interest on most of the debt and limit the sanctions for those who prove an inability to pay. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1783 on Wed., Feb. 8, at 8:00 am, in House Hearing Rm A, John L. O'Brien Building.

Informed Consent for End-of-Life Decisions - SB 5433:  On Tues., Feb. 7, at 10:00 am, the Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear SB 5433. This bill would revise the state's "Death with Dignity Act" to require an attending physician to inform the patient of feasible alternatives, including the treatment for the purpose of cure and the treatment for the purpose of extending the patient's life, to ensure that the patient is making an informed decision. The hearing will take place in Senate Hearing Rm 4, J.A. Cherberg Building.
 

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  Legislation WSCC Opposes  
  Preventive Health Services (Mandating Contraceptives) - HB 1523: The House Health Care & Wellness Committee will hear a bill mandating all health plans in the state to provide contraceptives at no cost. The contraceptives covered include those that are abortifacients. This constitutes a direct threat to the life and dignity of the human person. The WSCC opposes this bill. The hearing will take place on Feb. 7, at 8:00 am, in House Hearing Rm A, John L. O'Brien Building.  

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  Update on Previously Heard Bills that WSCC Supports  
  In this update section, we are including only those bills that are scheduled for some type of action in the next week.
 
Safe Surrender of Newborn Children - HB 1312:  The bill would require the Department of Social And Health Services to collect and compile information  concerning (1) the number and medical condition of newborns surrendered by the parent under Washington's Safety of Newborn Childrens Law; (2) the number and medical condition of newborns abandoned within the state who were not surrendered; and (3) report its findings annually, to the public, which may be on its web site. The companion bill, SB 5522, will be heard by the Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing Committee on Mon., Feb. 6, at 1:30 pm, in Senate Hearing Room 2, J.A. Cherberg Building.

Fair Chance Act - SB 5312:  On Wed., Feb. 1, the Senate Commerce, Labor & Sports Committee passed SB 5312 that would prohibit employers from asking about arrests or convictions before an applicant is determined otherwise qualified for a position. Many job applications have a check box on the initial application form concerning arrests and/or convictions. SB 5312 would prohibit use of this check box so that applicants could have a fair chance at being considered for a position based on their qualifications. This bill is similar to HB 1298 that was passed on Jan. 30 by the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee. This legislation used to be referred to as "ban the box" but is now called "fair chance."

Parental Notification - SB 5320:  Thank you to all of you who responded to last week's action alert. This bill would require parental notification prior to abortions performed on girls who are unemancipated and under 18. Unless the parent or guardian has waived their right to notice, or there is a medical emergency, the abortion practitioner must give notice to one of the minor's parents or legal guardian at least 48 hours before the procedure. An exemption, known as a judicial bypass, would allow minors to undergo an abortion without parental notification. Petitions for judicial bypass are confidential and free. The Senate Law & Justice Committee has not scheduled a vote yet on SB 5320.
 

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  Catholic Advocacy Day - March 16  
 
Please sign up for the 2017 Catholic Advocacy Day, Thursday, March 16. This year's theme, "Be a Neighbor and Advocate for All," is inspired by the new pastoral letter by the Bishops of Washington State, Who Is My Neighbor?. The day will begin at St. Michael parish with a briefing on the main legislative issues followed by Mass and district strategizing to prepare for meetings with legislators on the Capitol Campus. To register, visit http://ipjc.org. You will also be able to download flyers in English and Spanish to help you recruit others from your parish to join you in Olympia.
 

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  Help Promote Cornerstone Catholic Conference  
 
The next Cornerstone Catholic Conference will be held this fall, October 20-21, at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Please help us in spreading the word and encourage your family, friends and fellow parishioners to attend. You can download the save-the-date flyer from the WSCC website.


 

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  Pray and Act on Feb. 8 to End Human Trafficking  
 

Feb. 8 has been designated by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. Feb. 8 is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy. With the help of Canossian nuns, she realized that she was created in the image of God and possessed human dignity, refused to be enslaved, and became a Canossian sister who dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. The anti-trafficking toolkit contains materials to assist you on Feb. 8. 
 

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  A Note about Cornerstone Notes  
 

During the regular legislative session, WSCC is sending out the Advocacy Bulletin weekly. Because of this, we are suspending the Cornerstone Notes until April. Until then, we will include some of the Cornerstone content in the Advocacy Bulletin. The article above regarding human trafficking is an example.


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