2008 Washington State Legislative Session

[eridani]

Post information here on the progress of legislation you are interested in, and Lobby Day notices.

[eridani]

1. Healthy Washington Lobby Day

"Quality, Affordable Health Care for All, NOW!"

Tuesday, January 15th 2008
10 AM
Olympia, Washington (carpools available)


Join hundreds of health care activists, labor union members, small business owners, health care providers, and other individuals to tell our lawmakers "it's time to for quality, affordable health care for all!"

Register today!
https://secure.avengedns.com/~washingt/forms/lobbydayform.shtml


Download a flyer and spread the word!
http://www.washingtoncan.org/_images/LD_111307_flyer.pdf

[eridani]

3. DATE CHANGE FOR Healthy Washington lobby day

DATE CHANGE for HEALTHY WASHINGTON LOBBY DAY

This just in - We're moving Healthy Washington Lobby Day to Wednesday, January 16th instead of Tuesday, January 15th.

We normally don't change dates for lobby days, but there is a very important special reason why we're making an exception this one time. Right now the reason for the date change is kind of a secret. We're sworn to secrecy, and our lips are sealed…but let's just say - you're in for a fun surprise if you join us on Wednesday, Jan. 16th!

If you have already registered, please email joshua {at} washingtoncan.org to let us know you can join us on the 16th.

[eridani]

43. Local farms/healthy kids bill passes

http://www.environmentalpriorities.org/

Check out the other legislation they are working on this year.
Priorities for a Healthy Washington

Local Farms – Healthy Kids Passes House with a 95-1 vote
Funding Still Needed

On Wednesday evening the State House of Representative passed the Local Farms – Healthy Kids bill (2798) on a very strong and bi-partisan vote. The bill, prime-sponsored by Rep. Pettigrew, would help schools buy locally grown food and as a result develop significant markets for local farms. More fresh local food into schools will improve the eating habits of the next generation.

The 95-1 vote in the House bodes well for the upcoming House Budget, which will include funding for the programs in the bill requiring money to implement. The House Budget is expected to come out next week.

[eridani]

93. Senate passed it as well

Great news!! This morning, the state legislature passed the Local Farms – Healthy Kids bill (SSB 6483)! Votes were bi-partisan and essentially unanimous in both the House and Senate. This legislation will make it easier for schools to buy locally grown food – providing markets for local farmers and nutritious, fresh local food for our children. As a package, this bill will become the most comprehensive local foods program in the nation.

An incredibly broad and diverse coalition of supporters from all across the state helped pass this legislation. Farmers, students, teachers, parents, children’s health advocates, faith and business leaders, and food banks and anti-poverty activists joined together to support Local Farms-Healthy Kids.

Each one of you played a role in making this happen and you deserve a huge round of applause.

The Local Farms-Healthy Kids bill will:

Make it possible: expands children’s access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by easing purchasing restrictions that currently make it difficult for schools and institutions to buy from local farms.

Forge connections: Establishes a state “Farm to School” program that will connect schools with community farmers, and will provide necessary information and technical assistance to both school districts and farms.

Get good food into the classroom: enacts a Washington Grown Fruits and Vegetables Program that will fund a fresh food snack program in schools with high numbers of low-income students.

Help those who need it most: This effort will make it easier for low income families to purchase locally grown food by enabling farmers markets to accept food stamps, increasing funding of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program and creating pilot projects for food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Washington farms.

This victory is a big win for Washington’s farmers and kids! And the legislation is a great example of how progress on environmental protection and sustainable economic development go hand in hand.

Thanks so much for all that you do!

Kerri

[eridani]

46. Toxic toys bill passes House--Senate action now needed 2/19

Update on the Children's Safe Products Act:
The House passed the Children’s Safe Products Act late last night! The vote was 95 to 0 (3 excused)! All weakening amendments were withdrawn! On to the Senate!

Thank You to the King County Democrats Lobby Day for helping work this bill to oppose the weakening amendments on Monday! Your work made a big difference and helped keep the D caucus support for the bill strong. In addition, we had an amazing team of lobbyists working the issue for hours and hours from many organizations: Washington Toxics Coalition, Children’s Alliance, Washington Environmental Council, Planned Parenthood Policy Network, American Academy of Pediatrics, and early learning and child care advocates. What a team! And kudos to Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson for being such a passionate and tenacious prime sponsor on this bill!

It was a real nail-biter as we were counting votes on the bad amendments to the last minute. And Rep. Newhouse kept throwing out new bad amendments. But in the end all our lobbying worked and Rep. Newhouse withdrew the amendments because he knew he didn’t have the votes. However, we will likely battle these weakening proposals again in the Senate, so all our efforts will be needed to ensure this bill truly protects kids!

So - On to the Senate! Pass the Children’s Safe Products Act ESHB 2647!
Emails/calls to all Senators are needed at this point, but we are also specifically targeting the following districts because we know that these Senators have been hearing concerns about the bill from toy store owners in their districts:
44th Sen. Steve Hobbs
47th Sen. Claudia Kauffman
49th Sen. Craig Pridemore
Please let me know if you can help generate calls/emails to Senators! Thank you!

FYI, a few minor changes were made to the bill as it worked its way through the House. All were changes the campaign team supported. The changes were:
the implementation date for the ban on lead, cadmium, and phthalates was moved back six months to July 1, 2009 to give retailers more time to adjust their inventories some specific products were exempted from the bill to match the toys that are exempted from the European Union's toy laws, such as: batteries, toy steam engines, bicycles, and chemistry sets.

Fantastic job everyone! Now on to pass the bill in the Senate!
Margaret

--
Margaret Shield, PhD
Coalition Coordinator
Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition
4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Suite 540
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: [phone] ext 123
Fax: [phone]
www.toxicfreelegacy .org

The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition is a broad-based alliance of organizations working to eliminate persistent toxic chemicals and promote safer alternatives throughout Washington State.

[eridani]

81. 3/5 update. Now it's on to the Senate. Contact your senators.

From: Margaret Shield
Subject: Kid's Products Bill Actions Needed!

The Children's Safe Products Act ESHB 2647 is now in the Senate Rules Committee. It is expected to be moved on for a floor vote any day now and must be passed by the Senate by 5 pm on Friday March 5th!

We've continued to face stiff opposition from the Toy Industry and many weakening amendments are being proposed.

Thanks to all the great organizations working to pass this bill! I know that many of you have already done action alerts to your memberships and contacts! If you haven't already, then please see a sample alert that is below that you can modify and use. We especially need calls from constituents to the following Senators.

Thank you so much and call me if you have questions!
Margaret Shield, TFL Coalition Coordinator
206-632-1545x123

Calls Directly to These Senator's Offices Are Needed Now!
Please ask them to Support the Children's Safe Products Act ESHB 2647 and Oppose any weakening amendments.
Senator Jean Berkey 38th District [phone]
Senator Tracey Eide 30th District [phone]
Senator Brian Hatfield 19th District [phone]
Senator Steve Hobbs 44th District [phone]
Senator Ken Jacobsen 46th District [phone]
Senator Jim Kastama 25th District [phone]
Senator Derek Kilmer 26th District [phone]
Senator Chriss Marr 6th District [phone]
Senator Rosemary McAuliffe 1st District [phone]


Please Take Action Today:
Ask Your State Senator to Pass
Washington's Children's Safe Products Act!

Why isn't it against the law to sell baby shampoos, rubber duckies, and teethers made with dangerous toxins?

It seems like every week, there's a new article in the paper about toxic toys.


In 2007 manufacturers recalled millions of toys because of lead paint. And that's just the tip of the toxic iceberg - new scrutiny has exposed dangerous chemicals in everything from kid's jewelry to shampoo and baby lotion.
These chemicals have been linked to learning disabilities, reproductive problems, hormone problems, and cancer.

Parents should be able to buy toys for their kids without fear, which is why we're supporting the Children's Safe Products Act. Send a message to your State Senator now and ask them to support the Children's Safe Products Act. The Senate must pass the bill by 5 pm this Friday!

Email your State Senator from this action station on the Washington Toxics Coalition web site:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5121/t/1738/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23

The Children's Safe Products Act bans the sale of children's products containing high levels of lead, cadmium, or phthalates. It also requires manufacturers to report what chemicals are in their products to the Department of Ecology, which will publish the information on their website for consumers.

These sound like pretty basic protections, right? Apparently, the toy and chemical industries don't think so.

Now that the bill has passed the House of Representatives, they're flying in "experts" and hiring an army of lobbyists to pressure the Senate to gut the bill.

We can't let Walmart, McDonalds and the chemical industry win the fight for our kids' safety.

Send a message to your State Senator today and ask them to Support the Children's Safe Products Act ESHB 2647 and Oppose any weakening amendments.
Email your State Senator from this action station on the Washington Toxics Coalition web site:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5121/t/1738/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23

Or call the Legislative Hotline: [phone]
Open 8 am - 8 pm Monday - Friday
You will speak to an operator and can leave a message for your Senator.
Sample Message: "Please make sure kid's products are free of lead, cadmium, and phthalates.

Pass the Children's Safe Products Act ESHB 2647 and Oppose any weakening amendments."


Thank you for protecting kids!
Margaret Shield

Learn more about the Children's Safe Products Act from the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition's web site:
http://www.toxicfreelegacy.org/toxicfreekids/



--
Margaret Shield, PhD
Coalition Coordinator
Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition
4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Suite 540
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: [phone] ext 123
Fax: [phone]
www.toxicfreelegacy.org

The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition is a broad-based alliance of organizations working to eliminate persistent toxic chemicals and promote safer alternatives throughout Washington State.

[eridani]

2. MLK Day People's Summit & March on the Capitol

"Ending Poverty, Expanding Opportunity"

Monday, January 21st 2008
9 AM
Olympia, Washington (carpools available)


Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired generations with his strong messages of equal rights, ending poverty, and social and economic justice. Help us celebrate his legacy and share his vision of a nation without poverty on Martin Luther King Day at the People's Summit & March on the Capitol.

Register today!
https://secure.avengedns.com/~washingt/forms/lobbydayform.shtml

"The existence of poverty in the US should not be accepted as a necessary evil or insoluble problem, but should be considered a crisis requiring emergency measures. It is a matter of will and priorities, not a matter of resources." - Martin Luther King, Jr

[eridani]

4. Nancy Amidei has posted her usual thorough analysis of agenda items

USEFUL INFORMATION
for the 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION:



1. To CONTACT your legislators in Olympia you can -- Call, Write, Visit...
Go to www.leg.wa.gov, and click on: Find Your Legislator. Just type in your address and you’ll get their photo’s, bio’s, bill sponsorship, committee assignments, and more.

CALL:
-- you can call your legislators’ offices directly, or
-- there is a TOLL-FREE HOTLINE:
1-800-562-6000. TTY: 1-800-635-9993.

During the Legislative Session, operators are standing by:
weekdays from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm, and
Saturdays from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.

HOTLINE Operators will send your message to:
* one of your legislators, * all three of your legislators,
* the Governor and Lieutenant Governor – or all of these, as you request.

They can tell you who your legislators are, or you can look them up at: www.leg.wa.gov.
PLUS – they have language translation services. It helps if the person placing the call says: “Spanish please” (or another language) and knows enough English to understand “Please Wait.” The wait can be from 1-5 minutes while the operator either a) gets a Spanish or Russian speaker to the phone, or b) contacts an Interpreter Service and connects a 3-way call with the HOTLINE Operator, the caller, and the Interpreter.

WRITE:
-- Representative ___________________ or,
Senator _____________________
P.O. Box 40600 (House), P.O. Box 404 (Senate).
Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (House)
Olympia, WA 98504-04 (Senate)

EMAIL:
-- write your legislator’s lastname.firstname {at} leg.wa.gov. (e.g., Truman.harry {at} leg.wa.gov.)

VISIT:
-- in Olympia, any day during the session. Citizens are welcome. Also look for TOWN HALL MEETINGS back in the District by mid-Session.
BONUS: A wonderful (free) resource is the League of Women Voters. Find them in your local phone directory, and ask for their “TRY” pamphlets listing phone/mail/email information for your local, state, and federal elected officials.


2. It helps to understand the Legislative Calendar.

The 2008 Legislative Session in Olympia runs from January 14 through March 13, 2008. Every day – including Saturdays and Sundays – is counted in setting the 60-day Session. The legislature will be in Session on all holidays (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – 1/21, and Presidents’ Day – 2/18), and may also be in session on weekends near the end.

The dates below control the action on bills: these “cut-off dates” are firm. Bills that fail to get the requisite action before action is “cut-off” will probably die. The calendar won’t be official until the legislature convenes January, but these are the LIKELY key dates.


LIKELY critical dates in the 2008 Session:
 1/14 – 2008 Session begins.
 2/08 – last day for bills to be considered in the Policy Committees of the House/Senate - where they originate (a.k.a. "house of origin")
 2/12 – last day for bill consideration in the Fiscal Committee (House or Senate) where they originate
 2/19 – last day for bills to be considered on the floor in their “house of origin”
 2/29 – last day for bills consideration in the Policy Committees of the "opposite house"
 3/03 – last day for bill consideration in the Fiscal Committees of the "opposite house"
 3/07 – last day for bill to be considered on the floor of the “opposite house”
 3/13 – 2008 Session adjourns for the year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Some easy ways to stay informed about the Session,
and the issues you care about.

A) READ POLICY WATCH. Go to http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/
Each week’s “issue” is posted by Monday during the Session.

B) WATCH TVW. TVW is a cable network that goes into Committee Hearings and other events around the Capitol during the Legislative Session. In addition to being available by cable, it is also available via the internet.

C). CONTACT AN ADVOCACY GROUP FOR YOUR ISSUE.
There is an advocacy group for most issues (the list below is at the SSWWEB). They:
 Monitor their issues closely,
 Distribute weekly (or “as needed”) Legislative Alerts,
 Recommend positions on bills and budget items, and
 Suggest sample messages; many also organize Lobby Days.

To find an advocacy group on your issue: ask people affected by the issue, ask professionals who work in that field, ask friends, or use this list.

Contact these groups directly to receive their Legislative Alerts.


Aging/Long-term Care –
Alzheimer’s Association of WA - Margaux.Gillespie {at} alz.org
Eldercare Alliance - jerryreilly {at} msn.com
SEIU Healthcare 775NW: nkelley {at} seiu775.org,
WA Association of Area Agencies on Aging: w4a{at} olywa.net
Washington Senior Citizens Lobby: seniorlobby {at} qwest.net.

Budget – Washington State Budget & Policy Center: www.budgetandpolicy.org

Child Abuse & Neglect – Seth Dawson: sethdawson {at} att.net;
Childrens Home Society: LippoldLau {at} aol.com;
Washington State CASA: info {at} washingtonstatecasa.org .

Child Care/Early Childhood/Early Learning/Head Start, ECEAP
Children’s Alliance: Leslie {at} childrensalliance.org
Childrens Home Society: LippoldLau {at} aol.com
School’s Out Washington: Frieling {at} schoolsoutwashington.org
SOAR (helping kids reach for the sky): htumbleson {at} uwkc.org
WA Association for the Education of Young Children: agda {at} waeyc.org
Washington State Association of Head Start/ECEAP: joel {at} wsaheadstarteceap.com

Child Welfare/foster care/adoption – Children’s Home Society: lippoldlau {at} aol.com

Children's Issues - Children’s Alliance: sarah {at} childrensalliance.org
Children's Alliance Action Center: http://www.childrenshub.org/calliance/home.html
Childrens Home Society: LippoldLau {at} aol.com
Washington State PTA - for Health/Safety/Welfare/Education of children and
youth. For its “Grassroots Connection” contact: DonnaRchris {at} wastatepta.org

Civil Rights, Civil Liberties –
ACLU – Washington: shaw {at} aclu-wa.org (sign up for alerts at:
http://action.aclu-wa.org/signup.)
Minority Executive Directors Coalition: tguerrero {at} medcofkc.org
Northwest Women’s Law Center. Contact: nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org
Religious Coalition for Equality.
Contact: http://www.religiouscoalition-wa.org/alerts/alerts.htm

Criminal Justice, Re-enfranchisement of former felons –
ACLU – Washington: (sign up for alerts at:
https://secure.npsite.org/acluwa/vSessionIdr009=sfsa9sbbx2.app1a)
Friends Committee on WA Public Policy (Quakers) - fcwpp {at} quaker.org
Justice Works! - lzengage {at} northwest.net
Washington State Catholic Conference – wscc {at} thewscc.org
Washington Coalition of Crime Victims Advocates – dave {at} wccva.org
Washington Community Action Network – joshua {at} washingtoncan.org
Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers/Washington Defender Assn:
bob {at} evergreenpublic.com

Disability/Developmental Disabilities –
The ARC of Washington: Diana {at} arcwa.org. To be added to their alert list, visit
www.arcwa.org and click on link for email alerts. Each person needs to sign up for the service to receive information that points them to their legislators.

Disability Rights Washington: bettys {at} dr-wa.org
Developmental Disabilities Council: donnap {at} cted.wa.gov
Governor's Cttee on Disability Issues and Employment: tolson2 {at} esd.wa.gov
Washington State Special Ed Coalition (WSSEC): www.wssec.org

Domestic Violence – NorthWest Women’s Law Center: nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org
WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Action {at} wscadv.org

Education –
American Association of University Women: publicpolicy {at} aauw-wa.org
League of Education Voters: info {at} educationvoters.org. To become an
LEV member and receive action alerts, go to www.educationvoters.org.
Statewide Poverty Action – for Opportunity Grants/Higher Ed:
kim {at} povertyaction.org
Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA): D.Brine {at} wssda.org
Washington State PTA: http://capwiz.com/wastatepta/state/main/?state=WA
WA Association of Colleges for Teacher Education: bob {at} evergreenpublic.com
Washington State Special Ed Coalition (WSSEC): www.wssec.org

Environmental Justice
Earth Ministry - jessie {at} earthministry.org
WA Environmental Council - (http://www.wecprotects.org/state/st_hotlist.cfm -
this website provides a weekly listing: top ten environmental bills for action.)

Family Leave – Economic Opportunity Institute: marilyn {at} eoionline.org
Northwest Women’s Law Center. Contact: nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org

GLBT issues -
ACLU – Washington: (sign up for alerts at:
https://secure.npsite.org/acluwa/vSessionIdr009=sfsa9sbbx2.app1a)
Equal Rights Washington: info{at} equalrightswashington.org
NorthWest Women’s Law Center: nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org
Religious Coalition for Equality: revmokat {at} yahoo.com

Government Accountability –
The Government Accountability Project (www.whistleblower.org):
bob {at} evergreenpublic.com

Health – American Cancer Society - Erin.Dziedzic {at} cancer.org
American Lung Association of WA - legnet {at} alaw.org
Children’s Alliance (children’s health) – Teresa {at} childrensalliance.org
Healthy Washington Coalition: rberkson {at} seiuwa.org
Physicians for a National Health Program, Western WA Chapter –
pnhp.westernwashington {at} comcast.net
Washington Community Action Network – joshua {at} washingtoncan.org
Washington State Hospital Association - cassies {at} wsha.org
Washington State Medical Association - len {at} wsma.org
Washington State Nurses Association - Apiazza {at} wsna.org
SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW (hospital, healthcare workers) emenzies {at} msn.com
SEIU Healthcare 775NW: nkelley {at} seiu775.org

Higher Education/Higher Education/Faculty -
American Association of University Women: publicpolicy {at} aauw-wa.org
Washington Federation of Teachers: ldodso {at} sccd.ctc.edu

HIV/AIDS - Lifelong AIDS Alliance - aniab {at} llaa.org, and, www.CANNetwork.net

Homelessness - WA State Coalition for the Homeless – sethdawson {at} att.net

Housing - WA Low Income Housing Alliance - mail {at} wliha.org ;
Seth Dawson: sethdawson {at} att.net

Hunger/Food Assistance -
Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition: linda {at} childrensalliance.org
(information on Food Stamps, WIC, Child Nutrition, EFAP);
Children’s Alliance: http://www.childrenshub.org/calliance/join.html
Can select alerts by “issue cluster,” e.g., hunger, school nutrition, etc.

Income Supports – Statewide Poverty Action: [e-mail]
Childrens Home Society: LippoldLau {at} aol.com
Parents Organizing for Welfare & Economic Rights: welfarerights {at} riseup.net

Infant, Children’s Health - American Academy of Pediatrics: lippoldlau {at} aol.com
March of Dimes – wa655 {at} marchofdimes.com (alerts “as needed”).

Juvenile Justice - sarah{at} childrensalliance.org
Bob Cooper: bob {at} evergreenpublic.com

Mental Health – Disability Rights Washington: bettys {at} dr-wa.org
Washington Community Mental Health Council: policy {at} wcmhcnet.org;
Seth Dawson: sethdawson {at} att.net
National Alliance on Mental Illness – WA: director {at} nami-greaterseattle.org,
or, FridayFacts {at} mail.namiwa.info . 206-783-9264
Ellie Menzies - SEIU Healthcare 1199: menzies {at} msn.org

Poverty, Economic issues, Payday Lending – Statewide Poverty Action Network;
maya {at} povertyaction.org. [phone] – toll free: 1-866-789-SPAN.
[e-mail] – for Individual Development Accounts
Economic Opportunity Institute – marilyn {at} eoionline.org
Religious Coalition for the Common Good – wac {at} thewac.org
SEIU Healthcare 775NW: aglickman {at} seiu775.org
Washington Community Action Network – joshua {at} washingtoncan.org
Washington State Association of Community Action Agencies - sethdawson {at} att.net

Refugee and Immigrant Issues –
Refugee Women’s Alliance: someireh {at} rewa.org, or [e-mail]

Reproductive Health/ Reproductive Rights:
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington: info {at} prochoicewashington.org
Northwest Women’s Law Center. Contact: nsapiro{at} nwwlc.org
Planned Parenthood. Contact: ppaction {at} ppww.org
Rural Health - Washington Rural Health Association: hardt {at} wsu.edu .

Sexual Assault, Crime Victims Issues:
NorthWest Women’s Law Center: nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org
Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs: policy {at} wcsap.org

Social Services – King County: United Way – sgagey {at} uwkc.org

Substance Abuse/Treatment/Prevention–
Association of Alcohol and Addiction Programs: aapwa {at} qwest.net .
Bob Cooper: bob {at} evergreenpublic.com
Washington Association of Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention
(WASAVP): JulieP {at} chef.org
Seth Dawson: sethdawson {at} att.net

Supported Employment for People with Developmental Disabilities –
sethdawson {at} att.net

Tax Policy – Economic Opportunity Institute – marilyn {at} eoionline.org
Religious Coalition for the Common Good – wac {at} thewac.org
SEIU Healthcare 775NW: aglickman {at} seiu775.org
Washington Community Action Network – joshua {at} washingtoncan.org
Washington State Budget & Policy Center – www.budgetandpolicy.org
Washington Tax Fairness Coalition – Secord {at} wataxfairness.org

Tobacco Prevention - American Cancer Society: Erin.Dziedzic {at} cancer.org
American Lung Assoc. of WA: alaw {at} alaw.org

Women’s Issues – Northwest Women’s Law Center: nsapiro {t} nwwlc.org

Youth – Children’s Alliance: sarah {at} childrensalliance.org
Mockingbird Society: jim {at} mockingbirdsociety.org
School’s Out Washington: Frieling {at} schoolsoutwashington.org

Faith Communities:
Earth Ministry: jessie {at} earthministry.org
Friends Committee on WA Public Policy (Quakers) - fcwpp {at} quaker.org
Islamic Civic Engagement Coalition: itfhjanice {at} yahoo.com
Jewish Federation - governmentaffairs {at} jewishinseattle.org
Lutheran Public Policy office – pbenz {at} lcsnw.org
Religious Coalition for the Common Good – wac {at} thewac.org
WA State Catholic Conference - wscc {at} thewscc.org
WA Association of Churches – wac {at} thewac.org
To sign up for the Faith Advocacy Network go to www.thewac.org

NOTE: some of this last group provide information for their members only.
Check directly with them.

Compiled by Nancy Amidei (amidei {at} u.washington.edu) for the Civic Engagement Project,
A joint project of the U of Washington School of Social Work and OMB Watch.
Available at: http:depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/

[eridani]

5. Tentative Lobby Day schedule

Lobby Days in Olympia – 2008
(Additional dates and details will be added throughout the 2008 Session.)



1/15 Healthy Washington Lobby Day (“Quality, Affordable Health Care for All
NOW”); 10:00 am, location tba. Contacts: Maru Villalpando
(maru {at} washingtoncan.org), Rachel Berkson (rberkson {at} seiuwa.org ).

1/16 Annual Disabilities Legislative Reception - Third Floor, Legislative Building,
5:30-7:00 pm; contact: DonnaP {at} CTED.WA.GOV

1/16 American Cancer Society – Washington chapter; 8:15 am in the Legislative
Building – Columbia Room. Contact: Erin.Dziedzic {at} cancer.org

1/16 Hispanic/Latino Legislative Day 2008. From 8:30am-4:30pm.
State Capital Campus, location TBA. Contacts: Carlos Jimenez –
carlos {at} hispaniclegislativeday.org, or Yesica Trujillo –
yesica {at} hispaniclegislativeday.org

1/17 Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education - WACTE.
Contact: Bob Cooper (bob {at} evergreenpublic.com)

1/21 Martin Luther King Jr Day People's Summit & March on the Capitol.
St. John’s Church, in Olympia, beginning at 9:00 am. Sponsor groups include:
Statewide Poverty Action Network, Washington CAN!, Real Change, VOICES,
POWER, Thurston County Tenant's Union, Hate Free Zone.
Contacts: marcy {at} povertyaction.org, joshua {at} washingtoncan.org.,
On-line registration: https://secure.avengedns.com/~washingt/forms/lobbydayform.shtml

1/21 ACLU Lobby Day - 10 am - 4pm in the Legislative Building - Columbia room. Contact: aguilar {at} aclu-wa.org

1/22 Senior Citizens' Lobby Day at the Capitol; Legislative Building –
Columbia Room – 10:00 am-3:00pm. Contact: seniorlobby {at} uswest.net

1/23 Environmental Lobby Day. Contact: jessie {at} earthministry.org

1/23 Northwest Women's Law Center Legislative Day
Contact: Nancy Sapiro (nsapiro {at} nwwlc.org) or (pjcrone{at} comcast.net).

1/28 Reproductive Justice Lobby Day and Legislative Reception; co-sponsored by
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington and Planned Parenthood of WA
Contacts: alissahaslam {at} prochoicewashington.org
Jennifer.Allen {at} ppnetworkwa.org

1/28 Nursing Home Worker Lobby Day; Contact: marci.jaye {at} seiu775.org

1/28 American Association of University Women-WA. Lobby Day;
Location tba. Contact: Dixie {at} swensonassociatesinc.com

1/29 Faith Advocacy Day: Religious Coalition for the Common Good,
Washington Association of Churches, Lutheran Public Policy Office,
Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy (Quakers), Church Council
of Greater Seattle, Associated Ministries, Earth Ministries. Contacts: advocacyday {at} gmail.com, paul.benz {at} lsswi.org, fcwpp {at} quaker.org, wac {at} thewac.org, Jessie {at} earthministry.org

1/30 Childrens’ Home Society Day. Begins 9:00 am, General Administration
Building, Room G-3. Contact: Norma Wainright (normaw {at} chs-wa.org)

1/31 WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Lobby Day – Statewide
10am - General Administration Building; Contact: (action {at} wscadv.org).

1/31 Community Health Network of Washington, and the Washington Assn of
Community & Migrant Health Centers;
Contacts: mbelozer {at} wacmhc.org, and Rebecca.Kavoussi {at} chnwa.org.

1/31 Have A Heart for Children Day, United Churches of Olympia – 11th &
Capitol Way, begins at 9:00 am. Contact: gabriella {at} childrensalliance.org

1/31 Multiple Sclerosis Lobby Day; gathering at the Phoenix Inn, Olympia; Contact: debra.maas {at} nmsswas.org.; begins at 8:00 am.

2/01 League of Women Voters Lobby Day – 8:30 ?? 3:00 pm, Columbia Room,
Capitol Building. Contact: Karen Verril - gokar1 {at} comcast.net

2/05 Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs Lobby Day –
10:00 – 4:00, Legislative Building Room 112. Contact: policy {at} wcsap.org

2/05 Alzheimer's Association of Western and Central Washington;
Location – tba. Contact: Margaux.Gillespie {at} alz.org

2/05 Minority Executive Director Coalition’s Unity Day – O’Brien Building
Rooms A&B. Contact: Theresa Guerrero (tguerrero {at} medcofkc.org)

2/06 Disability Awareness Day. Contact: Christie Perkins, edadvocate {at} mac.com

2/07 WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Lobby Day - King County
9:30 am, United Churches of Olympia. Contact: action {at} wscadv.org

2/07 United Way of King County and the United Ways of WA Lobby Day;
Contact: cwood {at} uwkc.org.

2/07 March of Dimes. Contact: wa655 {at} marchofdimes.com

2/07 Hunger Action Day. Contacts: kelseyb {at} fll.org, or tracy {at} wafoodcoalition.org

2/10-11 Junior Leagues of Washington, Capitol Days. Olympia Golf and Country
Club (Sunday); Capitol Rooms (TBD on Monday). Contacts: Lori Aoki
(loriaoki {at} quantumspin.biz), Miaenn Olander (miaennl {at} verizon.net).

2/11 Refugee and Immigrant Legislative Day, beginning at 10:00 am.
Contact : Paul {at} rewa.org

2/12 SEIU Healthcare 775NW Lobby Day; Contact: adam.glickman {at} seiu775.org

2/13 Washington State Parent Teacher Association Focus Day;
Contact: bcshutz {at} comcast.net

2/14 Housing Advocacy Day - Contact: Ben Gitenstein (ben {at} wliha.org)

2/14 Asian/Pacific Islander Leadership Day – Contact: joannec {at} acrs.org

2/18 National Association of Social Workers Day, United Churches of Olympia.
Contact: Lynn Carrigan (ltc {at} u.washington.edu)

2/18 Big Brothers Big Sisters Advocacy Day. General Administration Building
Auditorium, starting at 9:00 am. Contact: Jesse.Gilliam {at} bbbs.org

2/18 POWER (Parents Organizing for Welfare & Economic Rights). Begins
at 10:00 am, First Christian Church, 701 Franklin Street SE, Olympia.
Contact: welfarerights {at} riseup.net

2/22 Catholic Advocacy Day, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Columbia Room in the
Legislative Building. Contact: joann {at} thewscc.org

2/26 Native American Lobby Day. State Capitol Building, Rotunda.
From 12:00 - 1:30 pm; Contact: icwourstories {at} yahoo.com

2/26 Equality Day in Olympia. Begins 9:00 am. Contact: http://www.religiouscoalition-wa.org/

2/27 Autism Day, beginning at Noon in the Capitol Building Rotunda.
diana {at} arcwa.org


Weekly – every Wednesday, 1/16 thru 3/05 - Developmental Disabilities Advocacy.
For location and other details – go to: http://www.arcwa.org/advocacy_day.htm

This LOBBY DAYS list and USEFUL INFORMATION are part of POLICY WATCH 2008. These and WEEKLY UPDATES on the legislative process unfolding in Olympia, 1/14/08- 3/13/08 will be available at: http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/



Compiled by Nancy Amidei for the Civic Engagement Project
(amidei {at} u.washington.edu)

[eridani]

6. HB 2142 anti-bullying bill

Dear anti-bullying advocates, friends and representatives;

My senator said he understood HB2142 would be read in January. Contact your legislators now to move this bill and issue forward.

The Washington State Democrats passed a resolution against bullying. The issue is moving forward, now we need the legislation.

The talking points I gravitate to are:

"Separate but equal" is not, in fact, equal. The Supreme Court figured that out 50 years ago. Similarly, "Equal Opportunity Harassment" (that is, bullying) is not, in fact, equal. 80% of targets are women. It also has a disparate impact against some disabilities that the HRC and EEOC rejects.

Bullying causes loss of livelihood and health damage on an enormous scale. And it costs government a great deal to pay unemployment insurance, disability benefits and other social service costs. A good portion of this is mitigated if employers simply halt bullying.

It's bad for business. Turnover, poor morale, sick days, etc. due to bullying detract from the bottom line.

So, what's the problem with prohibiting a practice that harms workers, costs governments and diminishes profits?

Add your own talking points. But, please, call and write. This issue won't move forward on its own.

We need to organize also - any suggestions?

Jim
jimthomas_s {at} yahoo.com

[eridani]

7. Reproductive rights lobby day 1/28

Save the Date!

Please join NARAL Pro-Choice Washington to speak out on behalf of women's health and safety at our

Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
Lobby Day
Monday, January 28
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Olympia


You'll have the chance to lobby legislators about issues like
Increased access to emergency contraception in pharmacies across Washington State and decreased funding for failed abstinence-only programs!


After you sign up, we will be able to follow up with more information about parking, directions and other logistical details as the event approaches - so sign up today,

Come join us on Monday, January 28!

Coming from Central or Eastern Washington? There will be a special training in Yakima on Sunday, January 27. RSVP today!

Carpooling options will be available from Eastern/Central Washington and Tacoma/Seattle. Contact us for more information.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Rosa McLeod at [phone] or RosaMcLeod {at} ProChoiceWashington.org.

[eridani]

8. Priorities for a Healthy Washington workshop: Seattle 1/12

We hope you’ll join us for the annual Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop on Saturday, January 12th!

With the legislative session just around the corner, this event is a great way to get involved with the 2008 Priorities for a Healthy Washington.


See below for all the details and register today!

https://www.wecprotects.org/join/legworkshop_reg.cfm

Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop

Date: Saturday, January 12th
Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Place: Seattle Pacific University, Gwinn Room; 3310 Sixth Ave West

Attend the annual Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop as the state’s leading conservation groups prepare for the upcoming legislative session. We’ll hear from legislators and environmental leaders regarding the community’s Priorities for a Healthy Washington for the 2008 legislative session.

These Priorities include legislation to combat climate pollution, provide local governments local solutions to global warming, protect and plant urban trees in Washington’s cities, and bring more locally grown produce into our schools and food banks.


Space is limited, so register for the Legislative Workshop online now!

https://www.wecprotects.org/join/legworkshop_reg.cfm


Questions?

Contact Kerri Cechovic at 206-631-2607 or kerri {at} wecprotects.org


Stay Updated! Bookmark http://www.environmentalpriorities.org and check it regularly during session to keep up to date on the progress of the Environmental Priorities and how you can help!


Save the date for Lobby Day on January 23rd! Lobby Day includes a lobbying training, issue briefings on the priorities, key note speakers, a rally, and a party in the evening. To register, go to http://www.pugetsound.org/index/lobbyday. For more information contact Rein Attemann at 206-382-7007.

We hope to see you on Saturday, January 12th!


Sincerely,
Kerri Cechovic
Priorities for a Healthy Washington

[eridani]

9. Washington Health Security Coalition 2008 Legislative agenda

WASHINGTON HEALTH SECURITY COALITION (WHSC)

2008 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Adopted: December 16, 2007


In accordance with its Mission, Vision and Goals (see below), the Washington Health Security Coalition (WHSC) has provided directives to the WHSC Board of Directors and WHSC Legislative Committee to monitor the following bills and/or proposed plans during the 2008 Legislative Session:


State Legislation and Plans:

Actively support the following:

HB 1071 – Cover All Kids by 2010

In last year’s session, the Legislature passed the above bill, which will put into place the mechanisms to cover all children by 2010. The 2008 Legislature must maintain funding for this program In order to accomplish what the bill set out to do.

Prescription Privacy Bill

For years, the pharmaceutical industry has obtained information on the prescription-writing habits of doctors in the State of Washington. This bill will prevent the automatic dissemination of this information without the tacit approval of the prescribing physician, thereby protecting patient privacy and reducing prescription costs.

SB 5261 – Expand the Insurance Commissioner’s authority to review and regulate the Individual Rating Pool

Rates on individual policies have been increasing each year for at least the past five years, far in excess of annual inflation. This bill will give the Office of the Insurance Commissioner the power to review and approve rates for the Individual market.

Washington State Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program

As the State takes measures to improve access to health care, there will be a greater demand for primary care providers. This bill will provide tuition and loan repayment incentives to attract more physicians and other health care providers into the primary care field.

Washington Health Working Group

This proposal will establish funding for the creation of a working group to perform analysis of health care reform proposals and make recommendations to the 2009 Legislature. In other states that have passed health care reform measures, such analyses was a precursor to successful legislation.

Washington Health Partnership – Sen. Karen Keiser

This major health care reform proposal sets out to provide health care access for all Washingtonians (with exceptions due to Federal law). The bill is fashioned after the Healthy Wisconsin legislation.

WHST bills - HB 1886 and SB 5756

These concurrent bills establish a single-payer system in the State of Washington managed by a Health Security Trust.


In addition, the following bills will be tracked and reported to the WHSC membership:

Health Insurance Partnership-Based Reform (HIP)

This reform legislation is intended to fully fund the pilot program established in the 2007 Legislative session which provides small business employers and their low wage employees with subsidies to provide greater access to health care. In addition, this proposal is intended to expand beyond the small business rating pool to which it now is limited.

Guaranteed Health Security for Washington - OIC Catastrophic

This proposal establishes access to health care for all Washingtonians for catastrophic and preventative care by providing a safety net funded by payroll taxes.


Federal Legislation:

Support HR 676, HR 1200 and SCHIP.

In addition, support the following:

Modification of the ERISA, Taft-Hartley and other Federal programs that prevent States from implementing their own plans.

Advocate that our Federal Senators and Congress members support HR 676, HR 1200, and other programs that move us closer to our WHSC Mission, Vision and Goals.













Washington Health Security Coalition


Mission:

The Washington Health Security Coalition (WHSC) is a nonprofit association of diverse organizations, health care advocates and professionals working together to secure comprehensive, high quality, affordable health care for all.

Vision:

The Washington Health Security Coalition believes there should be a health care system that guarantees quality affordable health care for all residents of Washington State and residents of the United States. Our health care system should be built on the following principles:

- Patients’ freedom of choice of their health professionals and providers

- Continuous health care coverage

- Accessible to individuals and families

- Affordable and sustainable for society

- High quality and comprehensive health care - effective, efficient, safe, timely and patient-centered

- Equitable, fair and culturally competent health care for all

Goals:

1) State Level – Increase support for State action for comprehensive and
systemic health system reform and pass legislation such as HB 1886 and SB
5756 into law by legislation or initiative.

2) Federal Level – Increase support of Washington State Federal elected
officials for national comprehensive health system reform and support of specific
legislation such as HR 676 and HR 1200.

3) Other Measures– The Coalition is open to supporting other Federal and State
legislative measures that further the Mission and Vision as determined by the Coalition.


Revised and Adopted: November 18, 2007

[eridani]

10. Community Alliance for Global Justice priorities

1. CAGJ Update:
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and attended the WTO commemoration event “Cuz the Power of the People Don’t Stop!” and CAGJ’s workshop on Dec 1. Despite a snowy day we had incredible turn-out (over 200 people), the Labor Temple never looked so beautiful (bedecked in WTO protest banners, posters and puppets) and many of Seattle’s hard-core activists attended workshops at 8:30 on a Saturday night! Then we all partied til midnight.

Currently CAGJ’s Steering Committee and working groups are all focused on preparing for the February retreat where we will determine our programmatic focus for 2008. You can get involved by filling out the survey (see link at top of page) and by coming to the first Community Meeting of 2008 on Feb 5th at the office!

We have several new monthly sustainers (THANK YOU!!!) – members who make monthly donations through an automatic deduction from their credit card – but we still need to raise about $150 more per month to meet our goal of covering basic monthly expenses through sustainerships. Can you help us meet our goal with a monthly donation of $5 or $10? Please consider making a donation today – we can’t continue our grassroots organizing without support from our members! We are also applying for grants. You can make a donation safely and quickly at CAGJ’s web-site: click on the ‘Donate Now’ button on the home-page: seattleglobaljustice.org – Thank you!

2. Upcoming CAGJ Happenings: January & February Calendar
-Tues. Jan. 15: Steering Committee Meeting at CAGJ office
-Wed. Jan 16: Action-Study book group, discussing ‘Omnivore's Dilemma’. Contact Kristin for more info, <[e-mail]>
-Mon. Jan 21 MLK Day: Come to CAGJ Workshop, 'Building Alternatives to Corporate Agriculture' & Join CAGJ contingent in the March (look for our banner): Franklin High-school, 3013 S Mount Baker Blvd
-Tues. Jan 22: 2008 Dinner Planning meeting, 6:30 – 8:30 at CAGJ office
-Tues. February 5: Community Meeting for membership input into determining our programmatic focus for 2008. 6 – 8pm at CAGJ office.
-Fri. & Sat Feb 8&9: CAGJ Retreat: contact Heather Day for more info <[e-mail]>

Location of CAGJ office: 606 Maynard Ave. South in the International District

3. “Local Farms - Healthy Kids”: Helping Washington Farmers Feed Washington Kids
Washington state's environmental community has organized to set four annual “Priorities for a Healthy Washington”. One of their top priorities for the 2008 legislative session aims to facilitate the sale of locally grown food to schools. A bill will be introduced this week: we urge you to study the bill and call your legislator to let her or him know what you think!

Call your legislators at the Legislative Hotline: [phone]
Find your legislator: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Read more:
-Article in Seattle PI: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/346791_farmtoschool10.html
-From Priorities for a Healthy Washington web-site:
http://www.environmentalpriorities.org/about/our_partners

Benefits of farm-to-school legislation:
Supporting farmers: Washington agriculture deserves a spot in the lunch line. This effort helps farmers, food processors, manufacturers and distributors bring great Washington products into schools. Healthy kids: Farm fresh food for our schools will help address obesity because eating behaviors practiced during childhood carry over into adulthood. Preserving Farmland: By creating sustainable markets for our farmers, we help keep working farms working and help preserve farming communities near our cities and towns. Less waste: When food is consumed near to where it is grown and processed, there is less need for wasteful packaging, refrigeration, storage and freight. By keeping our food local we use less energy and create less waste.

Legislative Proposal: Our schools represent an enormous potential market for Washington’s farmers, and the best vehicle for improving kids’ access to healthy food. This legislation will make Washington a national leader in getting locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables to those who need it most by: Making it possible: This bill will expand children’s access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by easing purchasing restrictions that currently make it difficult for schools and institutions to buy from local farms. Forging connections: Establishing a state “Farm To School” program that will connect schools with community farmers, and will provide necessary information and technical assistance to both school districts and farms. Getting good food into the classroom: Washington will enact a Washington Grown Fruits and Vegetables Program that will fund a fresh food snack program in schools with high numbers of low-income students. Helping those who need it most: This effort will make it easier for low income families to purchase locally grown food by enabling farmers markets to accept food stamps, increasing funding of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program and creating pilot projects for food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Washington farms.

[eridani]

11. King County Legislative Action Committee

Tina Shamseldin
Hi LAC Member!

Bills are dropping left and right now! Hopefully I will send out a revised legislative agenda that will include more of the bill numbers.

A few updates for you:

© The Homeowner's Bill of Rights has changed from a series of complex bills to a simple remedy of two well crafted sentences—see email below (thanks Brian). An attorney working in this area of the law states the following to Brian's proposed bill:

This simple bill will immediately help hundreds of desperate homeowners who cannot afford to fix their homes, and have no recourse against their homebuilders (or their insurers) because of the current state of the law. We have either dropped or counseled dozens of clients to drop claims because they did not have any recourse against the contractors and subcontractors who had damaged their homes. This bill would give them a means of recovery they currently don't have. I am also confident that a negligence based cause of action will ultimately have a deterrent effect on an industry that now has immunity from negligence claims.

© Maury Island: In addition to 6011 that creates the Maury Island Aquatic Center, our newest Representative- -Sharon Nelson--has dropped a couple of new Maury Island bills for this session. We will be receiving additional information on a bill that requires a survey of sand and gravel resources in this state before Lands Commissioner Sutherland can give a lease to Glacier. Our main focus will continue to be on 6011 (which will need to get out of the Rules Committee in the Senate).

© Please update your LD's on the Legislative Action Day on February 18th and get a count of who will be attending. I know you all did a great job last year setting up car pools and get a lot folks down
for the event!

© Next LAC meeting is on Sunday, January 20th from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Rainier Beach Library.

Thanks, Tina

From Sen. Brian Weinstein:

I have been asked by many if I will introduce the Homebuyers Bill of Rights again this year. This year I am proposing a much simpler remedy.

Attached is the new Homebuyer Rights bill that I will introduce in the Senate this session. I understand that Brendan Williams will introduce a companion in the House.

It is simple and straightforward. From my conversations with many stakeholders as well as the press last year, everyone took for granted that a Homebuyers already has the right to sue a builder or contractor for damages if they do not exercise reasonable care. Unfortunately, homebuyers currently do not have the right to hold a builder or contractor liable for negligence.

This bill should give homebuyers the right that everyone presumes they
already have.

I anticipate strong opposition again from the BIAW and have no commitment from Chopp that he will support it.

AN ACT Relating to real property; and adding a new section to chapter 64.50 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1) A new section is added to chapter 64.50 RCW
to read as follows:

(1) Any person or entity involved in the construction of improvements upon real property intended for residential use has a duty, which may not be waived, to exercise reasonable care in the construction of the improvement.

(2) If a breach of the duty imposed under subsection (1) of this section results in damage to any portion of the real property, the current owner of the real property has a right to recover damages independent of any contract right.

[eridani]

12. Moms Rising lobbying group 1/18

Your help is needed this Friday morning at the capitol to make a fun, mama splash. Join us to to deliver fortune cookies, which are stuffed with MomsRising member's top messages for fully funded family leave to issue champion, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown. We need your help delivering them to her, and to other state legislators.


We'll bring the cookies to share, you bring your enthusiasm for the issue (and kids are more than welcome too!).

CAN YOU MEET US AT THE CAPITOL?

TIME & DATE: 9am, this Friday, January 18th for about 30 minutes.

LOCATION: Outside the Senate Majority Leader's Office (Senator Lisa Brown) in the Washington State Legislative Building (the building with the big dome), Room 307, in Olympia.

RSVP: Katie {at} momsrising.org

Hope to see you there! - Katie, Kristin, and the MomsRising Team


p.s. Here's the press release we just sent out about Friday morning:

Great Happiness Awaits Those Who Fully Fund Family Leave Insurance

MomsRising.org to Deliver Fortune Cookies with Messages Urging Full Funding for Family Leave Insurance Law to Legislators

Good fortune will smile on state legislators who support legislation to fully fund Washington State's Family Leave Insurance law, according to online grassroots activist organization, MomsRising.org. Several MomsRising.org members will be at the state capitol in Olympia to deliver fortune cookies regarding continued support of fully funding Family Leave Insurance at:

January 18

Majority Leader's Office

Washington State Legislative Building, Room 307

Olympia

Majority Leader Senator Lisa Brown will be in her office to accept the fortune cookies. MomsRising members will then travel to other legislators' offices to deliver fortune cookies to them. The messages inside the cookies include:

Great happiness awaits those who fully fund Family Leave Insurance
Success in future endeavors awaits those who fully fund Family Leave Insurance.

You will be a part of the solution by fully funding Family Leave Insurance.
Voting for fully funded Family Leave Insurance makes your constituents very happy!

Governor Christine Gregoire signed the Family Leave Insurance bill into law last May. The new law establishes five weeks of paid leave of up to $250 per week for qualifying workers who need to care for new children, beginning on October 1, 2009. Paid leave must be taken concurrently with the unpaid leave the federal Family & Medical Leave Act provides.

MomsRising.org was a part of the Washington Family Leave Coalition, a coalition of more than 50 organizations and businesses, which strongly advocated for this policy. The Coalition also includes the Economic Opportunity Institute and the Washington State Labor Council. MomsRising.org also reached out to small business owners in the state, and helped generate a letter supporting the law signed by 36 small business owners.

"This effort is ongoing and support for family leave insurance is growing--both Washington families and businesses will be helped by the implementation of this law and we've heard from our members that this is a priority," says MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner.

[eridani]

60. Family leave bill needs support 2/26

Yikes! There are only a of couple weeks left in this short Washington State legislative session--we have to make sure that when session ends, the start up funds for the Family Leave Insurance program are in the final 2008 Supplemental Budget.

The Senate is working on their version of the 2008 Supplemental Budget right now. Your help is needed today to let the Senate know that we're counting on them to make sure the Family Leave Insurance start up funds stay in their budget.

Email your WA Senator today: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/5365/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23301

The end of session is a chaotic time in the state capitol, and important items can fall through the cracks. Your voice is needed to make sure family leave insurance start up funds aren't forgotten. And your voice will make an important difference.

And please also take a moment to forward this email along to friends and family so they can take action too.

Thank you! - Kristin, Katie, Marilyn, and the MomsRising Team

[eridani]

13. Faith advocacy day 1/29

Faith Advocacy Day!

Hosted by Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State
Cosponsored by the Religious Coalition for the Common Good and others
Welcoming People of All Faiths!

Join Us!
Tuesday, January 29, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm

Worship!
Learn about issues!
Meet with other advocates, government leaders and your legislators!


8:30 am - 12:00 pm: Registration, worship, workshops and lunch
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Olympia, WA
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Gathering at the Capitol Rotunda, meetings with legislators and legislative issue briefings.


$15 registration includes advocacy packet and lunch.
Register online: www.lppowa.org, or email: advocacyday {at} gmail.com or phone: David Coombs [phone].

Bus transportation available from Seattle, SeaTac and Tacoma. (See online registration)

[eridani]

14. Anti-bullying bill info

There is an issue that should be on veterans radar screen, but is not - workplace bullying. It has a disparate impact against PTSD sufferers (that is, veterans), but neither the HRC or EEOC recognizes this.

A senate bill will get a number in the next couple days and there is HB2142. See http://www.bullyinginstitute.org/ and www.healthyworkplacebill.org for more information.

Please call legislators, union leaders, friends, fellow Democrats, and fellow activists expressing your support of this anti-bullying legislation.

Thanks

[eridani]

16. Update 1/18

Dear WA State BullyBuster,

2008 just might be the year we break through and have an anti-bullying law!

The route to a law will be through HB 2142, which will be amended to apply only to public sector employees (state, county, municipal), will have its hearing in the House Commerce & Labor Committee during the week of Jan. 28. Day and time will be announced prominently on the WA State page and to those of you on this list.

http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/states/legis-wa.html

Thurs. 1/17 was a combination Lobbying Day -- thanks to the five volunteers who blanketed every House and Senate member office -- and finalize the Senate companion bill to HB 2142. The Senate bill will have its own number on Jan. 21.

Here's how you can help.

1. Right now, write a short version of your story ending with a plea to pass the Workplace Bullying bill. Have two endings. One for the House where you reference HB 2142 and one for the Senate where you reference "Sen. Franklin's Workplace Bullying Bill." Replace this term with the SB number when we you see it appear on the website.

2. Before the end of day Monday Jan. 21, E-mail the Senate version of your story to every member of the Senate Labor, Commerce, Research & Development committee listed on this page.

http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/states/legis-wa3senate.html

3. E-mail thanks for sponsoring the Workplace Bullying Bill to the following Senators:

Franklin, Keiser, Regala, McAuliffe, Fairley, Spanel

All contact info for Senators is here:

http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/states/legis-waSenroster.html

4. Attend & testify at the hearing for the Senate version of the Workplace Bullying bill on

Tuesday Jan. 22
1:30 pm
Senate Labor, Commerce, Research & Development Committee
Senate Hearing Room 4
JAC building
Olympia

5. Reserve some time during the week of Jan. 28 (day and time to be announced the week prior) to attend and testify at the House Commerce & Labor Committee which will hold the public hearing on HB 2142, the version that we hope becomes law. If you can only attend one hearing, make this one the one.

Start writing and calling the Senate committee folks now! Let them know how important this issue is to you.

Thanks for all that you do.

Gary Namie, PhD
Workplace Bullying Institute-Legislative Campaign
Bellingham
360-656-6630

http://workplacebullyinglaw.org
http://bullyinginstitute.org

[eridani]

22. 1/29--support needed now

NOW is the time to call, write and attend.

I'm forwarding a message from the leaders on opposing workplace bullying - Ruth and Gary Namie. The hearing this Friday is for HB 2142. The Washington State Senate companion bill is SB 6622.

Many unions, the labor council, and many others oppose workplace bullying & support anti-bullying legislation. This has momentum - now is the time to act.

We are a grassroots movement - we need the grassroots NOW. Union leaders - please forward this to your members. Write a letter, phone, write an email or come. We aren't spamming. When contacts come from many different individuals who care about an issue, our Senators and Representatives sit up and take notice. Call, write, act - show them how much you care. Let your legislator's know your support for HB 2142 and SB 6622 - the Time is Now.

A roster of members is pasted at the end and the Namie's email (that I'm forwarding) has the list of House Committee members.

Thanks,

Jim

PS - I'm thinking of creating an group for advocates to correspond amongst ourselves. Stay tuned.

Workplace Bullying <namie {at} workplacebullyinglaw.org> wrote:
To: help {at} bullybusters.org
Subject: Hearing on 2/1 Attend!
From: Workplace Bullying <namie {at} workplacebullyinglaw.org>
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:02:49 -0800


Dear WA State BullyBuster,


The time has come to take the most significant step toward an anti-bullying law for our state.
The Public Hearing for HB 2142 is on:


Friday Feb 1
1:30 PM
Hearing Room C, John L. O'Brien Building
Map and other Information Here: http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/states/legis-wahearing.html

In order to get a bill passed into law we have agreed to make only public sector employers --government at all levels-- responsible to comply with the law. This was done because of the brevity of this 60-day session.

If you are or were a government worker and want to testify, arrive early so you can sign in before 1:30.

The Hollywood documentary makers and KOMO-TV will be there so we want a crowd to show support for HB 2142.

You can attend even if you are not a government worker. Please do.

Before Jan 31 write to all house commerce and labor committee members (contact info is on the liked page: http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/states/legis-wahearing.html )
Insist on a positive vote so the bill can move quickly to a House Floor vote. Time is short.

[eridani]

32. The bill advances one more step--keep going

CONGRATULATE YOURSELVES! You won a major battle!

However, there is still more fighting to be done. HB2142 and is now in the house appropriations. We're trying to get it out of that committee to a floor vote.

Keep calling and writing. CALL AND WRITE appropriations committee members (members listed below) to pass it out of appropriations. AND CALL AND WRITE your representatives to bring this to a floor vote.

It was you, grassroots constituents, who pushed this bill out of commerce. Keep calling and writing to make it law.

Also don't forget SB 6622 in Senate Commerce (members listed below). Call and write to pass that bill out of the Senate committee.

List of Representatives and Senators follow. Also note a list server has been created (instructions are at bottom). But I'll keep you in my personal email list for a time until everybody is on the list server.

Finally, thank the representatives on the House Commerce Committee.

Thank you sincerely,

Jim Sizemore, Ph.D.

House Appropriations Committee
Member Party District Room Phone Email
Alexander, Gary R 20 JLOB 407 [phone] [e-mail]
Anderson, Glenn R 5 JLOB 412 [phone] [e-mail]
Bailey, Barbara R 10 JLOB 405 [phone] [e-mail]
Chandler, Bruce R 15 LEG 427B [phone] [e-mail]
Cody, Eileen D 34 JLOB 337 [phone] [e-mail]
Conway, Steve D 29 JLOB 307 [phone] [e-mail]
Darneille, Jeannie D 27 LEG 436B [phone] [e-mail]
Dunshee, Hans D 44 JLOB 203 [phone] [e-mail]
Ericks, Mark D 1 JLOB 429 [phone] [e-mail]
Fromhold, Bill D 49 JLOB 239 [phone] [e-mail]
Grant, Bill D 16 LEG 432 [phone] [e-mail]
Green, Tami D 28 JLOB 327 [phone] [e-mail]
Haigh, Kathy D 35 JLOB 431 [phone] [e-mail]
Haler, Larry R 8 JLOB 421 [phone] [e-mail]
Hinkle, Bill R 13 LEG 122D [phone] [e-mail]
Hunt, Sam D 22 LEG 438B [phone] [e-mail]
Hunter, Ross D 48 JLOB 333 [phone] [e-mail]
Kagi, Ruth D 32 JLOB 304 [phone] [e-mail]
Kenney, Phyllis D 46 JLOB 330 [phone] [e-mail]
Kessler, Lynn D 24 LEG 339A [phone] [e-mail]
Kretz, Joel R 7 JLOB 439 [phone] [e-mail]
Linville, Kelli D 42 LEG 429 [phone] [e-mail]
McDonald, Joyce R 25 LEG 425B [phone] [e-mail]
McIntire, Jim D 46 JLOB 314 [phone] [e-mail]
Morrell, Dawn D 25 JLOB 338 [phone] [e-mail]
Pettigrew, Eric D 37 LEG 122H [phone] [e-mail]
Priest, Skip R 30 LEG 122A [phone] [e-mail]
Ross, Charles R 14 JLOB 418 [phone] [e-mail]
Schmick, Joe R 9 JLOB 419 [phone] [e-mail]
Schual-Berke, Shay D 33 JLOB 331 [phone] [e-mail]
Seaquist, Larry D 26 JLOB 317 [phone] [e-mail]
Sommers, Helen D 36 JLOB 204 [phone] [e-mail]
Sullivan, Pat D 47 LEG 122G [phone] [e-mail]
Walsh, Maureen R 16 JLOB 423 [phone] [e-mail]


Senate Commerce Committee (for SB 6622)
Member Party District Room Phone Email
Franklin, Rosa D 29 LEG 312 [phone] [e-mail]
Hewitt, Mike R 16 LEG 314 [phone] [e-mail]
Holmquist, Janéa R 13 INB 106B [phone] holmquist.jané[e-mail]
Keiser, Karen D 33 JAC 224 [phone] [e-mail]
King, Curtis R 14 INB 205 [phone] [e-mail]
Kohl-Welles, Jeanne D 36 JAC 219 [phone] [e-mail]
Murray, Ed D 43 JAC 215 [phone] [e-mail]
Prentice, Margarita D 11 JAC 303 [phone] [e-mail]

Dear Representative Members of the House Appropriations Committee and District Representatives,

Please pass SHB 2142, the Healthy Workplace Bill opposing workplace bullying, out of the Appropriations Committee to a floor vote. Opposition to workplace bullying is enjoying a groundswell of support with more constituents joining the refrain daily - Veteran's organizations, Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Washington State Democrats, the Labor Council and so on.

I will not belabor the merits of SHB 2142, but address my comments to the concerns of the Appropriations Committee - what is the cost and benefit?

I'm forwarding an email from my anti-bullying colleagues detailing the objections to the fiscal note on SHB 2142. The key point being costs are indeterminate and likely exaggerated.

I desire to add another perspective, that reducing workplace bullying will save money by reduced absenteeism and improved morale, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Allow me to elaborate:

I'm a bully target with a life threatening stress disorder - bullying is literally life threatening to me. However I can't get relief from the Americans with Disabilities Act or RCW 49.60. I eventually found work teaching in community colleges due to the anti-bullying culture that exists in that work environment (at least against faculty). I testified in the House Commerce Committee that despite low pay and job insecurity, the student outcomes from community colleges are exemplary due, at least partially, to a low bullying culture.

In 2005 the Mental Health Parity Act was passed. Bullying has an adverse impact on people's mental health and, therefore, the benefits of enacting Mental Health Parity should also accrue to cessation of bullying. In Testimony for the Mental Health Parity Act, Ben Bridge Jewelers reported SAVING money due to reduced absenteeism and improved morale, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Ben Bridge saved more money by enacting mental health parity than it cost them.

Also in that testimony, an actuary documented the net savings of implementing mental health parity. For the same reasons, cessation of bullying should have a similar benefit.

In conclusion, the money saved from reduced absenteeism, improved morale, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity will more than offset the costs associated with ceasing bullying. And Washington State workers will be much happier.

Thank you sincerely,

Jim Sizemore, Ph.D.

[eridani]

35. Needs scheduling for a hearing--keep pushing.

I called Rep. Sommers office about SHB 2142 and asked for a hearing or passing to floor vote. At this time it is not scheduled for a hearing.

If enough people call and write appropriations committee members, they may put it on the agenda. Please call and write.

Thanks sincerely,

Jim Sizemore, Ph.D.

House Appropriations Committee Members
Member Party District Room Phone Email
Alexander, Gary R 20 JLOB 407 [phone] [e-mail]
Anderson, Glenn R 5 JLOB 412 [phone] [e-mail]
Bailey, Barbara R 10 JLOB 405 [phone] [e-mail]
Chandler, Bruce R 15 LEG 427B [phone] [e-mail]
Cody, Eileen D 34 JLOB 337 [phone] [e-mail]
Conway, Steve D 29 JLOB 307 [phone] [e-mail]
Darneille, Jeannie D 27 LEG 436B [phone] [e-mail]
Dunshee, Hans D 44 JLOB 203 [phone] [e-mail]
Ericks, Mark D 1 JLOB 429 [phone] [e-mail]
Fromhold, Bill D 49 JLOB 239 [phone] [e-mail]
Grant, Bill D 16 LEG 432 [phone] [e-mail]
Green, Tami D 28 JLOB 327 [phone] [e-mail]
Haigh, Kathy D 35 JLOB 431 [phone] [e-mail]
Haler, Larry R 8 JLOB 421 [phone] [e-mail]
Hinkle, Bill R 13 LEG 122D [phone] [e-mail]
Hunt, Sam D 22 LEG 438B [phone] [e-mail]
Hunter, Ross D 48 JLOB 333 [phone] [e-mail]
Kagi, Ruth D 32 JLOB 304 [phone] [e-mail]
Kenney, Phyllis D 46 JLOB 330 [phone] [e-mail]
Kessler, Lynn D 24 LEG 339A [phone] [e-mail]
Kretz, Joel R 7 JLOB 439 [phone] [e-mail]
Linville, Kelli D 42 LEG 429 [phone] [e-mail]
McDonald, Joyce R 25 LEG 425B [phone] [e-mail]
McIntire, Jim D 46 JLOB 314 [phone] [e-mail]
Morrell, Dawn D 25 JLOB 338 [phone] [e-mail]
Pettigrew, Eric D 37 LEG 122H [phone] [e-mail]
Priest, Skip R 30 LEG 122A [phone] [e-mail]
Ross, Charles R 14 JLOB 418 [phone] [e-mail]
Schmick, Joe R 9 JLOB 419 [phone] [e-mail]
Schual-Berke, Shay D 33 JLOB 331 [phone] [e-mail]
Seaquist, Larry D 26 JLOB 317 [phone] [e-mail]
Sommers, Helen D 36 JLOB 204 [phone] [e-mail]
Sullivan, Pat D 47 LEG 122G [phone] [e-mail]
Walsh, Maureen R 16 JLOB 423 [phone] [e-mail]

[eridani]

92. Unfortunately, this died in the Appropriations Committee

Unfortunately HB 2142 died in appropriations. We're going to try again next year, but before that we hope to get language to unions and have Governor Gregoire do something.

And, simply put, we need numbers. 1,000,000 workers in Washington State are bullied. 200 supporters of the Sonics showed up in Olympia. If 200 of the 1,000,000 bullied workers showed up at once, it would be law.

Thanks for the great article.

http://www.physorg.com/news124213691.html

Workplace bullying, such as belittling comments, persistent criticism of work and withholding resources, appears to inflict more harm on employees than sexual harassment.... This finding was presented at the Seventh International Conference on Work, Stress and Health, co-sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology.

Hershcovis and co-author Julian Barling, PhD, of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, reviewed 110 studies conducted over 21 years that compared the consequences of employees’ experience of sexual harassment and workplace aggression. Specifically, the authors looked at the effect on job, co-worker and supervisor satisfaction, workers’ stress, anger and anxiety levels as well as workers’ mental and physical health. Job turnover and emotional ties to the job were also compared.

[eridani]

15. Electronic Town Hall meeting on health care

Got an idea to help fix our health care system?

The Washington Senate has scheduled a two-day electronic town hall meeting on health care reform and invites the public to participate in the discussion.

The on-line meeting, held January 22 and 23, will be a comprehensive discussion concerning health care reform in Washington, including issues of affordability, choice, and availability. Participants can ask questions, add comments, share stories and make suggestions on how to improve the delivery of health care in our state. Registration is free and citizens are encouraged to register in advance.

"Health care affects every single person in this state," said Senate Health & Long Term Care Chair Karen Keiser, D-Kent. "This is an excellent opportunity for citizens who can't easily get to Olympia but still want to be involved in the political process."

Panelists will include Keiser, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, members of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee, and health care professionals.

To participate, please go to: http://www.webdialogues.net/wasen/healthcare.


For more information: Mark Varadian, 360-786-7569
For interviews: Sen. Karen Keiser, 360-786-7664


Mark Varadian
Public Information Officer, Webmaster
Washington Senate Democratic Caucus
[phone]
www.sdc.wa.gov

[eridani]

17. Coalition for Prescribing Integrity

I¹m writing today as a member of the Coalition for Prescribing Integrity to encourage you to take action against the harmful practice of data mining in our healthcare system. If you are unaware of the practice, as even many doctors are, let me tell you a little bit about it.

Data Mining:

Pharmaceutical companies pay $3 billion each year to obtain physicians¹ prescribing records from data mining companies and use the information to target their marketing. A record of each prescription a prescriber writes is captured, compiled, and paired with the AMA¹s Physician Master File, giving drug representatives information that helps them tailor a marketing strategy to each specific physician.

For some of you, this may sound familiar. Have you ever had a drug rep enter your office and think to yourself, how does he know what I¹ve been prescribing? Trust your instincts. The drug rep truly does know, and it is because of the practice of data mining.

Data mining is not only an invasion of privacy, but it also negatively impacts public health and drives up health care costs. Seventy four percent of physicians are against the practice.

Together, we can do something to stop data mining. ³The Prescription Privacy Act² has been introduced in the Washington legislature (HB 2664, SB 6241) that would restrict the practice, while leaving all legitimate uses of prescription information intact.

I urge you to join the fight and take action against data mining. Please, contact your legislators and urge them to support the prescription privacy bill. Your legislator can be easily found at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

To learn more about the issue, go to www.prescriptionproject.org, or contact me with any questions.

If you would like to stop sharing your personal prescribing data with drug
reps, visit http://www.ama-assn.org/go/prescribingdata to quickly and easily opt out
online. This can be done anytime, but we urge you do so on Tuesday January 22, to join a large number of your fellow family physicians in sending the message through member action to the AMA that we do not approve of the practice of data mining.

[eridani]

24. This should be on the floor 2/4--heads up for all supporters

From: Robby Stern, Rstern {at} wslc.org
Sent: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 8:12 am
Subject: Presciption Privacy Bill, HB 2664 ready for action


The Prescription Privacy bill, HB 2664, was "pulled" to the floor for action and is likely to come up for a vote in the House this Monday, Feb. 4. We need phone calls, emails, and letters to representatives in the House asking them to vote in favor of the bill. Organizations please send letters of support and mobilize your members to email and call on the Prescription Privacy bill. If you have "Take Action" capacity please use it and share it with others in the Coalition. The letters, emails and calls should begin today and happen throughout the weekend. Pharma, the pharmaceutical and bio tech companies will strongly mobilize against this bill. We need as much response as is possible.

Thanks,
Robby

[eridani]

52. Passed the Senate; needs to pass the House

The Prescription Privacy bill (SB 6241) passed the Washington state Senate on Monday! The bill, which prohibits drug companies from purchasing prescribing histories of physicians for marketing purposes, would lower drug costs, stop unsafe prescribing, and protect the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship.

But, the fight's not over yet. Big PhRMA, and their army of Olympia lobbyists, are spending tons of money to defeat this legislation in the House. Who will win - the drug lobby or patients?

Contact your Representatives today to support Prescription Privacy!

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2072

A recent 60 Minutes Special reported on a drug that is estimated to have killed 1,000 Americans a month. A January 2006 study showed that Trasylol, marketed by Bayer for use to reduce bleeding during heart surgeries, had caused thousands of patients to die. However, even after this study was released, an estimated 22,000 patients died because Bayer continued to aggressively market Trasylol, whose sales were on track to hit $1 billion dollars per year, until it was finally pulled from the market in November of 2007.

Drug companies spend $3 billion dollars a year to purchase the prescribing histories of physicians for marketing purposes. Do you think that Bayer Drug Reps told physicians about the dangers of prescribing Trasylol? Do you think they mentioned that there are alternative drugs without deadly consequences that cost 1/20 as much?

Probably not. There's no money in it.

Stop the drug industry's strangle hold on our health care system. Contact your Representatives today to support Prescription Privacy

[eridani]

68. Final Hurdle for Prescription Privacy

The Prescription Privacy bill (SB 6241), legislation that bans drug companies from purchasing the prescribing history of doctors for marketing purposes, has reached the final hurdle. Having passed both the state Senate and the health care committee in the House, the bill is ready for a vote by the full House.

But, victory is far from certain. The drug lobby is pulling out all stops in an attempt to hold on to their lucrative marketing scheme. The vote on the House floor will be the toughest vote yet.

Email your representatives today in support of Prescription Privacy!


http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2072

Drug companies spend $3 billion every year to purchase the prescribing histories of physicians for marketing purposes. It leads to higher drug costs, unsafe prescribing, and an invasion of the private doctor-patient relationship. Doctors and patients should be in control of our health care choices, not the drug industry.

There are less than two weeks to go before the end of session, so we don't have much time. Email your representatives today in support of Prescription Privacy!


http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2072

[eridani]

74. Needs one more push

PNHPWW member Jeff Huebner has asked PNHPWW to pass along the list of legislators who need to be urged to support the “Data Mining” Prescription Privacy bill (SHB 6241) that he described at a recent monthly meeting. This bill would prevent drug companies from targeting sales pitches to physicians based on their prescribing preferences. The bill did pass the Senate recently, but still has to get through a tough battle in the House (as a recent Seattle PI article pointed out). Several Democratic House members are on the fence and need some push. These messages are especially effective when coming from physicians but also from potential patients who could be affected by higher cost and potentially less effective/more dangerous drugs.




Rep. Mark Ericks - [e-mail]
Rep. Deb Wallace - [e-mail]
Rep. Brian Blake - [e-mail]
Rep. Troy Kelley - [e-mail]
Rep. Steve Kirby - [e-mail]
Rep. Mark Miloscia - [e-mail]
Rep. Eric Pettigrew - [e-mail]
Rep. Judy Clibborn - [e-mail]
Rep. Pat Sullivan - [e-mail]

[eridani]

18. Clean Elections bills

Several of us - John King, myself (Craig), and Jeff Manson, were in Olympia today, to meet with legislators and testify at the Senate committee hearing on SSB 5278.

Report:

The Senate bill (SSB 5278) is still in the Government Operations Committee, but after today's hearing, it will probably be scheduled for a Committee exec session (where they vote), perhaps as early as next week.

Committee Chair Sen. Darlene Fairley (D-32) unveiled a second substitute at today's hearing, in which she limits lifting the ban to cities only (we want ANY local town, county or district), and she adds a requirement for a local referendum vote of the people, before any local entity can launch a program. The bill is not online as of this writing, but watch for it: click Bill Search, and enter 5278, at: http://www1. leg.wa.gov/ legislature/

We feel the referendum requirement is unnecessarily burdensome, perhaps costly to the local cities or counties, and therefore an impediment - and we testified against it. It's a question of whether we trust representative government or not: Local elected officials are accountable to their voters; they have local hearings and take public input; and they should be given the flexibility and choice, how to design and implement a local program (if they do it at all), without the state saying: "You have to plan, schedule and pay for a local vote of the people, by referendum, if you want to create a local public finance program for your own local races."

However, the House bill (SHB 1551) has no such restriction - it applies to all local cities, counties, towns and districts, and it has no requirement of a referendum. Further, it says only "locally-derived funds" can be used to fund a program (i.e., no state funds), and we agree with that - it helps us to garner a few more votes. It is "parked" in Rules, and we've been assured by the Speaker that he will move the bill. We don't know how soon; there are some other bills in line ahead, with priority landing (or takeoff) rights, as it were. The Speaker wants to get those cleared, we've been told by House State Govt & Tribal Affairs chair Sam Hunt, before he calls up 1551.

We anticipate House passage of the bill - but it's not assured. If and when it passes, that will add a little assurance (and therefore pressure) to the Senate, to move their bill. (Why? Because the Senate will know the Speaker and the House are willing to support Local Choice/Local Option.)

We are less concerned with the "poison pills" and disliked provisions of the Senate Bill (5278, as amended today) - because if the House passes a bill more to our liking, we can work the process between chambers - e.g. asking our supporters in the Senate to please concur (approve) with the House bill.

The important point in the Senate, is to get a bill - any version, liked or not - passed out and voted on, on the Senate floor. That will prove there are sufficient votes in the Senate to pass a bill on Local Option - and get us closer to approving a final version in both chambers.

So, the grassroots lobbying needed now is:

(1) Keep up the pressure on House members to approve SHB 1551 - ask your legislators to ask the Speaker to call it for a vote, and write to the Speaker directly, asking the same.

(2) Keep up the pressure on Senate members, asking them to support SSB 5278, for now in whatever form it emerges from the Senate Govt Ops Committee. And then (later, when the House sends over their bill), to choose and support the House version, (the House version means: lifts the ban for ALL local jurisdictions - towns, counties, local districts - not just cities; and, has NO requirement of a local referendum).

WPC will keep all of our supporters as up-to-date as possible as these bills move through the legislature. All the grassroots support and citizen lobbying is having great effect - in fact, it's made ALL the difference this year! Only in this manner, will we achieve our goal of enacting Local Option this year.

By the way, in related good news:

1. Bob Apple, Spokane City Councilman, happened to be in Olympia today .. and through some sure-footed phone work by Spokane WPC chapter leader Rebecca Lamb, we connected with him over lunch; on the spot, he penned out personal testimony which we submitted at the 3:30pm hearing; and could honestly say, there is support and interest by Spokane, in having permission to explore a local public financing program!

2. Last night, the Kirkland City Council approved a resolution urging approval of both SSB 5278 and SHB 1551 - and with help from Todd Boyle and Duane Wentz, we got that resolution faxed down to the Senate Committee by the time of the hearing.

3. Through short-notice phoning by WPC's John King, Jenn Bertelsen and Jeff Manson, many WPC members sent in testimony to the Senate Committee last night or today - with the effect of a mass attendance at today's hearing!, without having to travel to Olympia. It has the effect of amplifying our voice when we lobby legislators or testify at hearings, and gives us added influence, making all the difference. We need to keep this up, during this short 60-day legislative session!

Good work, team!!

We'll keep you posted. Call or write with any additional questions.

- Craig
____________ __
Craig Salins
Executive Director
Washington Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean.org
206-784-2522 WPC office
206-784-9695 home
206-949-3285 cell

[eridani]

23. Update 1/30

Hi Friends,

Responding to a question ..

The bill passed in the House is EHB 1551 - which stands for "Engrossed House Bill ..." That's the designation given bills after all the amendments and substitutes have been combined, and the bill passes the whole chamber (House or Senate).

John King and I were in Olympia all day yesterday, meeting with many of the senators or their staffs whose votes we need, to get the Senate to approve the bill, now that the House has approved it.

Truly it is like watching sausage being made! - or a Rubik's Cube puzzle - but we're still progressing.

Votes in the Senate will be very close, and we don't know yet when they will be called. Our preference is to have the Senate simply adopt the House bill (EHB 1551) exactly as is - no changes - because if there are any changes at all, even a semicolon added, then the bill will have to return to the House for a "concurring vote" - and because of the strong opposition in the House in some quarters (debate on our bill lasted a record-setting 40 minutes!), any return to the House risks the whole deal unravelling. If at all possible, we want to avoid that.

On the other hand, in the Senate, Sen. Rosa Franklin who for years has sponsored the Local Option bill, certainly deserves recognition and kudos for her long-standing work on this issue, and so we and others are concerned how to have it be Franklin's bill, yet be the House bill at the same time. We're discussing that with Senate supporters.

Also, we've already heard of some Senate floor amendments - even from some senators we thought were supporting - so we're working to see if that can be avoided or handled somehow - again because any changes in the Senate side, would require that the bill return to the House, where it might stall.

An imperfect bill that we can live with, is better than no bill at all. We're eager to get on with the work of organizing in selected local areas, to establish (or in Seattle, re-establish) local programs of public financing for campaigns for local office.

All of the calls and emails from our supporters from around the state are making a HUGE difference in Olympia! Please keep it up! When we visit senators or their staff, they say: "Gosh, we've been inundated with calls or emails on this .. and that has gotten the attention of Senator ----"

The message is: In the Senate, please follow the lead of the House, and pass EHB 1551. Provide us with Local Choice / Local Choice. It's not a mandate - only permission! There are no state funds involved! If voters in some local areas don't want to take advantage, they don't have to! Any local program will require a vote of the people, by referendum .. so truly it is Local Choice!

- Craig
____________ _______
Craig Salins
craigsalins {at} msn.com
206-784-9695 (home)
206-949-3285 (cell)

[eridani]

26. Companion senate bill to come up on 2/6

Last week, with incredible grassroots support, we pushed the Local Choice / Local Option bill (EHB 1551) through the House, with a favorable vote 56-38. Initially, a majority of legislators and the leadership did NOT favor these bills this session; it was YOUR VOICE that made this happen !

NOW, a SENATE VOTE is scheduled !

The Senate companion bill, SSB 5278, sponsored by Sen. Rosa Franklin, will be voted in the Senate this coming week - perhaps Wednesday, February 6th, or Friday.

We are counting votes - and THIS VOTE WILL BE VERY CLOSE! If you care about public financing, please don't be silent ! - we need EVERYONE to speak up.

>> Contact YOUR senator. Call the Legislative Hotline, 1-800-562-6000
- operators will deliver your message; it takes only 1-2 minutes.

Even better, Email your legislator: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

Ask them to approve the Local Choice / Local Option bill, SSB 5278.
Send copies of your letters - and any replies - to wpc {at} washclean.org.

If your legislators previously have voiced support for Local Choice, thank them! .. and tell them, now it is time to prove their support, with a vote FOR SSB 5278 in the State Senate.

Key points: This bill is only about giving cities, counties, towns and local districts control over their own affairs - Local Choice. It is not a mandate. No state funds are involved. It simply gives permission to local officials and voters, to design programs of public financing for campaigns for local office - if they want to.

In fact, the bill says any proposed program must first be approved by local voters, in a local referendum. Clearly, any program would need plenty of local support, or it would not happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My friends, consider the road ahead --

Once SSB 5278 is approved by the Senate, we can embark on efforts to create local programs of public financing -- so that anyone with community support can run for local office without needing wealthy backers. If we're successful in some towns and counties, political campaigns will be about issues and voters, not about money!

In some areas lately, campaigns have become so expensive that only candidates who receive early backing from special interests or wealthy donors can afford to run. In effect, money "votes" - before the people get to vote! We are seeing it happen, at every level.

Last November, in Seattle/King County, most local races cost well over $200,000 ! One county council candidate raised $430,000 - from private donors and special interests.

And in EVERY race for city council, county council, Seattle school board, and Seattle Port Commission, the candidate who won, was the candidate who had raised the most money! What does that say!

Democracy was never intended to be the plaything only of the wealthy. Too often, the concerns of ordinary Americans are pushed aside, as lobbyists for well-heeled interests get their way in lawmaking and public policy.

Let's take it back! It starts by winning a majority vote for Local Option, in the state Senate - next week!

Contact WPC with any questions.

Together, we are making history! Thank you for being part of that!

___________________________
Craig Salins
Washington Public Campaigns
wpc {at} washclean.org - www.washclean.org
206-784-2522 (office)

[eridani]

37. 2/11 update

1. The state Senate will vote on our Local Option bill (SB 5278) this week! - perhaps Wednesday. It has support from the leadership, but the vote may be close. Until we win the Senate vote, continue to urge YOUR senator to vote YES on SB 5278.
The House already approved the bill, on 56-38 vote, January 25th. As bill sponsor, Senator Rosa Franklin has now recommended the House language to her Senate colleagues. If the Senate agrees with House language this week, the House will surely concur - and the bill will soon head to the governor's desk!
For details, www.washclean. org/details1- 29-08.htm


2. WHAT'S NEXT? With imminent approval of our Local Option bill, we can begin organizing within several cities and counties, to establish public financing for races for local office. Seattle City Council is already interested. When we prevail, it will mean anyone can run for local office without personal wealth or the backing of well-heeled donors. With campaigns costing over $200,000 in King County, it's overdue!

Read "The Road Ahead 2008: Next Steps in the Struggle for Publicly-Funded Campaigns" ... at www.washclean. org - Click on "The Road Ahead 2008"
Local campaigns in some areas have become so expensive, that even before a public vote, the daunting money-race discourages good candidates. We have to change that! - so that elections are about voters and issues, not about who can raise the most money.
3. Register for Workshops for Advocates and Speakers: Saturday, February 16th in Shoreline, at 2:30 PM; and Sunday, March 2nd, in Kent, at 2:30 PM. Pre-registration is required, and it's not too late: For info and to register, contact Annie Phillips, speakers@washclean. org.
4. WPC needs your financial support! The lobbying effort (imminent victory!) has diminished our resources, and we now need to organize within several key cities and counties to establish local programs. In addition, we are beginning the statewide organizing for a judicial bill - public financing for supreme court races - which we expect to be considered in th 2009 legislative session.

Thank you, many of you, for your generous past support! Let's keep our movement rolling! Donations are accepted online, www.washclean. org/donate. htm. Or, send a contribution to: Washington Public Campaigns, P.O. Box 45088, Seattle WA 98145-0088. For a tax-deductible contribution to support our public education work, write your check payable to: WPC Education Fund. Thank you!


5. A WPC Youth Caucus is forming! Young people are jazzed about public financing for campaigns, as a centerpiece to reclaim democracy in America. We're collaborating with groups like WashPIRG and Democracy Matters - www.democracymatter s.org/ - and their Campus Intern Program, offering paid stipends to students to lead campus chapter efforts. Before spring arrives, we'd like chapters on every campus, and youth groups in every town! To become involved, write wpc-youth@washclean .org, or contact Jenn Bertelsen, info below.

Working together, we're changing the future! Let's create a democracy where people matter more than money!


Thank you!
- Craig
____________ _________ _____
Craig Salins, Executive Director
Washington Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean. org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)

[eridani]

39. 2/12 update

Friends,

Here (below) is an "Aye" vote from Sen. Hargrove - previously a "no" !!

Our grassroots citizen lobbying is REALLY bearing fruit !

Senator Franklin's office just called to say, they likely will run the bill (meaning: vote) on Wednesday, in the state Senate. With Hargrove's likely vote in favor, we believe we might have 28 .. or even 29 "Ayes". Minimum needed, of course, is 25, for approval.

If this vote is scheduled for Wednesday, you will see it appear here, on the Legislature' s website: http://flooractivit yext.leg. wa.gov/default. aspx?chamber= 7 Then click on Regular Calendar, and then (upper right), click on Order of Consideration. This is the real agenda for the daily session, and is updated almost hourly, as the Senate leadership moves through the bills. If our bill is on Wednesday's Order of Consideration, it will appear here. And then you can watch the debate, live, on TVW.

- Craig
____________ _______
Craig Salins
WA Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean. org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)
206-784-9695 (home/ofc #2)

----- Original Message -----
From: Hargrove, Sen. Jim
To: John King
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 8:27 AM
Subject: RE: SSB 5278


Dear John,

Thank you for your message regarding SSB 5278. I appreciate all of your input on this issue. With the adding of this amendment, I believe that I will support this bill on the Senate Floor. I thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.

Sincerely,

Jim Hargrove

Heidi Hull
Associate Legislative Assistant for Senator Jim Hargrove
District 24
Legislative Building 411
360-786-7646 Olympia
360-533-9477 Hoquiam
Hull.Heidi@leg. wa.gov





From: John King jekdellnet {at} msn.com
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 10:26 PM
To: Hargrove, Sen. Jim
Subject: SSB 5278


Dear Senator Hargrove:

SSB 5278, Senator Franklin's bill to permit local governments to use public funds in local office political campaigns, is now on the Senate floor calendar. A similar bill passed the House on January 25, and Senator Franklin has proposed a floor amendment to SSB 5278 to adopt the House language.

We acknowledge that when we met with you last year you expressed concerns about local option public financing. Both the current bill and Senator Franklin's proposed amendment would require that a local public financing program be approved by a vote of the people of the jurisdiction involved. This was not part of the bill when we discussed it with you last year. We hope this will cause you to look more favorably upon the bill. You may recall that you supported a local option public financing bill for cities and counties that contained such a provision in 2006 (SSB 6221).

SSB 5278 involves no state mandate and no state funds. We view it as primarily an issue of local control, with attendant capacity to increase citizens' control over their lives, expand civic responsibility, and permit exploration of innovations on a small scale.

We ask your support for SSB 5278.

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about the bill.

Sincerely,

John King
Chair, Policy Committee
Washington Public Campaigns
425-453-9639

[eridani]

40. VICTORY in the state Senate !!

Senate approves SB 5278, on a vote of 29-20 !

The second substitute language, made part of the bill before final approval, is exactly the same language as approved by the House on January 25th, so we're quite certain the House will concur with the bill (only the bill sponsors & numbers are different - 1551 by then Rep. Joe McDermott, and 5278 by Sen. Rosa Franklin).

And then it's on to the desk of Governor Gregoire. And then, this spring and summer, we will work with WPC local chapters to design and establish programs in several cities and counties that are ready.

When we prevail, candidates for local office will be able to campaign on issues, without needing personal wealth or catering to big donors. Instead choosing between the best fund raisers, voters will have choice over the best candidates and incumbents!

This is what our movement is about, reducing the influence of special interest money, and returning democracy to the people!

Let's remember: It was grassroots citizen action that brought this about! Hundreds of advocates of public financing have contacted your own legislators, urging their support. People power!


To see the roll call, click on "View Roll Call" down below 2008 Regular Session history, at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5278


I'm sure I speak for WPC Policy Committe Chair John King,
WPC Board President Marcee Stone, and
our entire WPC board, staff and wonderful volunteers --

Thank you, one and all !! How sweet it is!

- Craig
___________________
Craig Salins
WA Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean.org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)
206-784-9695 (home/ofc #2)

[eridani]

42. House and Senate bills now need to be reconciled

Replying to all of you, because we're getting so many calls and emails about what's next and what's up with our Local Option bills ...

Obviously we had a tremendous victory yesterday, with Senate approval of 5278 - and by a surprisingly- strong 29-20 majority vote. I think that puts to rest any doubt by legislative leaders, whether the votes are there - and of course it was our grassroots work that made this happen.

That said, we're not quite done. The House and Senate need to "concur" on one or the other of the bills each has passed. Why? Because only one bill can be the "vehicle" - the law - to go to the governor's desk, and that exact bill - same sponsor, and same bill number - must be approved in both chambers.

Right now, the House approved 1551 and sent it to the Senate, where it's "parked" in the Senate Government Operations Committee (Sen. Darlene Fairley, chair). Meanwhile, the Senate itself approved 5278, and is sending it to the House today, asking the House to approve it.

These bills have identical content - internal language. This happy result is because Sen. Rosa Franklin and Senate leaders approved a substitute bill ("striker amendment") that copied the language from House bill 1551 exactly, before the final Senate floor vote.

However, the bills do NOT have the same bill number or sponsor. And that's why one or another bill needs to be approved by the opposite chamber, Senate or House.

Here are the issues:

1. Senator Franklin has been at this a long time, and many of her colleagues feel she deserves to have it be her bill (5278) that goes to the governor's desk.

2. For that the happen, the House needs to vote on her bill, which means it must travel through the House State Govt Committee, then Rules, then on to the floor. That can happen quickly, but House leaders need to do it.

3. House leaders are concerned about devoting more floor time to this - because opponents in the House may once again try to talk the bill (Franklin's bill, 5278) to death, even though it is the identical language already approved by the House, as bill 1551. There may be merit to that: It's a short session, floor time is valuable, there are many legislative priorities. But we feel the Speaker and House leadership could be a little tougher, and make this happen without protracted debate. After all, the opponents were already handed some amendments we didn't favor (e.g. local referendum), and they lost; we won. So at some point, the legislators should quit talking and simply vote one more time. Speaker Chopp would need to agree, and agree to use a heavy hand.

4. On the Senate side, perhaps Sen. Franklin would take comfort that her bill was approved by a large margin of her colleagues. She has deserved it. But now, it might be time for the Senate Government Operations Committee to pull House bill 1551 off the shelf, and put it to a floor vote in the Senate. The likely vote would be the same as before: 29-20. It's identical language, just a different bill number and sponsor. Does it matter that much?

As you can see, either the Senate or House must "blink" - and lead. Be assured it is often this way, in getting legislation approved; it's part of what to expect - especially when the bills are controversial (such as getting the big money out of politics!).

We plan a brief email about this, to our whole WashClean list - perhaps tonight, or tomorrow, as soon as we gather a little more intelligence. If need be, we will ask - one more time! - that everyone contact the leaders in the Senate and House, and say: Get it done! Clearly both chambers have the votes, the language is identical. Put aside any differences over sponsorship and bill numbers, use your leadership clout, and get it done!

Please stay tuned .. we're conferring hourly with our legislative supporters, to work this out. I would guess this logjam will clear by next week - and if our WashCleaners can help make that happen, that's part of the job.

I hope this clarifies the situation. Call or write if you have questions!

- Craig

____________ _______
Craig Salins
WA Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean. org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)
206-784-9695 (home/ofc #2)

[eridani]

54. 2/21 update

This is an update on the situation in Olympia, regarding the Local Option bill.

As you know, both Senate and House have now each approved their own version of this bill - with identical language, but differing bill sponsors and bill numbers.

In order for a bill to reach the governor's desk, either the Senate or the House must agree to adopt the other chamber's bill, and move it along. Again, the language of each bill is identical; only the sponsors and bill numbers are different.

So far, there appears to be a temporary stalemate. Each chamber wants the other to act, while refusing to do so themselves. Each chamber has reasons - but of course if neither one acts, the bills die.

We have continued to lobby privately with legislative leaders in both House and Senate, urging them to reach an accomodation and move a single bill to the governor. We have also been in direct contact with the governor and her staff, asking for her intervention if there is still no agreement between Senate and House by late next week.

Here is what we want:

1) The Senate Government Affairs Committee (chair: Sen. Darlene Fairley) - move the House-approved bill, HB 1551, on to the Senate Rules Committee, ready for a floor vote in the Senate;

2) The House Committee on State Government and Tribal Affairs (chair: Rep. Sam Hunt) - move the Senate-approved bill, SB 5278, on to the House Rules Committee, ready for a floor vote in the House.

3) The bill sponsors - Sen. Rosa Franklin, and Sen. (originally Rep.) Joe McDermott - agree to "stand down" if necessary, as original sponsor, letting another bill move forward, so that at least ONE bill can move forward to the governor. Remember: Much can be accomplished if you don't care who gets the credit!

4) Legislative leaders, House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown) - and the committee chairs mentioned above - announce an agreement regarding which of these bills will become the "vehicle" for moving a Local Option law to the governor's desk for signature.

The deadline for action is next Friday, February 29th. By midnight that day, bills must be reported out of committee - and by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 7th, bills must be approved on the chambers' floor. So these deadlines apply to getting one or another of the Local Option bills (either 5278, or 1551) approved by the opposite chamber.

Soon, we will send another Action Alert to our entire mailing list, urging WashClean members and advocates to contact their own legislators and House and Senate leaders, demanding action on these bills. We're on the 2-yard line; the goal we want is the governor's desk!

Meanwhile, please contact legislative leaders yourself (emails below) - saying you are contacting them again on behalf of WashClean supporters in your area, urging final approval on this simple piece of legislation - so that local districts can make their own choice, whether or not to create programs of public financing for campaigns for local office.

We have come too far to watch defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, due to legislative ego and a failure of leadership!

Thank you! ... and contact me if we can answer any questions.

- Craig
____________ _________ _____
Craig Salins, Executive Director
Washington Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean. org
206-784-2522 (office)
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-9695 (home, 2nd office)

Relevant contact info:
Speaker Frank Chopp: [e-mail]
Sen. Lisa Brown: [e-mail]
Sen. Darlene Fairley: [e-mail]
Rep. Sam Hunt: [e-mail]
Sen. Rose Franklin: [e-mail]
Sen. Joe McDermott: [e-mail]

[eridani]

64. Back to the House 2/29

This week, a vote in a House committee ended a legislative impasse on our Local Choice/Local Option bill. Now within days, the full House will vote (all over again! - as in January) - hopefully approving our bill and moving it to the governor's desk for signature into law!

This time - really - victory is at hand, on this overdue legislation, ending a 16-year ban and allowing public financing for campaigns for local office, for towns and counties that want it!

To ensure House approval, please contact your House legislators one more time.

Say we are eager to see the Local Option bill (SB 5278) become law. Ask them to support SB 5278 on the House floor.

Email your legislators directly, or call the Legislative Hotline: [phone], operators will take a message. A short, clear message is best: Support bill #5278 in the House!

To learn how your legislator voted last time -- visit http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1551, scroll down to 2008 Legislative Session, January 25th, Third Reading - and on the far right, click on View Roll Calls. This will show you how House members voted on Local Option bill 1551 - which is identical to the Senate bill 5278 they now must vote on.

Additional Message points, as before:
The bill is not a mandate, only permission, and no state funds are involved. If some areas don't want a program, they don't have to - but the state should not stand in the way of local towns whose voters approve a program like this.

With Local Choice/Local Option, those few cities that want, can establish programs so that any candidate who qualifies by showing local voter support, can run for office without personal wealth and without needing the financial backing of special interests. It's time to allow this, in Washington state.

Background - Why another vote?

On January 25th, the House approved HB 1551 - Local Choice, Local Option - by a vote of 56-38.
On February 13th, the Senate approved SB 5278 - identical language, but different bill number and sponsor - by a vote of 29-20.

For the bill to become law, the same bill must pass both chambers - same bill number and sponsor!

For two weeks, the Senate and House had not reached agreement on which bill would move forward - even though the internal language was identical! We were flabbergasted, worrying the standoff between chambers would leave our bill on the cutting room floor.

But now, with state budget bills out of the way, the House Speaker has agreed to move Senator Rosa Franklin's bill 5278 through the House - thereby honoring her years-long support of local option public financing, and ending an impasse over which chamber would approve the other's bill.

We fully expect the House vote will be the same as in January, when HB 1551 was approved 56-28. But let's make sure! Ask your House legislators to support SB 5278 on the floor of the House.

Questions, please write or call.

Thank you! - for being part of the tidal wave of public support on this issue!
Next week, truly we will be celebrating a victory!
And then, we'll roll up our sleeves for the next stage of our work.

_________________________________
Craig Salins
Executive Director
Washington Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean.org
206-784-2522
www.washclean.org

[eridani]

72. Final House vote scheduled for 3/4

We were just notified (by Rep. Sam Hunt) that the House will vote on Tuesday, March 4th, on Local Option bill 5278.

As you know, this will be House approval (we hope) of the Senate's bill - thereby enacting Local Option into law (upon governor signature).

If you have time, please call YOUR House members, and urge their support - for SB 5278. (Hotline # [phone]) . We've been encouraged to light up the lines! - which let's 'em know we're watching.

We anticipate opposition debate (even though the exact bill language was debated before in the House, and approved 56-38) ... and they may try to stall the bill through debate. That's why calls or emails from us may make all the difference!

If interested, you can track progress on the bill:
The House floor calendar - issued each morning - shows the bills they plan to consider, and approximate order or sequence. Also, TVW might have live - or website - coverage of House floor activity: http://www.tvw. org/index. cfm?bhcp= 1. Sometimes they cover both House and Senate .. it all depends.

The direct URL for House Floor Activity Report is ..
http://flooractivit yext.leg. wa.gov/default. aspx?chamber= 3

Or, go here, and click on House Floor Activity Report
http://www.leg. wa.gov/legislatu re/calendar/

Once on this page, look for a link to Order of Consideration .. that shows the order in which they call up the bills for a vote.

Thanks for your help, pushing this through! It's "First and Goal" on Local Option - with one play left!

____________ _______
Craig Salins
Executive Director
WA Public Campaigns
craig {at} washclean.org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)
206-784-9695 (home/ofc #2)

[eridani]

78. Local option bill WINS!

We have a legislative VICTORY! - on the Local Option bill!

How sweet it is!

Late today, the House approved E2SSB 5278 - which moves this bill toward signing into law by the Governor, likely within days. In 90 days, this bill will take effect as law in Washington State.

And now, after 16 years of a state ban, local towns and counties can create programs with modest use of public funds for campaigns for local office. The benefits?

Public financing cuts the undue influence of money in politics - and restores governance of, by and for the people.

Ordinary people with good ideas can run for office, without needing personal wealth.
Candidates spend time with voters instead of courting big donors.
For today's action, we are grateful to legislative leaders and champions, who courageously took the time (over 80 minutes!) to debate and vote on the Local Option bill, despite passionate - although uninformed - opposition. If opponents wanted to run out the clock, they failed.

Watching the debate, it is obvious we still have a challenge - public awareness, correcting the myths and misinformation:

Opponents say public financing is "incumbent-protection." Others say it is "throw the bums out."

In fact, it is neither. Instead, public financing restores the voice of people, rather than money, in election campaigns. And as a result, local budget, land use and governance decisions are made in the interest of the community, rather than as payback for campaign contributions.

Public funding of campaigns is NOT a misuse of taxpayer money .. it is an essential step to RESTORE our democracy and curb the undue influence of money in politics. This is a fundamental reform that is essential for progress in many other areas of public policy!

How does it work? Visit our website
http://www.washclean.org/

We encourage Governor Gregoire to sign the bill quickly - and with fanfare. This law embodies the principle of local choice, local-decision-making, with trust in voters and local elected officials to make thoughtful decisions for the community, where the state does not need to micro-manage the process.

Next steps? We are already consulting with several cities and towns - Seattle, Spokane, King County, and others - to design and create programs of public financing for local races. Under the Local Option law enacted today, these programs must be submitted to local voters in a referendum, for voter approval or rejection, to ensure local voter and taxpayer support. Although an organizing challenge, this will help us, to build a stronger base for future statewide action! Read The Road Ahead.

To continue, we need your financial support! Washington Public Campaigns is a shoestring operation with less than two staff, a hardworking board, wonderful volunteers, and a mailing list of 7,400 supporters. To take full advantage of the Local Option opportunity, we need funds for consulting assistance to selected towns and counties, public education literature and communications, and continued field organizing toward public financing for state supreme court races.

Please help us continue this important work: Contribute to WashClean
http://www.washclean.org/donate.htm

Friends, thank you! It has been grassroots support - informed, mobilized and focused - that brought us this far. It is humbling, and wonderful to behold. And roll up your sleeves - there is more to come!

- Craig
_________________________
Craig Salins, Executive Director
Washington Public Campaigns
wpc {at} washclean.org
206-784-2522

[eridani]

19. Eduaction Voters priorities

This first week, many of the education and budget committees sought testimony from education advocates about their session priorities. LEV prepared this testimony on our budget priorities to give before these committees. http://www.educationvoters.org/legislation_campaigns/testimony_1-14-08.pdf

Our remarks acknowledge that the 2007-09 Biennial Budget was a great budget for education from early learning through K-12 and higher education. This year, the Governor has proposed a 2008 supplemental budget that is primarily focused on safety and security. LEV's education budget priorities reflect our view that additional investment is needed this session to keep the momentum for improving education.

As always, your comments on our budget testimony are welcome.

Your Top Priorities: E-Survey Results

Thank you for the tremendous response on our E-Survey. Here’s what you told us were your top priorities this session:


Your Top Priorities: E-Survey Results

Early Learning: Merge the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) with Head Start.
K-12: The Basic Education Finance Task Force’s work to redesign our state’s K-12 finance system.
Higher Education: Expansion of financial aid programs to help students attain a high-wage, high-demand career.


Public Meetings on the Proposed Math Standards

Sup. Terry Bergeson will join Carla Santorno, Chief Academic Officer for Seattle Public Schools, at the first of three community meetings to discuss statewide efforts to improve K-12 math education. Find out more about the recently revised math standards and how they will impact students and schools.

January 22: Seattle, Roosevelt High School, 6 to 8 p.m.

January 28: Spokane, Spokane School District Administration Building Board Room, 6 to 8 p.m.

February 6: Vancouver, Evergreen Public Schools Evergreen Room, 6 to 8 p.m.

[eridani]

33. Education update

We’re thrilled that your top three priorities from our E-Survey for early learning, K-12, and higher education made it through cutoff.

This week legislators reached the first cutoff deadline for the 2008 Legislative Session. Legislation that has not passed out of education policy committees in the House and Senate will most likely not receive further consideration this session.

Here’s the current status of each priority:

Create the Washington Head Start Program: HB 3168 to create a statewide Washington Head Start Program passed out of the House Committee on Early Learning & Children's Services on Jan. 31. The bill would align the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) with Head Start program requirements and funding. This bill needs to pass out of the House Appropriations Committee by Tue., Feb. 12, the fiscal committee cutoff deadline.

Establish an End Date for the Basic Education Finance Task Force: SB 6879 sets a final date of Dec. 1, 2008 for the Basic Education Finance Task Force to recommend to the Legislature a new K-12 finance system for Washington’s public schools based on a new definition of basic education. The bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education on Feb. 6.

Approve a 10-year Vision for Higher Education: HCR 4408 defines the vision of the Higher Education Coordinating Board to expand access, affordability, and accountability for the state’s higher education system. Central goals of the master plan include:

An increase of the State Need Grant eligibility threshold from 70 percent of median family income to 85 percent;
Expansion of Bachelor’s and advanced degree programs in high-demand fields; and
A focus on diversity by increasing the percent of students, staff, and faculty of color in postsecondary education.

The bill passed out of the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Education this morning. Click here to view the 2008 Strategic Master Plan.

For questions or comments on these issues, reply to this email or contact us at [phone].

[eridani]

51. Update 2/21

Education advocates have much to celebrate this week. But the news is not all good.

Simple Majority saved the day for more than 60 school levy elections that would have failed under the old supermajority requirement. While 121 levies are passing statewide, 3 out of 5 bond elections are failing along with 4 levies.
Educators get cost of living increases if a House budget proposal passes. But a proposed funding cut could prevent more young children from receiving the benefits of all-day kindergarten.
Last week, the state revenue forecast was reduced by $423 million which adversely affected investments in the proposed House budget.

Budget Proposal Invests in Schools and Educators

The League of Education Voters supports the State House budget proposal released yesterday. The budget makes prudent investments in educators and student learning, while leaving $750 million in reserves for the next two-year state budget.

The budget funds six of LEV’s top priorities this year:

1. Salary increases for educators: Increases the voter-approved I-732 cost of living adjustments (COLA) to 3.9 percent for the 2009 school year and adds a one percent boost to makeup for lost pay when I-732 was suspended in the 2003-05 budget. Due to Washington’s convoluted K-12 finance formula, Superintendent Terry Bergeson estimates that local school districts will have to raise $16 million locally to match the salary increase. This underscores the need for the Basic Education Task Force to rebuild the K-12 finance system and for the state to amply fund it. For more information on the Basic Education Task Force click here. http://www.educationvoters.org/taskforce

2. Additional funding for school districts: Provides an additional $5 million for books, supplies, and technology to help school districts offset the increased COLA costs for locally funded teachers.

3. Help for English Language Learners (ELL) and Students in High Poverty Districts: About 23 school districts with large numbers of students learning English or living in poverty will receive additional funds to enhance learning opportunities for these students.

4. Increase Compensation and Quality in Early Education: Working parents want access to high quality early learning environments for their young children. Funding is provided to implement collective bargaining authority for child care workers and directors to help raise standards and improve quality at child care centers.

5. Create the Washington Head Start Program: Startup money is provided to develop a plan to integrate our state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) with the federal Head Start program. The joint program, called Washington Head Start, would raise quality preschool standards across the state for low-income children.

Click here to view the House budget proposal. http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2008/ho2008p.asp

A Step Backward For All-Day Kindergarten

While we support the investments and initiatives started in this budget, we are concerned with the step backward in funding for all-day kindergarten. The House budget proposal cuts $16 million that would be used to expand all-day kindergarten in high-poverty schools from 10 percent this year to 20 percent in the upcoming school year.

We will work with budget writers in the House and Senate to restore funding for this effective and critical program for our state’s young children.

School Levies Win Thanks to Simple Majority

Your work last fall to pass Simple Majority has made a tremendous difference for students and schools across our state this year.

While many communities continue to approve their levies with more than 60 percent, more than half of the 124 levy proposals on the Feb. 19 ballot passed thanks to Simple Majority.

Click here to view preliminary Feb. 19 election results. http://www.educationvoters.org/files/February%20Preliminary.xls

School leaders, educators, parents and students in places like Kennewick, Monroe, and Centralia will not have to brace themselves for a costly and time consuming second levy attempt. Instead, they can continue to focus on educating students.

Return Levies to Intended Purpose

A large part of the success of our state's students and schools comes from levy funding. That's because the state continues to NOT fully fund basic education services.

The League of Education Voters would like to see a new K-12 finance system adopted next year that fully funds basic education and returns levies to their intended purpose of funding school enrichment programs.

Chris Korsmo
Executive Director

The League of Education Voters (LEV) is a grassroots, statewide network of advocates working to hold lawmakers accountable for responsible education policy and adequate funding. Visit us at www.educationvoters.org.

[eridani]

65. Lawmakers Seek Compromise on Education Budgets

http://www.educationvoters.org/legislation/2008_supplemental

The Senate and House have passed their respective budgets. Now, leaders from the Senate and House are working to negotiate a compromise supplemental budget with the Governor’s office in order to adjourn by March 13.

The League of Education Voters has prepared a comparison chart highlighting some of the major differences between the Senate and House supplemental budget proposals for early learning, K-12 public schools, and higher education. These proposed changes to the state budget could affect hundreds and thousands of students in your community.

[eridani]

97. Tell the Governor to support the education budget

The State Legislature made it clear that education continues to be a top priority in Washington, despite economic uncertainty. Legislators balanced the need to save while making modest necessary investments in our schools to help students succeed.

When the gavel falls today, legislators will leave Olympia with more than $835 million in savings for the next biennial budget and additional investments in our students and schools. Some of the major education highlights in the budget include:


A cost of living adjustment (COLA) for educators and an additional .5% to makeup for lost pay when the COLA was not funded in the 2003-05 budget.


Additional opportunities for student learning to help students and English language learners not on track to pass the WASL.


Funds to begin work on the new Washington Head Start Program, which would integrate our state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program with the federal Head Start program.


Support for school libraries that have suffered from the lack of funds resulting in outdated materials and closures in some school districts.


Maintaining funding for all-day kindergarten and opportunity grants.
The League of Education Voters is disappointed state legislators did not approve HB 2449 to authorize collective bargaining for child care workers and directors to help raise standards and improve quality at child care centers.

Click here to view a chart showing some of the major education investments made in the 2008 supplemental budget.
http://www.educationvoters.org/legislation/2008_supplemental


Tell the Governor You Support this Budget for Education

Legislators approved a budget that left $835 million in reserves and made additional investments in education.

Contact Gov. Gregoire and urge her to sign this budget for education. Tell her you support these modest investments that are needed to help improve student achievement this year.

Call or send the Governor an e-mail today.
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

School Levy and Bond Results

The majority of school levies on the March 11 ballot are passing while bond proposals continue to struggle to reach the 60 percent supermajority requirement.

Preliminary results show 43 out of 47 levies and two out of 13 bonds are passing. We are hopeful for the Renton and Snoqualmie Valley bonds, which are within a few percentage points of passing. Late returning ballots tend to favor schools.

For more on the March 11 levy and bond elections, including a full list of preliminary results, click here.
http://www.educationvoters.org/node/134

[eridani]

20. Transportation Advocacy Day 1/29

It's not too late to join the Bicycle Alliance and other like-minded groups in Olympia for Transportation Advocacy Day!

Nuts 'n bolts:

Transportation Advocacy Day
Tuesday, January 29, 9am-5:30pm
United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Ave SE
Register online: http://www.transportationchoices.org/advocacydaysignup.asp
Breakfast and light lunch provided.
Carpooling available.


This year we are fighting for:

Solutions for Climate Change by setting goals to reduce vehicle trips and creating green communities with great transportation choices.

Efficient Movement of People and Goods through progressive tolling policies to maximize the movement of people and goods and provide more transportation options.

Promoting Healthier Transportation by enhancing education on bicycle and pedestrian safety in schools.

Better Transportation Choices by safeguarding the distribution of federal transportation dollars for transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects.


More info at: http://www.transportationchoices.org/Advocacy%20Day%20Folio.pdf

[eridani]

21. Details--

Tomorrow is Transportation Advocacy Day and we have three bills scheduled for hearings tomorrow. The Bicycle Alliance will be testifying in favor of these bills. Please join us in Olympia if you can, or contact members of the Transportation Committee to weigh in!

House Transportation Committee: Tuesday Jan 29 at 3:30

HB 2564: Mattew "Tatsuo" Nakata Act. Adds bicyclist and pedestrian safety information to drivers' education curriculum. Amends RCW 46.82.420 to ensure that operators of motor vehicles are instructed in the importance of safely sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.

HB 2732: Requires motorists to give a minimum of three feet of safe passing distance when overtaking and passing bicyclists and pedestrians. This will enhance the safety of non-motorized users and permit police officers to more easily enforce the existing safe passage law.

Senate Transportation Committee: Tuesday Jan 29 at 3:30

SB 6420: Companion bill to HB 2564, Matthew "Tatsuo" Nakata Act.

For a list of House Transporation Committee members: http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/TR/members.htm

For a list of Senate Transportation Committee members: http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/TRAN/members.htm

[eridani]

25. Condo conversion bill to be heard 2/5

Important public hearing Tues in Olympia Feb 5th 130 & Update on HSB 2014 Condo Conversion Bill and Jeanne Kohl Wells companion bill SB 6411 - Your calls/emails needed now and join us at hearing if yuu can!

The Developer Lobby is Pressing Legislators to Oppose Giving Cities Back Their Right to Control Conversions. HSB 2014 "With Chase Amendments" Needs your immediate support as does Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles Bill SB 6411 That Senate Committee scheduled to vote following hearing so please make your calls to Senators listed below and your own Senator.

Public Hearing Tues. Feb 5th 1:30 (see details below) and please call/email those Senators below and your own!

Condo Conversion Bill 2014 moves over to Senate but without Chase Amendments giving cities back authority to limit the number of conversions. Join us at Senate Hearing on this bill and SB 6411 Jeanne Kohl Wells companion bill - come early to sign in and testify or call/email ASAP the Senators I've listed below and tell them.......

- when you call, tell these senators to support HSB 2014 but also the Chase amendments to it giving cities back the right to limit the number of conversions occurring in their community (this last part is especially important). Also tell them to support SB 6411 Jeanne Kohl Welles bill especially provisions giving cities the right to limit conversions in their community! (see list of those to call below!)

- and please come down Tues if you can and/or be sure and call/email them before Tues! See emails and numbers listed below of members of the Consumer Protection and Housing Committee likely to vote Tues afternoon on these bills: concentrate on them please and please tell them how critically important this is to ensuring affordable housing in our community.

time and place of public hearing: 1:30PM Feb 5th Tues. Senate Hearing Room #3 Cherburg Building Olympia (get their early to sign in or CALL/EMAIL Please)
for more information contact John V. Fox 632-0668

Those to call or email include those Senators on Committee listed below and then also call/email your own Senator

- 5000 rentals lost in our city since 2005 & 15000-plus region-wide and more will be lost, many more low income people and seniors will lose their homes unless the legislature acts...more will be rendered homeless unless you encourage your legislators to act NOW

- Developers are calling this bill "anti-condominium" . We are drowning in runaway condo devepment. Hundreds of recently converted units sit vacant because they are "OVERBUILT" in Seattle. The Price of a converted unit in Seattle is actually MORE than a newly built condos. We don't need to provide housing for upper income groups at the expense of thousands of low income people and at the expense of the character of our neighborhoods. Give cities local option to limit conversions - give us back authority taken away from us 20 years ago!

Tell them to pass HSB 2014 with the Chase Amendments Giving cities back the right to limit conversions. ..you must call now or we will go another year with the loss of several thousand more rentals in Seattle and the Region!

Below provides more information and easy access to emails and phone numbers of those you need to call NOW!

for emails and phone numbers of legislators click here or go to Washington State Legislatures Website - In addition to your own legislator, please also email or call the following legislators - Again please do so NOW

These are the key Senators on the Consumer Protection and Housing Committee to Call
Brian Weinstein - Chair (D)[phone] mailto:weinstein. brian@leg. wa.gov
Claudia Kauffman - Vice Chair (D(360) 786-7692 mailto:kauffman. claudia@leg. wa.gov
Mary Margaret Haugen (D) [phone] mailto:haugen. marymargaret@ leg.wa.gov

Ken Jacobsen (D)360) 786-7690, jacobsen.ken {at} leg.wa.gov
Derek Kilmer (D)[phone], kilmer.derek {at} leg.wa.gov
Rodney Tom (D)[phone], tom.rodney {at} leg.wa.gov

Others to cc:
chopp.frank {at} leg.wa.gov
chase.maralyn {at} leg.wa.gov
Miloscia.Mark {at} leg.wa.gov
brown.lisa {at} leg.wa.gov
murray.edward {at} leg.wa.gov
Kohl- Welles.Jeanne {at} leg.wa.gov

These calls and emails must be made immediately (any questions call John Fox at 632-0668):
Organizations and individuals to date supporting these bills including provisions giving cities authority to limit conversions annually in their community include: 36th District Democratic Organization, 34th District Democrats Organization, 43rd District Democratic Organization, 32nd District Democratic Organization, 45rh District Democratic Organization, 46th District Democratic Organization, Snohomish County Democratic Organization, King County Democratic Organization, Washington State Catholic Conference, Catholic Community Services or Western Washington/ Archdiocesan Housing Authority, Seattle-King County Coalition for the Homeless (SKCCH), Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition (WROC), Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs for Everyone (SAGE), A Phillip Randolph Institute Seattle Chapter (APRI-Seattle Chapter), Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ), Religious Coalition for the Common Good (RCCG), National Healthcare for the Homeless Council (NHHC), Real Change (RC), Seattle Displacement Coalition (SDC), Tenants Union (TU), Puget Sound Alliance for Senior Citizens (PSASC), Washington Association of Churches, Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness (ITFH), Institute for Washington Futures (IWF), Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), Lutheran Public Policy Office (LPPO),

Updated Numbers Show Conversions and Demolitions Still Ravaging Seattle and Region's Housing Stock:

"2007 Numbers Show Condo Conversions and Demolition/Gentrifi cation Reach Record Levels. These forces continues to Ravage Seattle and Region's Affordable Stock"
-- for more information, contact John Fox 632-0668

Rentals lost to Condo Conversions - Second Highest Total in Seattle's History - 1650-1700 rentals converted in 2007 (second only to last year)
Rentals lost to Demolition and Change of Use - Record Level This Year - 1279 Units!
"Seattle City Council Sends Letter to State Legislature Supporting HSB 2014 condo conversion bill with language giving cities the right to limit the number. Seven of Nine Councilmembers Sign Letter"

We've totaled up new numbers on conversions and demolitions in Seattle, King Co. and rest of region and placed them on our website (google Displacement Coalition and its lead headline or click here) These are numbers drawn from Dupre and Scott Real Estate Consultants and the City of Seattle. We've also included a few other charts highlighting how significant his loss has been in terms of impacting the rental market.

The number of demolitions and units lost to change of use has reached unprecedented levels in Seattle - 1270 units lost in 2007. Even if only 60 percent of these units are rentals (with the rest being homeowner units) that's 720 rental units lost to demolition and change of use just this last year. Since 2005 we've lost over 3000 total units to demolition and change of use. Assuming 60% were rentals that's a loss of over 1800 rentals since '05. For 2007, we also lost a total of 1650 apartments to conversion (Dupre and Scott numbers here while city figures show over rentals 1700 lost). Since '05, the city has lost over 5000 apartments to conversion alone. Assuming 20 percent are returned as rentals, that's a loss of over 4000 since '05 and 1320 rentals in 2007.

[eridani]

27. Lobby day for impeachment 2/5

LOBBY DAY FOR IMPEACHMENT: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008, 10 A.M. -- 3 P.M., WA STATE CAPITOL CAMPUS, OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON

Personal lobbying -- just as fun as Halloween, and candy on every desk! Please join us at the State Capitol in Olympia on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, 10:00 am -3:00 p.m., for a day of impeachment lobbying. Join us for an hour or all day.

We will meet in the cafeteria on the capitol campus at 10:00 am to distribute materials and team up. Someone will meet late comers at the cafeteria at 11:30. We will visit the offices of legislators, "pink slip" legislators in session, and deliver information.

The most important items on the legislative agenda are SJM 8016 and HJM 4027. There can be no business as usual as long as our rights and system of government are under attack. We must hold legislators to their oaths.

Our State Legislators can simply move our memorials along to the floor of the US House. Let's let them know that we cannot accept anything less. Join folks from Washington For Impeachment, Citizens to Impeach Bush and Cheney, Veterans For Peace, The Peace Academy, Eastside FOR, World Can't Wait, and many others.

We'll meet at the sun dial for speeches, theater and parading around noon, weather permitting. Bring your soapbox and signs!

Impeachment is the remedy for abuse of power. Be there. Linda Boyd, Washington For Impeachment
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Please also take action by phone and email:

We need a MASSIVE push to move SJM 8016 and HJM 4027 in the Washington State Legislature by February 8th.

SJM 8016 will go to a floor vote in the Senate when it passes Rules Committee. PLEASE HELP PUSH SJM 8016 THROUGH RULES COMMITTEE BY CREATING A DELUGE OF CALLS, VISITS AND EMAILS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE WA STATE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE.

Please thank Lisa Brown for her work on domestic partnerships last year and urge her to let our bill move quietly and swiftly forward to the US House. Vigorously thank the five cosponsors of SJM (marked***) who serve on the Rules Committee for their continued support.

Senate Rules Committee: Urge them to move SJM 8016 forward to a floor vote

Brad Owen, Lieutenant Governor, Chair (D) <http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/lieutenantgovernor> 1-360-786-7700 [e-mail]

Senate Majority Leader LIsa Brown http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/brown> [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Rosa Franklin, Vice Chair (D) http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/franklin> [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Tracy Eide <http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/eide ; [phone] [e-mail]

Senator Mike Hewitt http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/hewitt ; [phone] [e-mail]

***Sen. Karen Fraser http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/fraser ; 360-786-7642 [e-mail]

Sen. Mary Margret Haugen http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/haugen [phone] [e-mail]


Sen. Karen Keiser http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/keiser [phone] [e-mail]


***Sen. Adam Kline http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/kline ; [phone] [e-mail]


***Sen. Jeane Kohl-Welles http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/kohl-welles [phone] [e-mail]


Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/mcauliffe ; [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Ed Murray http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/murray ; [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Linda Evans Parlette http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/parlette> [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Cheryl Pflug http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/pflug; [phone] [e-mail]

***Sen. Debbie Regala http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/regala; [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Mark Schoesler http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/schoesler ; [phone] [e-mail]

***Sen. Harriet Spanel <http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/spanel; [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Val Stevens http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/stevens ; [phone] [e-mail]

Sen. Joseph Zarelli http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/zarelli [phone] [e-mail]

House Government and Tribal Affairs Committee:

Urge them to schedule a hearing in Gov't and Tribal Affairs immediately. Each member of the Gov't and Tribal Affairs Committee represents all of us, so kindly insist that they take your message, name and address.

Please be relentless in your requests that House Speaker FRANK CHOPP help schedule a hearing for Rep. Chase's companion bill, HJM 4027, in the Gov't. and Tribal Affairs Committee. [phone] [e-mail]

[eridani]

28. Prevent discrimination against tenants

When Real Change vendors went down to Olympia on MLK Day, one of the most important issues we advocated for was a bill preventing landlords from discriminating against prospective tenants based on the renter's source of income (for example: Section 8, SSI.) The Tenants Union of Washington State is leading the fight for this at the capitol, and they need the rest of us to speak out now to make sure the legislation gets past a critical hurdle this week.

Please contact your State Senator immediately to ask them to "Enact Fair Rental Opportunities: Vote yes to outlaw discrimination based on a renter's source of income, SB 6533/EHB1956." Call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (M-F 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) to leave this message for your senator or to get their direct contact information.*

*If you can afford to call them directly in their Olympia office , it will have an even greater impact. Look up the phone number here or call 1-800-562-6000 to get the information.

This historic bill has already passed the House and now must pass the Senate. When enacted, it will prohibit discrimination against renters based on their use of legitimate and important programs, like section 8 vouchers or SSI payments. Currently, it is legal for a landlord to not even let a section 8 renter apply for housing. This bill will force discriminatory landlords to take down their "no section 8" banners and put up the welcome sign for all renters. If you live in the 48th legislative district (Clyde Hill, parts of Bellevue, parts of Kirkland) your call will make an even greater difference. Senator Tom, 48th legislative district, needs to hear from people who want him to vote yes on this bill. Please call today and please ask your friends and family to call too!

"I didn't know it was going to be this difficult," she said. "I got a message from a manager that said, 'I accept small dogs but absolutely no Section 8.' I just felt like scum. They'll accept Fancey, or Pomeranian, but not us." -
Reba Masterjohn, section 8 renter as quoted in the May 5, 2007 Seattle Times.

More background:
Tenant-based rental assistance is Washington's largest source of affordable housing. Renters from across the state rely on this support to stabilize their lives, raise families and engage in their communities. We should ensure that people in need of housing assistance are able to effectively keep their families safely housed and are not shamed nor denied an equal opportunity to compete for housing.

Prejudice and discrimination are unfair roadblocks to safe, decent and affordable housing for too many Washington residents - SB 6533 will fix this and will ensure equal opportunity to apply and compete for housing.

Senators Kline, Fairley, Kohl-Welles, Weinstein, Kauffman and McDermott are all sponsors of this bill and deserve our thanks. If one of these people is your Senator, please tell them thank you!

Representatives Pettigrew, Miloscia, Santos, Sells, Ormsby and Hasegawa are all sponsors of the House bill and also deserve our thanks. If one these are your Representative, please give them a warm thank you!

To view the bill, go to www.leg.wa.gov and type in "6533" in the bill search option. Also view, "1865" as this is the House version.
Call Michele at the Tenants Union of Washington with any questions or to get more involved: 206-722-6848, ext. 114


Thanks for taking action!

Real Change

[eridani]

44. King County Leg. Action Committee will be supporting this on 2/18

We have another action item for Monday! Our Income Antidiscrimination bill (EHB 1956/Pettigrew) has passed the House, (see notes below--"thanks Sarajane) and is in the Judiciary Committee on the
Senate side. Key members to contact on the Judiciary Committee include: Kline-37th (chair), Tom-48th (vice chair), McDermott--34th, and Weinstein--41st. Please know that Kline is one of two co-sponsors
on the bill.

This bill: Prohibits discrimination based on lawful source of income. Declares that it is an unfair practice for any person, whether acting for himself, herself, or another, to discriminate in the rental of a dwelling to, or to refuse to negotiate or enter into a rental agreement with, a person because of the person's lawful source of income.

Provides that, when a finding has been made under RCW 49.60.250 that the respondent has engaged in an unfair practice under this act, the administrative law judge shall promptly issue an order for appropriate relief for the aggrieved party, which may include actual damages and injunctive or other equitable relief.

[eridani]

29. Healthy Workplace Bill hearing 2/5

The House Labor and Commerce Committee is deciding on the Healthy Workplace Bill (HB2142) THIS AFTERNOON.

Personally, I have a life-threatening stress related disorder, but cannot get relief through current anti-discrimination laws. That is why I feel so passionately about this bill.

Your support is urgently needed RIGHT NOW. Call and email members of the House committee (contact info in PS) expressing your support of HB2142. This is democracy in action - numerous people speaking with one accord.

Thank you sincerely,

Jim Sizemore, Ph.D.

PS - Members of House Commerce and Labor Committee

Member Party District Position Room Phone Chamber Email House Commerce & Labor Committee Members
Chandler, Bruce R 15 1 LEG 427B [phone] H [e-mail] *
Condotta, Cary R 12 1 LEG 122B [phone] H [e-mail] *
Conway, Steve D 29 1 JLOB 307 [phone] H [e-mail] *
Crouse, Larry R 4 1 JLOB 404 [phone] H [e-mail] *
Green, Tami D 28 2 JLOB 327 [phone] H [e-mail] *
Moeller, Jim D 49 2 LEG 436A [phone] H [e-mail] *
Williams, Brendan D 22 1 LEG 132F [phone] H [e-mail] *
Wood, Alex D 3 1 LEG 437B [phone] H [e-mail] *

Dear Members of the House Labor and Commerce Committee,

I urge you to pass HB2142 or its substitute or amended version.

This is a weak bill in support of a healthier work environment. It has almost no impact against employers, however is a major step forward for workers.

I have life-threatening stress related disorders and, despite a ream of medical evidence proving disparate impact of bullying, both the HRC and EEOC rejected the disparate impact application of the Americans with Disabilities Act and RCW 49.60. The Seattle Times quoted employment lawyer Chris Young, "There is no law that says you can't be a bully." (January 20, 2008 )

Throw workers a bone - for some of us some progress against workplace bullying is desperately needed. It is literally a matter of life and death.

Sincerely Yours,

Jim Sizemore, Ph.D.

[eridani]

30. King County Legislative Action Committee bill recommendations

Well it is hard to focus on anything but the caucuses right now---so you'll hear more from us after the 9th. Two quick items for you this week!

© The schedule is set for the King County Democrats Legislative Action Day on February 18th with the Governor and legislators, (see below). Also attached is a pdf for your newsletters and websites that has been updated, (thanks Suzie).

© Also, below is an update from the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition. The Working Families Credit bill will be heard on Wednesday in the Housing Finance Committee. Key legislators to help push it through are Ross Hunter—48th , Hasegawa—11th, McIntire—46th, and Santos from 37th. Below is an update from Christy.

Thanks! Tina

Tina Orwall Shamseldin
Co-Chair

Scott White
Co-Chair

LAC Day in Olympia on Monday, February 18th!

10:30 – 11:00 Welcome reception
Columbia Room (1st floor, Legislative Building)

11:00 – 11:30 Greeting and Intro – review agenda, answer questions
Columbia Room (1st floor, Legislative Building)

11:30 Break and pick-up boxed lunches

11:45 – 1:00 Lunch and Briefing by Legislators *
Columbia Room (1st floor, Legislative Building)

1:00 – 1:30 Governor Gregoire – Briefing and Q & A **
Columbia Room (1st floor, Legislative Building)

1:30 – 4:30 Individual meetings with legislators, hearings
Various locations

5:00 WSDCC Crab Feed
St. Martin's College Pavillion




From: Christy Margelli

Subject: WTFC Weekly Report #4

Washington Tax Fairness Coalition
Weekly Session Update #4

Working Families Credit:

It's been a very exciting week!

Public hearings on the Working Families Credit bills will be held this coming Monday (2/4) at 3:30 p.m. in Senate Ways & Means and on Wednesday (2/6) in the House Finance Committee (details below).

If at all possible, we want your organization to sign in at both hearings in support of the bills and be in the audience wearing stickers that say "Pass the Working Families" (available at the door from Ben). Please don't sign up to testify unless you talk to us first – space is limited and we need to coordinate.

If you haven't yet, please send an email to the committee members in the Senate and House -- and the Governor – urging their support of the Working Families Credit on behalf of your organization.

In case you were busy watching football and missed our earlier alert – at the end of this update is a sample message (please change the wording here and there to make it unique and appropriate to your organization) and a list of emails.

This week's "shout outs" for efforts to move the Working Families Credit: SEIU 1199NW – they had 140 members down in Olympia on MLK Day for 75 meetings .… the Lutheran Public Policy Office invited the WTFC to present at Faith Advocacy Day and had members talk about the issue …. the League of Women Voters of Washington included Working Families Credit in their annual lobby day …. and the Statewide Poverty Action Network included it in their weekly alert ….

Tax Breaks:

For those tracking each tax break, see the day-by-day committee hearings and actions below and the attached master file. Note that on Tuesday House and Senate fiscal committees will hear aerospace tax break bills and on Thursday Senate Ways & Means will hear a slew of property tax bills including Senator Zarelli's proposal for a hugely expensive $100,000 homestead exemption.

Sample letter and Emails for Working Families Credit:

Dear Representative or Senator:

I am writing on behalf of (organization and brief description) to express support for the Working Families Credit (SB 6809/HB 3234).

(Brief explanation of how Working Families Credit would benefit members or constituents) .

As you may know, Washington has the most regressive tax system in the country — low-income families pay five times more of their household incomes in state and local taxes than the state's wealthiest residents do.

The Working Families Credit would offer a significant tax rebate to low-wage working families in Washington State, providing a much-needed break to the those who need it most – and taking an important step toward making our state's tax system fairer.

Over 350,000 workers in Washington (1 out of every 8 tax filers), would be eligible for the credit, which is equal to 10% of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) they receive. A family of four earning minimum wage would receive up to $470.

The Working Families Credit would help to offset the regressive sales and gas taxes that disproportionately impact low-income families struggling to make ends meet.

The Working Families Credit could reduce a family's tax bill by up to 30% when combined with the federal EITC.

Passing the Working Families Credit is an important step: it recognizes that our state tax system is unfair and does something real to start balancing the scales.

It's a simple solution that is easy to administer, good for the economy and great for hard working low-income families in rural, suburban and urban communities across the state.

On behalf of our (number of members) across the state (or specific county/city) , I urge you to pass the Working Families Credit.

Sincerely,
Name
Organization


Ways & Means Committee Email Addresses:

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House Finance Committee Email Addresses:
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
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Email Senior Advisor to the Governor Ron Judd at: [e-mail]


Legislative Highlights for the Coming Week:

Monday February 4

Senate Agriculture & Rural Economic Development
Hearing Rm 3 - Cherberg Building – 10 a.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6780 - Providing a sales and use tax exemption for farm machinery and equipment sold at an auction.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

Senate Government Operations & Elections
Hearing Rm 2 - Cherberg Building – 10 a.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6268 - Concerning the creation of a historical parks and historic reserves tax incentive program.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

House Community & Economic Development & Trade
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 1:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: HB 3266 - Regarding state economic development programs.
HB 2914 - Providing a funding source to assist small manufacturers in obtaining innovation and modernization extension services.
HB 3175 - Providing business and occupation tax incentives to encourage investment in qualified community development entities.
Executive Session: HB 3054 - Reallocating existing lodging taxes for heritage and arts programs in a county with a population of one million or more.
HB 3206 - Concerning the information required to be reported in the annual economic impact report on lodging tax revenues.
HB 3101 - Concerning the international services business and occupation tax credit.
HB 3099 - Creating a sales and use tax deferral program for eligible investment projects in community empowerment zones.
Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

Senate Ways & Means
Hearing Rm 4 - Cherberg Building – 3:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6336 - Concerning the business and occupation tax classification for cleaning up radioactive waste certain other byproducts.
SB 6375 - Providing a sales tax exemption for certain trail grooming services.
SB 6598 - Authorizing a local sales and use tax for parks and recreation, trails, and open space allocation.
SSB 6626 - Creating a sales and use tax deferral program for eligible investment projects in community empowerment zones.
SB 6663 - Improving tax program administration by correcting, clarifying, eliminating, repealing, and decodifying statutes related to the department of revenue.
SB 6746 - Creating a sales and use tax exemption of materials and services used in the weatherization assistance program.
SB 6809 - Providing a tax exemption for working families measured by the federal earned income tax credit.
SB 6831 - Improving the efficiency of excise tax collections from small domestic wineries.
SB 6844 - Revising the taxation of grocery distribution cooperatives.
SB 6851 - Concerning the documentation required in order to obtain a real estate excise tax exemption at the time of inheritance.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

House Commerce & Labor
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 6 p.m.
Public Hearing: HB 3297 - Concerning professional athletics regulated by the department of licensing.
Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

House Finance
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 8 p.m.
Public Hearing: HB 2847 - Creating a sales and use tax exemption of materials and services used in the weatherization assistance program.
HB 3120 - Providing a sales and use tax exemption for environmentally certified residential and commercial construction.
HB 3140 - Concerning property tax statements.
HB 3256 - Removing the expiration dates of sales and use tax exemptions for machinery and equipment used in generating electricity.

Tuesday February 5

House Select Committee on Environmental Health
Hearing Rm E - O'Brien Building – 8 a.m.
Public Hearing: HB 1419 - Ensuring the cleanup of certain hazardous waste sites.
Possible Executive Session: HB 1419 - Ensuring the cleanup of certain hazardous waste sites.
HB 3312 - Regarding biological remediation technologies for on-site sewage disposal systems.

House Insurance, Financial Services & Consumer Protection
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 8 a.m.
Possible Executive Session: HB 3098 - Addressing facilitators of refund anticipation loans.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government & Audit Review
Hearing Rm B - O'Brien Building – 8 a.m.
Public Hearing: HB 2527 - Modifying the definitions of rural county for certain economic development programs.
HB 3115 - Concerning small business incubators (if referred to committee)
Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

House Finance
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 10 a.m.
Public Hearing:
HB 3116 - Extending the sales and use tax exemptions to machinery and equipment used to produce electricity using certain organic materials and byproducts of pulping or wood manufacturing processes.
HB 3126 - Clarifying the interaction of the streamlined sales and use tax legislation and the power of local governments to license and tax.
HB 3151 - Extending the commencement- of-construction date for a sales and use tax for public facilities districts in national disaster counties.
HB 3244 - Clarifying the definition of customer location for purposes of municipal business and occupation taxes.
HB 3245 - Concerning the excise taxation of the aerospace industry.
HB 3260 - Providing partial sales and use tax exemptions for certain computer server equipment.
Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

Senate Ways & Means
Hearing Rm 4 - Cherberg Building – 3:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6848 - Financing for the renovation of university stadium facilities.
SB 6828 - Concerning the excise taxation of the aerospace industry.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

House Appropriations
House Hearing Rm A - O'Brien Building – 3:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: Other bills referred to committee.
Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

House Community & Economic Development & Trade
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 6 p.m.
Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

House Select Committee on Environmental Health
Hearing Rm E - O'Brien Building – 8 p.m.
Possible Executive Session: HB 1419 - Ensuring the cleanup of certain hazardous waste sites.
HB 3312 - Regarding biological remediation technologies for on-site sewage disposal systems.
Other bills previously heard in committee.
Possible Executive Session:
HB 1419 - Ensuring the cleanup of certain hazardous waste sites.
HB 3312 - Regarding biological remediation technologies for on-site sewage disposal systems.
Other bills previously heard in committee.


Wednesday February 6

House Finance
Hearing Rm C - O'Brien Building – 8 a.m.
Public Hearing: HB 3188 - Exempting waste vegetable oil from excise tax.
HB 3234 - Providing a tax exemption for working families measured by the federal earned income tax credit.
Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

Senate Ways & Means
Hearing Rm 4 - Cherberg Building – 1:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6423 - Strengthening the tax credit and modifying the governing board of a Washington motion picture competitiveness program.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

House Appropriations
Hearing Rm A - O'Brien Building – 3:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: Bills referred to committee.
Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.


Thursday February 7

Senate Ways & Means
Hearing Rm 4 - Cherberg Building – 1:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: SB 6320 - Providing for a deduction from the combined disposable income calculation for the senior property tax exemption for repairs to property required because of acts of nature.
SB 6477 - Providing state property tax assistance to low-income homeowners.
SB 6557 - Concerning property valuation freezes for senior citizens and persons retired due to physical disability.
SB 6565 - Exempting a portion of the valuation of residential property from property taxation.
SB 6586 - Limiting property taxation.
SB 6706 - Requiring annual revaluations of property for property tax purposes.
SJR 8222 - Setting base years for property tax valuation.
SJR 8226 - Providing a homestead exemption from property taxes levied for state purposes.
Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

Friday February 8

House Appropriations
Hearing Rm A - O'Brien Building – 9 a.m.
Public Hearing: Bills referred to committee.
Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

Christy Margelli
Executive Director
Washington Tax Fairness Coalition
1402 3rd Avenue, Suite 1211
Seattle, WA 98101
cell: [phone]
www.WATaxFairness.org

[eridani]

31. Washington Health Security Coalition Bill Watch

WASHINGTON HEALTH SECURITY COALITION (WHSC)
2008 BILL WATCH

February 5, 2008


In accordance with the WHSC 2008 Legislative Agenda (approved on December 16, 2007 and revised on January 20, 2008), our WHSC Legislative Committee, Board and Coalition members are presently tracking the following bills during the current legislative session.


Below are the bill numbers, prime sponsors and descriptions, as well as the respective URLs for each.

One or more of these bills can be individually tracked online through the State Legislature’s website at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/. To read a particular bill or its bill digest or other reports, please click on the link provided.

STATE LEGISLATION:
Actively support the following:

Citizen’s Work Group on Health Care Reform –

HB 2536 (Eileen Cody) Establishing a citizens' work group on health care.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2536&year=2008

and

SB 6333 (Karen Keiser) Establishing a citizens' work group on health care. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6333&year=2007


Cover All Kids by 2010 –

HB 1071 (Judy Clibborn) Concerning access to health care services for children.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1071&year=2008

and

SB 5093 (Chris Marr) Concerning access to health care services for children.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5093&year=2007

Expand the Insurance Commissioner’s authority to review and regulate the Individual Rating Pool –

ESB 5261 (Karen Keiser) Granting the insurance commissioner the authority to review individual health benefit plan rates.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5261&year=2008

and

HB 1234 (Shay Schaul-Berke) Granting the insurance commissioner the authority to review individual health benefit plan rates.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1234&year=2007

Health Insurance Partnership- Based Reform (HIP) –

HB 2537 (Eileen Cody) Modifications to the health insurance partnership act.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2537&year=2008


Prescription Privacy Bill (Data-Mining) –

HB 2664 (Jamie Pedersen) Prohibiting the sale and use of prescriber-identifi able prescription data for marketing or promotional purposes.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2664&year=2008

and

SB 6241 (Darlene Fairley) Prohibiting the sale or use of prescriber-identifi able prescription data for commercial or marketing purposes absent prescriber consent.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6241&year=2008


Washington Health Partnership (Healthy Washington/Keiser) –

SB 6221 (Karen Keiser) Establishing the Washington health partnership. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6221&year=2008


Washington State Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program –

(To be provided when available.)


Washington Health Security Trust (WHST) –

HB 1886 (Sherry Appleton) Creating the Washington health security trust.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1886&year=2007

and

SB 5756 (Rosa Franklin) Creating the Washington health security trust.
http://apps. leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5756&year=2008

In addition, the following bills will be tracked and reported to the WHSC membership and Coalition members:


Guaranteed Health Security for Washington (OIC Catastrophic) –

HB 2640 (Dawn Morrell) Establishing the guaranteed health benefit program act.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2640&year=2007

and

SB 6603 (Darlene Fairley) Establishing the guaranteed health benefit program act.
http://appsleg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6603&year=2007

FEDERAL LEGISLATION:


Support HR 676, HR 1200 and SCHIP.

In addition, support the following:

Modification of the ERISA, Taft-Hartley and other Federal programs that prevent States from implementing their own plans.

Advocate that our Federal Senators and Congress members support HR 676, HR 1200, and other programs that move us closer to our WHSC Mission, Vision and Goals.

ADDITIONAL BILLS OF INTEREST (NOT ON WHSC LEGISLATIVE AGENDA):

(To be provided when ascertained. )


DATED: February 5, 2008
Linda Sternhill Davis
Co-Chair, Legislative Committee
Washington Health Security Coalition (WHSC)
Email: legislative {at} wahealthsecurity .org

Phone: [phone] ext. 705 (toll-free)

[eridani]

34. Action needed on Prescription Data Mining bill now! (2/7)

Attached is an excellent OpEd from today's Seattle PI co-written by PNHPWW
member Jeff Huebner who has been leading the fight against data-mining in
our state legislature. Pharmaceutical companies spend $3 billion annually on
data-mining solely for for-profit marketing purposes. When they target
specific physicians to prescribe costlier and possibly less effective
medications for their patients, we all suffer.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/350295_prescrip07.html

The Prescription Privacy (Data-Mining) bill (HB 2664/SB 6241) is in trouble.
A large majority of House Democrats support the bill but it will not get to
the floor unless 50 Democrats support it. That number has not been reached
yet.

The following legislators need to hear from constituents in large numbers
Contact info in attached Excel file:

(opposed to bills): Kelli Linville, Al O'Brien, Sharon Tomiko Santos,
Larry
Springer, Brendan Williams, Deb Wallace, Mark Lilas

(leaning no) Judy Clibborn, Deb Eddy, Pat Sullivan, Eric Pettigrew,
Lynn
Kessler, Bill Grant

("concerns and questions," sometimes code for no): Brian Blake, Bill
Fromhold, Steve Kirby, Mark Miloscia, Geoff Simpson, Fred Jarrett,
Mark
Ericks, Ruth Kagi, Dave Quall

Jeff Morris (unknown).

Therefore, as constituents, please contact your legislators ASAP to
support
companion bills HB 2664 and SB 6241 to prohibit the sale and use of
prescriber-identifiable prescription data for marketing or promotional
purposes. If they oppose the bills ask why they seem to be supporting
profitable pharmaceutical companies over the privacy and prescribing
integrity of the doctor/patient relationship. Our friends at
Washington CAN
have made it easy. When you click the following link -
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2072 -
you
will be taken to a WaCAN web page where you will find a message you can
craft to your own liking. After entering your name & address and
pressing
the "Send Message" button, emails will be sent to the Governor, your
personal state senator and representatives.

You can also call your legislators at 1 [phone] (toll-free)
(Hours: 8:00am-8:00pm M-F; 9:00am-1:00pm Sat.; closed Sunday) or at
their
direct numbers listed at
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
or http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/MembersByDistrict.aspx


See you Sunday

David McLanahan
Coordinator, PNHPWW




Prescription Privacy Bill Contacts

Sorted by LD
Name Name & Title LD Phone Email
(opposed)Al O'Brien Rep. Al O'Brien 1 360-786-7928 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Mark Ericks Rep. Mark Ericks 1 360-786-7900 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Bill Grant Rep. Bill Grant 16 360-786-7828 [e-mail]

(opposed)Deb Wallace Rep. Deb Wallace 17 360-786-7976 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Brian Blake Rep. Brian Blake 19 360-786-7870 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Pat Sullivan Rep. Brian Sullivan 21 360-786-7972 [e-mail]

(opposed)Brendan Williams Rep. Brendan Williams 22 360-786-7940 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Lynn Kessler Rep. Lynn Kessler 24 360-786-7904 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Steve Kirby Rep. Steve Kirby 29 360-786-7996 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Mark Miloscia Rep. Mark Miloscia 30 360-786-7898 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Ruth Kagi Rep. Ruth Kagi 32 360-786-7910 [e-mail]

(opposed)Sharon Tomiko Santos Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos 37 360-786-7944 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Eric Pettigrew Rep. Eric Pettigrew 37 360-786-7838 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Dave Quall Rep. Dave Quall 40 360-786-7800 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Judy Clibborn Rep. Judy Clibborn 41 360-786-7926 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Fred Jarrett Rep. Fred Jarrett 41 360-786-7894 [e-mail]

(opposed)Kelli Linville Rep. Kelli Linville 42 360-786-7854 [e-mail]

(opposed)Larry Springer Rep. Larry Springer 45 360-786-7822 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Geoff Simpson Rep. Geoff Simpson 47 360-786-7918 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Deb Eddy Rep. Deborah Eddy 48 360-786-7848 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Bill Fromhold Rep. Bill Fromhold 49 360-786-7924 [e-mail]


Sorted by position on bill, then LD
Name Name & Title LD Phone Email
(opposed)Al O'Brien Rep. Al O'Brien 1 360-786-7928 [e-mail]

(opposed)Deb Wallace Rep. Deb Wallace 17 360-786-7976 [e-mail]

(opposed)Brendan Williams Rep. Brendan Williams 22 360-786-7940 [e-mail]

(opposed)Sharon Tomiko Santos Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos 37 360-786-7944 [e-mail]

(opposed)Kelli Linville Rep. Kelli Linville 42 360-786-7854 [e-mail]

(opposed)Larry Springer Rep. Larry Springer 45 360-786-7822 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Bill Grant Rep. Bill Grant 16 360-786-7828 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Pat Sullivan Rep. Brian Sullivan 21 360-786-7972 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Lynn Kessler Rep. Lynn Kessler 24 360-786-7904 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Eric Pettigrew Rep. Eric Pettigrew 37 360-786-7838 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Judy Clibborn Rep. Judy Clibborn 41 360-786-7926 [e-mail]

(leaning no)Deb Eddy Rep. Deborah Eddy 48 360-786-7848 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Mark Ericks Rep. Mark Ericks 1 360-786-7900 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Brian Blake Rep. Brian Blake 19 360-786-7870 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Steve Kirby Rep. Steve Kirby 29 360-786-7996 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Mark Miloscia Rep. Mark Miloscia 30 360-786-7898 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Ruth Kagi Rep. Ruth Kagi 32 360-786-7910 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Dave Quall Rep. Dave Quall 40 360-786-7800 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Fred Jarrett Rep. Fred Jarrett 41 360-786-7894 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Geoff Simpson Rep. Geoff Simpson 47 360-786-7918 [e-mail]

(concerns and questions)Bill Fromhold Rep. Bill Fromhold 49 360-786-7924 [e-mail]

[eridani]

56. 2/24 URGENT! Keep the public funding option in HB 2536/SB 6333

Hello PNHP members and supporters,

The public funding/private delivery model (as is WHST) is in jeopardy of being removed from the Health Care Working Group legislation already passed in the House Health Care and Wellness and Senate Health and Long Term Care Committees, as a "reconciliation bill" moves along to the House for a hearing on Monday afternoon at 3:30PM. The rationale seems to be that the number of proposals needs to be reduced to cut the costs of the bill's independent comparative economic study and that information on too many models would be "confusing" to the public as the study results are released
and the public forums held around the state.

This move appears to be self-serving for the legislators and politicians whose proposals will still be included and who would not welcome their bills being scrutinized along side the public funding model. Not having information on this model would deprive Washingtonians of expressing their
opinions about a model that has been included in other similar state studies and is endorsed routinely in opinion polls and recent literature as a pathway to a high performing health care system. It is the only model not structured around the private insurance industry.

Another problem is that the proposed economic study is likely to be delayed and public hearings held well after the time necessary for any meaningful legislation in the 2009 legislative session.

This looks like a clear strategy to take our politicians off the hook during the election season, especially this one, where the pressure for change runs deep, and where they might me asked to stand up and place themselves on the record for or against meaningful health care reform.

Please ask members of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee to keep the public financing model in the Working Group reconciliation bill and that the the economic study results and public forums not be delayed until next year.

Link to the House HC & W Committee members -
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/HCW/members.htm

HB 2536
SB 6333

David McLanahan
Coordinator, PNHPWW

[eridani]

63. Bill out of committee with public option still in it

Now let's get it passed--

Representative Eileen Cody and Senator Karen Keiser’s Working Group proposal on health care reform passed out of the House HC&W Committee yesterday with the single payer option included. I’m not exactly sure of the next step but I believe it will soon have floor votes in both houses, then hopefully, on to the Governor.

However, the timeline has been extended so that the study results won’t be available until December, and the public process of hearings on reform options not begin until after the results are published.

It is important to move as fast as possible with the study and the public hearing process. Many of our legislators subscribe to the concept that a controversial issue, such as examining health care reform options, should be removed from the “politically charged” fall election season. Wait a minute, after all, isn’t this what democracy is all about?

Although unlikely, the timeline might be shortened before final bill passage. Let your representatives know your concern about the urgency of reform.

Washington Community Action Network received a large grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to facilitate the process of public involvement in health care reform – and might be working on a plan for statewide hearings sooner than, and independent of, those funded by the Working Group.
WaCAN will be the focus of our next PNHPWW monthly meeting on March 19th (details later). They will describe their grassroots organization with 35,000 members, their political philosophy and strategies, and legislative agenda. Personally, I think WaCAN is the most important organization for progressive social change in our state and this meeting will be a great opportunity to explore how we might work together.

Best wishes

David McLanahan
Coordinator, PNHPWW

[eridani]

70. Contact Appropriations committee on this 3/3 please

I am just back from Oly and the Saturday Appropriations Committee meeting. SB 6333 was heard. Four representatives from the Coalition gave very good testimony. Then, lobbyists with business associations that have association medical plans (which serve as significant funding sources for the associations and have also been accused of cherry picking by former members as a result of charging prohibitive rates for members who develop expensive claims) testified against the bill. After hearing 10 bills, the Committee went into separate Democratic & Republican caucuses to discuss the bills that had just been heard.

We then were made aware that SB 6333 was in trouble with several of the House Democrats on the Committee. The objections seem to be coming from two directions. One legislator's (or possibly legislators') objections are based on the belief:
- that the public process model set up by the bill is deeply flawed (Citizen's Work group with 4 legislative members),
- that the bill, as it came out of the Health Care Committee, delays too long in getting the public process started,
- that the actuarial studies part is inadequate, and
- that the bill needs to have bi-partisan support.

Coalition members responded that while the Coalition's first choice was not to have legislators on the Citizen's Work Group, we can support the model with 4 legislators. We agree that a delay of the public process is not preferable but are prepared as a Coalition to engage in the public process with or without the Citizen group as long as the actuarial studies go forward. We have no objection to having two private sector actuarial firms look at the models as long as sufficient funding is in the bill. And, we believe that there will be very limited bi-partisan support as the ranking Republican on the Health Care Committee made clear to me in no uncertain terms that he believes state efforts at quality affordable health care for all residents is not achievable at the state level. That only a federal solution is possible.

The other objection raised by several other Democratic legislators centered on the fact that a couple of the plans slated for actuarial study were introduced as separate pieces of legislation (THE HEALTH SECURITY TRUST BILL AND THE BILL MODELED ON THE HEALTHY WISCONSIN PLAN) and had fiscal analyses that carried a potentially large payroll tax.

We responded that the fiscal note is not an actuarial analysis and therefore fails to address the amount that is presently being spent from public and private sources for health care. The fiscal note fails to consider whether these two pieces of legislation represent a net savings. Nor did the fiscal note address how the bills might expand coverage and also improve the quality of coverage for all Washingtonians. In other words, a fiscal note does not present a cost benefit analysis nor does it address how the particular bill would improve the quality and cost of our over all health care system. It is precisely for this reason that the Healthy WA Coalition promoted the process in SB 63333 that has been adopted in a number of other states. SB 6333 would plug in the numbers from our state to an actuarial/econometric analysis and see which plan(s) would work the best for WA.

These same legislators seemed to be concerned that Democrats would be characterized as promoting big tax increases. We tried to explain that SB 6333 only provides for actuarial studies and there is no evidence that similar studies in New Mexico and Colorado have done damage to Democrats in those states and may, in fact, be a key to Democrats taking the House in Wisconsin. We did not succeed with these arguments at this time.

Our task is to urge the Democrats on the Appropriations Committee to vote SB 6333 out of the Appropriations Committee to the Rules Committee. That would create more space and time to discuss the issues raised by these legislators. We need to contact the following legislators quickly and request that they vote SB 6333 out of the Approporiations Committee:

Rep Helen Sommers [e-mail]
Rep Hans Dunshee [e-mail]
Rep Bill Grant [e-mail]
Rep Ruth Kagi [e-mail]
Rep Jim McIntire [e-mail]
Rep Eileen Cody [e-mail]
Rep Tami Green [e-mail]
Rep Phyllis Kenney [e-mail]
Rep Dawn Morrell [e-mail]
Rep Shay Schual-Berke [e-mail]
Rep Steve Conway [e-mail]
Rep Kathy Haigh [e-mail]
Rep Lynn Kessler [e-mail]
Rep Eric Pettigrew [e-mail]
Rep Larry Seaquist [e-mail]
Rep Mark Ericks [e-mail]
Rep Sam Hunt [e-mail]
Rep Jeannie Darneille [e-mail]
Rep Pat Sullivan [e-mail]
Rep Bill Fromhold [e-mail]
Rep Ross Hunter [e-mail]
Rep Kelli Linville [e-mail]

Thanks,
Robby

Emails for entry into email address line, comma delimited--

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[eridani]

75. Out of Appropriations! On to Rules!

This afternoon the House Appropriations Committee passed the Working Group bill on to the Rules Committee. This bill is our main priority this session. It now has to pass out of the Rules Committee for a floor vote. Our messages may have helped. I heard from several of our members who sent messages and got several positives responses to mine.

Now you should target Rules Democratic Committee members who haven’t heard from you already. Below are links to Rules members (also on our web site).

Regards

David

Rules Committee Members

Frank Chopp - Chair (D) - [e-mail]
Mark Ericks (D) - [e-mail]
Bill Grant (D) - [e-mail]
Tami Green (D) - [e-mail]
Zack Hudgins (D) - [e-mail]
Christopher Hurst (D) - [e-mail]
Troy Kelley (D) - [e-mail]
Lynn Kessler (D) - [e-mail]
Jim Moeller (D) - [e-mail]
Dawn Morrell (D) - [e-mail]
Jeff Morris (D) - [e-mail]
Timm Ormsby (D) - [e-mail]
Sharon Tomiko Santos (D) - [e-mail]
Larry Springer (D) - [e-mail]
Brendan Williams (D) - [e-mail]

[eridani]

36. Another health care lobby day on 2/14

alentine's Day Lobby Day

This Thursday, February 14th, is Washington CAN's final lobby day of the 2008 state legislative session. It's your opportunity to meet with lawmakers, tell them why health care is an important issue to you, and ask for their support in legislation to guarantee quality, affordable health care for everyone.

Register today!

https://secure.avengedns.com/~washingt/forms/lobbydayform.shtml

It's Valentine's Day, so we might as well have a little fun while making a difference. We're going to stage the long overdue marriage between Washington Small Businesses and Quality, Affordable Health Care. Come witness a joyous union built on a foundation of shared responsibility, equal access, security and peace of mind.

Register today!

https://secure.avengedns.com/~washingt/forms/lobbydayform.shtml

Valentine's Day Lobby Day
Thursday, February 14th
9 AM - 4 PM
Olympia, WA (carpools available)
...because Civic Engagement is for Lovers!

Here's a couple of issues you'll have the opportunity to talk with your lawmakers about:

Quality, Affordable Health Care for Small Business. Small businesses deserve the same, high quality coverage that our lawmakers enjoy.
Insurance Rate Accountability. With insurance rate-hikes has high as 40 percent last year, it's time government to be a better watchdog over the insurance companies.
Envisioning the future. Lawmakers can create a roadmap to guarantee quality, affordable coverage for everyone by passing a work group to study concrete comprehensive reform options.
back to top

A Move Forward on Medical Interpretation
A MOVE FORWARD ON MEDICAL INTERPRETATION

A lack of coverage for medical interpretation can be a major barrier for limited English speaking patients' ability to communicate effectively with their doctor. In hospitals and doctor's offices around the state, children struggle to interpret complex medical terminology for a loved one. Other patients report being told in a medical emergency to return in 48 hours when an interpreter can be provided.

Ensuring coverage for medical interpretation is essential to guaranteeing quality health care for everyone, and will help reduce racial and ethnic health care disparities. But most private insurance companies don't cover the cost of a medical interpreter.

This week the Senate health care committee took a big first step forward in addressing the medical interpretation issue. They passed a bill (SB 6684) to study the existing medical interpretation system and recommend better ways to deliver and pay for it so as to ensure broader access.

We are encouraged by the committee's support of this study, and will work to ensure it's passage by the full legislature. It's a great way to begin the discussion of how to guarantee quality medical interpretation for those who need it.


back to top

Health care for small business passes House Appropriations committee
Health Care for Small Business passes House Appropriations Committee

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed legislation (HB 2537) to implement the Health Insurance Partnership, a program to assist small business owners in providing their employees with quality, affordable health care coverage.

Now we need to pass this bill out of the full House of Representatives. Email your lawmakers today and ask them to support quality, affordable health care for small business!

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2071

Small businesses are hit particularly hard by the health care crisis. Over 200,000 small business employees in Washington are uninsured.

The Health Insurance Partnership will make quality coverage affordable by providing premium assistance to low-wage small business employees and allowing businesses and employees to pay their premiums with pre-tax dollars. It is effective because there is a shared responsibility between the employee, the employer and the state.

Email your lawmakers today and ask them to support quality, affordable health care for small business!

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2071
back to top

Insurance rate accountability passes House Health Care committee
Insurance Rate Accountability passes House Health Care Committee

On Thursday, the House Health Care Committee passed legislation (SB 5261) to increase public oversight over insurance rate-hikes. The Senate passed the legislation a few weeks earlier, so now we are only one step away from this bill becoming law.

The full House of Representatives now needs to approve this bill. Email your Representatives and ask them to take action for Insurance Rate Accountability!

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/t/2786/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2060

This past year private insurers, Regence BlueShield and Lifewise, have leveled massive rate-hikes on individual policyholders. Some saw their rates rise as much as 40 percent.

Washington is one of only eight states that doesn't have reasonable public oversight over individual insurance rates. Fourteen states have the same authority to review rates as SB 5261 allows while 28 others have more authority.

Consumers deserve to have the peace of mind that someone is looking out for our best interests. We need government to be a stronger watchdog over insurance companies to ensure that the rates we pay for health insurance are fair.

Email your Representatives and ask them to take action for Insurance Rate Accountability!

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/t/2786/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2060

[eridani]

38. Working Families Tax Credit bill now up

Washington Tax Fairness Coalition
Weekly Session Update #5


Working Families Credit

The 60-second update: The bills were heard in Ways & Means and Finance (see press coverage below) but have not yet been scheduled for executive session. Coalition partners and allies continue to get reassurances that leadership support is strong.

The cutoff is 5 p.m. on Tuesday for bills to be reported out of fiscal committees-- BUT with strong leadership support the bills can be exempt from that deadline by determining that the WFC is necessary to implement the budget.

Action Needed:
Coalition partners and allies in Olympia have been great about pushing the WFC bills. Special thanks to Damiana Merryweather, Tony Lee, Kim Justice, Sarah Cherin, Zach Carstensen, Erica Hallock, Barb Bush, Paul Benz, Livia Lam, Bill Daley, Pam Crone, Nick Federici and more for their ongoing efforts.

Now we need to crank up the volume of grassroots efforts:

(1) If you haven't yet, send your organizational letter of support to key leaders (sample letter and addresses at the end of this email);

(2) Ask your members to call their Senator and Representatives and urge them to actively support the WFC and push for a vote. (1-800-562-6000 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.)

(3) Activate your e-alert lists--ask members to email their legislators using this site or your own: http://capwiz.com/wataxfairness/issues/alert/?alertid=10864106&type=ML

Press coverage:
Brad Shannon's article in The Olympian was good and quoted both Jeff and Pam "the only downside was a quote from House Finance Committee Chair Ross Hunter saying he didn't move the bill because of the cost: http://www.theolympian.com/legislature/story/351564.html

Senator Craig Pridemore's published a strong op-ed in The Columbian on why the Legislature should approve the Working Families Credit: "Tax cut targets those who need it most."
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2008/02/02012008_ Local-View- Tax-cut-targets-those-who-need-it-most.cfm

Details:
The Senate Ways & Means Committee heard the Working Families Credit bill first (bringing it up from 12th on the list) - a good sign! Jeff Johnson (WA State Labor Council) and Pam Toal (United Ways of Washington) did a great job of testifying on behalf of all the organizations supporting the bill. There were no questions from committee members.

In the House, Jeff, Erica Hallock (United Ways) and asset specialist Dave Sieminski did a great job of presenting quick testimony but half the panel -- Barb Bush (LWV), Sarah Cherin (Children's Alliance) and
Tony Lee (Solid Ground) got bumped, which was frustrating. Thanks to all those prepared testimony, signed in supporting the bills, were in the audience wearing "Pass the Working Families Credit" stickers or who sent out alerts during the past week.

Other Tax Bills:

Last Thursday Christy Margelli testified before Ways & Means on behalf of the Coalition on a range of property tax measures, emphasizing the criteria of equity, adequacy and transparency and encouraging legislators to come to terms with the need for fundamental reform but avoid hasty changes that may be well-intentioned but would make matters worse.

Fiscal committees will hear a number of tax break bills during the coming week (see detailed schedule below).


Sample Letter and E-Mail Addresses for Organizational Letters of Support on the WFC:


Dear ____________ _________ __:

I am writing on behalf of (organization and brief description) to express support for the Working Families Credit (SB 6809/HB 3234).

(Brief explanation of how Working Families Credit would benefit members or constituents) .

As you may know, Washington has the most regressive tax system in the country â€" low-income families pay five times more of their household incomes in state and local taxes than the state’s wealthiest residents do.

The Working Families Credit would offer a significant tax rebate to low-wage working families in Washington State, providing a much-needed break to the those who need it most â€" and taking an important step toward making our state's tax system fairer.

Over 350,000 workers in Washington (1 out of every 8 tax filers), would be eligible for the credit, which is equal to 10% of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) they receive. A family of four earning minimum wage would receive up to $470.

The Working Families Credit would help to offset the regressive sales and gas taxes that disproportionately impact low-income families struggling to make ends meet.

The Working Families Credit could reduce a family's tax bill by up to 30% when combined with the federal EITC.

Passing the Working Families Credit is an important step: it recognizes that our state tax system is unfair and does something real to start balancing the scales.

It's a simple solution that is easy to administer, good for the economy and great for hard working low-income families in rural, suburban and urban communities across the state.

On behalf of our (number of members) across the state (or specific county/city), I urge you to pass the Working Families Credit.

Sincerely,


Name
Organization

House Speaker Frank Chopp: [e-mail]
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown: [e-mail]
Governor Chris Gregoire c/o Senior Advisor to the Governor Ron Judd at: [e-mail]


Christy Margelli
Executive Director
Washington Tax Fairness Coalition
1402 3rd Avenue, Suite 1211
Seattle, WA 98101
cell: [phone]
www.WATaxFairness.org

__._,_.___

[eridani]

45. More calls needed

Call Your Senator NOW!Take Action!
Urge them to pass the Working Families Credit

Today is the last day for bills to be passed out of their house of origin. The Working Families Credit legislation is on the Senate floor calendar. We need your messages TODAY -- please call and email your senator NOW and urge them to pass the Working Families Credit, SB 6809.

Legislative Hotline: [phone].
Send your Senator an email Now


The Working Families Credit would give a significant tax cut to the the working families in Washington who need it most while also providing a much needed boost to local economies.
Washington has the most regressive tax structure in the country, one in which low-income families pay five times more of their household incomes in taxes than the state's wealthiest residents. The Working Families Credit would help to offset the disproportionate impact of the sales tax on low-wage working families and would be an important step in the right direction toward making our antiquated tax system more fair.


Please call and email your Senator NOW and urge them to vote yes on the Working Families Credit, SB 6809.
Legislative Hotline: [phone]

[eridani]

49. The Senate Passes the Working Families Credit!

Last night, the State Senate suspended the rules at 4:55 p.m. --5 minutes before cut-off for passing bills in their house of origin. They went to a special order of business â€" killing all bills that were still waiting for floor action â€" and brought to the floor SB 6809, the Working Families Credit bill.

Two unreasonable and poorly conceived amendments were offered by Senator Zarelli, the ranking Republican member of the Ways & Means Committee, and were defeated by voice vote.

The prime sponsor, Senator Craig Pridemore, amended his own bill to clarify that the WFC is susceptible to appropriation, which in practice it would have been anyway -- a clever way of taking the wind out of the sails of the argument that the Working Families Credit is not affordable.

That argument lost more ground with a new fiscal note showing that it will cost about $2.4 million to set up the administration of the Working Families Credit program in FY 2009 " a 40% reduction.

After a fairly short debate led by Senator Pridemore and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown (with Senator Rockefeller also speaking in favor), the Senate passed the bill on a party-line vote of 32-16 with one Republican excused. The Senate's passage of the Credit garnered a lot of favorable press coverage.

Coming on the heels of a new revenue projection that removed $423 million in available funds from the budget â€" and given that our Democratic Governor has based her reelection campaign on spending as little as possible " having every single Democrat in the Senate vote for the Working Families Credit reflects what a priority this has remained for leadership and the hard work of key advocates.

Today, the House will unveil their budget. It will not have funding for the Working Families Credit. Funding for administrative startup " with its new price tag of about $2.4 million " will have to be part of the final budget negotiation at some point before the Legislature adjourns on March 13th.

The Working Families Credit has plenty of momentum but faces some challenges as the action turns back to the House. Please help keep the bill moving forward by taking the action steps listed below.

Since the bill was amended coming out of Ways & Means and again on the floor, there is a recap of the new provisions at the end of this update.


ACTION NEEDED:


Please thank Senate Democrats -- in particular Senators Pridemore and Brown -- for their leadership in passing the Working Families Credit!

Now is the right time to send in letters to the editor applauding the passage of the WFC (responding to the coverage below) and expressing the hope that the House will follow suit â€" we have lots of drafts if that helps.

Continue reaching out to House Democrats to talk about the Working Families Credit! Make sure they know it passed with the support of all their Democratic colleagues in the Senate, tell them about the new fiscal note and urge them to support the Senate bill in the House (including letting the Speaker know they want to move this bill).

DETAILS OF AMENDED BILL:


For remittance made in calendar years 2009 and 2010, the credit will be 5% of the federal EITC. Thereafter it will be 10%. Credit minimums were set at $25 in CY2009-10 and $50 thereafter. (In other words, if someone is eligible for only $5 in 2011, they will get $50 instead.)


This provides a benefit to the poorest recipients as well as those at the end of the phase-out range of eligibility. It also keeps the Department of Revenue from spending more to send a check than the check is worth.


The only floor amendment that passed (Pridemore's) clarifies that the credit is open to appropriations in each year's omnibus budget bill. On the one hand, we'd like to see this more secured, but on the other hand it provides a powerful argument for the tax exemption effort i.e " why are tax exemptions for working families subject to appropriations while tax exemptions for Boeing and Microsoft are not?

[eridani]

58. Final push needed

Put the Working Families Credit over the top! One Hurdle Down, One More to Go! Take Action!

Urge Your Representatives to Pass the Working Families Credit

Last Tuesday afternoon, minutes before the cutoff to pass bills out of their house of origin, Senate Democrats voted unanimously to pass the Working Families Credit, SSB 6809!
The credit will give working families a meaningful tax rebate to help offset the disproportionate impact of the sales tax on their household incomes.

The Senate version of the bill is now awaiting House action. One hurdle down, one more to go!

Contact your representatives in the House TODAY and urge them to push for passage of the Senate Working Families Credit bill, SSB 6809.

Legislative Hotline: [phone]

The Senate bill has been referred to the House Finance Committee, where original House bill was stripped of its funding earlier in the session and turned into a bill to study the program's merits.

We don't need a study! 22 states and the District of Columbia have versions of a state Earned Income Tax Credit similar to the Working Families Credit. Time and again these programs have proven to help bring families out of poverty, encourage workforce participation and provide a boost to local economies.

Let's keep momentum strong!

Monday March 3 is the cutoff date for fiscal committees to move opposite house bills. Senate Democrats have taken an important first step in passing the Working Families Credit and their colleagues in the House should do the same.

Call and email (see below) your Representatives TODAY and urge them to push for passage of the Senate Working Families Credit bill.

Legislative Hotline: [phone]

As a constituent, your opinion matters the most -- so please take a minute right now to help put the Working Families Credit over the top!

[eridani]

62. Use the FUSE email form to contact legislators

The Working Families Credit will cut taxes for the people who need it most -- low-income workers.
Will you contact your Representatives today and ask them give hardworking families a break?

Senator Craig Pridemore said it best: "I've been in Olympia for three years, and already I've watched lawmakers pass tax cut after tax cut for businesses and for the wealthy. It is my great hope that this year, we can pass a tax cut for those who need it most."

Making ends meet is a daily challenge for thousands of hardworking families in Washington-- their wages do not cover the high costs of healthcare, childcare, and job-related expenses. Making matters worse, these families pay much higher shares of their incomes in state and local taxes than wealthier residents do.

We can do something about it. The Working Families Tax Credit will cut taxes for more than 350,000 of the Washington residents who need it most. But for this bill to pass, we need to convince the House and the Governor to support the Senate bill.

Can you send a message right now and ask your legislators to support the Working Families Credit? It will make a tremendous difference to thousands of hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/speakout/wfc

The Working Families Tax Credit will add 10% to the federal tax rebate for families who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, one of the most successful poverty fighting programs in our nation's history. Senator Craig Pridemore and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown are leading the effort to pass this legislation in Washington.

Passing the Working Families Credit in Washington will:

Reduce the tax bill for low-wage workers by as much as 30 percent, mitigating the unfairness of Washington State's regressive tax structure.

Boost a minimum-wage worker's earnings by up to 31 percent when combined with the federal credit, supporting families who are working to move out of poverty.

Bring additional income to communities across the state: urban and rural areas and smaller towns.
Take an important step toward balancing out our state's skewed and unfair tax system.

This is common-sense legislation that will have a real impact on the lives of our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet. We can't let this opportunity to bring some sanity to our regressive tax system pass us by. Send a message to your legislators today, and ask them to push for a vote on the Working Families Credit.

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/speakout/wfc

Thanks for all that you do!

Aaron Ostrom, Fuse
Fuse is bringing people like you together to make our state more progressive. Fuse offers busy but concerned people easy ways to make your voice and values heard and make a difference.
Support our member-driven organization: Fuse depends on the support of our members. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:
http://www.fusewashington.org/donate

[eridani]

66. Contact Finance Committee members

eekly Session Update #7


WORKING FAMILIES CREDIT

The 60-second update: The Senate bill (SSB 6809) --which passed in the Senate with unanimous support from Democratic members -- is now a 5% credit for calendar years 2009 and 2010 and 10% thereafter, provided that there is funding in each year's omnibus budget bill. The fiscal note has been reduced to about $2.4 million, which is what we need in this year's supplemental budget in order to set up administration of the program.

The WFC bill has been assigned to House Finance Committee, where Chair Ross Hunter remains adamantly opposed to moving the bill unless a new revenue source to fund it is identified. The lack of identified revenue source has not prevented the Chair from reporting out other tax breaks for corporations and special interests.

Cutoff for fiscal committee action on opposite house bills is Monday March 3! We want the bill reported out of the House Finance Committee before then.

ACTION NEEDED:

Every Coalition partner needs to contact House Finance Committee members and leadership urging them to move the Senate bill: visits, calls and emails to Speaker Chopp, Majority Leader Kessler and Finance Chair Hunter are needed. Please also contact Hasegawa, Conway, Santos, McIntire and Ericks (the other Democrats on Finance Committee) and ask them to PUSH to report out the bill.

We need phone calls from constituents coming in to House members urging them to pass the Senate Working Families Credit bill. (1-800-562-6000 - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.)

PRESS: The Tacoma News Tribune editorialized against the Working Families Credit, but we got a flood of good press coverage following passage of the bill in the Senate.

Legislative Highlights for the Coming Week: The Senate is slated to release its budget on Tuesday (hearings on the are scheduled on the budget bills Tuesday afternoon in Ways & Means). Fiscal committees are scheduled to meet to discuss budget and opposite house bills, although details are sparse.

[eridani]

79. Out of finance and on to the floor. Call your representatives.

Great News on Working Families Credit Take Action!

Finance committee reports bill out of committee

ACTION: Call and email your Representatives by Friday

Over the past two months, a broad group of organizations have made the Working Families Credit a priority and our collective hard work is paying off. The bill was passed out of the House Finance Committee earlier this week! We're one step closer to making a vital investment for working families in our state. Let’s bring home this important and historic victory!

Call and email you Representatives in the House TODAY and urge them to: "Vote yes on the Working Families Credit, Senate Bill 6809."

Legislative Hotline [phone]
http://capwiz.com/wataxfairness/issues/alert/?alertid=11102761&type=ST

The Working Families Credit will give a tax cut to more than 350,000 low-wage earning families across the state who are struggling to make ends meet.

When fully implemented, the legislation would reduce a lower wage family's state sales tax bill by up to 30 percent.

In our state, those with low and modest incomes pay a far greater share of their incomes in taxes than the state's wealthiest residents. The Working Families Credit begins to address this inequity by giving a break to those who need it most.

Let’s keep the momentum strong and get the Working Families Credit passed!

[eridani]

90. Urge the Governor to Sign the Working Families Credit Bill

Urge the Governor to Sign the Working Families Credit Bill Take Action!

Bill passes Legislature!

The Legislature took its final vote to approve the Working Families Credit this morning!

Now it goes to the Governor. We're one step away from making the most significant improvement to our state tax system for lower wage workers in 30 years -- since the Legislature eliminated the sales tax on food in the late 1970's.

Call and/or email Governor Gregoire TODAY and urge her to sign the Working Families Credit bill into law.

http://capwiz.com/wataxfairness/issues/alert/?alertid=11121761&type=SW

Legislative Hotline: [phone].


In Washington, low-wage earning families pay up to five times more of their household income in taxes than the wealthiest residents in our state.

The Working Families Credit will start to address this inequity by providing a tax cut to the families who need it most. It's an important first step in making our out-dated tax structure fairer.

When fully implemented, the Working Families Credit will reduce a low-income family's sales tax by up to 30 percent. That's meaningful help for families struggling with the rising costs of healthcare, gasoline, housing and childcare.

We've made it this far. Help ensure the Working Families Credit is signed into law. Call and/or email Governor Gregoire TODAY!

[eridani]

41. Housing Affordability Bill

Housing affordability is a crisis in many of our communities and needs to be addressed by our state legislature in the supplemental budget. Using $100 million of the state's reserves for the Housing Trust Fund is our best chance to make the most difference in the lives of vulnerable people in our state.

The legislature has already passed two cutoff dates in this short session which ends March 13. The House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees are busy considering bills that require state revenues. TAKE ACTION now and ask your legislator to support a $100 million supplemental appropriation to the Housing Trust Fund.

http://capwiz.com/thechurches/issues/alert/?alertid=10984811&type=ST&show_alert=1

Sincerely,
Alice Woldt
Staff Director
Religious Coalition for the Common Good

[eridani]

47. Bicycle Alliance drivers' ed bill needs some help 2/19

Good news on a key bill backed by the Bicycle Alliance

A bill (HB 2564) that beefs up safety content of the drivers' education curriculum by adding information about bicyclists to the drivers' manual has cleared the state House. The bill was voted out of the House on Tuesday afternoon. To make it into law, the Senate must now likewise give its approval.

The Senate will begin looking at this bill immediately. The Senate companion bill is SB 6420. Sometime this week please contact your senator to urge his or her support for this important piece of legislation to help ensure a generation of better trained drivers more informed about how to share our roads safely with bicyclists. They need to hear from many people across the state in order to understand how important this is!

Key points to make when calling or writing your senator:
* This bill had overwhelming support in the House (73-22, 3 excused)
* There is no cost (no fiscal note) to the state to add bicyclists to the drivers' manual
* It's in line with material already prepared by the Department of Licensing, which supports the legislation
* Recognizes changing conditions on our roadways (more bicyclists)
* Will increase safety for bicyclists by better training a new generation of drivers Without delay, contact your senator and urge support for this important piece of safety legislation.

The Bicycle Alliance is also promoting a budget item to fund a pilot project in three school districts. Watch for information on the progress of that.

Gordon Black
Executive Director
Bicycle Alliance of Washington
PO Box 2904
Seattle WA. 98111
[phone] Ex. 300
www.bicyclealliance.org

[eridani]

48. Retrofitting schools as non-profit community centers

Thank you to all those members and supporters who have contacted your state legislators about the Community Schools Act of 2008, which would provide for capital grant funds to help purchase and develop former school buildings into community facilities.

This piece of legislation could have a huge impact on the future of the Phinney Neighborhood Center , providing state funds to help purchase and improve the site.

With your help, the bill passed in the House and is now in committee in the Senate. We’d like to ask you once again to contact your state senators reminding them how important the bill is to you and the community and ask them to help get SHB3291 to the Floor and to vote YES! (Find your Legislator here http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx)

If you have friends in other districts, please have them get in touch as well, since this nonpartisan bill is not limited to Seattle . Any qualified community nonprofit around the state located in an area where their school district is facing declining enrollments, and consequently empty school buildings, would be eligible to apply for grants to purchase and upgrade those buildings should this bill become law.

Securing surplus historic school properties for nonprofit community centers that house early learning, and lifelong learning, programs makes good sense for building and sustaining strong neighborhoods. Ultimately, it supports the schools as the funds will go to the district in the case of a purchase. Either way, kids and communities benefit.

If you’d like more details, the text of the bill can be accessed here:
Bill HB3291 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=3291

Thank you for your help with this important task.

Ann Bowden
Development Director
Phinney Neighborhood Association
[phone]

[eridani]

50. Gang violence bill up

From JusticeWorks!

Hello everybody. We have attached a file of House Bill 2712, about statewide gang violence. It came up (Monday, Feb 11) in the Washington Legislature for consideration by the Appropriations Committee. We encourage you to read the bill and not just take our word for it. However, we will break the bill down. We've included committee members' email addresses and websites at the end of this message. (The bill is 55 pages long--I have not included it.)

Please email and call as many as u can and don't wait too long - we don't know when there will be a vote. You can also leave a message for any member by contacting the Legislative Hotline at the in-state toll-free phone number 1.800.562.6000 .

This bill grants many millions of dollars to creating programs to address gangs. That could be really beneficial if applied in ways that empower youth at risk and their families. But from reading the bill, it looks like resources are bound to be used as they've been used before - remember Weed & Seed? This is the next level.

Part of the bill deals with adding more money to the police force to handle the increased arrests that will be made due to the broader definition of what is a criminal/gang member. What it means is that law enforcement would be able to enact the tougher and stricter penalties and sentences on people convicted of a crime that have been labeled as gang members. The bill also talks about how much extra time a person would get once convicted. And they're planning to create a database to give criminal justices agencies all over the state and across the U.S. access to information gathered on each and every person suspected of being related to a gang.



The information stays in there for up to 5 years after the last update to a person's file. There are a lot of other problems with this bill, too many to put into this email.



Read the bill for yourself and become as upset about it as we were. Then call these people and tell them to kill bill 2712. Email addresses and their websites (for phone numbers) below.



Peace,

Priest Amen
James Bible
Wyking Allah
KL Shannon
Sunil Abraham

Appropriations Committee:
(copy and paste this list to address an email to this committee)
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

If you want to call these members individually, their phone numbers are on their websites:
Helen Sommers - Chair (D)
Hans Dunshee - Vice Chair (D)
Gary Alexander - Ranking Minority Member (R)
Barbara Bailey - Asst Ranking Minority Member (R)
Larry Haler - Asst Ranking Minority Member (R)
Glenn Anderson (R)
Bruce Chandler (R)
Eileen Cody (D)
Steve Conway (D)
Jeannie Darneille (D)
Mark Ericks (D)
Bill Fromhold (D)
Bill Grant (D)
Tami Green (D)
Kathy Haigh (D)
Bill Hinkle (R)
Sam Hunt (D)
Ross Hunter (D)
Ruth Kagi (D)
Phyllis Kenney (D)
Lynn Kessler (D)
Joel Kretz (R)
Kelli Linville (D)
Joyce McDonald (R)
Jim McIntire (D)
Dawn Morrell (D)
Eric Pettigrew (D)
Skip Priest (R)
Charles Ross (R)
Joe Schmick (R)
Shay Schual-Berke (D)
Larry Seaquist (D)
Pat Sullivan (D)
Maureen Walsh (R)

[eridani]

61. Some personal stories on this--

No time to read this bill? These 3 short videos talk about some of its problems: http://www.youtube.com/unite4justice
This bill is potentially devastating for youth of color, their families and our whole state. Please take the time to form an opinion and voice it ASAP.

Some suggestions for action:

Before Wednesday, Feb 27:
1. Spread the word (FAST).
2. Call the WA Legislative Hotline [phone].
3. Email / call your legislator:http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
4. Write a letter to the editor.

On Wednesday, Feb 27:
1. Attend the Public Hearing on the gang bill - House Bill 2712 - before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 3:30pm at the Capital Building in Olympia.
2. Leaving from Seattle? Join our caravan. We'll leave Starbucks at 23rd and Jackson at 12 noon. Rides available.

Thanks to Priest Amen and James Bible for their commentary, and to Gabriel Teodros, Rajnii Eddins and Blue Scholars for their music in the videos.



http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5738

http://www.washblog.com/story/2008/2/25/23425/8725

Just last week there was a conference call between some of the top people at CCA and some of their investors to report the 4th quarter earnings and the fiscal year 2007 earnings. During this meeting William F. Andrews, Chairman of the Board, stated, "Our revenues are up 12% for the year, were up to a $1.478 billion. Our earnings per share adjusted are up 26% our actual earnings per share are up 23.3% and we finished the year $1.06 and EBITDA is up 19% and our free cash flow is up 14.1% with $206 million for the year. Our occupancy for the fourth quarter is at 79.9%, still improving."

The statement of our occupancy improving is the exact opposite of how I see it. When the prison population is growing it is a bad sign for our society. The growth of prisoners means that there has also been an increase in victims, tax dollars spent, and families that are hurting (families of victims and the man or woman in prison). We cannot and do not expect a business to run themselves out of customers so it would be ridiculous to think that CCA is going to try to rehabilitate any of the men and women who are imprisoned behind their walls, they would reduce the need for their service and that will never happen.


During the last year I have personally been affected by the business of prison privatization as Josh was sent to a facility in Arizona. I have seen the effect this has had on my children and felt what it has done to me. My children and I have committed no crime, but we are still being punished. Josh and I spent a lot of time explaining to our kids that Daddy did something that was very bad and that he is being punished for what he did, but no matter what he would always be there for them. We were trying to provide our children with a stable relationship with their Dad when he was given word that he was being screened to be sent out of state. We did what the Department of Corrections told us to do which is write letters stating why we thought that Josh should remain in the state and we kept visiting every weekend. We put the thought of Josh possibly being sent to Arizona in the back of our mind because we were assured t hat the DOC would look at the family hardships that him being sent would create, and the amount of visits we had were a contributing factor to him being put on the bottom of the list of men that would possibly be transferred. In April, on a Monday morning, I got an excited call from Josh saying that the transfer list came out and he was not on it, he was staying in Washington. All I felt was relief. Then, the very next day Josh called me at work along with his counselor, I knew right away that something was wrong, and it was. Josh told me that he had been added last minute to the list of men that would be leaving for Arizona. He told me to make sure that our kids were home that night and to call his ex-wife so she would have their kids available to talk so that he could make sure to let the kids know that he was having to go and that he loves them.


It has been almost a year since we have seen Josh. I deal with the questions from the kids wondering when they will see their Daddy again and why did Daddy have to go by telling them that Daddy wants to be here and that we will see him as soon as we can.


CCA is profiting from pain and suffering and we as taxpaying citizens are the ones giving them their money and "customer base". I am sickened that my money is paying for a company that profits from increased prison population, and tears families apart. Take a look at the personal stories of the people being held behind these concrete walls and razor-wire fences, you will find some men and women who will never change, but you will also find those who do and we as a society need to help the ones who are trying to make that change for the safety and protection of everyone involved.

Please contact your legislators and the Department of Corrections and let them know that contracting with CCA is not promoting the values that we as a society need from them. Demand that the men and women from our state be brought back to state-run facilities and given rehabilitative programs and allow them to maintain the family relationships that could be the difference between these men and women being released and going to work everyday, or going back to the way of life that lead them to prison in the first place.


Help to make the Department of Corrections just that: a department that corrects, that serves the public instead of private, multi-billion dollar interests.

[eridani]

89. Ask Gregoire to veto 3/10

UPDATE: The gang bill, HB 2712, HAS NOW PASSED THROUGH BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. The online petition needs MANY more signatures, and quickly. Last week, Gregoire's office said they hadn't heard from many people. Please take just a moment to take a very critical stand for youth of color from low-income and poor families. This bill will legalize a state of terror for them - not at all a deterrent of violence. Sign the petition, make the call, spread the word. Thank you. Here are the details:


Please take these quick/easy action steps to oppose WA State's Gang Bill, HB 2712:


1. Sign the online petition to Gov. Gregoire at thepetitionsite. com/1/veto- the-wa-state-gang-bill.
2. Call Gov. Gregoire at [phone] and ask her to veto HB 2712 if it passes through the Senate.
3. PASS THIS EMAIL THROUGH YOUR COMMUNITY. The response has been great from the folks we know. This needs to reach the folks that YOU know to get the kind of numbers that might stop this bill.
4. To hear more from the perspective opposing this bill, watch the brief video at youtube.com/unite4justice.

HB 2712 was stripped of ALL its funding for prevention programs that support youth at risk. The bill is entirely about "suppression": it legitimizes more racial profiling, makes sentences for gang crimes harsher and will result in more incarceration of youth at risk – primarily youth of color and poor youth.

You can find the bill's text and history at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2007&bill=2712

[eridani]

53. FUSE legislative priorities

The State Legislature is halfway through the 2008 session, and we thought it would be a good time to give you an update on how we're doing so far.

One of our founding principles at Fuse is that by making it easier for real people to engage in the legislative process, we can achieve more progressive solutions to the challenges we're facing as a state.

In the past six weeks, you and thousands of other Fuse members have weighed in on important progressive bills - fighting global warming pollution, tackling rising health care costs, improving consumer protections, and strengthening civil rights protections.

With your help and the leadership of the progressive organizations we're partnering with, the Legislature is on track to pass some important progressive bills this year. Here's a rundown of where the bills we've been focusing on stand:

Health Care

SB 5261 would restore Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's authority to review and limit rate increases for individual health plans and hold insurance companies accountable.

Over the last 8 years, the price of individual health plans has skyrocketed 16% a year. At the same time, benefits are being slashed. It's getting harder and harder for individuals to afford quality health insurance in Washington State

Working with the Healthy Washington Coalition, more than 2,000 Fuse members signed our petition to the legislature before this bill passed in the Senate. It's now in the House, and we'll continue working to ensure it's enacted this year.

Global Warming

Global Warming has been a priority issue for Fuse, and our members have stepped up to the plate this session. Working with organizations like 1Sky Washington, almost 3,000 of you have taken action on the climate bills we've been working on, and both of them are making steady progress.

The Local Solutions to Global Warming bill tackles the global warming pollution created by irresponsible development and traffic and will protect farm and forest land, encourage energy efficient building, and promote livable, family friendly communities.

We are happy to report that this bill passed out of the Senate early this week by a vote of 31-18. Unfortunately, it didn't get out unscathed. An amendment stripped the provision that made reducing global warming pollution a goal of the Growth Management Act, one of the keys to making the requirements mandatory. It's still an important step, however, and we believe it has an excellent chance of passing in the House.

The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill, proposed by Governor Gregoire, creates a structure and timeline for cutting the state's global warming pollution to 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, while also creating a program to train Washington State workers for jobs in the clean energy industry.

This bill is moving along steadily -- it passed out of the House on Tuesday by a vote of 64-31, maintaining all its key requirements and initiatives. A public hearing on the bill will be held in a Senate Committee tomorrow.

Toxic Toys

The Children's Safe Product Act bans the sale of children's products containing high levels of lead, cadmium, or phthalates and requires manufacturers to report what chemicals are in their products to the Department of Ecology, which will publish the information on their website.

The Washington Toxics Coalition has led the charge on this bill, and Fuse members sent more than 1,000 emails to their legislators. We're thrilled to report that the Children's Safe Product Act passed out of the House unanimously and seems to be in great shape as it awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.

Equal Rights

The Domestic Partnership Expansion Act would extend many important rights and responsibilities provided by marriage to registered domestic partners, including nursing home visitation, veterans' benefits, community property, and testimonial privileges.

Fuse worked with Equal Rights Washington on this bill, and our members sent more than 2,000 emails to their legislators. It passed out of the House late last week by a vote of 62-32, and it's now scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate.

Consumer Protection

Washington is one of the only states in the country that doesn't allow homeowners to hold contractors accountable for poorly constructed homes. The Homeowner's Bill of Rights, introduced by Senator Brian Weinstein, makes contractors responsible for fixing problems that result from negligence and shoddy construction.

This bill has faced serious opposition from the beginning and the powerful building industry is pulling out all the stops to kill it. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 27-20. Fuse members lobbied the Judiciary Committee to give the bill a hearing in the Senate, and it's now scheduled for next week.

Clean Elections

The Local Choice bill will allow local governments to establish public financing programs for elections by a vote of their citizens. It's an important first step towards restoring sanity to our campaign finance system.

Washington Public Campaigns has been working hard on this bill, and Fuse members helped with more than 1,300 emails to their legislators. We're happy to report that it's now passed in both the House and Senate. Both chambers must now concur on final language, but it should be approved.

Economic Justice

The Working Families Credit will cut taxes for more than 350,000 Washington residents by adding a boost to their Federal Earned Income Tax Credit refund.

Unfortunately the Working Families Credit bill has faced challenges from the beginning and was not funded in the House's budget for 2008. The Senate is in the process of drafting their budget now and still have the opportunity to fund the bill. The Washington Tax Fairness Coalition is leading the fight to make this happen, so stay tuned for more information on how you can help.

Talk to us! Let us know if there any bills we have not listed that you would like to see action taken on! http://fusewashington.org/page/s/petitionsuggest

Thanks for all you do,
Chris McCullough, Fuse

[eridani]

55. Religious Coalition for the Common Good priorities

Some of the Religious Coalition for the Common Good (RCCG) priorities are in position to become law, but others have died and some do not show up in the proposed House budget. Please TAKE ACTION on the following issues to insure legislators put money in the budget to support them.

We should thank members of the House who voted to include $90M for the Housing Trust Fund in the House budget. We need to ask Senators to concur with the House budget.

We are pleased that the House passed three of RCCG's environmental stewardship priorities: Climate Action and Green Jobs, Evergreeen Cities and Local Farms/Healthy Kids - which the Senate also passed; However, the House budget only includes $2.8M of $10M needed to implement the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington, of which the RCCG priorities are a part. TAKE ACTION by asking your House member to increase the budget and contact your Senator to urge inclusion of funding for all three RCCG priorities in the Senate budget.

http://capwiz.com/thechurches/issues/alert/?alertid=10830976

Early in the session, the House and Senate passed $6M for the Washington Families Fund and it was the first bill signed by Governor Gregoire. The Senate also passed the Transitional Housing, Operating and Rent (THOR) bill. Unfortunately, the House budget does not include additional funding for reducing poverty through Individual Development Accounts or Washington Families Credit. The Senate passed Washington Families Credit in the waning minutes of the February 19th floor session as the deadline for passing a bill out of either the House or Senate loomed. We now need to see that the Senate budget invests in the people who will be hit hardest by an economic downturn. The House needs to concur with the Senate bill.

Governor Gregoire signed her executive order creating a statewide policy council on immigrant integration at a public ceremony on the Seattle's St. James Cathedral campus on Wednesday, February 20. The New American Initiative Policy Council is one prong of a two-prong effort to create strategies to integrate immigrants who are eligible for naturalization into Washington State's communities. Now we need to insure that $2M is included in the budget to implement the second prong of the initiative.

The next deadline is Friday, February 29 for bills to come out of committee from the opposite house of origin. Your action is needed on bills that have only passed one house. The status of RCCG's priorities is updated frequently and is on the website www.thewac.org..

http://www.thewac.org/notices/RCCG-bill-progress.pdf

Together we can forge a faithful effort to accomplish an agenda for the common good. Thank you for doing your part. If we each do our part, the legislators are more likely to do their part.

[eridani]

57. Fix wrongful death law

My name is Suzanne Kirkpatrick. I am writing you to ask you to support HB 1873 to resolve a terrible gap in Washington state's wrongful death laws.

My son Tony Burkhardt died in 2005 due to medical negligence. A doctor at the clinic where Tony died actually told me: "We were busy that day, and weren't paying attention to vital signs."

After Tony's death, I asked what could be done so that no other family would have to experience our loss and to make sure we hold those responsible for these deaths accountable. I was told that in our state, because Tony was over the age of 18, that my loss as his mother was not recognized.

http://ga3.org/campaign/value_family_relationships/wdiudkk927tkibed?

If he had a wife or children, they would be able to hold the wrongdoers that caused his death accountable. But because of Washington's current laws, once a child turns 18, we as his parents lost all rights to hold the wrongdoers accountable for the negligent death of our child because we weren't economically dependent on Tony.

Families like mine across Washington are fighting to change these "wrongful death" laws. A bill before the Washington State Legislature -- HB 1873 -- would change these laws so that parents who are very involved in their child's life would still be able to hold a wrongdoer accountable.

Read about two families who are affected by these laws.

Will Dayton's family: http://ga3.org/ct/r7An79p1dS36/dayton
Jesse Key's family: http://ga3.org/ct/rpAn79p1dS3O/key

These laws are unjust, especially toward single adults, and they must change. HB 1873 is about fair and uniform rights for all parents and families who suffer from the wrongful death of an adult child, regardless of their age. It's time Washington state's laws were at least on par with the rest of the country, where the loss of a child over 18 is already recognized.

Tell your Senators that every family should be valued -- email them now!

Thank you so much for your help.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Kirkpatrick
Mother of Tony Burkhardt

[eridani]

59. Renewable energy bill up

Tell Your Representative to Vote Yes on H.R. 5351

The House of Representatives may vote as soon as tomorrow (Feb. 27) on the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008 (H.R. 5351). This critical piece of legislation would eliminate $18 billion in tax breaks to the oil industry to help pay for an extension of federal tax incentives for clean, renewable energy. Extending these clean energy tax incentives will reduce global warming emissions by speeding up our transition away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels like oil and coal. They will also help to create new job opportunities in a burgeoning renewable energy industry. Tell your representative to vote Yes on H.R. 5351.

Click Here to Learn More http://www.psr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=learn_more_clean_energy

Sincerely,


Michael McCally, MD, PhD
Executive Director

[eridani]

67. Homeowner's Bill of Rights passed the House Judiciary Committee

Good news--the Homeowner's Bill of Rights passed out of the House Judiciary Committee today. It was amended so that homeowners will now have the same rights held by condo owners in this state.

Now the push is on to get this bill to the floor for a vote--please contact Speaker Frank Chopp (see email below--thanks Andrew). Below are a couple of related articles, (thanks Brian).

Thanks, Tina

Bill on badly built homes faces vote in state House committee

BRAD SHANNON; brad.shannon {at} theolympian.com
Published: February

Stymied by the builders lobby a year ago, consumer advocates at the Capitol are taking a new approach to winning warranty protection for homeowners who buy shoddily built homes.

Legislature: A consumer fix

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

State legislators are taking another stab at a very reasonable homeowners
bill of rights this session. It has already passed the Senate and is now in the House.

Senate Bill 6385 aims to give homeowners -- that is, those who own single-family homes -- the same rights and consumer protections that condo owners enjoy. The bill gives recourse to owners stuck with shoddy construction by holding contractors responsible for their work.


Subject: Action Alert! Time to call or email Frank Chopp on Homeowner's Bill of Rights

Homeowner's Bill of Rights Update: SB 6385 leaves House Judiciary Committee
Good news this afternoon: According to our Legislative Advocacy bill tracker, the House Judiciary Committee has reported Senator Brian Weinstein's SB 6385 out of committee in executive session today with a do pass recommendation after amending the bill in committee.

We haven't analyzed the striking amendment yet (it passed, 7-4), but I'll update this post once we've taken a look at the revised bill passed by the Judiciary Committee. We do know that the greatest champion of the Homeowner's Bill of Rights in the House, Representative Brendan Williams, supported the striking amendment, so the changes are very likely constructive.

SB 6385 is one of the Northwest Progressive Institute's top priorities this session. It allows Washingtonians to recover repair costs in court if their homes are damaged by negligent construction. NPI has strongly urged the House and Senate to send this important consumer protection legislation to Governor Chris Gregoire's desk.

The Judiciary Committee's action, one day before the February 29th bill cutoff, ensures SB 6385 moves forward to the next step in the legislative process.

The bill's fate is now up to House Speaker Frank Chopp. He has the power to either advance the Homeowner's Bill of Rights to the floor or stop it cold as he did with last year's version (unless the House Democratic caucus collectively overrules him).

Readers, your help at this moment is more critical than ever. Please ask your representatives to support the Homeowner's Bill of Rights. Call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 and ask to be connected to your lawmakers. Or, find your representative using the legislative directory and send an e-mail.

Speaker Frank Chopp Contact Information
District Office:
444 NE Ravenna Blvd, Suite 106
Seattle, WA 98115
[phone]

Olympia Office:
339C Legislative Bldg.
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
[phone]

Toll-free Hotline: [phone]
TTY (hearing impaired): 1-800-635-9993
chopp.frank {at} leg.wa.gov

-Andrew Villeneuve
Executive Director, Northwest Progressive Institute
www.nwprogressive.org

[eridani]

71. Encourage Rep. Chopp to get this one out on the floor of the House

Please contact item on our Homeowner's Bill of Rights to give homeowners the same rights held by condo owners in this state.

We need to vote and move this bill out of the House!. Please contact Frank Chopp (chopp_fr {at} leg.wa.gov) to encourage him to bring this to a vote!


Q&A on SB 6385 The Homebuyers Bill of Rights and any potential impact on insurance

The builders and their allies are claiming if we enact 6385, there will be an insurance crisis. Here is the truth.

Attached is a Q & A prepared by attorney Sandy Levy on the potential impact of SB 6385 on the insurance issue. The following is a statement from Sandy Levy demonstrating his objectivity and considerable expertise in the field:

For the past 28 years, I have worked as a private lawyer, representing large and small commercial contractors, dozens of specialty subcontractors, building suppliers, and occasionally property owners. Over the past 10 years more and more of our firm's work has involved homeowners with construction defect claims. We have represented buyers of inexpensive homes in Tumwater, attached townhomes in Bellingham, condos all over King County, and apartment house owners in Snohomish County. We have also defended wire manufacturers in fire cases, plumbing suppliers in products liability cases, and sheetrock suppliers at the University of Washington. On any given day in our office, we spend time representing just about everyone involved in construction, including architects, builders, contractors, suppliers and property owners. Currently, we represent two of Washington's largest home contractors, as well as most of the electrical suppliers.

From this perspective, we see every aspect of residential planning, development, and construction. Without a doubt, I can say that the quality of construction over the past twenty years has been in a steep downward slide, driven, it seems, by a commitment to profit, and not quality workmanship. Builders who used to employ their own framing and concrete crews now subcontract 100% of the work. The largest homebuilders don’t employ any of their own people to work onsite. Some even subcontract supervision, if they supply any. We have taught courses and I put on seminars for all aspects of the construction trades, trying to train superintendents, contractors and subs. Some contractors are committed to improving and training their people, while others are driven solely by a desire to cut costs and increase profits.

Sandy Levy


RESPONSE TO CONCERNS ABOUT IMPACT ON INSURANCE RATES FOR SMALL BUILDERS

Q? Will SB 6385 drive up the cost of insurance builders are required to carry?

A. First, we have to look at what insurance builders are required to carry. RCW 18.27 requires builders to provide $250,000 in liability insurance to cover claims made for personal injury or property damage caused by the builder. All builder policies exclude coverage for defective work and breach of contract. More recently, to avoid having to cover water damage claims, insurers have excluded coverage for any form of water intrusion, wet or dry rot, mold, mildew and decay. SB 6385 does not add any additional requirements to carry insurance.

It is hard to see how insurance premiums will rise when the insurers do not provide coverage for the types of claims that might arise from these warranties.

Q. Have mandatory warranties driven up the costs of insurance in other states?

A. At least ten other states require home builder warranties, including California , which has had a mandatory 10 warranty for years. No one, not BIAW or Master Builders has shown any impact on residential building following the enactment of warranty legislation. Until the end of 2006, most homebuilders, including California and Oregon builders, enjoyed record profits. This may change now due to the nationwide bursting of the housing bubble, but not because of laws holding builders accountable for shoddy construction.

According to the Master Builders Website, at least 19 states require builders to have liability insurance. These programs have been in place for many years. Master Builders does NOT report that these states have seen huge increases in insurance premiums. In fact, they offer no information or evidence of any insurance impact.

Q. Won't the bill increase insurance premiums?

A. Even if the liability policies covered claims for breach of warranties, or are offered in the future, all such insurance is experienced- based. That means the insurers will look at the experience of the builders in terms of prior lawsuits, and claims against them. It's no different than obtaining auto insurance, which is also required by law. If you have repeated traffic violations, your premiums will go up. If you drive for five years without a violation or accident, your premiums decline. It is and has been the same for builders. Even without the warranty bill, insurers have charged builders various rates depending on the number of accident claims filed against them.

Q. Can't homeowners get their own insurance?

A. No. Every homeowner's insurance policy specifically excludes damages due to construction and design defects, including latent defects. Those policies also exclude damages arising from water intrusion, mold, wet and dry rot. Homeowners cannot buy coverage to protect them from construction defects.

Q. What effect will the warranty bill have on overall quality of construction?

A. Our society operates on principles of personal responsibility. If you act recklessly and insure either a person or his property, the common law requires the responsible party to pay the other party for his damage.

Builders have never had to compensate injured homeowners for damages to their homes. The warranty bill would, for the first time, impose responsibility on the builders. This is no different than other industries, including doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, salon operators, and dog trainers. If you are negligent, you can be held responsible. If you want to minimize those risks, you find ways to cut down on your exposure. You send your employees for new training, you attend continuing education courses. Maybe, you hire a consultant to look at your operations. The point is, when you know you can be held accountable, you respond in a business-like way.

Builders will send their key people to waterproofing seminars to learn from experts how to avoid these problems. In fact, commercial builders and condominium builders hire experts to oversee the construction. All subcontractors on condominiums have to prove to the developers that they have the expertise to perform the required work. There is no doubt that builders will train themselves and their subcontractors to minimize the risk by improving the quality of their work.

Builders who try to cut corners, who refuse to adjust their work, will and should suffer from performing shoddy workmanship, the same way other businesses suffer from negligence. If some unscrupulous builders go out of business, that may be a good thing. Their futures are in their own hands.

Q. If insurers do not currently insure construction defects, is it fair to require that they be held accountable?

A. Right now, it is the homebuyer himself who is acting as the builder's insurer. If the builder builds a shoddy home, the buyer not only has to pay to buy it, but then has to pay again to fix it. The homebuyer is in effect offering free insurance to the builder. Is that fair?

To answer this question, we have to remember that builders are already required to comply with all building codes and ordinances. The Warranty bill does not add any requirements. Also, with most new home purchases, buyers have no ability to verify that the homes were built properly. So, as between the builders and the buyers, the builders are the only ones capable of preventing the defect in the first place.

As a society, we have decided to require minimum building codes, minimum standards for food production and safety, labor standards, and many other regulations. We do so without regard to whether the responsible party can obtain insurance. Government's job is to protect people from unreasonable risk of harm to persons and property. We cannot base decisions on whether to protect ourselves on whether insurance is available or not.

Q. Is there anything contractors and insurers can do to minimize any impact from the new warranties?

A. The bill does not take effect until July 2009, more than 16 months from now. During that time, builders and insurers should get together to discuss what they can do to minimize any impact. For example, insurers could provide coverage for ordinary construction defects if builders agree to undergo training and certification. The industry could offer waterproofing classes, superintendent classes, and subcontractor certification.

Hospital insurers routinely audit hospitals to verify compliance with health and safety standards. They compare a hospital's surgery results with other hospitals. They require administrators to certify that all surgery centers meet minimum quality standards.

Builders and their insurers could do the same thing. If hospitals can run efficiently, if space programs can operate effectively, home builders can learn to build homes without major defects. Doing so will result in better homes, and lower costs of both construction and insurance. Those builders who go through the appropriate training could use that as a marketing tool. Maybe the industry would offer a certificate course and builders who participate would qualify for lower cost of insurance.

Builders committed to high quality construction, and not the highest possible profit, will prosper. Those whose only goal is to maximize profit will eventually suffer the consequences, as they should.

Q. Is there anything small builders can do to minimize the effects on their businesses?

A. They should ask their associations, the BIAW or Master Builders, to offer training courses and establish quality standards. They could also self-insure through BIAW. Imagine that BIAW would offer high quality training programs throughout the state. If a builder obtains the BIAW certificate of Excellence, it would become eligible for self insurance through BIAW.

During construction, BIAW could send its own inspectors to inspect their Excellence members' work, to identify any problems and protect both the builders and the homeowners. This program would bring down the costs of construction in the long run, and the number of construction defect claims.

They should be doing this now, but they have no incentive because they have immunity from lawsuits and can't be held accountable. Bills to hold builders accountable have been offered in Olympia for a decade, but they have been defeated by the industry. Builders will not have any financial incentive to improve their practices unless they can be held accountable.


Cause of action for negligent construction
SB 6385


Reason for the Bill

SB 6385 (The House StriikingAmendment H-5771.1) simply grants the same warranties and remedies to single family home buyers that the Legislature provided to condominium buyers in 1990. The bill establishes minimum and un-waiveable warranties that require construction professionals to adhere to industry standards, building codes and engineering requirements, all of which they are required to do anyway. For the first time, homeowners would have a means of compelling builders to fix defects or compensate them for damages due to their violation of the warranties. Almost all other states provide homeowners with a legal remedy when they are faced with violation of building codes or industry standards.

The only way you can sue a builder under the current law is if the following requirements are met: A homeowner must have contract with the builder that contains representations or warranties about the types of materials that will be used, standards or specifications for workmanship, or guidelines for evaluating the quality of work, which hasn't been waived by the builder's so called "warranty"a clear breach of the contractual terms, including the nature of the defect damages a viable contractor that hasn't gone out of business.

Very few Washington homebuyers could ever meet the above requirements and the overwhelming majority of homebuyers would be left holding the bag for potentially hundreds of thousands dollars of costly repairs.

Who would this help?

Many homeowners' horror stories have been reported by King 5 News, KOMO 4, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Seattle Times and the Spokesman-Review. For example:

A Wenatchee family built their home in 1996; several years later, they hired a plumber to fix a slow-draining kitchen sink and discovered that sewer water had been leaking below their house for an unknown period of time, due to faulty construction. The home’s foundation had to be excavated and entirely rebuilt.

If the builder had built the home according to building codes and industry standards, family would not have had such a problem. Under SB 6385, this family could seek compensation for the damages if the builder did not satisfactorily remedy the problem. Under current law, they are totally without recourse.

Washington law exempts contractors, and only contractors, from claims based on negligence. All other industries, professionals and individuals, owe a duty of reasonable care to their clients. Not so with contractors or builders.


What the bill would do

This bill employs the long-tested standards for construction of condominiums, and does not add any new obligations. It would force builders to be accountable for their work, and would encourage all contractors to adopt sound construction practices today, or be held liable for their mistakes tomorrow. This bill shifts the responsibility for shoddy construction where it belongs -- to the builder, not to the homebuyer.

The bill gives homeowners the right seek compensation if they have purchased a home built with faulty construction practices after first giving the contractor "notice and an opportunity to cure". Builders and those in the housing construction industry cannot waive their duty to build a quality home by requiring homebuyers to accept a so- called "builder's warranty" which requires buyers to waive any other legal remedies available to them. In fact, one court in Olympia declared one of these "so called builder's warranties" to be so unfair as to be unconscionable.

Builders claim that this bill will drive up their insurance rates. Currently, general contractors in Washington are required to purchase $250,000 in third party liability insurance, which doesn't cover negligent construction. They are also required to purchase $12,000 in performance insurance, which doesn’t cover negligent construction. SB 6385 does not require them to purchase any additional insurance. If builders and contractors fix their shoddy construction there will be no claims.

Builders claim that this bill would result in frivolous lawsuits. No lawsuit can be filed until the builder has been given notice and an opportunity to fix the problem. A homeowner has no incentive to sue for frivolous or minor claims. Nor does a lawyer. With the bill's attorney's fee provision, a judge could award fees against a homeowner who files a frivolous claim. This will motivate everyone to work to resolve disputes without the need for lawsuits. The state’s “right to cure� requirement will encourage builders to use greater care when building homes, which is the primary purpose of this legislation.

Many new homebuyers currently unknowingly sign away what little rights they have under the law by signing a so-called "homebuilder's warranty." These warranties often aren't worth the paper they're written on, and most expire after one year. This bill would enable homeowners to seek compensation for damages resulting from poor construction, regardless of any sham warranty offered; the builder owes the homeowner a duty of reasonable care, a duty which may not be waived.

[eridani]

69. Insurance Rate Accountability bill (SB 5261) keeps moving

Insurance Rate Accountability Passes the House!

Great news! Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Insurance Rate Accountability bill (SB 5261) by a vote of 68-28. This strong vote followed the Senate's approval last month by a 31 to 18 margin.

In the past year, individuals have seen health insurance rate-hikes has high as 40 percent without any public scrutiny. The Insurance Rate Accountability bill will improve public oversight over rate increases by increasing the portion of the premium that insurance companies must pay for medical claims, and limiting insurance companies' ability to raise rates without the approval of the Insurance Commissioner.

Thank you to everyone who has taken action this year to confront the powerful insurance industry.

Last summer, hundreds of our members hit the streets and organized the "Pirates of the Health Care-ibbean" march, protesting massive rate-hikes from the wealthiest insurer in Washington - Regence BlueShield.
When we learned that Premera had siphoned $49 million dollars from Washington consumers to subsidize a for profit subsidiary in Arizona, our members delivered a one-way Greyhound bus ticket to Arizona to Premera CEO Herbert Randle Brereton 'Gubby' Barlow, the highest compensated insurance executive in Washington.
And in the last few months, hundreds of Washington CAN members have written, called, emailed, and met with our legislators in support of the Insurance Rate Accountability bill.

This victory shows that David can beat Goliath and helps build momentum to achieve the goal of guaranteeing that all Washington residents have quality, affordable health care.

[eridani]

73. Climate change bills up in last weeks of the session

We have just 5 days to convince our legislators to pass two important bills to address climate change. I am sure many of you have already contacted your legislators in support of Local Solutions to Global Warming (SB6580) and Climate Action and Green Jobs (HB2815). Now, we need one last big push to ensure our message has been heard loud and clear.

Can you call the legislative hotline and urge your legislators to pass the climate bills this session?

The phone number to call is [phone]. Just leave a message asking them to support and fund SB 6580 and HB 2815.


Want to do more to move healthy climate policy? You can help by calling activists in key legislative districts to encourage them to make phone calls as well. We've set up a simple on-line calling tool that allows you to make calls from home! The calls are super easy - all you have to do is dial the number and follow the script.

Can you take 30 minutes this week to make phone calls before time runs out?

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/contact/splash/callforclimateaction


Background

This legislative session, two of the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington are focused on climate change. Both bills are pending final votes within the next five days.

Local Solutions to Global Warming (SB6580) bill sets in motion the important first steps to help local governments reduce their climate impact. This bill provides the resources to develop tools to measure land use related greenhouse gas emissions, creates a competitive grants program, and requires a report from stakeholders to the legislature by the end of the year. Click here for more information.

Climate Action and Green Jobs (HB2815) bill creates a structure and timeline for implementing the state's global warming pollution reduction goals and establishes a program to prepare Washington workers for good jobs in the clean energy economy. The bill ensures that Washington workers are trained to take advantage of these new opportunities and job growth in renewable and clean energy. Click here for more information.

It's now or never to sway our legislators to push these two Priorities for a Healthy Washington! We have five days before time runs out for this session. Our legislators work for us! Contacting them makes a big difference, and generating a handful of calls to key legislators can be the difference between success and failure.

[eridani]

80. Climate Action and Green Jobs bill just passed the Senate !

Great news—the Climate Action and Green Jobs bill just passed the Senate unamended, 29 to 19!

The bill now heads to Governor Gregoire’s desk to be signed in the next week. This bill is a critical step forward in reducing our state’s global warming pollution while building a clean energy economy and green-collar jobs in Washington.

Whether you sent emails, made phone calls, wrote letters, or met with your legislators-- You helped pass one of the most ambitious climate laws in the country!

However, we still must gain funding for the green jobs part of the bill. While the Governor had $250,000 in her budget to begin the green jobs work of the bill, the House and Senate have not yet included funding. We will continue working very hard in the next week to achieve that funding and achieve the full promise of this important bill.

Thank you for all that you do!

Kerri Cechovic
Organizer
Washington Environmental Council

[eridani]

76. Action on Family Leave bill needed

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/5365/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23459

Well, we've got some sleeves to roll up again. Your help is needed right now to send a message to the Washington State Legislature about start-up funds for Family Leave Insurance. There's good news and medium news on this front. Help us turn it all into good news!

First the good news: Both the House and the Senate 2008 Supplemental Budgets include start-up funds for Family Leave Insurance. Whew! Let's share a collective sigh of relief! And, now the medium news: The House and Senate versions of the budgets put the funds in different places (believe it or not!). It may seem like a little thing--hey, money is money after all--but the entity that controls the start up funds can have a big impact on how the program is developed. Help us make sure funds are allocated to the best place for the future of family leave insurance.

Send the legislature a message of THANKS! for keeping Family Leave Insurance a priority, while also encouraging them to stick with the Senate version of the budget for Family Leave Insurance.

*Just click here to take action: http://www.momsrising.org/familyleaveinsurancebudget

Your emailed letter will help spread the word that the start-up funds should go directly to the agency which will administer the program, the Employment Security Department, and not take a costly trip through other state agencies. Fortunately, the Senate version of the budget does just that, so please take action now by emailing a letter via the link above in support of using that budget. Your messages will truly make a difference.

Why is Family Leave Insurance so important? In 2007, MomsRising members(you!) worked hard to make Washington the 2nd state in the nation to pass Family Leave Insurance, a critically important policy for parents. New Jersey just passed a similar bill through their Senate yesterday, other states aren't far behind, and the New York Times recently ran an editorial in support of the policy.<1> But why? Right now, the United States is one of only 4 countries in the world that doesn't offer some form of paid leave to new mothers--we join Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Liberia with that dubious distinction. It's time to catch up with the rest of the world.

Here are family leave facts for your inspiration: Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality so we need all the help we can get on this front), as well as to help keep families out of poverty. Right now, having a baby is a leading cause of "poverty spells" in this country (poverty spells are a time when income dips below what's needed for basic living expenses like food and rent); and a full quarter of families with children under six years old live in poverty here.

Helping to bring forward an important new family-friendly program, like WA Family Leave Insurance, is sort of like raising a child. You have to stay involved all the way through to full launch into the world (and then some!).

We deeply appreciate all that you are doing for Washington families by helping make Family Leave Insurance a reality. Know that the actions you take are making a significant difference and your voices carry power and weight in Olympia. Now let's help bring this program another step forward.

Here's that action link again: http://www.momsrising.org/familyleaveinsurancebudget

Thanks for ALL you do! - Kristin, Katie, Marilyn, Pam, and the MomsRising Team

<1> New York Times Editorial, Catching Up on Family Values, February 26, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/opinion/26tue3.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=New+Jersey&st=nyt&oref=slogin

[eridani]

77. Domestic Partnership expansion passes!

Moments ago, the Washington Senate passed the 2008 Domestic Partnership Bill, 29 yea-20 nay. This is yet another enormous step forward in our work to protect LGBT families, while we continue the fight to secure full marriage equality in Washington State.

The bill now goes to the Governor for signing, having passed the House in February 62-32. The Governor, a longtime supporter of civil rights for all Washingtonians, has already indicated her support for this legislation. Our members like you have also sent her thousands of letters in support of the bill.

The Domestic Partnership expansion bill adds more than 160 rights and responsibilities for registered domestic partners in Washington State. Over 3,700 couples have registered as domestic partners since July 23rd, 2007. This bill is creating important media and lobbying opportunities to help elected leaders and the public understand the problems facing LGBT individuals & families.

We have a lot to do to meet the needs of our diverse community including:

Securing marriage equality
Ensuring that transgender Washingtonians enjoy the same protections, rights and health care as others
Making sure that LGBT youth have the right to a positive, safe learning environment
Addressing the long term care and economic security issues facing older members of the LGBT community
And the list goes on.

I am confident we can do this. But if we are going to be able to pass major pieces of legislation such as the marriage bill and defeat attempts to repeal them at the ballot box, we are going to have to become a vibrant statewide organization with several offices in different regions of the state. Please give generously today! https://secure.ga4.org/01/donate07

[eridani]

91. Governor's signing planed for 3/12

I wanted to let you know that the Governor is scheduled to sign the Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill on Wednesday March 12th at 2pm. It will take place in the State Reception Room, on the third floor of the Legislative Building . The signing is open to the public.

This is an incredible victory for Washingtonians. This bill will provide over 160 new rights and responsibilities for domestic partners in Washington State. It is an important step in our work towards full equality.

A huge thank you to our supporters for all of your hard work in the passage of this bill. ERW supporters sent thousands of letters to the legislature in support of this bill: thank you. Families stepped out of their comfort zone to share their personal stories and testify in front of the House and Senate in support of this bill: thank you. Our incredible coalition partners reached out into the community to draw support, and wrote organizational letters to the legislature: thank you.

We could not have had this success without you, and we still need your help. The passage of this bill does not mean rest for ERW. We are gearing up for the summer months when our volunteers fan out across the state to identify marriage equality supporters and engage them in our work. We are already looking to the 2008 elections and the next legislative session where we will continue our push for equality. We are presently working on regional forums to educate the public about the new law, what protections it includes, and what couples should consider before registering. We are also continuing to work on transgender equality, and protecting students, teachers and seniors.

Please celebrate this success by donating to ERW today. You can donate online or call us at 206-324-2570 for more information. https://secure.ga4.org/01/donate_2008

Connie Watts
Executive Director
Equal Rights Washington

PS- We'll be sending you an action alert soon to thank the Legislature and the Governor. Please send them a note and also take the extra step of asking your friends and family to thank their elected officials as well.


The more work we can do in each area of the legislative and political process, the closer we come to equality. We will do the work on our end, please help us on your end.

[eridani]

82. Help needed to pass Health Insurance Partnership bill which helps small businesses

The latest tactic from opponents of the Health Insurance Partnership sinks to new lows.

Ever since 2006, when the concept of a small business health care partnership was first introduced, the program has received opposition from some conservative lawmakers and interest groups.

Still, over the last two years, lawmakers have extensively vetted the Partnership design. The Health Care Authority has sought input from small businesses and other stakeholders, and revised the program to better meet small business needs.

So now, when there's finally legislation to implement a revised and improved Partnership to support small business, opponents of the program have a new tactic to kill it: they're calling for a return to the old Partnership design - the very same program they opposed two years ago. It's disingenuous for lawmakers and interest groups that opposed the original small business health care partnership when it was initially introduced to suddenly start supporting it now, only as a tactic to defeat the revised and improved Partnership program.

Don't let the Senate play politics with small business health care. Email your Senator today and ask them to implement the Health Insurance Partnership.


http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2723/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2071

Do you know anyone who works in a small business? Forward this email to them. Ask them to join the movement for quality affordable health care!

Thanks for all you do!

Sincerely,
Joshua Welter
Health Care Campaign Director
Washington CAN!

Background:
The Health Insurance Partnership will help make quality health care affordable for small business. Participating businesses will save by paying premiums with pre-tax dollars. Low-income employees would receive premium assistance. The House has funded the implementation of the Partnership in their version of the state budget. The Senate has not. It's time for the Senate to act.

In 2006, the concept of a health care partnership with small business was first introduced called the Small Employer Health Insurance Partnership (SEHIP). Since then, the Partnership design has been revised and improved. The new "Health Insurance Partnership" is an improvement on the original SEHIP program design.

The structure of new Partnership can provide for portable coverage in the future so that small business employees can keep their same coverage if they change jobs. Under the old SEHIP design there were no provisions for coverage portability.

The new Partnership allows for joint premium contributions from multiple employers so that an employee working multiple part-time jobs can pool employer resources with their own to afford coverage. The old SEHIP design did not allow for pooling premium contributions from multiple employers.

The new Partnership allows employers to save by paying premiums with pre-tax dollars. The old SEHIP program had no tax break for small employers.

Opponents of the new Partnership have recently argued that the program is a dramatic expansion of the original SEHIP concept that was targeted on providing assistance to low-income small business employees. In reality, both programs would provide premium assistance targeted to low-income small business employees.

[eridani]

83. Call in to Support Washington Head Start 3/6 & 3/7

What does the creation of a statewide Washington Head Start Program mean for Washington families?

It means raising the quality of early learning programs and care for children who need it most!

We only have one day left before the Legislative cutoff deadline. Call the members of the Senate Rules Committee today and tell them to send House Bill 3168, creating the Washington Head Start program, to the floor of the State Senate for a vote.

Click here for a list of Senate Rules Committee members and their contact information. http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/RULE/members.htm

The League of Education Voters (LEV) is a grassroots, statewide network of advocates working to hold lawmakers accountable for responsible education policy and adequate funding. Visit us at www.educationvoters.org.

[eridani]

84. Two wins and a loss on the health care front

Kent and I just returned from the Capitol and we wanted to send you this follow-up in response to your thoughtful email. We’ll, obviously, prepare a more in-depth report to inform the rest of our WHSC members, but we wanted you to know about the following “hot-off-the-press” news!



SB 6241 (Prescription Privacy ) did not pass this session. The bill was able to receive 49 votes – very close, but not what we needed. We’re now waiting to hear whether the bill’s proponents will reintroduce this legislation in 2009. In the meantime, we thank you and others who tried to make this bill pass in 2008!


SB 6333 (Working Group / Actuarial Study) passed this afternoon! The House vote was 63 yeas, 31 nays, and 4 excused. Again, our sincerest thanks to you and our other allies and supporters for all your help and efforts!


From reading the final version of SB 6333, the language includes a “single-payer” system as one of the four plans to be studied; however, the passed bill doesn’t specifically reference the Trust bill (as some of our WHSC members would prefer). It appears that all references to specific bills were removed from this final version of SB 6333. We’re presently looking into this further and we’ll report back.

As soon as we have more facts and information, we’ll be sending a general message to the rest of our WHSC members. In the meantime though, we wanted to send you this update and also thank you for your involvement!


Sincerest regards,


Linda Sternhill Davis
legislative {at} wahealthsecurity.org



In this market, companies don't need to compete based on price and service; instead they can lure new consumers with complicated and sometimes
misleading offers, then use early termination fees and handset locks to stop you from voting with your feet.

It's time that companies compete for our business based on their quality of service and price, and not profit from misleading claims and hidden costs.



On Friday, the Washington State Legislature enacted SB 5261 which will restore state oversight of the individual health insurance market. The law authorizes the Insurance Commissioner to disapprove unreasonable rate increases and establishes a sliding-scale medical loss ratio for insurers.

As Families USA discusses, medical loss ratios require insurers to spend a certain amount of premium revenue on direct medical care. These laws help ensure more of our premiums are used on medical care and less on administrative costs, including profits and bonuses. The Washington bill sets up a tiered loss ratio that is tied to the number of people an insurer denies for coverage. For example, a rate of denial under 6% equals a loss ratio of 74%, meaning 74-cents of every premium dollar must be spent on medical care. Insurance companies that deny coverage to more people, more than 8% for example, face a loss ratio of 77%.

Washington State had ended rate review in 2000. But after years of premium increases and broken promises by insurers not to increase premiums, lawmakers decided to hold insurer's accountable. The debate was fueled by estimates that insurers have surpluses totaling $1.4 billion and a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that a state-based non-profit insurer transferred $49 million in premium revenue over the past three years to a faltering for-profit subsidiary in Arizona.

The rate oversight bill was a key legislative goal of the Healthy Washington Coalition, a broad coalition of health care advocates and stakeholders working to "achieve secure, quality, affordable healthcare for all Washingtonians."

http://www.healthywacoalition.org/legagenda08.htm
http://www.familiesusa.org/issues/private-insurance/rate-regulation-51.html
http://familiesusa.org/issues/private-insurance/good/
http://www.progressivestates.org/content/786/health-care-for-all-on-the-in

[eridani]

88. Call the governor and tell her you want single payer kept in the actuarial study

About one hour ago <5 pm, Monday afternoon>, the Senate concurred on SB 6333, the actuarial study/working group bill. It is now on the way to the Governor's desk. I am going to ask organizations and individuals to write letters to the Governor asking her to sign SB 6333..

Congratulations to all of you who have participated in this process. We have passed two important pieces of legislation and did a lot of significant education on the one we lost. We are still awaiting the budget which we may see tomorrow afternoon. It was the strength of the Coalition combined with some determined legislative advocates that made this possible. Let's hope the budget looks good!!!

Robby Stern

10 March 2008

Your letter should include a statement like "Please sign SB 6333 as is. I agree with the legislature that it is important a single-payer proposal be included in the Work Group's actuarial study. It is important that voters see the cost savings of a publicly-financed, privately delivered health care system."

Let's let the governor see how many voters in Washington are now asking for
affordable, universal coverage.


Chuck Richards
http://www.healthcareforallwa.org> Health Care for All - Washington


Contact info

Governor Chris Gregoire
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002

or

Give Governor Gregoire's Office a Call:
Governor's Office [phone]
For relay operators for the deaf or hearing impaired, please dial 7-1-1 or

Email her through this link:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

[eridani]

94. We must demonstrate wide support for this bill to Gov. Gregoire

PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION and CIRCULATE WIDELY. THANKS! –

We’re happy to announce that, due to everyone’s involvement and support, SB 6333 has passed the Senate and the House and now requires the Governor’s signature.

Please send a letter from your organization or from you as an individual to the Governor asking her to sign SB 6333, establishing a Work Group on health care and authorizing the Office of Financial Management (OFM) to contract for an actuarial/econometric study of four possible health care reform plans for Washington State. The letter should be sent to:

Governor Christine Gregoire
200 Legislative Building
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002

In addition, please send a cc of your letter to Jonathan Seib who will be doing an analysis of the bill for the Governor. Jonathan's address is:

Jonathan Seib
c/o OFM
P.O. Box 43113
Olympia, WA 98504

Jonathan’s email address is: jonathan.seib {at} gov.wa.gov

If you’d prefer to fax your letter to Governor Gregoire, her fax number is: [phone].

If you’d rather send an email to the Governor, please use the online form provided at http://www.governor .wa.gov/contact/ default.asp.

You can also leave a message for the Governor by calling her office at: [phone]. For relay operators for the deaf or hearing impaired, please dial 7-1-1.

At this time, we don’t know whether opponents of SB 6333 plan to mount an effort to influence the Governor to veto this bill. Therefore, we should take immediate steps to contact the Governor and make sure that she knows of the broad support for SB 6333. This is the next, needed step we must take in order to create a plan that will provide secure, quality, affordable health care for all Washington residents.

Please take action and also forward this message to friends, family, organization members and others.

Thanks so much!
Sincerely,

Linda Sternhill Davis
Co-Chair, Legislative Committee
Washington Health Security Coalition (WHSC)
Phone: [phone] ext. 705
Email: legislative {at} wahealthsecurity.org
Web: http://www.WaHealthSecurity.org

[eridani]

95. SB 6333 gets funded!

Healthy Washington Coalition

We are pleased with the Conference Committee budget as most of the Healthy WA Coalition priorities were funded at a reasonable level. In some cases the funds were not as much as we had originally hoped but the revenue forecast inevitably impacted spending.

Here is the report:

- SB 6333, actuarial study/working group was funded at $1,276,000
- Scholarships & loans for primary care were funded at $1,250,000. This is less than what we wanted but a
reasonable start.
- Additional mental health funding of $6,250,000. None of this was specifically allocated for nonmedicaid chidren
but there will be strong administrative advocacy to get part of the funds specifically allocated to nonmedicaid
children.
- $750,000 were allocated for subsidies for low wage employees of small employers under the Health Insurance
Partnership.

In sum, everything for which we sought funding was funded at a reasonable level. The supplemental operating budget must now be pass both chambers by 12 midnight tomorrow night. We anticipate that they may be done as early as noon tomorrow, although it could go until evening. Once the budget passes the legislative process we will ask you to send letters to the Governor asking her to approve the allocations that were made.

[eridani]

85. Global warming bill passes but still needs funding

There is exciting news from Olympia on global warming! The legislature passed a bill to limit our state's global warming pollution. The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill, one of our two priority climate bills, has passed the House and Senate and now heads to the Governor's desk for her to sign!

This is great news, but the fight isn't over. Even with the huge public support for this bill, the battle to fully fund the measure is still on. Your legislators need to hear from you -- let them know you support funding for global warming solutions!

Please take a moment today and send a message asking your state senator and representative to support funding the Climate Action and Green Jobs bill. Click this link to take action today:

http://environmentwashington.org/action/globalwarming/fund-climate-action?id4=ES

We know it's possible to cut global warming pollution and leave future generations a proud legacy. We're asking the Legislature to pass a package of climate bills that will set our state on a path to leadership on global warming policy.

The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill will set a timeline and new state regulations to reduce global warming pollution while also establishing programs to train people for jobs in the clean energy industry. The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill (HB 2815) passed the Senate on March 4 and passed the House on February 19.

The Local Solutions to Global Warming bill will amend the Growth Management Act to require that when local governments update their zoning and land use laws they make plans to reduce their global warming pollution.

Please urge your state legislators to fund the Climate Action and Green Jobs bill. Follow this link to send your message today:

http://environmentwashington.org/action/globalwarming/fund-climate-action?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Bill LaBorde
Environment Washington Program Director
BillLB {at} environmentwashington.org
http://www.environmentwashington.org

[eridani]

86. Act NOW for Family Planning in Washington! 3/7

The final budget that legislators are working on right now for Washington’s next fiscal year must include at least $6.9 million for family planning, for the sake of low-income Washingtonians across the state.

Washington is facing a family planning emergency! Due to recent federal restrictions on Washington's Take Charge family-planning program, nearly 33,000 low-income Washingtonians previously able to access basic family-planning care through this program are no longer enrolled.

The state legislature is trying to help by including family-planning funding in our supplemental budget, but legislators need to hear from YOU on this issue!

The House of Representatives included $6.9 million for family planning in their budget, averting the majority of the family planning crisis, but the Senate budget amount of $5 million doesn't go far enough.

If House and Senate leaders settle on the lower amount of $5 million in the final budget they're currently negotiating, 12,326 low-income Washingtonians will be left without basic family-planning health care! A lack of funding could result in 9,859 new unintended pregnancies in our state, and more than $71 million in pregnancy care costs.

Please contact your legislators TODAY and tell them to be sure the final budget includes at least $6.9 million for family planning!

[TechBear_Seattle]

87. Thank you, Eridani, for all your work

:toast:

[eridani]

96. Driver's License Scanning privacy bill passes unanimously

CONGRATULATIONS to all the advocates in Olympia who worked SO HARD, and all of the Coalition members who played a role in making this a respectfully successful session for the Coalition and the organizations within the Coalition. We have proven that together we are much more effective and powerful. Much much greater challenges lie ahead.


https://secure.npsite.org/acluwa/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=425&JServSessionIdr005=q2kx3on3x2.app14b

Driver’s License Scanning (HB 2729)

This bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate, bringing us closer to securing additional privacy measures for your personal information. Please take a moment to write Governor Gregoire and encourage her to sign this bill into law.

[eridani]

98. Please tell the Governor to sign the toxic toy and health care study bills!

Two Governor Alerts: Toxic Toys and Health Care Study:

PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. THANKS!

Toxic Toys: Please ask the Governor to sign the Children's Safe Products Act in its entirety: We know the Governor is getting substantial pressure to veto all or parts of the bill. The heads of leading toy manufacturers met with her yesterday, letters from toy manufacturers are being submitted, and the American Chemistry Council has threatened a lawsuit over part of the bill.

SB 6333 Health Care: We need organizations and individuals to call or send an email to Governor Gregoire as soon as possible, urging her to sign SB 6333 which would establish a work group on health care and fund specific actuarial studies which are the next needed steps in order to create an efficient and sustainable health care system that provides quality, affordable health care for all Washingtonians.

Please contact the Governor's office by phone at [phone] or send an email to her at http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp and urge her to sign this important bill.

[eridani]

103. Signed! Thank the guv!

Great News! Governor Gregoire just signed into law a bill that will help keep toxic toys out of the hands of Washington's children. Your hundreds of letters to the Governor last week made a difference, along with the work of our partners at the Washington Toxics Coalition.

Take a moment to congratulate yourself! You have contributed meaningfully to the long-term health of children in this state. This bill is setting a national trend that will help other states do the same, and push the Federal government to pass national policy banning dangerous chemicals in children's products.

See the Seattle PI article about the bill here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/357287_toys02.html
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/040208HA.shtml

In a nutshell, the Children's Safe Products act will:
? Limit total lead to 90 parts per million by July 1, 2009, 40 ppm by July 1, 2010, if achievable. (Federal standards limit the lead in surface paint on toys to 600 ppm)
? Limit total cadmium to 40 ppm by July 1, 2009.
? Limit six specific phthalates to 1,000 ppm by July 1, 2009.
? Set limits that apply to children's toys; cosmetics and jewelry marketed to children under the age of 12; products used for teething babies; and car seats that are made or sold in Washington.

Great work!

Thank you! Kristin, Katie, and the MomsRising Team.

[eridani]

99. Governor being pressured to veto climate change bill--please call

We’ve just learned that the Governor is under tremendous pressure from powerful special interests to veto a key section of the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill. We can’t let this happen!

Can you call the Governor’s office and ask her to sign and fund the full bill?

Call [phone] TODAY

The Governor has demonstrated bold leadership on climate change this year. She championed Climate Action and Green Jobs bill all session, and just last week, signed that bill into law. Now, we need her to show that same leadership by standing up to the special interests and signing the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill.

In order to achieve the State's goal of significantly reducing our global warming pollution, we must make smarter land use decisions. The Local Solutions to Global Warming sets in motion the important first steps to support local governments that are interested in addressing climate change through their land use and transportation planning and lays the groundwork for future policy changes.

Please call [phone] TODAY and ask Governor Gregoire to sign and fund the entirety of the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill.

[eridani]

100. Please sign FUSE petition for Governor to enact the People's Bills

The highest-paid lobbyists in Olympia don't stop working when the Legislature goes home for the year. In fact, they shift into higher gear, refocusing all their attention and resources on the Governor.

The business lobby is working tirelessly to reverse many of the biggest progressive victories of the legislative session. They are pulling out all the stops to secure vetoes on three of our most critically important wins - bills that 1) remove heavy metals from children's toys, 2) help communities reduce their global warming pollution, and 3) make our tax system fairer for the working poor.

The Governor will decide whether or not to sign these bills in the next few days, and needs to hear where the people of Washington stand. Together we can overpower the business lobby and make sure the Governor signs "The People's Bills."

Please join thousands and thousands of others across Washington and sign our petition today. We'll deliver it to the Governor's office at the end of the day.

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/peoplesbills

"The People's Bills" are:

The Children's Safe Products Act (E2SHB 2647) protects children from lead, cadmium, and phthalates in products they use everyday and provides parents with information to make safer product choices for their children.

The Working Families Tax Credit (ESSB 6809) offers critical sales tax relief to low-income working families and makes needed improvements to our regressive tax system.

Local Solutions to Global Warming (ESSB 6580) gives local governments new tools to assess and understand the global warming pollution caused by irresponsible development and traffic.

Please add your voice to the thousands of other people across the state who are contacting the Governor today. Urge her to stand with the people and sign the Local Solutions, Toxic Toys, and Working Families bills in their entireties.

[eridani]

101. Washington CAN!'s post-session scorecard

Quality, Affordable Choices for Small Business - VICTORY
With your help, we've taken the first step in helping to make health care more affordable for small business. It came down to the wire, but in the final days of session, lawmakers passed legislation (HB 2537) and funding to begin implementing the Health Insurance Partnership, a program to help small businesses afford quality coverage choices. Through the Partnership, participating small businesses will pay premiums with pre-tax dollars and low-income employees will receive premium assistance. Your calls and emails in the final days helped us achieve victory.

While the program is initially targeted to businesses with low-income uninsured employees, our goal is to expand and build a buying pool where all small businesses and individuals can join to obtain quality coverage on an affordable sliding scale. Initially, the Health Insurance Partnership will be available to businesses that

Have 2-50 employees (including the owner),
Do not currently provide health coverage through the business, and
Have at least half of their employees as low-wage workers.
Enrollment applications will be accepted beginning January 1, 2009. If you think you might qualify, let us know.

Insurance Rate Accountability - VICTORY
The legislature passed Washington CAN! backed legislation (SB 5261) to increase public oversight over insurance rate hikes. This victory will provide much needed protection for individual policy holders who saw their health insurance rates jump as high as 40 percent this past year.

Roadmap for Comprehensive Health Care Reform - VICTORY
The legislature passed Washington CAN! backed legislation (SB 6333) creating a health care working group to analyze concrete health care reform proposals to reform our health care system. In the coming year, Washington CAN! will organize opportunities for the public to learn about reform options and speak up for what we need in our health care system. This process will help set the stage for health care reform that guarantees quality, affordable health care for everyone.

New Americans Initiative - VICTORY
On Wednesday, February 20th, Gov. Gregoire signed an Executive Order establishing Washington's New Americans Policy Council on immigrant integration. "We need to take a more systematic approach to helping immigrants succeed and become citizens," said Gov. Gregoire. The new two-year Policy Council will determine how the State can more effectively integrate immigrants into communities across Washington.

Quality Medical Interpretation for Limited English Speakers - A STEP FORWARD
This legislative session, Washington CAN! sought to begin a conversation about how to address the needs of limited English speaking patients. We worked with Sen. Paull Shin from Lynnwood to introduce legislation (SB 6684) to improve access to quality medical interpretation by requiring insurance companies and public programs to cover medical interpretation costs. Though the bill did not pass this year, it had hearings in two committees and will be included on the interim agenda of the Senate Health Care Committee for further study before next session.

Prescription Privacy - LOSS
The most notable health care loss this session was the failure to pass legislation (SB 6241) to prohibit drug companies from purchasing the prescribing history of physicians for marketing purposes. The state Senate passed the legislation, but, under intense lobbying pressure from the drug industry, the House failed to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. It is regrettable that some lawmakers chose to align with big PhRMA rather than support this effort to lower prescription costs, improve patient safety, and protect the privacy of the doctor-patient relationship. This issue may return next year, so stay tuned.

[eridani]

102. Governor to sign heath care actuarial study bill--come on down for a pen and picture!

We’ve received notice today that Governor Gregoire will be signing the Work Group on Health Care bill (SB 6333) and the Insurance Rate Accountability bill (SB 5261) tomorrow (Tuesday, April 1st ) at approximately 2:00 PM in the Governor's Conference Room, located on the 2nd floor of the Legislative Building (Capitol) in Olympia. (For a pdf map of the Capitol Campus, please go to http://www.ga.wa.gov/images/campus-map.pdf.)


At this event, we will have our group picture taken as each bill is signed (and we’ll be able to order copies of these photos, if desired), as well as receive a free, commemorative pen from the Governor.

This is a great way for all of us to come together to celebrate the passage of these two important bills which we’ve all worked to support during the 2008 legislative session. Your testimony, phone calls, emails, letters, and other contacts with our elected officials and their staff have been instrumental in ensuring the passage of these two bills. Thanks so much for your help and involvement! Please join us as we formally commemorate these successes together!

Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN!) will be organizing carpools from its office in the Georgetown area of Seattle for those who want to make the roundtrip drive to Olympia for these bill signings tomorrow. Interested folks should plan to meet at the Washington CAN office at 220 South River St., Seattle, WA 98108 at approximately 12:00 Noon. Please contact Joshua Welter at [phone] x109 or by email at joshua {at} washingtoncan.org if you plan to go.


Thanks for your continuing support and involvement! We look forward to seeing you in Olympia tomorrow!



Warmly,


Linda Sternhill Davis
Co-Chair, Legislative Committee
Washington Health Security Coalition (WHSC)
Phone: [phone] ext. 705
Email: legislative {at} wahealthsecurity.org
Web: http://www.WaHealthSecurity.org

[eridani]

104. Governor signs high speed internet access bill

Thanks to your calls and emails to Legislators and Governor Gregoire, we are on our way to expanding High Speed Internet across Washington.

Governor Chris Gregoire signed SB 6438 The High Speed Internet Initiative

- on March 31, 2008. This legislation directs the Washington Department of Information Services to develop a strategic plan and specific proposals how to expand high speed internet statewide to be completed in time for the 2009 legislative session. This plan is an important first step for making sure that all residents and communities in Washington have high speed internet access.

Please take a moment to send a thank you (link to www.speedmatterswa.org) to Governor Gregoire and our legislators for taking the first step to expanding high speed internet statewide.

And stay tuned ... we are just beginning the work of expanding high speed internet in Washington. Check back for how you can can get involved in building support to pass legislation in 2009 to continue our progress and expand high speed internet access across Washington.

Marcus Courtney
President and Organizer
WashTech/CWA Local 37083