OLYMPIA -- The House is expected to debate the Reproductive Parity Act this morning, likely passing a bill over to the Senate that Republicans in that chamber have worked very hard to ignore.

The RPA, as some folks call it, would require any insurance plan that offers maternity care to also cover abortion. Supporters say it's an issue of fairness for women's health options; opponents say it forces people who oppose abortion to pay for others who have one through their health plan.

Both sides are sporting lapel decorations to signal their support, and it could be the most contentious House debate of the session thus far. The galleries are filling up in anticipation; and since everyone drove through pretty nasty weather to get here, one can only hope they aren't disappointed.

Three identical bills were introduced in the Senate, but none got a hearing as the leaders of the Law and Justice and Health Care committees both refused to hear the bills. That put Coalition Health Care Chairwoman Randi Becker has said, however, if the House passes its version, she will hold a hearing.

Elsewhere, there will be a scramble to get"policy" bills out of their first committee today, which is a cut-off day. Translation: Those that don't get out may as well get Last Rites, because they are all but dead.

For a list of today's hearings, go inside the blog.

Legislative Meeting Schedule

 

Friday, February 22, 2013
Time	Committee	Location
8:00 AM	Commerce & Labor (S)	Senate Hearing Rm 4
	Early Learning & K-12 Education (S)	Senate Hearing Rm 1
	Law & Justice (S)	Senate Hearing Rm 2
	Capital Budget (H)	House Hearing Rm B
	Finance (H)	House Hearing Rm A
9:00 AM	HOUSE SESSION/CAUCUS
10:00 AM	SENATE SESSION/CAUCUS
1:00 PM	Governmental Operations (S)	Senate Hearing Rm 2
1:30 PM	Early Learning & Human Services (H)	House Hearing Rm C
	Education (H)	House Hearing Rm A
	Health Care & Wellness (H)	House Hearing Rm B
	Local Government (H)	House Hearing Rm D
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House Committees

Capital Budget
2/22/13 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Overview of the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan.

Public Hearing: SHB 1414- Concerning Yakima river basin water resource management.

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Early Learning & Human Services*
2/22/13 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/21/2013 12:14 PM

Executive Session:

1. HB 1844- Concerning family assessment response in child protective services.
2. HB 1852- Requiring the building code council to adopt rules regarding before or after-school programs.
3. HB 1172- Concerning the children of family day care providers.
4. HB 1527- Concerning residential habilitation center residents' transition to the community.
5. HB 1546- Concerning people with disabilities who receive no paid services from the department of social and health services' division of developmental disabilities.
6. HB 1651- Concerning access to juvenile records.
7. HB 1708- Concerning the enforcement powers of the office of financial recovery.
8. HB 1734- Concerning exemptions from the five-year time limit for recipients of the temporary assistance for needy families program.
9. HB 1821- Concerning good cause exceptions during permanency hearings.

 

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Education
2/22/13 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

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Finance*
2/22/13 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/21/2013 1:51 PM

Public Hearing:

1. HB 1615- Providing a business and occupation tax credit for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.
2. HB 1622- Concerning tax credits for hiring individuals with developmental disabilities.

Executive Session:

1. HB 1170- Modifying the income thresholds for the exemption and deferral property tax relief programs for senior citizens and persons retired because of physical disability.
2. HB 1068- Concerning the television reception improvement district excise tax.

 

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Government Accountability & Oversight*
2/22/13 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm E
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

MEETING CANCELLED.

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Health Care & Wellness*
2/22/13 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/19/2013 10:00 AM

Public Hearing: HB 1528- Concerning the prescription of biological products and interchangeable biosimilar products.

Possible Executive Session:

1. HB 1095- Concerning nursing staffing practices at hospitals.
2. HB 1349- Addressing carrier surplus as an element of health benefit plan rate review.
3. HB 1445- Concerning complex rehabilitation technology products.
4. HB 1448- Regarding telemedicine.
5. HB 1515- Concerning medical assistants.
6. HB 1541- Expanding the types of medications that a public or private school employee may administer to include nasal spray.
7. HB 1555- Concerning the education of surgical technologists.
8. HB 1573- Clarifying the prohibitions against discriminating against licensed chiropractors.
9. HB 1628- Allowing nurses and physicians to satisfy a portion of their continuing education credits through providing services to medicaid enrollees or the uninsured.
10. HB 1629- Concerning credentialing and continuing education requirements for long-term care workers.
11. HB 1660- Convening a work group to develop a standardized clinical affiliation agreement for clinical placements for physicians and nurses.
12. HB 1679- Regarding the disclosure of health care information.
13. HB 1701- Implementing recommendations of the adult family home quality assurance panel.
14. HB 1727- Raising licensure limits to allow assisted living facilities to serve a higher acuity resident population.
15. HB 1737- Concerning supervision of physician assistants.
16. HB 1773- Concerning the practice of midwifery.
17. HB 1800- Concerning the compounding of medications for physician offices or ambulatory surgical centers or facilities to be used by a physician for ophthalmic purposes for nonspecific patients.
18. HB 1846- Concerning stand-alone dental coverage.

 

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Local Government
2/22/13 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm D
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

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Senate Committees

The schedule is subject to the addition of more committee agendas. Please check our website, http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/pages/calendar.aspx

Commerce & Labor*
2/22/13 8:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/21/2013 7:46 AM

Public Hearing:

1. SB 5292- Implementing family and medical leave insurance. (Continuation of 2/20/2013 meeting.)
2. SB 5774- Authorizing applications for a special permit to allow alcohol tasting by persons nineteen and twenty years of age under certain circumstances. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)
3. SB 5608- Authorizing certain corporate officers to receive unemployment benefits.
4. SB 5758- Making coverage of certain maritime service elective for purposes of unemployment compensation.
5. SB 5733- Establishing criteria to be used by interest arbitration panels.
6. SB 5682- Concerning the replacement of like-in-kind household appliances.
7. SB 5791- Supporting youth programs through agricultural fairs and the horse racing industry.
8. SB 5813- Supporting youth programs through agricultural fairs.
9. SB 5744- Creating an industrial insurance high risk premium subsidy program.

Executive Session:

1. SB 5726- Placing geographic limitations on local paid sick leave and paid safe leave programs.
2. SB 5728- Declaring state preemption of local paid sick and paid safe leave regulation.
3. SB 5355- Implementing the unemployment insurance integrity provisions of the federal trade adjustment assistance extension act of 2011.
4. SB 5211- Concerning social networking accounts and profiles.
5. SB 5644- Concerning sales for resale by retail licensees of liquor.
6. SB 5731- Allowing beer and/or wine specialty shop licensees to sell craft distillery products.
7. SB 5238- Concerning recommendations for streamlining reporting requirements for taxes and fees on spirits.

If draft bills, proposed substitutes, or striking amendments are to be heard, they can be obtained from committee staff or on the committee's website, http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/CL/Pages/default.aspx, as soon as they are available. Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Early Learning & K-12 Education*
2/22/13 8:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/21/2013 10:23 AM

Possible Public Hearing: Bills not heard previously.

Possible Executive Session: Bills previously heard in committee.

Other business.

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Governmental Operations
2/22/13 1:00 pm

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 2
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:

1. SB 5834- Concerning veteran-owned businesses.
2. SGA 9064- Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, Director, Department of Veterans Affairs.
3. SGA 9067- Bret Daugherty, Director, Military Department.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Law & Justice*
2/22/13 8:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 2
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 2/15/2013 3:50 PM

Work Session:

1. Briefing on the 2013 - 2015 Judicial Agency budget.
2. Update on courthouse security measures.
3. Review of Washington State Bar Association governance.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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