Legislative updates for DD advocates
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Bills of interest to the DD community
What legislators decide directly affects you and your families: what supports will be available and what services will be funded. We encourage you to learn about bills that interest you and weigh in. If you want personal support with that, please contact Eric Warwick at ewarwick@arcofkingcounty.org. We also host weekly legislative updates Monday at 7 pm, and The Arc of Washington hosts weekly advocacy days on Wednesday.
Note: There are three options for testimony: live (remote); written; and position-only
You must register to testify no later than an hour prior to the hearing. Written testimony can be submitted up to 24 hours after the hearing. Testimony becomes part of the public record and is summarized in bill analysis. Testimony goes to the committee hearing the bill.
The “Comment on this bill” option uses a form to send your position and comments to your legislative district representatives. These comments do not go to the committee.
The following is a curated list of bills being heard this
week. There are many more! For the full list, please check the daily agenda here.
Please note the agendas can change at any time. Meetings are streamed via TVW;
you can watch live or later. You can also find links to meeting recordings via the Committees, Agendas, and Documents page.
MONDAY, JANUARY 25
House Finance; 10:00 am
HB 1070 - Modifying allowed uses of local tax revenue for affordable housing and related services to include the acquisition and construction of affordable housing and facilities.
Sponsors: Ryu, Macri, Walen, Chopp, Santos, Fitzgibbon, Ramel, Wylie, Ramos, Bateman, Tharinger, Simmons, Kloba, Peterson, Gregerson, Goodman, Sells, Bronoske, Valdez, Callan, Hackney, Cody, Ormsby, Riccelli, Springer, Fey, Davis, Pollet, Harris-Talley
- Expands the allowable uses of a portion of revenues from the local sales and use tax for housing and related services to include acquiring affordable housing.
- Clarifies that affordable housing includes emergency, transitional, and supportive housing for purposes of the local sales and use tax for housing and related services.
- Expands the allowable uses of a portion of revenues from the state-shared lodging tax to include housing and facilities for homeless youth for counties with a population of at least 1,500,000
Public testimony/House (Written testimony taken to 1/26 10 am)
Our take: This bill in on the support agenda of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
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HB 1296 - Providing a business and occupation tax preference for behavioral health administrative services organizations.
Sponsors: Young, Thai, Robertson, Rule
- Provides a business and occupation tax deduction for behavioral health administrative services organizations and health or social welfare organizations on certain amounts received for government-funded behavioral health care.
Public testimony/House (Written testimony taken to 1/26 10 am)
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Senate Health & Long Term Care; 1:30 pm
SB 5294 - Concerning the creation of statewide epidemic preparedness and response guidelines for long-term care facilities.
Sponsors: Cleveland, Muzzall, Conway, Randall, Robinson, Van De Wege, Wilson, C.
- Requires the Department of Health to consult with interested stakeholders to develop epidemic preparedness and response guidelines for long-term care facilities.
Submit public testimony/Senate (Written testimony taken to 1/26 1:30 pm)
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House State Government & Tribal Relations; 1:30 pm
HB 1264 - Establishing an equity impact statement for legislative proposals.
Sponsors: Thai, Morgan, Senn, Berry, Valdez, Simmons, Ramel, Ortiz-Self, Davis, Peterson, Wylie, Callan, Lekanoff, Macri, Bronoske, Slatter, Ramos, Berg, Harris-Talley, Pollet, Gregerson, Riccelli
- Requires that, by November 15, 2021, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) establish procedures, guidelines, and content and format requirements for the Equity Impact Statement (EIS).
- Requires that, by January 1, 2022, the OFM provide an EIS on certain legislative proposals that create or amend housing or health care policies.
- Requires that, by January 1, 2024, the OFM provide an EIS on certain legislative proposals in six additional policy areas.
- Requires that, by January 1, 2025, the OFM provide an EIS on any legislative proposal on which a fiscal note is requested or at the request of a legislator.
Public testimony/House (Written testimony taken to 1/26 1:30 pm)
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House Health Care & Wellness; 1:30 pm
HB 1110 - Concerning the composition of local boards of health.
Sponsors: Riccelli, Ormsby, Bateman, Leavitt, Cody, Stonier, Frame, Macri, Pollet
- Changes the membership requirements for local boards of health; includes consumers and other community stakeholders
Public testimony/House (Written testimony taken to 1/26 1:30 pm)
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HB 1225 - Concerning school-based health centers.
Sponsors: Stonier, Bateman, Lekanoff, Johnson, J., Davis, Cody, Santos, Thai, Ortiz-Self, Ormsby, Valdez, Riccelli, Tharinger
- Establishes the School-Based Health Center program office within the Department of Health
Public testimony/House (Written testimony taken to 1/26 1:30 pm)
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House Appropriations; 3:30 pm
Work Session (no public testimony)
1. Long-term care (ALTSA) budget overview.
2. Developmental Disabilities Administration budget overview.
You can find meeting materials here
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26
House Education; 8 am
HB 1139 - Taking action to address lead in drinking water.
Sponsors: Pollet, Callan, Berg, Dolan, Ryu, Leavitt, Bronoske, Ramel, Ramos, Lekanoff, Stonier, Ortiz-Self, Frame, Goodman, Rule, Bergquist, Berry, Wylie, Johnson, J., Taylor, Valdez
- Requires public and private elementary and secondary schools with buildings built, or with all plumbing replaced, before 2016, to have drinking water outlets tested for lead contamination; communicate test results and other information to the public; and adopt action plans if test results reveal lead concentrations that exceed 5 parts per billion.
- Requires the Department of Health (DOH) to conduct lead testing of drinking water in public elementary and secondary schools by specified deadlines and according to stated technical requirements.
- Designates the DOH, rather than community water systems, as the principal agency in regard to lead testing, remediation, and other actions at elementary and secondary schools.
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HB 1153 - Increasing language access in public schools.
Sponsors: Orwall, Gregerson, Davis, Hackney, Macri, Callan, Pollet, Ramos, Bergquist, Thai, Johnson, J., Simmons, Valdez
- Establishes four principles of an effective language access program for culturally responsive, systemic family engagement.
- Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to implement a Language Access Technical Assistance Program that includes specified activities.
- Requires school districts and charter schools to: (1) collect data on language access and language assistance services; and (2) implement, beginning with the 2022-23 school year, language access programs that meet stated requirements.
- Requires the Washington State School Directors' Association to update a model policy and procedures for implementing language access program for culturally responsive, systemic family engagement.
- Directs the OSPI and the Office of the Education Ombuds to jointly reconvene a work group and report to the Legislature by December 1, 2021 with recommendations related to standards, training, testing, and credentialing for spoken and sign language interpreters for students' families.
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House Housing; 8 am
HB 1236 - Protecting residential tenants from the beginning to end of their tenancies by penalizing the inclusion of unlawful lease provisions and limiting the reasons for eviction, refusal to continue, and termination. (Remote testimony.)
- Specifies exclusive causes for eviction, refusal to renew, and termination of tenancy under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA) and makes other changes to rights and remedies.
Our take: This is a priority bill of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. Goal: Ensure that landlords cannot evict a tenant without having a legitimate reason for doing so.
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Senate Law & Justice; 10:30 am
SB 5185 - Concerning capacity to provide informed consent for health care decisions.
Sponsors: Pedersen, Holy, Wilson, C.
- Establishes a presumption that an adult who is not subject to a guardianship that includes health care decision-making has the capacity to make health care decisions.
- Allows a health care provider to overcome the presumption of capacity by reasonably determining that the adult has demonstrated an inability to understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of a health care condition or proposed treatment.
- Changes terminology referring to persons who have an appointed guardian and persons who are competent or not legally competent to instead refer to whether or not they have capacity.
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Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation; 1:30 pm
SB 5214 - Concerning economic assistance programs.
Sponsors: Nguyen, Dhingra, Darneille, Das, Frockt, Hasegawa, Hunt, Kuderer, Liias, Lovelett, Nobles, Robinson, Stanford, Wilson, C.
- Expands who may eligible for an exemption to the 60- month lifetime limit for temporary assistance to needy families (TANF) to include recipients who are participating satisfactorily in the program, recipients who are temporarily prevented from working or looking for a job, and recipients who are in need of mental health or substance abuse disorder treatment.
- States that a TANF recipient who fails to work or look for work as required by Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) can not be terminated for noncompliance based on these reasons.
- Prescribes that a family can earn and keep all of its earned income during every month it is eligible to receive assistance, in addition to receiving their monthly benefit payment.
- Instructs that DSHS may not require TANF applicants to attend an orientation in person as a condition of eligibility.
Our take: This is a support agenda bill of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
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SB 5241 - Promoting economic inclusion.
Sponsors: Dhingra, Nguyen, Darneille, Das, Hasegawa, Hunt, Keiser, Liias, Nobles, Saldaña, Stanford, Wilson, C.
- Creates economic inclusion grants, subject to appropriation, to promote equity, economic inclusion, and a stable financial foundation for people experiencing poverty.
- Directs the Office of Financial Management to develop a revolving refund model for economic inclusion grants, with a report due to the Legislature by November 15, 2021.
- Directs the Department of Commerce to provide progress reports and other information regarding economic inclusion grants to the Governor, Legislature, and the Legislative Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Task Force, by November 15, 2021, and annually thereafter.
Our take: An interesting concept that establishes local grants and calls for local leadership councils. Unfortunately, while requires including representation of various groups on local councils, it notably leaves out disability. People experiencing cognitive and behavior disabilities have the deepest poverty levels in the state, according to a report from the state’s Poverty Reduction Work Group. You can access the report here. This group includes people with developmental disabilities. Given the strong connection between disability and economic instability, it is disappointing that consideration of people with disabilities is absent in the bill.
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House Appropriations; 3:30 pm
HB 1367 - Revising 2019-2021 fiscal biennium appropriations of state and federal funding for previously implemented Medicaid rates and other Medicaid expenditures in the developmental disabilities and long-term care programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Modifies funding sources for certain Medicaid- eligible COVID-19 related expenses incurred in calendar year 2020.
- Attributes funding for these expenses to a combination of the Budget Stabilization Account and federal Medicaid matching funds, rather than the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), freeing up CRF for other allowable uses.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27
House Local Government; 10:00 am
HB 1157 - Increasing housing supply through the growth management act and housing density tax incentives for local governments.
Sponsors: Bateman, Gilday, Taylor, Eslick, Robertson, Simmons, Ormsby, Lekanoff, Hackney, Ryu, Walen, Vick, Wicks, Berg, Fitzgibbon, Barkis, Harris-Talley, Dolan
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HB 1220 - Supporting emergency shelters and housing through local planning and development regulations.
Sponsors: Peterson, Macri, Bateman, Ryu, Lekanoff, Fitzgibbon, Kloba, Davis, Lovick, Santos, Ortiz-Self, Simmons, Berg, Hackney, Chopp, Tharinger, Frame
- Updates the housing goals of the Growth Management Act to include planning for and accommodating affordable housing;
- Requires jurisdictions to address moderate, low, very low, and extremely low-income housing in the housing element of the comprehensive plan.
- Requires jurisdictions to address racially disparate impacts and displacement in the housing element of the comprehensive plan.
Our take: This is a support agenda bill of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
Health Care & Wellness; 10:00 am
HB 1182 - Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services.
Sponsors: Orwall, Davis, Fey, Callan, Simmons, Johnson, J., Dolan, Fitzgibbon, Ryu, Senn, Valdez, Walen, Bateman, Gregerson, Bergquist, Lovick, Lekanoff, Goodman, Frame, Peterson, Paul, Slatter, Chopp, Duerr, Harris-Talley, Macri, Morgan
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HB 1218 - Improving health, safety, and quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities.
Sponsors: Bateman, Simmons, Sells, Lekanoff, Peterson, Stonier, Davis, Taylor, Dolan, Orwall, Cody, Santos, Ortiz-Self, Fitzgibbon, Slatter, Bronoske, Callan, Valdez, Ramel, Riccelli, Macri, Goodman, Harris-Talley
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Housing, Human Services & Veterans; 1:30 pm
HB 1300 - Addressing documentation and processes governing landlords' claims for damage to residential premises.
Sponsors: Thai, Chopp, Ramel, Simmons, Fitzgibbon, Peterson, Davis, Macri, Pollet, Slatter, Stonier, Taylor
Our take: This is a support agenda bill of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
Health & Long Term Care; 8:00 am
SB 5213 - Clarifying the authority and role of the office of developmental disabilities ombuds
Sponsors: Nguyen, Randall, Darneille, Honeyford, Keiser, Warnick, Wellman, Kuderer, Nobles, Robinson, Wilson, C.
Our take: Some DD advocates are working to resolve language to help safeguard privacy of certain records. The DD Ombuds is charged with protecting against abuse and neglect and says it needs greater access to certain records both to let people know about their services and when investigating on behalf of a DDA client. You can read their position paper here.
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House Education; 10:00 am
HB 1214 - Providing K-12 public school safety and security services by classified staff or contractors.
Sponsors: Senn, Johnson, J., Ramos, Dolan, Lovick, Santos, Ortiz-Self, Slatter, Berg, Hackney, Callan, Valdez, Macri, Frame
Our take: Advocates generally support the data gathering this bill would mandate. Many advocates would rather the state no longer invest in safety resource officers and are concerned that training has been ineffective at stopping criminalization of student behavior.
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Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care; 10:30 am
SB 5209 - Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services.
Sponsors: Dhingra, Darneille, Das, Keiser, Kuderer, Lovelett, Randall, Conway, Frockt, Hasegawa, Liias, Nguyen, Pedersen, Wagoner, Wilson, C.
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SB 5327 - Creating a confidential youth safety and well-being tip line.
Sponsors: Brown, Frockt, Lovelett, Rivers, Short, Warnick, Wellman
