During the second week of this legislative session, the various health committees have several interesting hearings scheduled:

On Monday, the House Health Care & Wellness Committee will hear HB 2341, which concerns the duties of a non-profit hospital to serve its community.  When health care coverage expands in 2014, the expectation by all is that demand for charity care will decrease.  As a result, the federal law requires that hospitals complete a community health assessment and decide what benefits they will provide the community, which can include charity care, if they desire.  The law also allows states to provide guidance regarding how the health assessment is conducted and how benefits are chosen.  This bill provides that guidance.  It requires, among other things, that they involve the community, consider the level of illness in the community (including types of illness and disease) and examine health data as they conduct both their assessment and choose benefits.  It also provides them with choices regarding the level of community benefit they provide.  WSALPHO Chair Peter Browning will be in Olympia to testify in support of this proposed legislation.

Also in the House, the Health and Human Services Appropriations & Oversight Committee, will hold a work session on tobacco cessation on Tuesday morning.

In the other chamber, the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee will hold a Wednesday hearing on a new medical marijuana bill. WSAC will be watching this closely.

On Thursday SB 6116, concerning on-site sewage program management plans, will be heard in the Senate Government Operations Committee. The proposed legislation clarifies that local Boards of Health have the authority to establish rates and charges to fund the implementation of OSS Management Plans. (The authority to charge fees is currently authorized in WAC but not in statute). The legislation also clarifies that county treasurers can collect these rates and charges as part of the property tax collection system, and provides a mechanism for collection of delinquent payments. These procedures mirror procedures for other charges collected by county treasurers.  WSALHO and WSAC are supportive of this bill and Thurston County Environmental Health Director Art Starry will be testifying in support.

State Public Health Funding

With regard to existing state public health funding, our meetings with sympathetic House members this week always generated the same legislative advice: "the Governor's budget didn't cut you further so keep your head down and don't do anything to mess that up."  We expect to hear the same advice from the Senate.  That said, it is still extremely valuable for you to continue to be having conversations with your legislators and gently reminding them that these dollars fund core/basic public health functions keeping that statewide safety-net intact.

As it was last session, the focus on human services continues to be the budget. A number of bills were introduced during the special session. 

SHB 2131 Delaying implementation of certain provisions related to evaluations of persons under the involuntary treatment act

This bill passed during the special session and was signed by the Governor. The bill delays implementation of some provisions of 2010 legislation that expanded the factors that may be considered for detaining and committing persons under the Involuntary Treatment Act from January 2012 until July 2015 and shows as a $22 million dollar cost savings in the Governor's supplemental budget. We testified in support of this bill in both House and Senate Ways and Means Committees based on the estimated costs of implementation of the bill in a time that there is already a shortage of mental health treatment beds in the community. Based on testimony of family members, a substitute version of the bill passed the legislature that requires information from credible witnesses to be considered by mental health professionals when making detention decisions which will take effect January 1, 2012.

HB 2130 Critical Access Hospitals

This bill would eliminate cost-based reimbursement funding for critical access hospitals. During the special session, representatives from dozens of critical access hospitals testified in the House Ways and Means Committee opposed to the bill in the hearing stating they may not be able to stay open due to the loss in funding that would result from the proposal. We testified with our concerns after hearing from a number of counties that the critical access hospitals are the only place within many miles with crisis and mental health beds. The bill has not yet been scheduled for executive session in the House committee.

HB 2139 Regional Support Networks (RSNs)

This bill would allow the Department of Social and Health Services to redefine RSN boundaries and limits the number of RSNs in the state to six. We testified in the House Ways and Means Committee opposed to the bill due to budget savings assumptions made in the Governor's supplemental budget proposal related to the bill and also to the authority given to DSHS. We also made the point that a number of RSNs and counties are working towards mergers and consolidation. We urged the committee to support current local consolidation efforts and to make sure that any legislative proposals to limit the number of RSNs be based on a thoughtful data based approach keeping in mind the changes coming with health reform. This bill has not yet been scheduled for executive session.    

SB 5952 Concerning low-income and homeless housing assistance surcharges

This bill was heard in the Senate Financial Institution, Housing and Insurance Committee during special session. This bill mirrors language in HB 2048 from last year as it passed out of the House. The bill increases the document recording fee by $10 through 2015 and extends the existing recording fee increases until 2017. The bill also includes some additional reporting requirements that were negotiated with stakeholders.  WSAC testified in support of moving out the sunset clause and the proposed increase in fees but opposed to provisions related to Washington State Quality Award Program. This bill is scheduled for executive session on January 18th.     

Land Use

The House Environment Committee heard Representative Fitzgibbon's bill that attempts to streamline the State Environmental Policy Act (HB 2253).  Despite a substantial amount of stakeholder work over the fall, the bill is quite controversial.  As a result the hearing was rocky.  WSAC, the Association of Washington Cities, the Association of Washington Business, and the environmental community all testified that they would like the bill to continue moving forward while changes are negotiated.  The Senate companion bill (SB 6130) will be heard on Wednesday January 18th in the Senate Environment Committee.

The Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations, & Elections Committee will be hearing significant Growth Management Act (GMA) legislation on Thursday January 19th at 1:30.  The bill (SB 6154) would raise the cost of filing a GMA appeal, and would eliminate the participation standing standard for challenging local government GMA actions.  This would reduce the frequency of GMA appeals for counties, a position supported by the WSAC Legislative Steering Committee.  WSAC members are encouraged to call their legislators in support of this legislation.  

WSAC staff have been working in cooperation with DNR staff to advance legislation that would allow Pacific, Wahkiakum, Skamania, and Klickitat Counties to pool newly acquired trust lands.  These lands will be slowly acquired over time as lands that have been encumbered by Endangered Species Act restrictions are transferred to conservation status.  This program was proposed by WSAC and approved by the legislature in 2009.  The House version of this bill (HB 2329) is being heard on Tuesday January 17th in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.  The Senate version of the bill (SB 6195) has been introduced but is not yet scheduled for a hearing.  

WSAC staff continue to meet with other representatives of local government and business that are regulated by the Department of Fish and Wildlife's hydraulics program.  There are indications that legislation may be again introduced that would implement a new fee for Hydraulic Project Approvals (HPA's) as well as reforms for the program.  

Next week, the House Environment Committee will hold a hearing on HB 2277.  This legislation amends statutes governing the Puget Sound Partnership.  Many of the changes are technical in nature, but the bill also removes the Puget Sound "partner" designation from many state grant-making programs.  WSAC views this as a positive change.  If members are interested in testifying on this bill or talking to their legislators, the hearing is at 1:30 on Friday January 20th.   

Over the summer the Governor convened a group of leaders from around the state to develop and recommend an investment strategy for transportation.  The group is called Connecting Washington. The counties were represented by Kitsap County Commissioner Charlette Garrido, Benton County Commissioner Leo Bowman and Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett.  A big round of thanks for all of their hard work and attending five day long meetings.

The Governor actively participated with the group.  She took their recommendations and announced her recommendation to the Legislature this week.  A copy of the recommendation can be found here.

We appreciate the Governor's willingness to put something forward to the legislature.  We will be discussing the proposal and working it through the legislative process.  Input and suggestions are appreciated.

The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on January 17th at 3:30 pm on SB 6081- Authorizing counties and ferry districts operating ferries to impose a vessel replacement surcharge on ferry fares sold.

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