Fiscal note; State of Washington
“Non-zero but indeterminate cost and/or savings.”
Committee Agenda: State of Washington
PUBLIC HEARING
“BILLS TO BE DETERMINED.”
The focus is and will remain so for this week and next on moving bills through committee Executive Sessions to their respective Rules’ Committees. The few that advance will be placed on floor calendars for possible passage. (March 8th is the deadline for bills to have cleared their house of origin.)
Caveat: Bills that are necessary to implement the budget (NTIB) remain alive beyond any of these deadlines. (Although, what makes a bill NTIB is fairly loosely defined.)
The difficulty in tracking and understanding proposed legislation is often because of the quotes given above. Information is either not available or late to announce. The process is akin to a living, evolving organism whose final appearance may well be a surprise.
Given the above, listed below are bills that appear to be moving or have made it to the opposite house.
Retirement Related Proposals
To repeat: Previous reports have covered the bills related to addressing the lack of a cost-of-living increase (COLA) for members in TRS/PERS Plans 1. They are HB 1057/SB 5350, HB 1201/SB 5294, and HB 1459. These all had public hearings but have yet to be scheduled for Executive Session in their respective committees.
At this point, all the bills are in limbo. There is division between the House and Senate approach and division within their own caucus groups as to which pension proposal to support.
SHB 1007: Concerning interruptive military service credit for members of the state retirement systems.
Comment: Retirement credit can be awarded in any armed conflicts if the participant was awarded the respective campaign or expeditionary badge or medal…. the ‘expeditionary badge’ qualifier was added.
HB 1007 passed the House 97/0 and has moved to the Senate Ways and Means.
HB 1008: Concerning participating in insurance plans and contracts by separated Plan 2 members of certain retirement systems.
Comment: This bill would simply make retiree insurance provisions uniform and equitable for Plan 2 and 3 members.
HB 1008 passed the House 93/0 and has been moved to Senate Ways and Means.
SHB 1056/ SB 5349: Repealing some post-retirement employment restrictions.
Comment: Beginning January 1, 2024, any current or future retiree under the provisions of early retirement may utilize the 32 postretirement employment provisions of RCW 41.32.802(2) for up to 867 hours per year.
SHB 1056 passed the House 93/0 and has moved to Senate Ways and Means. SB 5349 is in Senate Rules.
SSB 5121: Extending the expiration date of the joint select committee on health care oversight.
Comment: The expiration date of this committee is to be extended. Its goal must be to ensure that these multiple health and insurance regulatory agencies are not duplicating their efforts and are working toward a goal of increased quality of services
leading to reduced costs to the health care consumer.
Passed Senate 48/0 and has moved to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.
SB 5169: Concerning health care plans administered by the health care authority that is available to Medicare-eligible retirees.
Comment: Requires the Public Employee Benefits Board to allow Medicare-eligible retirees access to the Uniform Medical Plan Classic-Medicare plan. • Directs the Health Care Authority to report to the Legislature by December 1, 2023, with its findings related to stakeholder engagement related to affordable government self-insured plans with benefits that are equal to or richer than Uniform Medical Plan Classic-Medicare.
Scheduled for Executive Session 2/16 before Senate Health Care committee.
Other Areas of Potential Fiscal Impact (and often unfunded) to Districts
SHB 1068: Concerning injured workers’ rights during compelled medical examinations.
Comment: This allows an injured worker to make an audio and video recording of a compelled medical examination and to have one person of the worker’s choosing present during the examination.
This bill passed the House 65/33 and will be moved to the Senate Health and Long-term Care Committee.
SHB 1105: Requiring public agencies to provide notice for public comment that includes the last date by which such public comment must be submitted.
Comment: Mandates a public agency that is required to solicit public comment for a statutorily specified period of time and to provide notice that it is soliciting public comment to include in the notice the last day by which written public comment
may be submitted. Makes an agency that violates the requirement to include in a notice for public comment the last day by which written comment may be submitted subject to a civil penalty of $500 for the first violation and $1000 for any subsequent
violation.
This has been moved to Rules Committee.
SHB 1106: Concerning qualifications for unemployment insurance when an individual voluntarily leaves work.
Comment: Expands access to unemployment insurance benefits by adding circumstances where a person may voluntarily quit for good cause.
This bill has been placed on House floor calendar for possible action.
<a href=”https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1136&Y
