Skip to content

BT

https://qvwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015.BillTracker.2.DC_.pdf  

Bill Tracker – Workplan/Status Report

updated 1/26/15

Bill/Issue

+/-

Last Action

Current Committee

Status

Next Step for Quaker Voice

Brief Description

HB1390/eliminate interest on LFOs owed to gov to support efforts to redeem, rehabilitate, and reintegrate

1/21/15 Heard in Hse Judiciary

Hse Judiciary

Needs Executive Action

Lobby Committee Mbrs and encourage Chair to sched for Exec

  • Eliminates interest accrual on the non-restitution portions of legal financial obligations (LFOs) imposed in a criminal judgment and modifies standards for a court to reduce or waive interest that has accrued on LFOs.
  • Provides that a court may not impose costs on a defendant who is indigent at the time of sentencing.
  • Establishes provisions governing payment plans and priority of payment of LFOs.
  • Addresses actions a court may take in sanction proceedings for failure to pay LFOs where the offender’s failure to pay is not willful.
  • Provides that the DNA Database fee is not mandatory if the state has already collected the offender’s DNA as a result of a prior conviction.

HB1016/prohibits jailing of homeless or mentally ill who cannot pay LFOs

First Reading referred to committee

Hse Public Safety

Not scheduled for a hearing

Get hearing

  • Rep. Appleton’s 2014 bill
  • Prevents failure to pay a monthly sum towards a legal financial obligation from being considered “willful noncompliance” if the offender is mentally ill or homeless, and, accordingly, prohibits penalties for noncompliance in that circumstance.

NO BILL

Senators discussing proposal to eliminate juvenile LFOs

Determine whether there will be a bill this session

  • Bill may be dropped to eliminate LFOs for juveniles

NO BILL

/ Sentencing Reform

Justice Reinvestment Task Force recommended major reforms

NO BILL

Determine who will sponsor bill and encourage action..

  • Follow lead of states with lower property crime rates by increasing the use of community supervision integrated with behavioral health treatment (mental health and chemical dependency tx) to mandate treatment of health problems contributing to criminal behavior.
  • Follow the example of states with lower property crime rates and reduce the sentence lengths of repeat offenders, capture savings created by reduced sentences to fund community supervision and treatment
  • Require community supervision conditioned on complying with behavioral health treatment recommendations

HB1505/ Restorative Justice

First Reading and referred to policy committee

Early Learning & Human Services

Get Hearing

Prepare testimony

  • Allows prosecutor, court probation counselor, or diversion unit to refer juveniles to Restorative Justice programs except when allegations indicate a sex offense or serious violent offense
  • Maintains that victim participation is voluntary

SB5354/ Higher ed in corrections

First reading; referred to policy committee

Senate Law and Justice

Need hearing

Lobby Law & Justice Chair to schedule hearing

  • Removes the prohibition that blocks Dept of Corrections’ use of state resources to fund Higher Ed for prisoners
  • Saves the state $19.62 for every $1.00 spent
  • Reduces recidivism by increasing the probability those educated in prison will find employment after they’ve served their time

HB1739/

Repeal Death Penalty

NO BILL

Participate in Safe & Just Alternatives Lobby Day Tues 2/10/15

  • End Death Penalty because:
      • Does not provide sure and certain relief
      • Is costly
      • Does not deter crime
  • Replace Death Penalty with Life Without Parole

SB5505/

Department of Corrections Ombuds

Bill Dropped

(Law and Justice most likely referral)

No Committee Assignment

Needs First Reading and Referral

  • Establishes independent Ombuds office for the Department of Corrections
  • Offender Betterment Fund used to support the Ombuds Department

SB5107/Encourage establishment of Therapeutic Courts

Companion: HB1305

1/21 S Law & Justice passed to S Rules for 2nd Reading

Senate Rules

Needs to be pulled from Rules to Senate Floor

Lobby Rules members for pull

  • Supports therapeutic courts utilizing programming structured to reduce recidivism or other adverse outcomes, and increase rehabilitation through the use of continuous and intense judicially supervised treatment and the appropriate use of services, sanctions, and incentives
  • Allows use of state money to fund
  • Individuals charged with a violent crime or sex crime not eligible for case resolution through therapeutic court
  • Authorizes and encourages trial courts to establish multi-jurisdictional partnerships, inter-local agreements, or both, to enhance or expand the coverage area of a therapeutic court

HB1106 Governor’s Budget/
  • Increase Revenue,
  • Redress regressive tax system,
  • Increase support for behavioral health care
  • Increase support to house the homeless
1/14/15 Hearing Held House Appropriations Most likely House or Senate budget will supplant Advocate to keep the capital gains tax in any final budget proposal  Advocate to retain proposed funding needed for behavioral health care  Advocate for proposed funding needed for housing
  • 7% capital gains tax on capital gains in excess of $25,000/individual, and $50,000 for couples
  • Impacts 1% of state residents with highest incomes
  • Generates $800 million in revenue for the state
  • Includes $6.4 billion for the Department of Social and Health Services:
  • $667 million for children and family services programs,
  • $1.1 billion for mental health programs,
  • $1.2 billion for programs for developmentally disabled persons,
  • $2.0 billion for long-term care programs,
  • $853 million for economic services programs,
  • $189 million for juvenile rehabilitation programs, and
  • $165 million for substance abuse programs.
  • Includes $6.5 billion for other human services programs:
  • $4.4 billion for low-income health and other services in the Health Care Authority an
  • $1.9 billion for the Department of Corrections.
  • Includes $18.2 billion for K-12 education and $3.4 billion for Higher Ed
SB5077/ Governor’s Budget (see above) 1/14/15 Heard in Senate Ways and Means S Ways and Means Most likely House or Senate budget will supplant See above See above
SB5178/ Support specific additional treatment approaches shown to benefit juveniles 1/22/15 S Human Services, Mental Health and Housing executive action S Ways and Means Needs to be heard Advocate for passage
  • Permitted uses of Criminal Justice Treatment Account funds are expanded beginning April 1, 2016, to include peer support, supported housing, supported employment, crisis diversion, recovery support services, vocational training, mental health counseling, and to provide state matching funds for federal Medicaid payments
HB 1314/ Support Social Safety Net with value captured when polluters cover current external costs of emmissions Companion:SB5283 Referred to House policy committee House Environment Hearing scheduled for 1:30 pm 1/27/15 Testify in support; lobby committee mbrs
  • Click Global Warming for how 1314 addresses global warming
  • Provides money through carbon pollution market program to mitigate poverty exacerbated by pollution (subject to appropriation)
  • Provides funding for mass transit ($400 million for transportation)
  • Addresses regressive taxation to benefit neighbors who are poor by partially funding state earned income tax credit (EITC) of up to $1,500/year/family ($50 or 10% of the federal EITC, whichever is >) for 400,000 low-income families

HB 1314 / Reverse global warming by charging polluters for external costs (see Social Safety Net to learn how this bill support the needs of the poor) Companion: SB5283 First Reading and referred to policy committee House Environment Hearing scheduled for 1:30 pm, Tuesday, 1/27/15 Testify in support
  • Establishes a market-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions program to be implemented by the Department of Ecology.
  • The Green House Gas (GHG) emissions program must limit statewide emissions to levels established for 2020, 2035, and 2050 by requiring facilities, fuel suppliers, and electricity importers whose annual GHG emissions exceed 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent to obtain emissions allowances, beginning July 1, 2016.
  • Businesses, government bodies, and other entities emitting > 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent are required to participate by obtaining (1) auctioned emission allowances or (2) offset credits equal to their expected GHG emissions.
  • Establishes a market-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions program to be implemented by the Department of Ecology.
    • (1)GHG allowances are auctioned by the state
    • (2) Offset projects identified to support trading real, quantifiable, permanent, verifiable, and enforceable GHG emission reductions
  • Biofuel and biomass combustion emissions, landfill and manure emissions, and others are exempted (see bill analysis)
HB 1449 /Oil Transportation and Safety Act COMPANION: SB5087 First Reading and Referred to policy committee House Environment Needs Hearing Scheduled (Tentatively: 1:30 pm, Tuesday, 2/3/15) Lobby Committee members to support bill; prepare testimony
  • Prior to 2012 “no significant volume of oil was shipped through Washington by rail” (Audubon).
  • Today’s proposals would move more oil by rail through Washington than would be moved by the Keystone Pipeline were it built.
  • What the Oil Transportation and Safety Act Does (WEC)
    • Gives the public information on how oil is moving through our communities
    • Authorizes common sense oil spill prevention measures
    • Ensures companies carrying oil, not taxpayers, pay for cleaning up all oil spills
    • Provides funding to modernize our system that safeguards communities and waterways

  2015 Session Cutoff Calendar

January 12, 2015 First Day of Session
February 20, 2015 Last day to read in committee reports in house of origin, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
February 27, 2015 Last day to read in committee reports from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees in house of origin.
March 11, 2015 Last day to consider bills in house of origin (5 p.m.).
April 1, 2015 Last day to read in committee reports from opposite house, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
April 7, 2015 Last day to read in opposite house committee reports from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
April 15, 2015* Last day to consider opposite house bills (5 p.m.) (except initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, differences between the houses, and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session).
April 26, 2015 Last day allowed for regular session under state constitution.
* After the 94th day, only initiatives, alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, matters that affect state revenue, messages pertaining to amendments, differences between the houses, and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session may be considered.

 

Back To Top
Skip to content