WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE
Legislative Digest No. 58

SIXTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE
Friday, April 17, 201596th Day - 2015 Regular Session

SENATE
SB 6102SB 6103SB 6104SB 6105SB 6106SB 6107SB 6108
SB 6109SB 6110SJR 8206
HOUSE
HB 2228HB 2229HB 2230HB 2231HB 2232HB 2233HB 2234
HB 2235HB 2236HB 2237HB 2238HB 2239

This publication includes digest and history for bills, joint memorials, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, initiatives, and substitutes. Engrossed measures may be republished if the amendment makes a substantive change.

Electronic versions of Legislative Digests are available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/digests.aspx?year=2015.


House Bills

HB 2228

by Representatives Sawyer, Cody, Van De Wege, and Riccelli


Concerning fees for health information.


Revises the definition of "reasonable fee," for purposes of fees for health information, to be consistent with federal law and enforcement practices.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Appropriations (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2229

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to reforming Washington's excise tax structure to improve its fairness and to adequately fund education and essential public services.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to reforming Washington's excise tax structure to improve its fairness and to adequately fund education and essential public services.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2230

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences, reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit, and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences, reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit, and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2231

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2232

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2233

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences and reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences and reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2234

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences and implementing marketplace fairness in Washington.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2235

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services by modifying and improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2236

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services while improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services while improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by reinstating a previously expired surtax on certain business and occupation taxes while increasing the small business tax credit.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2237

by Representative Carlyle


Relating to investing in education and essential public services while improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to investing in education and essential public services while improving the fairness of Washington's excise tax system by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2238

by Representative Hunter


Relating to the early childhood education and assistance program.


Introduced by title and introductory section only, relating to the early childhood education and assistance program.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Appropriations (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

HB 2239

by Representatives Hunter, Lytton, Sullivan, and Carlyle


Concerning implementation of a plan for fulfilling Article IX obligations.


Addresses a plan for provision of a program of basic education.

Declares an intent to review and enact legislation on: (1) Time, responsibility, or incentive contracts and supplemental contracts;

(2) State salary allocations;

(3) Proper use of school district levies to supplement the state's program of basic education;

(4) The relationship of local effort assistance to the state's program of basic education and state levy laws; and

(5) School district levies.

Creates the Washington education funding council to advise the legislature as the state moves toward full implementation of the program of basic education and the financing and revenues necessary to support the program.

Authorizes the council to establish technical working groups to advise the task force on technical and practical aspects of proposed policies and formulas.

Expires August 1, 2019.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 15First reading, referred to Appropriations (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).


Senate Bills

SB 6102

by Senators Ranker, Hargrove, Keiser, Chase, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, Hasegawa, Frockt, Nelson, Hatfield, Cleveland, Conway, Billig, Rolfes, McCoy, Jayapal, Fraser, Pedersen, and Darneille


Enacting an excise tax on capital gains to improve the fairness of Washington's tax system and provide funding for the education legacy trust account.


Imposes a tax on all individuals, beginning January 1, 2016, for the privilege of: (1) Selling or exchanging long-term capital assets; or

(2) Receiving Washington capital gains.

Allows a business and occupation tax deduction against a person's gross income of the business to the extent necessary to avoid taxing the same amounts under chapter 82.04 RCW and section 202 of this act.

Requires revenue collected under this act to be deposited in the education legacy trust account which must only be spent on the program of basic education.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Ways & Means.

SB 6103

by Senators Hargrove and Ranker


Providing basic education funding.


Declares an intent to: (1) Implement a plan to phase-in a compensation system for K-12 staff in order to attract and retain high quality educators, administrators, and classified staff to Washington schools through full funding of competitive salaries with state resources;

(2) Complete the phase-in by the 2021-2022 school year; and

(3) Amply fund a competitive compensation system with state revenues that are regular and dependable.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Ways & Means.

SB 6104

by Senators Rolfes, Frockt, McAuliffe, Hargrove, Ranker, Nelson, Billig, and Conway


Improving education financing.


Declares an intent to: (1) Implement a plan to phase-in a modified version of the compensation working group recommendations for a revised compensation system for all staff in order to attract and retain high quality educators through full funding of competitive salaries with state resources;

(2) Ensure that K-12 salary allocations keep pace with the wages of comparable occupations by requiring a comparable wage analysis be conducted every four years;

(3) Reduce school district reliance on local levies; and

(4) Both support local levy authority as an important component of the overall finance system for public schools while also ensuring local levy funds are not being used for the state's basic education obligations.

Requires the office of financial management, with assistance and support from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, to convene a local levy reduction technical working group to develop a phase-in plan for reducing the local authority for school districts and eliminating grandfathered levy authority.

Imposes on all individuals, beginning January 1, 2016, a tax for the privilege of: (1) Selling or exchanging long-term capital assets; or

(2) Receiving Washington capital gains.

Allows a business and occupation tax deduction against a person's gross income of the business to the extent necessary to avoid taxing the same amounts under chapter 82.04 RCW and section 303 of this act.

Requires revenue collected under this act to be deposited in the education legacy trust account which must only be spent on the program of basic education.

Establishes a phase-in plan for meeting basic education obligations to reduce class sizes throughout the K-12 system.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Ways & Means.

SB 6105

by Senators Baumgartner and Dansel


Creating a new traffic offense of aggravated left lane driving.


Creates the offense of aggravated left lane driving which is described as driving continuously under the maximum speed limit in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Transportation.

SB 6106

by Senator Chase


Addressing the assignment of employee's rights to inventions.


Addresses the assignment of employee's rights to inventions.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Commerce & Labor.

SB 6107

by Senator Chase


Regarding the assignment of intellectual property rights at institutions of higher education.


Addresses the assignment of intellectual property rights at institutions of higher education.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Law & Justice.

SB 6108

by Senators O'Ban and Padden


Requiring state wide elected officials and candidates to disclose knowledge of criminal investigations.


Requires statewide elected officials and candidates for statewide elected office to, by July 31st of each year, certify in a written statement that either: (1) He or she has no actual knowledge of criminal charges pending against him or her or of an ongoing criminal investigation in which he or she is a suspect or person of interest conducted by a federal, state, or local law enforcement organization; or

(2) He or she has actual knowledge that criminal charges have been filed against him or her or that he or she is a suspect or person of interest in an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Law & Justice.

SB 6109

by Senators Dammeier, Litzow, Hill, Fain, Becker, Rivers, King, Braun, Honeyford, Schoesler, and Sheldon


Concerning compliance with constitutional basic education requirements.


Declares an intent to take the following actions, many of which implement or modify the recommendations of the compensation technical working group: (1) Assume full responsibility for providing sufficient funds to attract and retain competent teachers;

(2) Phase in competitive wages for certificated instructional staff beginning in the 2017-2018 school year;

(3) Create a rational basis for the salary levels for educators;

(4) Maintain comparable wage levels for all state-funded K-12 administrative, instructional, and classified staff;

(5) Reduce the overreliance on local levy funding;

(6) Preserve local effort assistance; and

(7) Establish a school employees' benefits board as part of a consolidated school district employees' health benefits purchasing program in the state health care authority.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Ways & Means.

SB 6110

by Senators McCoy and Hasegawa


Concerning the cancellation of motor vehicle purchases or lease contracts with vehicle dealers.


Allows a motor vehicle purchase or lease contract with a vehicle dealer to be canceled at the option of the purchaser, if certain conditions are met.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Commerce & Labor.


Senate Joint Resolutions

SJR 8206

by Senators Ranker, Hargrove, Keiser, Kohl-Welles, Nelson, and Hatfield


Providing a constitutional limit on the dollar amount upon which capital gain tax may be imposed or measured.


Proposes an amendment to the state Constitution providing a constitutional limit on the dollar amount upon which capital gain tax may be imposed or measured.
-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Apr 16First reading, referred to Ways & Means.