Concerning the capital budget.

Ensuring that water is available to support development.

Addresses the availability of water to support development.

Requires the department of ecology to: (1) Establish watershed restoration and enhancement committees in certain water resource inventory areas;

(2) Prepare and adopt a watershed restoration and enhancement plan for certain watersheds in collaboration with the committee; and

(3) Initiate two pilot projects to measure water use from all new groundwater withdrawals for domestic purposes exempt from permitting.

Creates the joint legislative task force on water resource mitigation to: (1) Review the treatment of surface water and groundwater appropriations as they relate to instream flows and fish habitat;

(2) Develop and recommend a mitigation sequencing process and scoring system to address appropriations; and

(3) Review the state supreme court decision in Foster v. Department of Ecology.

Declares an intent to appropriate three hundred million dollars for projects to achieve the goals of this act.

Requiring the insurance commissioner to review a health carrier's surplus levels in its rate filing review process.

Requires the insurance commissioner to, for certain individual and small group rate filings submitted by a nonprofit health carrier for the individual or small group markets: (1) Review the carrier's surplus levels as an element in determining the reasonableness of the proposed rate; and

Concerning the creation of housing opportunity zones by cities and counties.

Addresses the need to increase transit-oriented housing production.

Finds that more compact and efficient development within a one-half mile distance around transit facilities have shown value in providing affordable housing.

Declares the intent of the legislature is to create an opt-in pilot program for cities and counties to: (1) Enable and encourage compact and efficient development within a one-half mile distance around transit facilities; and

(2) Choose to participate in the opportunity to access financial resources in exchange for streamlined residential project approval and reduced fees charged to specific housing projects.

Authorizes residential developments within a designated housing opportunity zone to participate in a city's or county's multifamily tax exemption program or similar program even if outside of a designated residential target area.

Requires the department of commerce to maintain maps of housing opportunity zones and areas eligible for designation as housing opportunity zones.

Requires the local ordinance by which impact fees are imposed to provide for the exemptions required by this act.

Incentivizing the development of commercial office space in cities with a population of greater than thirty-five thousand and located in a county with a population of less than one million five hundred thousand.

Provides an incentive to stimulate commercial office space development in urban centers outside major metropolitan areas.

Provides certain cities with local options to incentivize the development of commercial office space in urban centers with access to transit, transportation systems, and other amenities.

Allows a governing authority of a city to designate a commercial office space development area, and within the area: (1) Adopt a local sales and use tax remittance program to incentivize the development of commercial office space; and

(2) Establish a local property tax reinvestment program to make public improvements that incentivize the development of commercial office space.

Concerning access to the Washington early childhood education and assistance program.

Provides more flexibility in determining eligibility for the early childhood education and assistance program to maximize the state's investment and assure that program funding is deployed to serve the greatest number of children and families.

Concerning criminal justice.

Modifies penalties for a person who drives a motor vehicle while that person is in a suspended or revoked status.

Changes the name of the "diversion program" to the "relicensing program" and modifies the eligibility requirements for the program.

Requires a county or city, in order to receive appropriated funds, to also: (1) Provide documentation that attorneys providing public defense services are in compliance with the state supreme court standards for indigent defense; and

(2) Collect, for certain hours billed, from each individual or organization that contracts to perform public defense services.

Updating the environmental and sustainability literacy plan.

Requires the superintendent of public instruction to convene a work group to update the environmental and sustainability literacy plan and develop grade appropriate demonstration lessons that connect to adopted state standards.

Includes demonstration lessons based on the state environmental and sustainability literacy plan in the definition of "courseware," for purposes of this act.

Cleaning up toxic substances from Washington's marine waters.

Finds that nearshore marine waters in the Puget Sound portion of the Salish Sea are critical to the production of benthic organisms that support the entire food chain.

Requires the Puget Sound partnership, in consultation with the department of ecology, to prepare a report on the effectiveness and pace of the removal of toxic substances from nearshore areas of Puget Sound and provide the report to the appropriate committees of the senate and house of representatives.

Requires the department of ecology to: (1) Prioritize funding of remedial actions at nearshore and marine zones that impact the recovery of Puget Sound, including the removal of creosote pilings; and

Concerning the internet.

Establishes the net neutrality act.

Finds that the federal communications commission has repealed net neutrality rules intended to protect consumers and to ensure fair and reasonable access to the internet.

Declares an intent to: (1) Ensure that corporations do not impede competition or engage in deceptive consumer practices and that they offer service to customers on a nondiscriminatory basis; and

(2) Ensure certain principles are met in the provision of internet services.

Requires the director of the consolidated technology services agency to: (1) Adopt guidelines that identify and specify the state government's role as an internet customer;

(2) Use that customer power to ensure implementation of this act; and

(3) Establish sample master contracts for public entities to be used as an incentive for internet service providers to comply with the net neutrality standards.

Authorizing an alternative form of regulation of electrical and natural gas companies.

Authorizes the utilities and transportation commission to, under certain conditions, regulate an electrical or gas company by authorizing an alternative form of regulation.

Requires electrical companies, gas companies, and the commission to use the carbon planning adder when evaluating and selecting conservation policies, programs, and targets.

Requires electrical companies to use the carbon planning adder in developing and evaluating integrated resource plans and evaluating and selecting long-term resource options.

Concerning physical therapist supervision of assistive personnel.

Requires supervision by a physical therapist for the reevaluation of a patient, as follows, if patient care is given by a physical therapist assistant or other assistive personnel: The later of every fifth visit or every thirty days if a physical therapist has not treated the patient for any of the five visits or within the thirty days.

Authorizes a physical therapist, at any one time, to: (1) Supervise up to a total of three assistive personnel; or

Extending existing telecommunications authority to all ports in Washington state in order to facilitate public-private partnerships in wholesale telecommunications services and infrastructure.

Exchanging and aligning specific powers, duties, and functions of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education.

Concerning attorneys' fees on public works contracts.

Addressing overtime compensation for seasonal employees at agricultural fairs.

Concerning the consumption of alcohol for certain special events held on agricultural fairgrounds.

Authorizing certain fairs with special occasion licenses to have multiple concessionaires.

Authorizes special occasion licensees to have multiple vendors and service locations within a fair venue for the sale of spirits, beer, and wine if: (1) It is for an agricultural area fair, a county or district fair, or a community fair; and

Concerning homeowner association and condominium bylaws.

Providing a business and occupation tax credit for certain processing.

Concerning electric-assisted bicycles.

Modifies electric-assisted bicycle provisions with regard to: Permanently affixed stamps from the manufacturer or distributor; driver's license not required for operation; and prohibitions on where they may be driven.

Establishing healthy workplaces.

Prohibits an employee from being subjected to an abusive work environment.

Prohibits an employer or employee from retaliating in any manner against an employee who has: (1) Opposed an unlawful employment practice under this act; or

Concerning foster youth health care benefits.

Extends the date in which certain behavioral health services must be integrated into the managed health care plan for foster children.

Addressing the disposal of recreational vehicles abandoned on public property.

Authorizes a registered tow truck operator to transport an abandoned recreational vehicle without being licensed as a hulk hauler.

Requires the department of licensing, before accepting an application for a registration for a recreational vehicle, to collect a six-dollar abandoned recreational disposal fee from the applicant in addition to other fees and taxes.

Allows registered tow truck operators, vehicle wreckers, or scrap processors, to apply to the department of licensing for financial aid for the transport, storage, dismantling, and disposal of abandoned recreational vehicles from public property.

Authorizes a solid waste disposal site that is compliant with all applicable regulations to wreck a nonmotorized abandoned recreational vehicle.

Makes an appropriation from the motor vehicle fund to the department of licensing for the purposes of this act.

Clarifying the collection process for existing vehicle service transactions.

Reducing the state property taxes payable in calendar years 2018 and 2019.

Concerning the I-5/Exit 274 interchange project.

Makes an appropriation from the connecting Washington account - state funds for the department of transportation to complete an interchange justification report and begin environmental review for an I-5/Exit 274 interchange project in Blaine.

Requires the department of transportation to: (1) Actively pursue 12.9 million dollars in additional funds to pay for the remainder of the project's estimated cost; and

Transferring the working connections and seasonal child care programs to the department of children, youth, and families.

Concerning benefits and exclusion within dental benefit coverage.

Addressing joint self-insurance programs for property and liability risks.

Authorizes a qualifying state agency to participate in: (1) A local government joint self-insurance program formed or operating in accordance with chapter 48.62 RCW regarding local government insurance transactions; and

(2) The program to obtain liability insurance coverage.

Modifying alcohol sales by distributors.

Authorizes a person holding a wine distributor license to sell wine or cider directly to consumers for off-premises consumption, subject to certain requirements.

Authorizes a person holding a beer distributor license to, subject to certain requirements, sell malt beverages directly to: (1) Bona fide, full-time employees; or

Providing postsecondary education to enhance education opportunities and public safety.

Ensuring consumers rights to internet transparency.

Requires a person engaged in the provision of broadband internet access service in the state to publicly disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of its services sufficient for consumers to make informed choices regarding the use of those services.

Finds a broadband internet access provider in violation of this act if the provider makes assertions about its service that contain errors, are inconsistent with the provider's disclosure statement, or are misleading or deceptive.

Prohibits the department of enterprise services, the office of the chief information officer, and all other state agencies from entering into contracts with vendors offering broadband internet access services unless the vendor commits to providing equal connection for all users to lawful internet content, applications, and services.

Concerning the Federal Way school district regionalization factor used for compensation.

Expanding the list of authorized provider types to treat injured workers suffering from mental health conditions caused by their industrial injury or occupational disease.

Modifies the state industrial insurance act to include the availability of mental health therapy and evaluation to injured workers.

Promoting renewable natural gas.

Requires the Washington State University extension energy program and the department of commerce to submit, by September 1, 2018, recommendations to the governor's office and the legislative energy committees on how to promote sustainable development of renewable natural gas in the state.

Requires the department of commerce to: (1) In consultation with the department of ecology and the department of health, develop voluntary gas quality standards for renewable natural gas; and

(2) Consult industry groups and identify industry best practices.

Provides a sales and use tax exemption for equipment necessary to process biogas from a landfill into marketable coproducts.

Creating a community aviation revitalization board.

Creates the community aviation revitalization board and authorizes the board to: (1) Make direct loans to political subdivisions of the state and privately owned airports for the purpose of improvements at public use airports that primarily support general aviation activities; and

(2) Provide loans to privately owned airports for the purpose of airport improvements if certain conditions are met.

Requires the department of transportation to provide management services, including fiscal and contract services, to assist the board in implementing this act.

Designating apple pie as the official pie of Washington.

Expanding the activities of the children's mental health services consultation program.

Requires the state health care authority, in collaboration with the University of Washington department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and Seattle Children's Hospital to implement a program called the partnership access line for moms and kids to: (1) Support primary care providers in the assessment and provision of appropriate diagnosis and treatment of children with mental and behavioral health disorders;

(2) Support obstetricians, pediatricians, primary care providers, mental health professionals, and other health care professionals providing care to pregnant women and new mothers, through same-day telephone consultations, in the assessment and provision of appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression in pregnant women and new mothers; and

Concerning legal support for kinship caregivers.

Authorizes the department of social and health services to: (1) Purchase legal representation for kinship caregivers of children who are at risk of being dependent, or who are dependent; and

(2) Secure orders establishing relevant civil legal relationships authorized by law.

Expanding access to pharmacy services.

States that a retail community pharmacy that requests to enter into a contractual agreement to join a retail pharmacy network and accepts the terms, conditions, formularies, and requirements of the pharmacy services of that network, shall be considered part of a pharmacy benefit manager's retail pharmacy network for purposes of an enrollee's or dependent's right to choose where to purchase covered prescription drugs.

Requires a health benefit plan or pharmacy benefit manager to: (1) Accept a retail community pharmacy as part of a pharmacy benefit manager's retail pharmacy network; and

Requiring minimum liability insurance coverage for certain towing expenses.

Concerning the protection of military installations operated by the United States armed services from incompatible development.

Requires the department of commerce to establish a competitive process to solicit proposals for and prioritize projects whose primary objective is to increase the compatibility of surrounding land uses with current or future missions at military bases within the state.

Requires each county and city planning under the growth management act that has a federal military installation, other than a reserve center or a recruiting center, that is operated by the United States armed services within or adjacent to its border, to notify the commander of the military installation of proposals by the county or city to amend a comprehensive plan or development regulations if the proposal applies to lands where development may interfere with the installation's ability to carry out its current or future mission requirements.

Limiting actions against real estate appraisers.

Requires an action to recover damages against a real estate appraiser arising out of the appraiser's real estate activity to be brought within one year from the date of discovery of the act or omission giving rise to the action.

Concerning additional enrichment levy amounts to fund early learning programs.

Authorizes a school district, beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2019, to levy an additional enrichment levy dollar amount not to exceed an amount equal to twenty-five cents per thousand dollars of the assessed value of property in the school district.

Transferring duties of the life sciences discovery fund.

Requires the department of commerce to designate a nonprofit organization to receive funds previously administered by the life sciences discovery fund authority through the life sciences discovery fund.

Requires the designated organization to be established with a primary mission of growing and sustaining the life science ecosystem within the state.

Adjusts the functions of the life sciences discovery fund.

Concerning student access to school libraries and information technology.

Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to examine and report on student access to school library information and technology resources and associated impacts to student success.

Creates the school library information and technology office, within the office of the superintendent of public instruction, to: (1) Assist districts with implementing school library information and technology programs;

(2) Increase access for students to these programs; and

Addressing employee benefits provided by the school employees' benefits board.

Finds that school districts and educational service districts in many rural and urban areas must aggressively compete for employees and they need to offer better employee benefits and/or benefits at a lower cost to recruit and retain employees.

Concerning the seller's real estate disclosure regarding oil tank insurance.

Providing a tiered tax on the possession of hazardous substances to provide for the current program's immediate needs and a more stable source of revenue in the future.

Changes the hazardous substance tax rate, from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2026, until the department of revenue determines that total aggregate taxes for the current fiscal year collected equal or exceed one hundred ten million dollars.

Studying the cliff effect in the working connections child care program.

Finds that, when a parent is enrolled in working connections child care, he or she may be unable to seek advancement or promotion at their job because exceeding designated income thresholds result in a reduced subsidy.

Requiring a regional transit authority to receive additional approval from voters if the cost to complete a regional transit system plan approved by voters in 2016 increases beyond fifty-four billion dollars or any additions or subtractions of projects or significant project scope when compared to the system plan are made.

Requires a regional transit authority to: (1) Once it has expended eighty percent of the funding elements identified in a regional transit system plan adopted by the authority board in June 2016, hire an independent auditor to determine if remaining unspent funding elements are sufficient to complete the system plan as approved by the authority's voters in 2016; and

Standardizing practices relating to the commitment and release of persons committed to a state institution after committing acts of felony violence.

Concerning families in need of services.

Repeals chapter 13.32A RCW (the family reconciliation act) and creates a new chapter (the family in need of services act).

Recognizes that there is a need to provide support to youth and families who are experiencing severe conflict.

Finds that, under the family reconciliation act, at-risk youth petitions and child in need of services petitions were available for youth and families to request assistance.

Finds that this system was established to recognize early warning signs of risk and provide an avenue through the juvenile court system to request crisis intervention and services to stabilize the family.

Declares an intent to create an early public system response designed to address family crisis by: (1) Merging those petitions into the family in need of services petition;

(2) Providing a legal process by which families that are experiencing crisis can request and receive prompt assistance from juvenile courts;

(3) Providing residential placement and therapeutic support for the youth; and

Expanding community-based behavioral health facilities through issuance of state bonds.

Authorizes the state finance committee to issue general obligation bonds to provide needed capital improvements to increase behavioral health services in community settings.

Regulating opioid medications at educational institutions.

Increases access to opioid overdose medication at kindergarten through twelfth grade schools and institutions of higher education.

Strengthens public health surveillance by requiring collection and reporting of certain opioid overdose-related data.

Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to: (1) In consultation with the department of health, develop opioid-related overdose policy guidelines and training requirements for public schools and school districts;

(2) Develop and administer a grant program to provide funding to public schools with any of grades kindergarten through twelve and public institutions of higher education to train personnel on the administration of the medication to respond to symptoms of an overdose; and

Concerning health carrier provider networks.

Requires the insurance commissioner, in reviewing and approving a health plan, to affirmatively approve the adequacy of the plan's proposed provider network.

Requires a health plan to: (1) Permit an enrollee, under certain circumstances, to petition the plan to cover health care services delivered by an out-of-network provider;

(2) Ensure that an enrollee cost-sharing obligation is included, if certain conditions are met, in the enrollee's in-network deductible and maximum out-of-pocket expenses; and

(3) If the plan is issued or renewed after December 31, 2018, publish and maintain a provider directory with information on contracting providers that deliver health care services to the plan's enrollees.

Developing model policies to create workplaces that are safe from sexual harassment.

Requires the human rights commission to: (1) Convene a stakeholder work group to develop model policies and best practices for employers and employees to keep workplaces safe from sexual harassment;

(2) Adopt model policies and best practices developed by the work group for employers and employees to keep workplaces safe from sexual harassment; and

(3) Post the policies and practices on its web site.

Concerning Indian health care in Washington state.

Creates the governor's Indian health council to provide the resources necessary to: (1) Implement the national policy of Indian self-determination; and

(2) Assure the highest possible health status for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Preventing fires in rental dwelling units.

Directs the state director of fire protection to: (1) Investigate ways to prevent fire deaths in rental dwellings;

(2) Educate landlords and tenants regarding their responsibilities;

(3) Develop possible criminal penalties;

(4) Evaluate insurance certification requirements or changes to the building code, and other possible programs or funding that would improve installation and maintenance of smoke detectors in rental apartments and single-family homes; and

(5) Form a task force of stakeholders including landlords of residential units, tenants, local governments, firefighters, representatives from home builders and construction trades, the insurance industry, and a nonprofit that provides free smoke detectors and installation.

-- 2018 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 18	First reading, referred to Financial Institutions & Insurance.
Jan 23	Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance at 8:30 AM. (Subject to change)