Addressing fair dental insurance practices.

Requires a health carrier that offers a dental plan to maintain a documented utilization review program description and written utilization criteria based on prevention of dental disease and chronic disease implications.

Prohibits a health carrier that offers a dental plan from subjecting a provider to an additional level of oversight under the health carrier's provider agreement solely because the provider, on behalf of a patient, files an appeal or grievance.

Requires the office of the insurance commissioner to convene a work group of interested stakeholders, including carriers that offer stand-alone dental plans, to examine current health carrier practices related to the contents of stand-alone dental plans' explanations of benefits sent to covered persons.

Provides a January 1, 2018, expiration date for the work group.

Providing students at community and technical colleges with the costs of required course materials.

Requires community and technical colleges to: (1) No later than the first full quarter after a college has implemented the ctcLink system, and to the maximum extent practicable, provide the following information to students during registration: The cost of required textbooks or other course materials and whether a course uses open educational resources; and

(2) Report to the state board for community and technical colleges which courses provided costs to students for textbooks and course materials during registration and what percent of total classes this equaled.

Ensuring the ongoing viability of safe, reliable, on-site sewage systems in marine counties by identifying best management practices with accountability in on-site program management plans without creating or newly authorizing a fee or other program funding source.

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

Authorizes the governing authority of a city with a population of greater than fifty thousand that is located in a county with a population of less than one million five hundred thousand to adopt a local sales and use tax exemption program to incentivize the development of commercial office space in urban centers with access to transit, high capacity transportation systems, and other amenities.

Requires the joint legislative audit and review committee to study the effectiveness of the local sales and use tax exemption program.

Addressing workplace practices to achieve gender pay equity.

Addressing workplace practices to achieve gender pay equity.

Updates the existing state equal pay act to address income disparities, employer discrimination, and retaliation practices, and to reflect the equal status of workers in this state.

Establishing a community aviation revitalization loan program.

Creates an airport infrastructure loan program, to be known as the community aviation revitalization loan program, for political subdivisions of the state that own or manage airports to acquire loans to fund capital projects.

Requires the aviation division of the department of transportation to administer the loan program.

Creates the community aviation revitalization loan oversight task force to oversee and provide consultation to the department of transportation in relation to the loan program.

Exempts the following from disclosure under the public records act: Financial and commercial information and records supplied by businesses or individuals during application for loans or program services provided by the loan program.

Protecting taxpayers by providing for accountability and transparency in government contracting.

Establishes the taxpayer protection act.

Requires an agency to meet the criteria in RCW 41.06.142 (section 6 of this act) and conduct a comprehensive impact assessment if the estimated cost of contract performance is greater than twenty thousand dollars before issuing a request for a proposal under chapter 39.26 RCW, to contract out to purchase from a private sector entity or nonprofit organization, goods and services that have been customarily and historically provided by public employees.

Concerning the responsibilities of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Establishing a legislative task force to review issues relating to the responsibilities of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education. )

Concerning noncompetition agreements.

Requires an employer, in order for a noncompetition agreement to be enforceable, to: (1) Disclose the terms of the agreement in writing to the prospective employee no later than the time of the acceptance of the offer of employment; or

Addressing the budgeting process for core state services for children.

Requires the state institute for public policy, in consultation with the department of social and health services, to develop a single validated tool to assess the care needs of foster children.

Requires the department of social and health services to: (1) Once the validated tool is available for use on a statewide basis, use the tool for assessing the care needs of foster children, including whether the department should provide foster children with behavioral rehabilitation services; and

(2) Notify the caseload forecast council, the office of financial management, and the appropriate fiscal committees of the legislature when it begins statewide use of the validated tool.

Requires the department of social and health services children's administration to, as part of its budget request submittal for the 2018 supplemental operating budget, conduct a review of the most recent caseload forecast of children in foster care and the availability and capacity of licensed foster homes.

Requires foster care, adoption support and related services, and child protective services to: (1) Be included in the forecast of the caseload forecast council; and

Concerning discover passes for state and national guard members.

Requires the department of fish and wildlife, the department of natural resources, and the parks and recreation commission, upon request to, provide one complimentary discover pass per year to a resident that is a member of the state guard or national guard as long as he or she: (1) Is an active full-time member; or

Expanding opportunities for higher education students.

Creates the medical student loan program to increase the rural physician workforce in the state.

Requires the office of student financial assistance to administer the program.

Concerning the taxation of vapor products.

Clarifies that the tax on tobacco products applies to electronic cigarettes, electronic devices, vape pens, and other vaping products.

Includes in the definition of "tobacco products" for purposes of chapter 82.26 RCW (tax on tobacco products): A product containing a solution or other consumable substance that contains tobacco or nicotine derived from tobacco that employs a mechanical heating element, battery, or electronic circuit that can be used to produce vapor from the solution or other substance.

-- 2017 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 9	First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).