HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHB 1517

 

 

 

As Passed House:

June 4, 2001

 

Title:  An act relating to quality improvement.

 

Brief Description:  Establishing quality management programs.

 

Sponsors:  By House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Miloscia, Anderson, Dunshee, Jarrett, Hunt, Keiser, Lambert, Ruderman, Rockefeller, Fromhold, Schindler, Boldt, Kenney, Simpson, Barlean, Tokuda and Dickerson).

 

Brief History: 

Committee Activity: 

State Government:  2/21/01, 2/26/01 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 3/13/01, 95-0.

First Special Session

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 5/3/01, 89-0.

Second Special Session

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 6/4/01, 86-0.

 

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

 

$Requires every state executive agency to develop and implement a quality management program to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public services it provides using business process redesign, employee involvement, and other quality management techniques.

 

$Requires both houses of the Legislature to develop and implement a similar quality management program.

 

$Encourages the supreme court to develop and implement a similar quality management program for the judicial branch of state government.

 

$Encourages each local government to develop and implement a similar quality management program.

 

$Includes a ?null and void@ clause.

 

 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

 

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 8 members: Representatives McMorris, Republican Co‑Chair; Romero, Democratic Co‑Chair; Miloscia, Democratic Vice Chair; Schindler, Republican Vice Chair; Haigh, Lambert, McDermott and D. Schmidt.

 

Staff:  Steve Lundin (786‑7127).

 

Background:

 

The Governor issued Executive Order 97‑03 in 1997 requiring all agencies to develop and implement programs to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of public services they provide using quality improvement, business process redesign, employee involvement, and other quality improvement techniques.  Quality improvement plans were required to be submitted to the Governor by no later than July 1, 1997.  Each agency is required to make quarterly reports on its programs.

 

The Governor's Council on Service Improvement and Performance was established to advise the Governor on quality improvements.  Membership on the council includes representatives from business, labor, media, and higher education communities, along with members of the Governor's executive cabinet.

 

 

Summary of Bill: 

 

Many of the provisions of Executive Order 97‑03, relating to quality improvement programs, are placed into statute.  Efforts taken under this statutory program are to be integrated with quality management programs undertaken under an executive order or other authority.

 

Every state executive agency must develop and implement a quality management program to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public services it provides using business process redesign, employee involvement, and other quality management techniques.  Each plan shall:

$Designate a person who is responsible for improving quality systems and work processes in the agency;

$Identify immediate‑term and near‑term opportunities to improve services and reduce costs;

$Identify goals and use strategic business planning and performance measures to establish priorities and measure progress toward meeting them, including performance measures assessing consumer satisfaction and agency progress toward accomplishing outcomes specified in its budget;

$Report the results of its quality management program on a quarterly basis;

$Evaluate the results of its quality, service, and management improvement programs and assess program effects; and

$Develop a plan for quality improvement that documents efforts that have been made.

 

State executive agencies under the supervision of the Governor report program results regularly to any subagency group that the Governor has created to monitor management improvement results.  State executive agencies under elected executive officials other than the Governor report program results to this executive official regularly.

 

Each state executive agency must develop and implement a complete quality management program by June 30, 2002.

 

Starting in 2004 and at least once every three years thereafter, state executive agencies shall submit successful and high quality management programs to the Governor's Washington State Quality Award Program or equivalent program for potential recognition.

 

Both houses of the Legislature must develop and implement similar high quality improvement programs by June 30, 2003, but the results are to be reported to the leadership of each major political party caucus in its house.

 

The supreme court is encouraged to develop and implement similar high quality improvement programs for the judicial branch of government by June 30, 2003, but the results are to be reported to the chief justice.  The programs may be implemented directly by the court or may be delegated to the Administrator for the Courts.

 

Local governments are encouraged to develop and implement quality management programs.

 

The bill is null and void unless funded in the budget.

 

 

Appropriation:  None.

 

Fiscal Note:  Preliminary fiscal note available.

 

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

 

Testimony For:  We need efficiency now rather than raising taxes or cutting programs.  All major corporations have quality management programs.  We currently have uneven quality management programs.

 

Testimony Against:  None.

 

Testified:  Representative Miloscia, prime sponsor; Jamie Havara, Department of Transportation; and Duke Schaub, Associated General Contractors of Washington.