Title: An act relating to adding porphyria to the list of disabilities for special parking privileges.

Brief Description: Adding porphyria to the list of disabilities for special parking privileges.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Kagi and Moeller).

Brief History:

Transportation: 1/16/06, 1/31/06 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/9/06, 98-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 26 members: Representatives Wallace, Vice Chair; Woods, Ranking Minority Member; Appleton, Buck, Campbell, Clibborn, Curtis, Dickerson, Ericksen, Flannigan, Holmquist, Hudgins, Jarrett, Kilmer, Lovick, Morris, Nixon, Rodne, Schindler, Sells, Shabro, Simpson, B. Sullivan, Takko, Upthegrove and Wood.

Staff: David Munnecke (786-7315).

Background:

Porphyria refers to a group of at least eight inheritable metabolic disorders characterized by the build-up of porphyrins or porphyrin precursors in the body due to the lack of enzymes necessary to metabolize these chemicals. In many of these disorders, the accumulation of porphyrin in the skin can cause burning, blistering, swelling and scarring of sun-exposed areas.

The Department of Licensing is required to grant special parking privileges to any person that has a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk and meets one of the following criteria, as determined by a licensed physician or an advanced nurse practitioner:

• cannot walk further than 200 feet without stopping to rest;
• is severely limited in the ability to walk due to arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition;
• is so severely disabled that the person cannot walk without an assistive device;
• uses portable oxygen;
• is restricted by lung disease to a particular extent;
• is impaired by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to a particular extent; or
• has a disability resulting from acute sensitivity to automobile emissions that impairs the ability to walk.

Other states have added conditions that do not involve limits or impairments to the ability to walk to the list of disability that merit the granting of special parking privileges.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

Adds persons restricted by a form of porphyria to the extent that they would benefit from a decrease in exposure to light to the list of persons to whom the Director of the Department of Licensing shall grant special parking privileges.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect on July 1, 2006.

Testimony For: Special parking permits are currently issued based on restrictions on a persons ability to walk. It is medical fraud for a physician to issue a special parking permit for anything other than the listed conditions. Porphyria should be included so that people with the condition can limit their exposure to sunlight.

Porphyria is an inheritable life-threatening disease with no cure. It is tremendously painful and severely limits life activities. The ultraviolet rays in sunlight are what causes the problem, and sunscreen has no effect. This bill is a chance to make life easier for porphyria sufferers.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Kagi, prime sponsor; David McRae; and Bruce Milliman.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.