Brief Description: Creating the governor's interagency coordinating council on health disparities.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Franklin, Regala, Eide, Prentice, Fraser, Brown, Kline, Kohl-Welles and Shin).

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Health Care
House Committee on Appropriations

Background: Persons of color experience significant disparities from the general population in education, employment, healthful living conditions, access to health care, and other social determinants of health. The inability to access culturally appropriate health care results in higher rates of morbidity and mortality for persons of color.

For quite some time, communities of color have been voicing concerns about health disparities. Out of these concerns and policy makers' sensitivity to the issue, Senate Concurrent Resolution 8419 was introduced and passed by the Legislature in 2004 creating the Joint Select Committee on Health Disparities.

The committee issued a report on health disparities in Washington on November 1, 2005. The report included findings and recommendations to be considered by the Legislature. The committee identified the need to facilitate communication between state agencies, communities of color, and the public and private sector regarding the issues surrounding health disparities.

Summary: The Governor's Interagency Coordinating Council on Health Disparities is established.

The council consists of members from state commissions, boards and councils relevant to education, commerce, health care consumers, the Department of Early Learning and workforce training.

The council is required to hold public hearings, gather information, and conduct studies to understand how the actions of state government can contribute to or help reduce health disparities. The council is required to meet at least two times per calendar year.

The Board of Health is required to conduct health impact reviews in collaboration with the Governor's Interagency Coordinating Council on Health Disparities. Health impact reviews are defined as a review of a legislative or budgetary proposal that determines the extent to which the proposal improves or exacerbates health disparities.

Any state legislator or the Governor can request a health impact review.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      43   4
House      58   40   (House amended)
Senate      38   10   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 7, 2006