| VETO MESSAGE ON SSB 5913 |
| May 19, 2009 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I have approved, except for Section 1, Substitute Senate Bill 5913 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to online access to the University of Washington health sciences library by certain health care providers; and amending RCW 43.70.110 and 43.70.112." |
| I fully support the intent of this legislation, including its clarification that the existing surcharge to health care professionals should be assessed only once per year, regardless of the number of licenses a professional holds. Unfortunately, Section 1 also requires the Department of Health (Department) to create an ongoing, annual advisory group. Establishing new advisory groups in statute is contrary to our recent efforts to reduce the number of boards, commissions and advisory groups across all of state government. There are other, more efficient ways to keep interested parties informed and engaged on emerging issues. |
| Given the importance of this to many, I ask that Department pursue all available options to address the surcharge issue administratively. I also recommend that Department convene stakeholders to solicit feedback about the program and provide recommendations. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 1 of Substitute Senate Bill 5913. |
| With the exception of Section 1, Substitute Senate Bill 5913 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine O. Gregoire |
| Governor |