Concerning correctional cost savings.

Addresses consecutive and concurrent sentences and community placements for purposes of the sentencing reform act of 1981 and the sentencing for certain crimes committed before July 1, 2000.

Concerning benefit managers.

Requires a health benefit manager to: (1) Before conducting business in this state, register with the office of the insurance commissioner and annually renew the registration; and

(2) File contracts and amendments to the contracts, executed between the health benefit manager and health carrier, with the insurance commissioner thirty days before use.

Requires a pharmacy benefit manager to file contracts and amendments to the contracts, executed between the pharmacy benefit manager and an insurer or third-party payor, with the insurance commissioner thirty days before use.

Concerning responses to violations of conditions of community custody related to in lieu of earned early release time.

Addressing county commissioner elections.

Establishes the responsible representation act.

Providing a sales and use tax exemption for vehicles and equipment used by first responders.

Concerning suicide prevention and behavioral health in higher education, with enhanced services to student veterans.

Requires the department of health to: (1) In collaboration with the student achievement council, develop a statewide resource for behavioral health and suicide prevention for the state's postsecondary institutions;

(2) Convene and consult with a work group that consists of representatives from stakeholder groups; and

(3) Contract with an entity that has suicide prevention expertise.

Creates the suicide prevention in higher education grant program to provide funding to postsecondary institutions for the institutions to create partnerships with health care entities to provide mental health, behavioral health, and suicide prevention to students in their institutions.

Requires the student achievement council to administer the grant program in collaboration with the work group convened by the department.

Concerning the legal and geographical review requirements for the conditional release of sexually violent predators to a less restrictive alternative.

Allowing limited storm and sanitary sewer systems for rural economic development in the growth management act.

Eliminating the sunset provision associated with the drug offense sentencing grid.

Requiring multiple terms of community custody or community supervision to run concurrently unless the court orders otherwise.

Addresses consecutive and concurrent sentences and community placements for purposes of the sentencing reform act of 1981 and the sentencing for certain crimes committed before July 1, 2000.

Revising the establishment of marine pilotage tariffs.

Removes the following duties and options from the board of pilotage commissioners and places them on the utilities and transportation commission: (1) Establishing the pilotage tariffs for pilotage services provided under chapter 88.16 RCW (the pilotage act);

(2) Establishing extra compensation for extra services to vessels in distress, for awaiting vessels, for vessels in direct transit to or from a Canadian port where Puget Sound pilotage is required for a portion of the voyage, or for being carried to sea on vessels against the will of the pilot; and

(3) As an element of the Puget Sound pilotage district tariff, considering pilot retirement plan expenses incurred in the prior year in either pilotage district.

Concerning certificate of need exemptions for certain ambulatory facilities and centers.

Concerning unemployment compensation for musicians.

Limiting noncompetition agreements.

Addresses the protection of workers from work restrictions.

Prohibits an employer from restricting, restraining, or prohibiting an employee, who works fewer than forty hours per week or earns less that two hundred percent of the applicable state or local minimum wage, from: (1) Having an additional job;

(2) Supplementing their income by working for another employer;

(3) Working as an independent contractor; or

Concerning the tolling of construction defect claims.

Concerning special education funding.

Modifies provisions regarding appropriations for special education programs.

Revises the definition of "funded enrollment percent," to include the actual enrollment percent if above thirteen and five-tenths percent, for school districts with a student enrollment under one thousand students.

Requires the state allocation for the special education safety net to be specified in the omnibus appropriations act which must be at least five percent of the total allocated to school districts under RCW 28A.150.390 (2) (b) (section 1 (2) (b) of this act).

Encourages school districts to participate in the establishment or continuation of existing cooperative programs between or among school districts, or educational service districts and school districts, to provide special education and services to eligible students with disabilities.

Concerning final implementation of education funding reform.

Finds that: (1) The court ruled in its November 15, 2017, order that it is satisfied that the new salary model provides for full state funding of basic education salaries sufficient to recruit and retain competent teachers, administrators, and staff;

(2) The court took exception that the 2017-2019 budget funds only half of the salary increase called for by the 2018-2019 school year, deferring full funding until the 2019-2020 school year; and

(3) Fully implementing state salary allocations in the 2018-2019 school year substantially alters the carefully calibrated balance between state and local sources of funding for school districts.

Declares an intent to: (1) Recalibrate the balance of state and local funding for school districts in light of the court's latest order;

(2) Fully implement the salary allocations in school year 2018-2019 if school districts accelerate the implementation of certain accounting and budget transparency requirements; and

Concerning noncompetition agreements.

Improving tax and licensing laws administered by the department of revenue, but not including changes to tax laws that are estimated to affect state or local tax collections as reflected in any fiscal note prepared and approved under the process established in chapter 43.88A RCW.

Eliminating various occupational licensure and certification requirements through creation of a state review web site.

Requires the department of licensing to create the Washington effective licensing port web site, which is a comprehensive and user-friendly web site for public comment on and review of individuals working in one or more of the following occupations: Auctioneer, boxing announcer, and manicurist.

Requires auctioneers, boxing announcers, and manicurists to have an active profile on the web site.

Requires the web site to allow any individual to: (1) Register and create a profile that lists business contact information and allows for public comment and review of his or her service; and

(2) Include information about training, degrees, or certificates that he or she holds.

Allows the department of licensing to charge a fee of no more than twenty-five dollars for the first creation of an individual's profile.

Protecting agricultural workers and community members from pesticides.

Declares that agricultural workers and community members should be protected from pesticide exposure and notified of certain pesticide applications to prevent unnecessary exposure.

Requires a pesticide user to provide written notice of an intended pesticide application in accordance with certain requirements provided by the department of health.

Requires the department of health to develop a list of individuals who apply to receive notification of pesticide applications on adjacent property.

Authorizes the department of health and the department of labor and industries to investigate and assess a civil fine in accordance with administrative procedures for certain violations of this act.

Concerning the transfer of moneys from transportation accounts.

Creates the bicycle and pedestrian grant account.

Requires a certain net tax amount from the motor vehicle fund to be distributed to the transportation improvement board, the county road administration board, the freight mobility investment account, the freight mobility multimodal account, and the connecting Washington account.

Requires the state treasurer to transfer from the multimodal transportation account: (1) 4,403,000 dollars to the rural mobility grant program account beginning with September 2019, by the last day of September, December, March, and June of each year;

(2) 9,710,000 dollars to the regional mobility grant program account beginning with September 2019, by the last day of September, December, March, and June of each year;

(3) 7,335,000 dollars to the complete streets grant program account; and

(4) 5,190,000 dollars to the bicycle and pedestrian grant account.

Regarding the school construction assistance program.

Creating a Washington affordable housing tax credit program.

Allows a qualified taxpayer a Washington affordable housing tax credit, for tax years during the credit period, with respect to the taxes imposed by RCW 48.14.020 (taxes on premiums) or chapter 82.04 RCW (business and occupation taxes).

Prohibits a qualified taxpayer from claiming a tax credit greater than forty percent of the tax due pursuant to RCW 48.14.020 or chapter 82.04 RCW, before application of any tax credits.

Authorizes the housing finance commission to allocate a credit to the owner of a qualified development by issuing an allocation certificate to the owner.

Concerning child care center licensing standards regarding educational requirements.

Requires the department of early learning and the department of children, youth, and families to engage in negotiated rule making with entities representing or operating child care centers and entities representing family home child care providers before adopting or defining equivalencies to educational requirements that affect the following child care center employees: Directors, assistant directors, supervisors, lead teachers, assistant teachers, instructional aides, and aides.

Concerning the Graham community and technical college study.

Requires the state board for community and technical colleges to continue the feasibility study for a potential new community and technical college within ten miles of Graham, Washington.

Requires the study to: (1) Be conducted for an additional two years; and

(2) Specifically address the intent of pursuing the establishment of a community college in the Graham community.

Concerning mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect.

Expands the mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect requirements.

Requires state contracts with youth-serving organizations to include a requirement that the organizations provide a signed acknowledgment of the organization's compliance with the mandatory reporter posting law.

-- 2018 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 23	First reading, referred to Human Services & Corrections.