| Passed by the Senate May 17, 2011 YEAS 30 BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House May 22, 2011 YEAS 52 FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5912 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. THOMAS HOEMANN ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved June 15, 2011, 3:16 p.m. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | June 15, 2011 Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 1st Special Session |
READ FIRST TIME 05/06/11.
AN ACT Relating to the expansion of family planning services to two hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty level; amending RCW 74.09.659; adding a new section to chapter 74.09 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW
to read as follows:
The legislature finds that:
(1) Over half of all births in Washington state are covered by
public programs;
(2) Research has demonstrated that children of unintended
pregnancies receive less prenatal care and are at higher risk for
premature birth, low birth weight, neurological disorders, and poor
academic performance;
(3) In Washington state, over fifty percent of unintended
pregnancies occur in women age twenty-five years and older;
(4) Washington state's take charge program has been successful in
helping women avoid unintended pregnancies; however, when the caseload
declined due to federally mandated changes, the rate of unintended
pregnancies increased dramatically;
(5) Expanding family planning services to cover women to two
hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty level would align that
program's eligibility standard with income eligibility for publicly
funded maternity care service; and
(6) Such an expansion would reduce unintended pregnancies and
associated costs to the state.
Sec. 2 RCW 74.09.659 and 2009 c 545 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The department shall continue to submit applications for the
family planning waiver program.
(2) The department shall submit a request to the federal department
of health and human services to amend the current family planning
waiver program as follows:
(a) Provide coverage for sexually transmitted disease testing and
treatment;
(b) Return to the eligibility standards used in 2005 including, but
not limited to, citizenship determination based on declaration or
matching with federal social security databases, insurance eligibility
standards comparable to 2005, and confidential service availability for
minors and survivors of domestic and sexual violence; and
(c) ((Within available funds,)) By September 30, 2011, submit an
application to increase income eligibility to two hundred fifty percent
of the federal poverty level, to correspond with income eligibility for
publicly funded maternity care services.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 Upon implementation of the expansion
directed in RCW 74.09.659, the office of financial management shall
reduce general fund--state allotments for the medical assistance
program by one million five hundred thousand dollars for fiscal year
2012 and by two million three hundred fifty thousand dollars for fiscal
year 2013. The amounts reduced from allotments shall be placed in
reserve status and remain unexpended.