Amending the Constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to raise taxes.

Proposes an amendment to the state Constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to raise taxes.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 25	First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).

by Senate Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Pedersen and O'Ban; by request of Uniform Law Commission)

Concerning the revised uniform fiduciary access to digital assets act.

Modifying theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property provisions.

Establishing a task force to examine state and local regulations that affect small businesses.

Creates the legislative task force on state and local regulations to examine the regulations that affect small businesses with fifty or fewer employees.

Modifying marijuana research license provisions.

Modifies provisions regarding marijuana research licenses.

Transfers certain responsibilities from the life sciences discovery fund authority to the state liquor and cannabis board with regard to reviewing projects submitted by marijuana research license applicants.

Directs the state liquor and cannabis board to select a scientific reviewer to review and, if applicable, approve the projects.

Requires the applicant to pay the cost of the review process directly to the scientific reviewer.

Addressing the presumption of occupational diseases for purposes of industrial insurance.

Expands the list of cancers contracted by firefighters that are presumed to be occupationally related for industrial insurance purposes.

Clarifying the application of chapter 81.77 RCW as it relates to recyclable materials collected from residential sources.

Concerning the regulation of employment agencies.

Revises the employment agency act as follows: (1) Repeals most of the statutes in the act other than the definitions section which has been amended in this act; and

Providing service credit for pension purposes for certain emergency medical services employees.

Addressing factors to be considered when sentencing youth in adult criminal court for crimes committed as minors.

Concerning the state building code council.

Changes the composition and duties of the state building code council.

Requires the department of enterprise services to employ permanent and temporary staff and contract for services for the state building code council.

Creates the legislative task force on the state building code council's administration and operations and requires the task force to review and provide recommendations to the legislature and the state building code council on certain topics relating to the council and the state building code.

Imposes a fee, before July 1, 2016, and after July 1, 2018, of four dollars and fifty cents on each building permit issued by a county or a city, plus an additional surcharge of two dollars for each residential unit, but not including the first unit, on each building containing more than one residential unit.

Concerning definitions related to human trafficking.

Incentivizing trade and economic development through state environmental policy reviews.

Addresses the development, maintenance, and expansion of infrastructure facilities in order to encourage economic development and private investment in the state.

Addresses public agencies' coordination of environmental reviews under the state environmental policy act with the federal government, where applicable, to: (1) Avoid unnecessary delay in economic development;

(2) Encourage investment in the state; and

(3) Encourage more efficient use of limited state and private resources.

Exempts the following from the requirements of the state environmental policy act: (1) Certifications under the coastal zone management act; and

Enacting the cybersecurity jobs act.

Establishes the cybersecurity jobs act.

Requires the office of the state chief information officer to: (1) Implement a process for detecting, reporting, and responding to security incidents consistent with the information security standards, policies, and guidelines adopted by the state chief information officer;

(2) Develop plans and procedures to ensure the continuity of operations for information resources that support the operations and assets of public agencies in the event of a security incident; and

Strengthening opportunities for the rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders.

Revises the juvenile justice act of 1977 to provide for the rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders.

Authorizes the juvenile court, if a juvenile offender is charged with animal cruelty in the first degree, to deny granting a deferred disposition to the juvenile, even if the juvenile otherwise may qualify for a deferred disposition.

Addresses fines, community service, and electronic monitoring for juveniles adjudicated of taking a motor vehicle without permission in the first or second degree or theft of a motor vehicle.

Authorizes a police officer, under certain circumstances, to arrest a person who: (1) Is sixteen or seventeen years old; and

(2) Within the preceding four hours has assaulted a family or household member.

Providing public notices of public health, safety, and welfare in a language other than English.

Requires state agencies, required by law or rule to provide public notices to a community or area to advise or inform the public about an imminent or emergent public health, safety, or welfare risk, to also provide notices in the language that diverse residents can understand when a significant segment of the community speaks a language other than English and has limited proficiency in English.

Changing who the department of corrections is required to supervise.

Addressing workplace bullying by making it an unfair practice to subject an employee to an abusive work environment.

Improving the accuracy and transparency of the reporting and calculation of the fuel mix information to retail electric customers.

Establishing a maternal mortality review panel.

Creates the maternal mortality review panel to conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary reviews of maternal deaths in the state to identify factors associated with the deaths and make recommendations for system changes to improve health care services for women.

Requires health care providers, health care facilities, clinics, laboratories, and medical examiners to report maternal deaths to the panel and to the secretary of the department of health.

Expanding distribution dates for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits.

Requires the department of social and health services to: (1) Expand the dates that it distributes supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits; and

Addressing the filing and rating of group health benefit plans other than small group plans, all stand-alone dental plans, and stand-alone vision plans by disability insurers, health care service contractors, and health maintenance organizations.

Directs the office of the insurance commissioner to establish uniformity in all aspects of the filing and regulatory review of group health benefit plans other than small group health benefit plans, stand-alone dental plans, and stand-alone vision plans. Uniformity shall apply to the content and requirements for the forms as well as rating, loss ratio, and actuarial requirements.

Concerning irrigation under the federal Columbia Basin project.

Concerning the superior court judges' association.

Modifying the voter registration deadline for students at institutions of higher education.

Ensuring safe playgrounds and turf fields.

Requires the department of ecology to: (1) Create a playfield turf advisory group to provide advice to the department on the design and scope of the study of the health impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals in synthetic turf; and

(2) In consultation with the department of health, provide to the governor and the appropriate legislative committees a study analyzing the potential adverse health impacts of synthetic turf.

Prohibits a public or private school or local government from installing, or contracting for the installation of, a new field or playground surface made from synthetic turf.

Requires the department of health to provide each school board, considering the purchase of playground matting, with the most recent health studies regarding playground matting from shredded waste tires.

Requires school districts and local governments to post signs at each playground and playfield with synthetic turf.

Allows expenditures from the waste tire removal account to be used for conducting the study of crumb rubber in synthetic turf fields and playgrounds and for grants to assist schools and playgrounds installing fields and playgrounds.

Requiring the establishment of performance management systems at state hospitals.

Requires each state hospital to develop a robust lean performance management plan to be overseen by the superintendent of the state hospital in collaboration with the department of social and health services.

Requires the state hospital performance management plans to conform to the Baldrige excellence framework most applicable to state hospital operations.

Requires the state auditor to conduct a performance audit of the state hospitals' management systems and metrics one year after their implementation.

Requires the department of social and health services to study the application of the Baldrige quality management framework or an equivalent performance management system to its own activities and report its findings to the governor and the relevant legislative policy and fiscal committees.

Concerning public disclosure of personal information.

Requires a requester, before obtaining records containing the names or nonexempt contact information of employees or volunteers from an agency, to swear under oath that he or she will not use the information to obtain information exempt under the public records act for a commercial purpose or to harass, stalk, threaten, or intimidate a person.

Exempts the following from public inspection and copying under the public records act: Information held by a public agency in personnel records, public employment related records, or volunteer rosters, or included in a mailing list of employees or volunteers of a public agency: (1) Family day care providers exempt from licensing requirements as provided in chapter 43.215 RCW (department of early learning); and

Concerning the use of psychotropic medication on children.

Requires each school district board of directors to adopt a policy that prohibits school staff from denying a student access to programs or services because the parent or guardian of the student has refused to place the student on psychotropic medication.

Simplifying behavioral health regulations and aligning them with other health regulations to support clinical integration.

Requires the department of social and health services and the state health care authority to convene a task force, including participation by a representative cross-section of behavioral health organizations and behavioral health providers, to align regulations between behavioral health and primary health care settings and simplify regulations for behavioral health providers.

Creating a task force on Washington's clean energy economy.

Creates the task force on Washington's clean energy economy to comprehensively review the state's laws, rules, and tax system with the goal of making recommendations to the legislature for leveraging the state's clean energy economy to grow the state's manufacturing sector.

Clarifying actual utility costs of a landlord under the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act.

Concerning Washington state patrol officer recruitment and compensation.

Requires the Washington state patrol, in order to adequately and thoroughly reach potential recruits, to develop a comprehensive outreach and marketing strategic plan for expanding: (1) Marketing and outreach efforts online and through other media outlets; and

(2) Recruitment relationships in respective communities.

Provides increases to the monthly salary and benefits of Washington state patrol officers.

Increases funding for the state patrol highway account.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 25	First reading, referred to Transportation.

by Senator Rivers

Requesting Congress to expedite federal legislation that gives the United States extraterritorial jurisdiction over preclearance officers.

Requests congress to expedite federal legislation that gives the United States extraterritorial jurisdiction over preclearance officers.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 25	First reading, referred to Trade & Economic Development.

by Senators Hill, Fain, Parlette, Becker, Bailey, Miloscia, Braun, Angel, Brown, Schoesler, O'Ban, Warnick, Dammeier, Litzow, Honeyford, Ericksen, Sheldon, Rivers, Roach, Padden, and Rolfes

Requiring the legislature to enact a four-year balanced budget.

Proposes an amendment to the state Constitution requiring the legislature to enact a four-year balanced budget.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 25	First reading, referred to Ways & Means.