Concerning financing essential public infrastructure.

Improves access and reliability to low-cost financing for local government infrastructure projects by authorizing public works bonds when local governments can demonstrate: (1) The importance of the project;

(2) Their difficulties accessing existing private credit markets for borrowings at reasonable interest rates; and

(3) The ability to reliably repay their share of the state's total cost of retiring the public works bonds.

Makes changes to the existing public works program and creates the public works financing assistance program.

Creates the public works financing assistance account and the public works financing assistance bond repayment account.

Allowing incremental electricity produced as a result of certain capital investment projects to qualify as an eligible renewable resource under the energy independence act.

Revises the definition of "eligible renewable resource," for purposes of the energy independence act, to include incremental electricity produced as a result of a capital investment completed after March 31, 1999, that increases, relative to a baseline level of generation prior to the capital investment, the amount of electricity generated in a facility that generates qualified biomass energy and that commenced operation before March 31, 1999.

Concerning background checks in emergency placement situations requested by tribes.

Expanding the eligibility of certain representatives and transferees to serve as directors, officers, and shareholders of professional service corporations.

Creating the sandman act.

Establishes the sandman act.

Providing continuity of care for recipients of medical assistance during periods of incarceration.

Requires the state health care authority to: (1) Suspend, rather than terminate, medical assistance benefits by July 1, 2017, for persons who are incarcerated or committed to a state hospital; and

(2) Collaborate with the department of social and health services, the Washington state association of counties, the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, and accountable communities of health to improve population health and reduce avoidable use of intensive services and settings by requesting expenditure authority from the federal government to provide behavioral health services to persons who are incarcerated in local jails.

Requires the department of social and health services and the state health care authority to publish written guidance and provide trainings to behavioral health organizations, managed care organizations, and behavioral health providers related to how they can provide outreach, assistance, transition planning, and rehabilitation case management reimbursable under federal law to persons who are incarcerated, involuntarily hospitalized, or in the process of transitioning out of one of these services.

Concerning dangerous drone operations near correctional facilities.

Concerning improvements to tax and licensing laws administered by the department of revenue.

Addresses the department of revenue's administration of tax and licensing laws regarding: (1) Real estate excise tax exemption for inheritance transfers;

(2) Pet adoption fees;

(3) Automated sales suppression devices and phantom-ware;

(4) Annual surveys and reports for tax preferences;

(5) Private school bus operators;

(6) Estate tax return filing relief;

(7) Clarification that licensing information may not be disclosed for commercial purposes;

(8) Background investigations; and

Expanding the professional educator workforce by increasing career opportunities in education, creating a more robust enrollment forecasting, and enhancing recruitment efforts.

Allows retired teachers to reenter the workforce without penalty of pension benefits, adequate student enrollment forecasting, additional funding for the alternative routes and educator retooling programs, and enhancements to recruitment.

Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with school districts, educational service districts, and other state agencies, to develop and implement a comprehensive, statewide initiative to increase the number of qualified individuals who apply for teaching positions in the state.

Establishing deadlines for final determinations and dispositions in agency adjudicative proceedings.

Revises administrative procedure act provisions as follows: (1) Requires an agency to make a final administrative determination or disposition for any matter that is subject to an adjudicative proceeding within two years after the commencement of the adjudicative proceeding unless all parties to the proceeding agree to waive the time limitation;

(2) Authorizes a person to file a petition for judicial review and is presumed to have exhausted all administrative remedies when an agency fails to comply with (1) above;

(3) Authorizes the court to receive evidence in addition to that contained in the agency record for judicial review, if it relates to the validity of the agency action at the time it was taken and is needed to decide disputed issues regarding any issue or fact identified as contested in a petition for judicial review filed under (2) above; and

Concerning a business and occupation tax deduction for chemical dependency services provided by a health or social welfare organization.

Provides a business and occupation tax deduction to health or social welfare organizations for providing chemical dependency services.

Concerning the Dan Thompson memorial developmental disabilities community trust account.

Requires the following to be deposited in the developmental disabilities community trust account: (1) All net proceeds from the use of operating or previously operating residential habilitation centers that would not impact current residential habilitation center operations; and

Concerning state hospital practices.

Requires the department of social and health services to: (1) Charge certain behavioral health organizations or entities for each day of care provided at a state hospital;

(2) Evaluate its current staffing structure and assignment of work to increase its use of psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioners;

(3) Hire psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioners for vacant positions or to perform work and tasks that may be performed by other job classifications and professions at the state hospitals;

(4) Identify and discharge at least thirty patients at western state hospital to alternative settings; and

(5) In order to address safety at the state hospitals, examine staffing patterns, best practices, and discrepancies in staffing practices between the state hospitals and prevailing business practices in other hospitals, and adjust staffing practices where appropriate.

Requires a behavioral health organization to manage the utilization of long-term civil commitment beds purchased at a state hospital or other facility by patients within the catchment area of the behavioral health organization who receive civil commitments and ensure that the patients efficiently transition into the community.

Develops placement for geriatric and long-term care patients at western state hospital and reduces current demands on state hospital staff.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Feb 11	First reading, referred to Ways & Means.

by Senators Keiser, Honeyford, and Conway

Amending the Constitution to allow the state to guarantee debt issued on behalf of a political subdivision for essential public infrastructure. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Amending the Constitution to allow the state to guarantee debt issued to local governments for infrastructure projects. )

Proposes an amendment to the state Constitution to allow the state to guarantee debt issued to local governments for infrastructure projects.

-- 2015 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 26	First reading, referred to Ways & Means.
Feb 2	Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 3:30 PM.
Feb 12	Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 3:30 PM.
Feb 13	WM - Majority; do pass.
	Minority; do not pass.
	Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
Mar 6	Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
Mar 10	Floor amendment(s) adopted.
	Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
	Third reading, passed; yeas, 47; nays, 2; absent, 0; excused, 0.
-- IN THE HOUSE --
Mar 12	First reading, referred to Capital Budget (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).
Mar 17	Public hearing in the House Committee on Capital Budget at 3:30 PM.
Apr 24	By resolution, returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading.
-- 2015 1ST SPECIAL SESSION --
-- IN THE SENATE --
Apr 29	By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
-- 2015 2ND SPECIAL SESSION --
May 29	By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
-- 2015 3RD SPECIAL SESSION --
Jun 28	By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 11	By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
Jan 20	Placed on third reading by Rules Committee.
Feb 10	Rules suspended.
	Returned to second reading for amendment.
	Floor amendment(s) adopted.
	Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
	Third reading, passed; yeas, 42; nays, 7; absent, 0; excused, 0.