Concerning the supplemental capital budget.

Improving oversight of the state hospitals.

Creates the select committee on quality improvement in state hospitals and requires the select committee to receive updates, monitor, and make recommendations to the governor, the office of financial management, and the legislature in certain areas, with respect to the state hospitals.

Creates the governor's behavioral health innovation fund.

Requires long-term planning for the state hospitals and recommendations for the use of funds from the governor's fund to be informed by certain consultants who shall make recommendations to the governor, the legislature, and the select committee by October 1, 2016.

Authorizes the department of social and health services to apply to the office of financial management to receive funds from the governor's fund.

Requires the department of social and health services to: (1) Provide quarterly implementation progress reports to the select committee and the office of financial management; and

(2) Assure that the state hospitals have adopted and implemented certain best practice policies and include information regarding the status of the adoption and implementation of these policies in its quarterly reports.

Providing a sales and use tax exemption for certain new building construction to be used by maintenance repair operators for airplane repair and maintenance.

Provides a sales and use tax exemption, in the form of a remittance, on charges for labor and services rendered in respect to the constructing of new buildings made to: (1) Eligible maintenance repair operators engaged in the maintenance of airplanes; or

(2) Port districts, political subdivisions, or municipal corporations, if the new building is to be leased to an eligible maintenance repair operator engaged in the maintenance of airplanes.

Concerning the recruitment and retention of Washington state patrol commissioned officers.

Requires the office of financial management to perform an organization study through a third-party independent consultant to implement the changes in the joint transportation committee recruitment and retention study, dated January 7, 2016, affecting each organization in the study.

Requires the minimum monthly salary paid to Washington state patrol officers to be competitive with law enforcement agencies within the boundaries of the state effective July 1, 2016.

Requires the salary levels on July 1, 2016, to be the average of compensation paid to the corresponding rank from the Seattle police department, King county sheriff's office, Tacoma police department, Snohomish county sheriff's office, Spokane police department, and Vancouver police department.

Requires Washington state patrol management to work actively with the independent consultant to implement the recommended changes.

Requires the select committee on pension policy to review the pension-related items in the study and make recommendations to the governor's office and the legislature.

Requires the legislature to provide different funding options to start implementing the study recommendations.

Concerning the issuance of nondomiciled commercial drivers' licenses and commercial learners' permits to nonresidents.

Revises the uniform commercial driver's license act.

Exempts the following from providing a social security number: An applicant for a nondomiciled commercial driver's license or commercial learner's permit who is domiciled in a foreign country and who has not been issued a social security number.

Authorizes the department of licensing to issue a nondomiciled commercial driver's license or commercial learner's permit to a person who is domiciled in: (1) A foreign country as provided in 49 C.F.R. Sec. 383.23(b)(1); or

Encouraging job creation and retention in rural economies through the transparent and accountable provision of targeted tax relief for silicon smelters.

Provides a public utility tax credit, a business and occupation tax credit, and an exemption from the brokered natural gas use tax for silicon smelters.

Excluding certain school facilities from the inventory of educational space for determining eligibility for state assistance for common school construction.

Requires rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction for determining eligibility for state assistance for new construction to exclude from the inventory of available educational space those spaces that have been vacated by new construction in lieu of modernization, and: (1) Used for purposes of supporting state-funded all-day kindergarten or class size reduction in kindergarten through third grade, if the lack of district facilities warrants such a use; or

Relating to modifying high school graduation requirements by adding additional course-based alternatives for earning a certificate of academic achievement, eliminating the end-of-course biology assessment, and enhancing high school and beyond plans.

Relating to charter schools.

Addressing having the right of receipt of wages by paper check.

Requires an employer to pay wages to an employee by paper check if requested by the employee.

-- 2016 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 2	First reading, referred to Labor & Workplace Standards (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).