Concerning the addition of services for long-term placement of mental health patients in community hospitals that voluntarily contract to provide the services.

Requires the department of social and health services and the entities identified in sections 2 and 3 of this act to: (1) Work with willing community hospitals to assess their capacity to become certified to provide long-term mental health placements and to meet the requirements of the community mental health services act; and

Simplifying business and occupation tax administration.

Imposes an additional business and occupation tax, on persons engaging in business activities that are subject to tax under any other section of chapter 82.04 RCW, that is equal to the tax payable under all other sections of chapter 82.04 RCW multiplied by seven percent.

Allows a business and occupation tax deduction of no more than sixteen thousand six hundred sixty-seven dollars multiplied by the number of months in the reporting period.

Suspending certain rule-making activities of the department of early learning.

Prohibits the department of early learning from adopting or amending rules until July 1, 2019, unless the rule is necessary to: (1) Implement a state or federal law or rule enacted after January 1, 2017;

(2) Comply with a collective bargaining agreement or an employment contract entered into by the department; or

Providing a tax deferral for the expansion of certain existing public facilities district convention centers.

Establishing state route number 167 as a permanent eligible toll facility.

Concerning the child rescue fund.

Requires five percent of unclaimed state lottery prize money to be deposited in the child rescue fund to ensure that: (1) Law enforcement agencies can adequately investigate and prosecute offenders; and

Concerning the beef commission.

Requires the beef commission to: (1) Cooperate with certain entities and make contracts and agreements for carrying on joint programs beneficial to the health of cattle;

(2) Develop and submit the following to the director of the department of agriculture for approval: The establishment, effectuation, and administration of research, education, and programs related to health and disease control of beef and beef products and to industry specific educational projects;

(3) Provide for programs designed to maintain healthy cattle throughout the industry;

(4) Develop materials, education, and programs related to health and disease control of beef and beef products;

(5) Make grants to research agencies for financing studies related to beef health; and

Concerning proceedings supplemental to execution of judgments.

Increasing college and career readiness and graduation rates in public schools.

Creates the high school graduation and college and career readiness account.

Requires the legislature, at each regular session in an odd-numbered year, to appropriate from the account amounts equaling not less than four hundred dollars per full-time equivalent student enrolled in a public middle school and high school per school year, for state support of the requirements of this act during the ensuing biennium.

Requires the amounts distributed to school districts to be used to establish or expand: (1) Career and technical education programs in middle schools, high schools, or skill centers;

(2) College-level courses in high schools;

(3) Drop-out prevention strategies in middle schools and high schools; and

(4) Courses, counseling, and coaching in middle school and high school to provide early exposure for students to employment opportunities and requirements and options for postsecondary education.

Requires the joint legislative audit and review committee to review and report on the performance of school districts receiving certain funds under this act.

Increasing marijuana revenue distributed to local jurisdictions.

Addressing certification requirements for elections administrators.

Authorizes elections professionals who meet certain qualifications to participate in training and certificate programs and testing administered by the secretary of state.

Addressing county voting systems standards.

Requires the secretary of state to: (1) Conduct a comprehensive survey of voting systems in use in each county and collect certain information for each county; and

(2) In consultation with county auditors, develop and publish mandatory voting system maintenance and replacement standards.

Concerning ballot standards.

Requires the secretary of state to: (1) In conjunction with the Washington state association of county auditors, develop a uniform ballot format to be used by each county; and

(2) In consultation with the department of enterprise services and county auditors, develop a master contract for vote tallying equipment for purchase by counties.

Equalizing access to permanent ballot drop boxes for every Washington citizen.

Requires the county auditor of each county to ensure that a minimum of one permanent ballot drop box for every fifteen thousand county residents is available for the secure deposit of paper ballots.

Equalizing access to permanent ballot drop boxes.

Requires the county auditor of each county to ensure that a minimum of one permanent ballot drop box for every fifteen thousand county residents is available for the secure deposit of paper ballots.

Allows the county auditor to determine, in consultation with the advisory committee, the location of the drop boxes within the county.

Changing the timing of state elections.

Changes the following dates regarding elections: (1) Primaries for general elections to be held in November and the election of precinct committee officers, from the first Tuesday of the preceding August to the third Tuesday of the preceding May;

(2) Declarations of candidacy for certain offices, from the first Monday two weeks before Memorial Day to the first Monday in March; and

Limiting the dates for holding special elections.

Addressing voter registration deadlines.

Addressing voter registration deadlines.

Establishing a task force to address state interagency coordination in cybersecurity.

Concerning worker safety on roadways and roadsides.

Prohibiting the participation of elephants in a traveling animal act.

Removing the expiration date from the sales and use tax exemptions for certain products that impart flavor to food.

Prohibiting the administration of a vaccine without reviewing the patient's full health history and reviewing the package insert for the vaccine with the patient.

Constitutes unprofessional conduct for a license holder, under the uniform disciplinary act, to administer a vaccine to a patient without reviewing: (1) The patient's full health history; and

Repealing unnecessary provisions concerning the Washington State Bar Association.

Regulating the content of the immunization exemption form by prohibiting the form from requiring detailed statements regarding objections to vaccination, prohibiting the form from requiring a declaration regarding potential risks, and requiring the form to indicate when a signator is exercising his or her freedom of religion.

Prohibits an immunization exemption form, prepared by the department of health, from requiring a signator to: (1) Make detailed statements regarding his or her religious or philosophical objection to vaccination; or

(2) Provide a declaration regarding the potential risks of exempting the child from immunization.

Concerning the mitigation of public facilities in certain cities.

Requires certain cities, that permit, construct, or operate a public facility in a neighborhood with a high poverty level or a high rate of ethnic diversity, to: (1) Assume the responsibility for the negative impacts that facility has had or might have on the surrounding neighborhood;

(2) Consider the potential or actual disparate racial, social, and economic impacts of the public facility on residents nearby; and

Concerning the main street program.

Concerning preliminary work to develop a process for planning for a new Interstate 5 bridge spanning the Columbia river.

Designates an interstate 5 bridge that crosses the Columbia river as a project of statewide significance.

Encourages the governor to make every effort to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the governor of Oregon regarding the construction of the new bridge.

Repealing all laws legalizing the use, possession, sale, or production of marijuana and marijuana-related products.

Limiting disclosure of information about the religious affiliation of individuals.

Prohibits employers, state or local government agencies or public employees, and state and local law enforcement agencies from providing, collecting, disclosing, and/or requiring the disclosure of information on the religious belief, practice, or affiliation of an individual.

Exempts the following from disclosure under the public records act: Records that relate to or contain personally identifying information about an individual's religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation.

-- 2017 REGULAR SESSION --
Feb 13	First reading, referred to Judiciary (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).
Feb 14	Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Judiciary at 10:00 AM. (Subject to change)
Feb 16	Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Judiciary at 1:00 PM. (Subject to change)