Concerning paraeducators.

Creates the paraeducator board and requires the board to: (1) Adopt minimum employment requirements for paraeducators and paraeducator standards of practice;

(2) Establish requirements and policies for paraeducator specialty certificates in English language learner and special education;

(3) Approve courses of study necessary to meet the state standards of practice for paraeducators and the requirements for specialty certificates;

(4) Collaborate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction to adapt the electronic educator certification process to include paraeducator specialty certificates; and

(5) Distribute grants to a diverse set of school districts that volunteer to pilot the state paraeducator standards of practice and the paraeducator specialty certificates.

Requires school districts to provide access to a four-day course of study on the state standards of practice to paraeducators who have not completed the course, either in the district or in another district within the state.

Requires the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the paraeducator board and the professional educator standards board, to design a training program for teachers and administrators as it relates to their role working with paraeducators.

Requires the professional educator standards board, in consultation with the paraeducator board and the office of the superintendent of public instruction, to incorporate the following into the content required to complete a professional educator standards board-approved teacher or administrator preparation program: (1) For teachers, information on how to direct a paraeducator working with students in the paraeducators' classroom; and

(2) For administrators, information on how to supervise and evaluate paraeducators.

Requires the state institute for public policy to conduct a study on the effectiveness of paraeducators in improving student outcomes.

Modifying collective bargaining law to authorize providing additional compensation to academic employees at community and technical colleges.

Concerning persons and entities to whom the department of health may provide prescription monitoring program data.

Authorizes the department of health to provide data in the prescription monitoring program to the following: (1) The director of the state health care authority regarding medicaid clients for the purposes of quality improvement, patient safety, and care coordination;

(2) Personnel of the department of health for assessing prescribing practices, including controlled substances-related mortality and morbidity, and providing quality improvement feedback to providers;

(3) A health care facility or entity or a health care provider group of five or more providers for quality improvement purposes;

(4) The local health officer of a local health jurisdiction for patient follow-up and care coordination following a controlled substance overdose event; and

(5) The coordinated care electronic tracking program.

Requires the department of health to: (1) Provide certain facilities, entities, and provider groups with certain prescriber information;

(2) In consultation with the state hospital association, the state medical association, and the state health care authority, to determine what prescriber information will be provided; and

Concerning opioid treatment programs.

Changes the following terms for purposes of the community mental health services act: (1) From "opiate substitution treatment programs" to "opioid treatment programs"; and

(2) From "addicted baby" to "substance-exposed baby."

Recognizes as evidence-based for the management of opioid use disorders, the treatment approaches acknowledged by the University of Washington alcohol and drug abuse institute, as well as the medications approved by the federal food and drug administration for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

Authorizes a county to impose a maximum capacity for the program of not less than three hundred fifty participants if necessary to address specific local conditions cited by the county.

Concerning foundational public health services.

Addresses the protection of the public's health in the state, core public health services and essential capabilities that comprise foundational public health services, and development of a governmental public health improvement plan.

Regulating the institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions and private vocational schools, to protect students from unfair business practices.

Protects students from unfair business practices by regulating the institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions and private vocational schools.

Requires the student achievement council to: (1) Continue administering the two-part study of for-profit degree-granting institutions and private vocational schools, including findings and recommendations regarding the creation of an ombuds to serve students of degree-granting institutions and private vocational schools; and

(2) Deny, revoke, or suspend the authorization of a degree-granting institution found to be in violation of chapter 28B.85 RCW, including having engaged in a significant number of unfair business practices.

Expanding higher education opportunities for certain students.

Requires a student, who is eligible to receive the Washington college bound scholarship because he or she is a resident student, to provide an affidavit to the institution indicating that he or she will file an application to become a permanent resident and engage in activities necessary to acquire citizenship.

Promoting student health and readiness through meal and nutrition programs.

Establishes the Washington kids ready to learn act of 2017.

Requires each high-needs school to offer breakfast after the bell to each student and provide adequate time for students to consume the food.

Requires the superintendent of public instruction to administer one-time start-up allocation grants to each high-needs school implementing a breakfast after the bell program.

Authorizes school districts and the office of the superintendent of public instruction to coordinate with the department of agriculture to promote and facilitate new and existing regional markets programs, including farm-to-school initiatives, and small farm direct marketing assistance.

Authorizes the office of the superintendent of public instruction to award grants to school districts to collaborate with community-based organizations, food banks, and farms or gardens for reducing high school dropout occurrences through farm engagement projects.

Requires the joint legislative audit and review committee to conduct an analysis of breakfast after the bell programs established in schools.

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

Requires state agencies, that are 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 provide the notices in the language or in a manner that diverse residents can understand when a significant segment of the community speaks a language other than English and has limited proficiency in English.

Applies this requirement to notices that include proposed locations for criminal facilities or facilities that would house sex offenders.

Requires each local organization or joint local organization for emergency management that: (1) Produces a comprehensive emergency management plan, to include in the plan a communication plan for notifying significant segments of limited English speaking persons of an imminent or emergent public health, safety, or welfare risk; and

Addressing prescription drug cost transparency.

Requires the office of financial management to use a competitive procurement process to select a data organization to collect, verify, and summarize the prescription drug pricing data provided by issuers and manufacturers.

Requires an issuer to submit certain prescription drug cost and utilization data to the data organization for the previous calendar year.

Requires a covered manufacturer to report certain data for each covered drug to the data organization.

Requires the data organization to compile the data submitted by issuers and manufacturers and: (1) Prepare an annual report for the public and the legislature summarizing the data; and

(2) Provide the report to the office of financial management and the joint select committee on health care oversight.

Requires the state health care authority to provide: (1) An update to the relevant committees of the legislature regarding its review of and efforts to implement value-based purchasing and return on investment pricing strategies for prescription drugs; and

Continuing the work of the Washington food policy forum.

Requires the Washington food policy forum to: (1) Build on the work of the forum, that was temporarily established in the 2016 supplemental omnibus operating appropriations act, to develop recommendations to advance certain food system goals; and

(2) Coordinate with appropriate local, state, and federal agencies, tribes, and nongovernmental organizations to avoid duplication of effort.

Gives responsibility to the director of the state conservation commission for appointing participating members of the forum.

Improving public records administration.

Revises the public records act to improve public records administration.

Requires training for records officers and public records officers to address particular issues related to the retention, production, and disclosure of electronic documents.

Requires the attorney general to establish a consultation program to provide information for developing best practices for local agencies requesting assistance in compliance with the public records act. This program ceases to exist June 30, 2020.

Requires the state archivist, until June 30, 2020, to offer and provide consultation and training services for local agencies on improving record retention practices.

Requires the division of archives and records management in the office of the secretary of state to: (1) Establish and administer a competitive grant program for local agencies to improve certain technology information systems for public records;

(2) Conduct a study to assess the feasibility of implementing a statewide open records portal through which a user can request and receive a response, relating to public records information, through a single internet web site; and

(3) Convene a stakeholder group to develop the initial scope and direction of the study.

Requires the county auditor to charge a surcharge of one dollar per instrument for every document recorded.

Requires the joint legislative audit and review committee to conduct a review of the attorney general's consultation program, the state archivist's training services, and the local government competitive grant program.

Creating a suicide-safer homes project account to support prevention efforts and develop strategies for reducing access to lethal means.

Changes the name of the safe homes task force to the suicide-safer homes task force, changes the composition of the task force, and modifies its duties.

Creates the suicide-safer homes project within the department of health to accept private funds for use by the task force in developing and providing suicide education and prevention materials, training, and outreach programs to help create suicide-safer homes.

Requires a licensed dentist, a licensed dental hygienist, or a person holding a retired active license as a dentist or dental hygienist, to complete the one-time training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management.

Requires the school of dentistry at the University of Washington to develop a curriculum on suicide assessment, treatment, and management for dental students and licensed dentists.

Exempts the following from background checks and other firearm-related requirements: A temporary transfer of possession of a firearm if: (1) The temporary transfer is intended to prevent suicide or self-inflicted great bodily harm;

(2) The temporary transfer lasts only as long as reasonably necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm; and

(3) The firearm is not used by the transferee for any purpose for the duration of the temporary transfer.

Creates the suicide-safer homes project account.

Creating a suicide-safer homes project account to support prevention efforts and develop strategies for reducing access to lethal means.

Changes the name of the safe homes task force to the suicide-safer homes task force, changes the composition of the task force, and modifies its duties.

Creates the suicide-safer homes project within the department of health to accept private funds for use by the task force in developing and providing suicide education and prevention materials, training, and outreach programs to help create suicide-safer homes.

Requires a licensed dentist, a licensed dental hygienist, or a person holding a retired active license as a dentist, to complete the one-time training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management.

Requires the school of dentistry at the University of Washington to develop a curriculum on suicide assessment, treatment, and management for dental students and licensed dentists.

Exempts the following from background checks and other firearm-related requirements: A temporary transfer of possession of a firearm if: (1) The temporary transfer is intended to prevent suicide or self-inflicted great bodily harm;

(2) The temporary transfer lasts only as long as reasonably necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm; and

(3) The firearm is not used by the transferee for any purpose for the duration of the temporary transfer.

Creates the suicide-safer homes project account.

Makes an appropriation from the general fund to the suicide-safer homes project account.

Creating the department of children, youth, and families.

Creates the department of children, youth, and families.

Creates the office of innovation, alignment, and accountability, within the office of the governor, with the primary duties and focus, until July 1, 2018, on developing and presenting a plan for the establishment of the department of children, youth, and families.

Requires the office of the family and children's ombuds to establish the oversight board for children, youth, and families which will begin its work on or after July 1, 2019.

Transitions, on July 1, 2018, the office of innovation, alignment, and accountability from the office of the governor to be an office within the department of children, youth, and families.

Abolishes the department of early learning and transfers its powers, duties, and functions to the department of children, youth, and families.

Transfers the powers, duties, and functions of the department of social and health services, pertaining to child welfare services under chapters 13.34, 13.36, 13.38, 13.50, 13.60, 13.64, 26.33, 26.44, 74.13, 74.13A, 74.14B, 74.14C, and 74.15 RCW, to the department of children, youth, and families.

Prioritizing lands to receive forest health treatments.

Requires the department of natural resources to: (1) Develop and implement a policy for prioritizing investments on forest health treatments to protect state lands and state forestlands against losses from wildfire;

(2) Consistent with the policy, identify areas of public lands that would benefit from forest health treatments at the landscape level;

(3) In order to expedite initial treatments, prioritize and address lands for treatment that are currently identified by the department as pilot treatment projects; and

(4) Consult with and take into account the land management plans and activities or nearby landowners, including federal agencies, other state agencies, local governments, tribes, and private property owners.

Concerning sentencing laws and practices.

Increasing the access of veterans, military service members, and military spouses to shared leave in state employment.

Creates the veterans' in-state service shared leave pool to allow employees to donate leave to be used as shared leave for the following: (1) Veteran employees who meet certain requirements;

(2) Spouses of the veteran employees who meet certain requirements and are caring for their spouses;

(3) An employee who is a current member of the uniformed services or a veteran and is attending medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability; and

(4) An employee who is a spouse of a current member of the uniformed services or a veteran who is attending medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability and requires assistance while attending appointments or treatments.

Requires the department of veterans affairs to administer the shared leave pool.

Requires an agency head to allow employees who are veterans, and their spouses, to access shared leave from the veterans' in-state service shared leave pool upon employment.

Requires the office of financial management, in consultation with the department of veterans affairs, to adopt rules and policies governing the donation and use of shared leave from the veterans' in-state service shared leave pool.

Concerning independent security testing of state agencies' information technology systems and infrastructure by the military department.

Authorizes the office of the state chief information officer to test the security of a state agency's information technology systems and infrastructure to identify and mitigate system vulnerabilities.

Authorizes the state military department to conduct independent security testing of the information security of a private entity operating within the state, or unit of local government of the state, involved in the management of critical infrastructure.

Concerning enforcement of the electrical laws.

Creating a low-income home rehabilitation revolving loan program.

Creates the low-income home rehabilitation revolving loan program within the department of commerce.

Requires the department of commerce to contract with rehabilitation agencies to provide home rehabilitation to participating homeowners.

Improving the business climate in this state by simplifying the administration of municipal general business licenses.

Requires a city, that requires a general business license of a person that engages in business activities within that city, to partner with the department of revenue to have the license issued, and renewed if the city requires renewal, through the business licensing service.

Requires the department of revenue to phase in the issuance and renewal of general business licenses of cities that required a general business license and are not already partnering with the department.

Requires cities, working through the association of Washington cities, to form a model ordinance development committee made up of a representative sampling of cities that impose a general business license requirement.

Creates the local business and occupation tax apportionment task force to seek input or collaborate with other parties as it deems necessary.

Repealing income eligibility for temporary assistance for needy families benefits for a child who lives with a nonparent caregiver.

Increases income eligibility for temporary assistance for needy families benefits for children living with a nonparent caregiver.

Modifying the veterans' scoring criteria in competitive examinations.

Concerning tax relief for the construction of adapted housing for disabled veterans.

Provides a sales and use tax exemption for the construction of adapted housing for disabled veterans who have been awarded a federal grant to modify their homes.

-- 2017 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 6	First reading, referred to Finance (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report).