FIFTY NINTH LEGISLATURE - REGULAR SESSION
NINTH DAY
House Chamber, Olympia, Tuesday, January 18, 2005
The House was called to order at 9:55 a.m. by the Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding).
Reading of the Journal of the previous day was dispensed with and it was ordered to stand approved.
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
January 17, 2005
Mr. Speaker:
The President has signed SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8400, and the same is herewith transmitted.
Tom Hoemann, Secretary
INTRODUCTION & FIRST READING
HB 1126 by Representatives Kagi, Fromhold, Simpson, Ormsby, Roberts, O'Brien, McIntire, Wallace, Kenney, Haigh, Darneille, Dickerson, Santos, Linville, Moeller, Chase, Cody, Hankins and Hunt
AN ACT Relating to the early childhood education and assistance program; amending RCW 28A.215.110, 28A.215.120, and 28A.215.150; adding new sections to chapter 28A.215 RCW; and repealing RCW 28A.215.140 and 28A.215.190.
Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.
HB 1157 by Representatives Roach and Kirby
AN ACT Relating to allowing title insurance companies to provide a guarantee covering its agents; and amending RCW 48.29.155.
Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.
HB 1158 by Representatives Takko and Alexander
AN ACT Relating to county treasurer administrative changes; amending RCW 1.12.070, 36.29.010, 63.29.135, 63.29.190, 82.02.020, 82.45.090, 84.56.310, and 84.69.020; adding a new section to chapter 84.56 RCW; and providing an effective date.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1159 by Representatives Kirby and Priest
AN ACT Relating to limiting liability for persons who work with liquefied petroleum gas; and adding a new section to chapter 4.24 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1160 by Representatives Conway, Wood, Green, Hudgins, McCoy, Lovick, Darneille, Morrell, Chase, Cody, Kenney and Sells
AN ACT Relating to reducing workplace violence in state hospitals; and adding a new section to chapter 72.23 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
HB 1161 by Representatives Buri, O'Brien, Walsh, Ericks, Darneille, McCoy, Clements, Serben, Pearson, Strow, Kristiansen, Moeller, Lovick, Simpson, Campbell, Tom, Morrell, Chase, Ahern, Newhouse, Armstrong, Woods, Sells and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to adding entities entitled to notification about sex offenders and kidnapping offenders; and amending RCW 4.24.550.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.
HB 1162 by Representatives Roach, Nixon, Bailey, Holmquist, McDonald, Rodne, Campbell, Shabro, McCune, Kessler, Kristiansen, Dunn, Newhouse, Woods and Condotta
AN ACT Relating to critical area regulations; and adding a new section to chapter 36.70A RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1163 by Representatives Roach, Holmquist, Anderson, Nixon, Bailey, Rodne, McDonald, Shabro, McCune, Kristiansen, Dunn, Pearson, Haler, Newhouse and Woods
AN ACT Relating to the assessment of property with substantial land use limitations; adding a new section to chapter 84.40 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Finance.
HB 1164 by Representatives Roach, Nixon, Holmquist, Anderson, Bailey, Rodne, McDonald, Shabro, Campbell, McCune, Kristiansen, Dunn, Woods and Condotta
AN ACT Relating to critical area regulations; adding a new section to chapter 36.70A RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1165 by Representatives Roach, Holmquist, Anderson, Bailey, Campbell, Rodne, McDonald, Shabro, McCune, Kristiansen, Dunn, Pearson, Haler, Ahern, Newhouse, Woods and Condotta
AN ACT Relating to governmental actions that cause reduction in property value; adding a new section to chapter 64.40 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1166 by Representative Chase
AN ACT Relating to including access to family planning services in growth management planning; and amending RCW 36.70A.020.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1167 by Representative Chase
AN ACT Relating to reducing greenhouse gases; adding a new chapter to Title 19 RCW; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Technology, Energy & Communications.
HB 1168 by Representatives Appleton, O'Brien, Cody, Campbell, Moeller, P. Sullivan, Chase, Flannigan, McCoy, Sells, Simpson, Darneille, Hasegawa, McIntire, Murray, McDermott, Morrell, Green, Schual-Berke, Kagi, Kessler, Dickerson, Kenney, Hankins, Conway, Lantz, Ormsby, Wallace and Upthegrove
AN ACT Relating to reimportation of prescription drugs; amending RCW 18.64.350 and 18.64.360; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1169 by Representatives Quall, P. Sullivan, Talcott, Strow, Grant, Buri, Morrell, Miloscia, Dickerson, Morris, Lovick, Simpson, Tom, Chase, Kenney, O'Brien, Sells, Ormsby, Haigh and Santos
AN ACT Relating to including public school facilities as essential public facilities; and amending RCW 36.70A.200.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1170 by Representatives Dickerson, Cody, Sommers, Darneille, Schual-Berke, Kenney and Clibborn
AN ACT Relating to basic health plan eligibility of persons studying in the United States under temporary visas; amending RCW 70.47.020; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1171 by Representatives Dickerson, Moeller, Cody, Roberts, Schual-Berke, Appleton, Morrell, Darneille, Chase, Kenney and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to dissolution; and amending RCW 26.09.030.
Referred to Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law.
HB 1172 by Representatives Holmquist, Kristiansen, Grant, Kretz, Newhouse, Buri, Skinner, Strow, Roach, Walsh, Sump, Hinkle, Pearson, Clements, Condotta, Haler and Armstrong
AN ACT Relating to withdrawals for stock-watering; and amending RCW 90.44.050.
Referred to Committee on Economic Development, Agriculture & Trade.
HB 1173 by Representatives Dickerson, Conway, Wood, Green, Cody, Williams, Simpson, Hudgins, Campbell, McCoy, Ericks, Hunt, Blake, Roberts, Fromhold, Sells, Moeller, Appleton, Darneille, Morrell, Schual-Berke, Chase, Kenney, Takko, Hasegawa, Kagi, Ormsby, Haigh and Santos
AN ACT Relating to family leave insurance; and adding a new chapter to Title 49 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
HB 1174 by Representatives McCoy, Campbell, Morrell, Chase, Condotta, Hunt, Appleton, Hudgins, Armstrong, Hinkle, Conway, Lantz, Ormsby, Haigh and Upthegrove
AN ACT Relating to tuition waivers at institutions of higher education; amending RCW 28B.15.380 and 28B.15.910; adding new sections to chapter 28B.15 RCW; and repealing RCW 28B.10.265, 28B.15.620, 28B.15.625, 28B.15.628, and 28B.15.629.
Referred to Committee on Higher Education.
HB 1175 by Representatives McCoy, Buri, Clibborn, Morrell, Wood, Hunt, Appleton, Chase, Darneille and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to disposition of human remains; and amending RCW 68.50.160.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1176 by Representatives Morris, Dickerson and Upthegrove
AN ACT Relating to operation of a motorcycle between traffic lanes; and amending RCW 46.61.608.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1177 by Representatives Morris, Clibborn, Linville, Simpson, P. Sullivan, Blake, Williams, Quall, Upthegrove and Kilmer
AN ACT Relating to a permitting bill of rights; and adding a new section to chapter 1.20 RCW.
Referred to Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability.
HB 1178 by Representatives McDonald, Dickerson, Rodne, Kagi, Priest, Ahern, Pearson, Campbell, McCune, Kristiansen, Moeller, Dunn, Nixon, Darneille, Shabro, Schual-Berke, Roach, Strow, O'Brien, Condotta and Holmquist
AN ACT Relating to ensuring the rights of parents to monitor the communications and conversations of their minor children; amending RCW 9.73.020; reenacting and amending RCW 9.73.030; and adding new sections to chapter 9.73 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1179 by Representatives Murray, Shabro, Wallace, Woods, Jarrett, Simpson, Springer, Dickerson, Quall, Armstrong, Kenney, Clibborn and McIntire; by request of Department of Transportation
AN ACT Relating to high-occupancy toll lanes; amending RCW 43.84.092; reenacting and amending RCW 42.17.310, 42.17.310, and 43.84.092; adding new sections to chapter 47.56 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 47.66 RCW; creating new sections; prescribing penalties; providing effective dates; providing expiration dates; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1180 by Representatives Kilmer, Wallace and Woods; by request of Department of Transportation
AN ACT Relating to vehicle length and width measurement exclusive devices and specialized equipment; amending RCW 46.44.010 and 46.44.030; and adding a new section to chapter 46.44 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1181 by Representatives Flannigan, Ericksen, Wallace, Woods, Chase and Kilmer; by request of Department of Transportation
AN ACT Relating to transferring overweight sealed ocean-going containers between ocean marine terminals and railheads; adding a new section to chapter 46.44 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1182 by Representatives Springer, Green and Ormsby; by request of State Treasurer
AN ACT Relating to making payments under certain bond authorization acts; and amending RCW 39.53.120, 43.99K.030, and 67.40.060.
Referred to Committee on Capital Budget.
HB 1183 by Representatives Williams and Serben; by request of Supreme Court
AN ACT Relating to renaming the commission on supreme court reports; and amending RCW 2.32.160.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1184 by Representatives Flannigan, Hinkle, Takko and Shabro
AN ACT Relating to training for newly elected county officers; and adding a new section to chapter 36.16 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1185 by Representatives Morrell, Haler, Morris, Tom, Green, Jarrett, Clibborn, Moeller, Upthegrove, Pettigrew, Chase, Flannigan, Cody, Newhouse, Wallace, Hasegawa, Quall, Linville, Simpson, B. Sullivan, Sells, Lantz, Schual-Berke, Appleton, Campbell, Darneille, Dickerson, Armstrong, Kenney, Condotta, Kagi, Ormsby, Hunt, McIntire, Haigh and Kilmer
AN ACT Relating to use and disclosure of personal wireless numbers; reenacting and amending RCW 42.17.310; adding a new section to chapter 80.36 RCW; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Technology, Energy & Communications.
HB 1186 by Representatives O'Brien, Kessler, Kagi, Buck, Lovick, Campbell, Williams, Kenney, Clibborn and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to antiharassment protection orders; amending RCW 10.14.170; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.
HB 1187 by Representatives Dickerson, Moeller, Kagi, Roberts, Darneille, Schual-Berke, Chase, Clibborn, McIntire, Upthegrove and Hasegawa
AN ACT Relating to elimination of mandatory minimum sentences for youthful offenders tried as adults; amending RCW 9.94A.540; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law.
HB 1188 by Representatives Murray, Woods, Conway, O'Brien, Ericks, Condotta, Wood, Simpson, Campbell, P. Sullivan, Lovick, Williams, Chase, Hinkle and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to negotiating state patrol officer wages and wage-related matters; amending RCW 41.56.473 and 41.56.475; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
HB 1189 by Representatives Moeller, Bailey, McCoy, Armstrong, Williams, Newhouse, Fromhold, McCune, Springer, Ericks, Flannigan, Curtis, Cody, Condotta, Appleton, Hinkle, Morrell, Campbell, Pearson, Chase, Dickerson, Linville, Woods, Kenney, O'Brien, Conway, Lantz, Sells, Kagi, Ormsby, Haigh, Upthegrove, Hasegawa and Kilmer
AN ACT Relating to veterans' relief; amending RCW 73.08.010, 73.08.070, 73.08.080, and 41.04.007; adding new sections to chapter 73.08 RCW; creating a new section; repealing RCW 73.08.030, 73.08.040, 73.08.050, and 73.08.060; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1190 by Representatives Pettigrew, Hinkle, Santos, Nixon, Kagi, Roberts, Darneille, Walsh, Haler, Appleton, Chase, Cody, Kenney, Clibborn, Ormsby, McIntire and Hasegawa
AN ACT Relating to supporting the long-term success of families with children by removing barriers to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the WorkFirst programs; amending RCW 74.08.025; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.
HB 1191 by Representatives Jarrett, Kenney, Priest and Sommers
AN ACT Relating to resident tuition at institutions of higher education for persons who hold nonimmigrant visas; and amending RCW 28B.15.012.
Referred to Committee on Higher Education.
HB 1192 by Representatives Upthegrove, Priest, Miloscia, Morrell, Haler and Darneille
AN ACT Relating to the solid waste advisory committee; and amending RCW 70.95.040.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1193 by Representatives Simpson, P. Sullivan, Kessler, Campbell, Chase and Haigh
AN ACT Relating to excise tax exemptions for new businesses; adding a new section to chapter 82.04 RCW; and providing an effective date.
Referred to Committee on Finance.
HB 1194 by Representatives Simpson, Campbell, Appleton, Clements, Cody, Sommers, P. Sullivan, Morrell, Schual-Berke, Chase, Dickerson, Kenney, O'Brien, Clibborn, Conway, Green, Sells, Kagi, Ormsby, Wallace, Upthegrove, Hasegawa and Kilmer
AN ACT Relating to reimportation of prescription drugs; amending RCW 70.14.050; adding a new section to chapter 70.14 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1195 by Representative Simpson
AN ACT Relating to vesting of short subdivisions; and amending RCW 58.17.033.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1196 by Representatives Kirby, Roach, Simpson and Chase; by request of Insurance Commissioner
AN ACT Relating to the United States longshore and harbor workers' compensation account in the Washington insurance guaranty association; amending RCW 48.32.010, 48.32.020, 48.32.030, 48.32.040, 48.32.050, 48.32.060, and 48.32.100; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.
HB 1197 by Representatives Roach and Kirby; by request of Insurance Commissioner
AN ACT Relating to insurance; amending RCW 48.02.180, 48.05.340, 48.11.100, 48.11.140, 48.14.010, 48.14.0201, 48.17.150, 48.18.100, 48.18.103, 48.18.430, 48.21.047, 48.23.010, 48.24.030, 48.29.010, 48.29.020, 48.29.120, 48.29.130, 48.29.170, 48.30.300, 48.30A.045, 48.30A.060, 48.30A.065, 48.31.100, 48.38.030, 48.44.240, 48.66.020, 48.66.045, 48.66.055, 48.66.130, 48.92.120, 48.98.015, 48.110.030, and 48.110.040; adding a new section to chapter 48.66 RCW; and repealing RCW 48.05.360, 48.29.030, 48.29.060, 48.29.070, 48.29.090, 48.29.100, 48.29.110, and 48.34.910.
Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.
HB 1198 by Representatives Linville, Bailey and Cody
AN ACT Relating to speech-language pathologists and audiologists; and amending RCW 18.35.010, 18.35.020, 18.35.060, and 18.35.195.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1199 by Representatives Pearson, O'Brien, Lovick, Kristiansen, Ahern, Rodne, Walsh, Buri, McDonald, Strow, Holmquist, Condotta and Priest
AN ACT Relating to operation of a vehicle, street car, rail fixed guideway system, vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance involved in an accident; amending RCW 46.52.060; adding new sections to chapter 46.52 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1200 by Representatives Pearson, O'Brien, Lovick, Kristiansen, Rodne, McDonald, Walsh, Ahern, Buri, Strow, Holmquist, Condotta and Hinkle
AN ACT Relating to standardized chemical dependency assessment protocols; adding new sections to chapter 70.96A RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1201 by Representatives Pearson, O'Brien, Woods, Lovick, Kristiansen, McDonald, Roach, Ahern, Priest, Walsh, Strow, Rodne, Buri, Holmquist, Condotta, Simpson, Shabro and Armstrong
AN ACT Relating to registered sex offenders in schools; amending RCW 4.24.550; reenacting and amending RCW 9A.44.130; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law.
HB 1202 by Representatives Williams, Woods, Lantz, Hunt, Campbell, Appleton, McCune, Eickmeyer, Ormsby and Kilmer; by request of Board For Judicial Administration
AN ACT Relating to district court judges; amending RCW 3.34.010; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1203 by Representatives O'Brien and Pearson
AN ACT Relating to manslaughter; and amending RCW 9A.04.080.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.
HB 1204 by Representative O'Brien
AN ACT Relating to penalties for indecent liberties; reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.515; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.
HB 1205 by Representatives O'Brien, Appleton and Chase
AN ACT Relating to decriminalizing "fine-only" misdemeanors; amending RCW 15.53.904, 16.52.095, 19.32.180, 19.76.110, 19.84.040, 24.03.420, 24.03.425, 24.06.465, 24.06.470, 26.04.110, 26.04.240, 28A.535.070, 35.34.280, 35A.33.160, 35A.34.280, 36.40.240, 48.36A.360, 49.12.130, 70.54.030, 70.90.205, 70.95B.140, 70.119.130, 72.40.100, 73.04.020, 78.04.050, 81.44.105, 84.08.050, 88.02.110, and 90.36.050; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.
HB 1206 by Representative O'Brien
AN ACT Relating to repeal of obsolete or superseded laws; and repealing RCW 9.58.110, 9.58.120, 49.44.100, 67.14.020, 67.14.040, 67.14.050, 67.14.060, 67.14.070, 67.14.080, 67.14.090, 67.14.100, 67.14.110, 67.14.120, 70.54.060, and 70.54.065.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1207 by Representatives O'Brien and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to privileged communications between spouses; and amending RCW 5.60.060.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1208 by Representative O'Brien
AN ACT Relating to forfeited property; and amending RCW 70.105D.020.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1209 by Representative O'Brien
AN ACT Relating to vehicular homicide; amending RCW 9.94A.030; reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.515; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1210 by Representatives B. Sullivan, Buck, Blake, Kretz, Upthegrove, Eickmeyer, Orcutt and Morrell; by request of Department of Fish and Wildlife
AN ACT Relating to short-term fishing licenses; and amending RCW 77.32.470 and 77.32.430.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1211 by Representatives Blake, B. Sullivan, Buck, Kretz, Eickmeyer and Armstrong; by request of Department of Fish and Wildlife
AN ACT Relating to deer and elk hunting; and amending RCW 77.32.450.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1212 by Representative Upthegrove; by request of Department of Fish and Wildlife
AN ACT Relating to wildlife harvest reports; amending RCW 77.32.070 and 77.15.280; and prescribing penalties.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1213 by Representatives Clements, Upthegrove, Eickmeyer, Buck, Armstrong and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to hunting safety for children; and amending RCW 9.41.042, 77.32.155, 77.32.450, and 77.32.460.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1214 by Representatives Blake and Upthegrove
AN ACT Relating to food fish and shellfish commercial licenses; and amending RCW 77.65.010, 77.65.170, 77.65.190, 77.65.210, and 77.65.390.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1215 by Representatives B. Sullivan, Upthegrove and Buck
AN ACT Relating to turkey tags; and amending RCW 77.32.460.
Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks.
HB 1216 by Representatives Lovick, Eickmeyer, Upthegrove, Ericksen, Morrell, Dickerson, Holmquist and Sells
AN ACT Relating to Wild On Washington license plates; amending RCW 77.12.170; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.313; and adding new sections to chapter 46.16 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1217 by Representatives Ericksen, Lovick, Upthegrove, Eickmeyer, Williams, Chase, Hinkle and Sells
AN ACT Relating to Washington's Wildlife license plate collection; amending RCW 77.12.170; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.313; and adding new sections to chapter 46.16 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1218 by Representatives B. Sullivan, Lovick, Eickmeyer, Upthegrove, Ericksen, Morrell, Dickerson, Sells and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to endangered wildlife license plates; amending RCW 77.12.170; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.313; and adding new sections to chapter 46.16 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Transportation.
HB 1219 by Representatives Cody, Schual-Berke, Morrell, Kessler, Simpson, Campbell, P. Sullivan, Williams, Chase, Dickerson, Quall, Kenney, O'Brien, Clibborn, Conway, Green, Lantz, Sells, Kagi, Ormsby, Wallace, McIntire, Upthegrove, Hasegawa and Kilmer; by request of Governor Gregoire
AN ACT Relating to authorizing a prescription drug purchasing consortium; adding new sections to chapter 70.14 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1220 by Representatives Morrell, Schual-Berke, Cody, Simpson, Campbell, Williams, Chase, Kenney, O'Brien, Clibborn, Conway, Green, Kagi and Upthegrove; by request of Governor Gregoire
AN ACT Relating to establishing a task force on long-term care financing and chronic care management; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1230 by Representatives Upthegrove, Schindler, Simpson and Schual-Berke
AN ACT Relating to boards of commissioners of water-sewer districts; amending RCW 57.12.015; and adding a new section to chapter 57.12 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1221 by Representatives Cody, Schual-Berke, Morrell, Kessler, Simpson, Campbell, Williams, Chase, Dickerson, Kenney, O'Brien, Clibborn, Conway, Sells, Kagi, Ormsby, McIntire, Upthegrove and Kilmer; by request of Governor Gregoire
AN ACT Relating to private participation in public employees' benefits board programs; amending RCW 41.05.011 and 41.05.021; adding a new section to chapter 41.05 RCW; and creating a new section.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
HB 1222 by Representatives McDermott, Nixon, Ericks, Buri, Simpson, Shabro, Williams, Dickerson, Sells, Ormsby and Haigh
AN ACT Relating to ballot measure petitions; and amending RCW 29A.72.110, 29A.72.120, and 29A.72.130.
Referred to Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability.
HB 1223 by Representatives Schual-Berke, Cody, Lantz, Fromhold, Simpson, P. Sullivan, Morrell, Williams, Dickerson, Linville, Clibborn, Kagi and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to underwriting medical malpractice coverage; adding a new section to chapter 48.19 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 48.18 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.
HB 1224 by Representatives Schual-Berke, Cody, Lantz, Fromhold, Moeller, P. Sullivan, Morrell, Linville, Clibborn, Kagi and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to expert witnesses in actions under chapter 7.70 RCW; and adding new sections to chapter 7.70 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
HB 1225 by Representatives Schual-Berke, Cody, Lantz, Fromhold, Moeller, Simpson, P. Sullivan, Morrell, Williams, Linville, Clibborn, Kagi and Ormsby
AN ACT Relating to cancellation and nonrenewal of medical malpractice liability insurance policies; and amending RCW 48.18.290 and 48.18.2901.
Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.
HB 1226 by Representatives Schual-Berke, Tom, Haigh, Cody, Fromhold, Jarrett, Hudgins, Conway, Appleton, Flannigan, Murray, McCoy, Lantz, Hasegawa, Williams, Kagi, Ormsby, Morrell, Chase, Dickerson, Kenney and Sells
AN ACT Relating to campaign contribution limits; amending RCW 42.17.640 and 42.17.700; adding new sections to chapter 42.17 RCW; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability.
HB 1227 by Representatives Morrell, Strow and Bailey
AN ACT Relating to excise tax exemptions for water services provided by small water systems; adding a new section to chapter 82.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.16 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.32 RCW; and declaring an emergency.
Referred to Committee on Finance.
HB 1228 by Representatives P. Sullivan, Schindler, Clibborn, Upthegrove, Simpson and Chase
AN ACT Relating to the coordination of water and sewer system utilities; amending RCW 36.55.060 and 47.44.020; and adding a new section to chapter 35.21 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1229 by Representatives Chase, Schindler, Clibborn and Simpson
AN ACT Relating to annexation of territory of certain cities by water-sewer districts; and adding a new section to chapter 57.24 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
HB 1230 by Representatives Upthegrove, Schindler, Simpson and Schual-Berke
AN ACT Relating to boards of commissioners of water-sewer districts; amending RCW 57.12.015; and adding a new section to chapter 57.12 RCW.
Referred to Committee on Local Government.
There being no objection, the bills listed on the day's introduction sheet under the fourth order of business were referred to the committees so designated.
There being no objection, the House advanced to the eighth order of business.
There being no objection, the Committee on Education was relieved of further consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 1042 and the bill was referred to the Committee on Children & Family Services.
There being no objection, the Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law was relieved of further consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 1052, and the bill was referred to the Committee on Children & Family Services.
The House recessed until 11:40 a.m. at which time the House and Senate came together in Joint Session in the House Chambers to hear the State of the Judiciary.
The Sergeant at Arms announced the Senate had arrived. The Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding) instructed the Sergeant at Arms of the House and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate to escort President of the Senate Brad Owen, President Pro Tempore Rosa Franklin, Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Minority Leader Bill Finkbeiner to seats on the Rostrum. The Senators were invited to seats within the Chamber.
The Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding) called the Joint Session to order. The Clerk called the roll of House members. The Clerk called the roll of Senate members. A quorum of the Legislature was present.
The Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding) called upon President of the Senate Owen to preside.
The President appointed a special committee to escort the Supreme Court Justices to the Chamber: Representatives Appleton, Ericks, Priest and Rodne, and Senators Eide, Rockefeller, Carrell and Johnson.
The President appointed a special committee to escort the State elected officials to the Chamber: Representatives Kretz, Lantz, Takko and Walsh, and Senators Regala, Shin and Stevens.
The President appointed a special committee to advise her Excellency, Governor Christine Gregoire that the Joint Session had assembled and to escort her to the Chamber: Representatives Pettigrew and Serben, and Senators Franklin and Schmidt.
The President appointed a special committee to escort Chief Justice Gerry Alexander to the Chamber: Representatives McCune and Springer, and Senators Kline and Esser.
The Supreme Court Justices arrived, were escorted to the front of the Chamber and were introduced: Justice Charles W. Johnson, Justice Barbara A. Madsen, Justice Richard B. Sanders, Justice Bobbe Bridge, Justice Tom Chambers, Justice Susan Owens, Justice Mary Fairhurst and Justice Jim Johnson.
The State Elected Officials arrived, were escorted to the front of the Chamber and were introduced: Secretary of State Sam Reed, State Auditor Brian Sonntag, Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson and Commission of Public Lands Doug Sutherland.
Governor Christine Gregoire arrived and was escorted to the Rostrum.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander arrived, was escorted to the Rostrum and was introduced.
The flags were escorted to the Rostrum by Cub Scout Pack 205 from Centennial Elementary School, Olympia. The President led the Chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance. The prayer was offered by Reverend David James, St. John's Episcopal Church, Olympia.
STATE OF THE JUDICIARY
Chief Justice Gerry Alexander: "President Owen, Speaker Chopp, Governor Gregoire, state elected officials, members of the House and Senate, fellow justices, ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon.
Let me first extend thanks to all of the members of the legislature for the warm welcome you have accorded me and my fellow justices on this and other occasions. I must tell you at the outset that I am delighted to be back with you in this grand old legislative building where I delivered my first state of the judiciary address four years ago.
As some of you may know, I was raised in Olympia and I have spent almost all of my adult life in this city. Having lived within sight of this building for all of these years has led me to have great affection for this magnificent building and the other buildings on this campus, including, of course, the Temple of Justice. I am so pleased that the Washington Legislature took the steps that it did to restore this building to its former glory. The Legislative Building is truly the centerpiece of the most beautiful state capitol campus in the land and it looks great. As a proud Washingtonian and Olympian, I thank you.
As you have undoubtedly observed, members of our court have been frequent guests in this building of late, what with various oath taking sessions, a State of the State message by former Governor Locke, and, of course, an inauguration and inaugural ball. The truth is that we enjoy being a part of these events, but we promise you now that the traditional opening rituals of this legislative session are behind us, we will recede into the Temple of Justice across the way and try to be less noticeable.
That, I suppose, is as it should be under the doctrine of separation of powers, one of the crown jewels of our form of government. I think, though, that it is a good thing for the branches of government to have contact such as we have had this past week or so, because our government functions better if the elected members of the three branches get acquainted with one another and gain a better appreciation of the role that each performs in our democracy.
Let me also thank the members of the legislature for inviting me to deliver this message on behalf of Washington's judiciary. We know that time is precious to all of you during a legislative session. We are also aware that you need not accord me this privilege. The state constitution requires only that the judges of the Supreme Court report to the governor in writing in January of each year on defects and omissions in the law. It does not require the Supreme Court to report to the legislature nor does it require you to provide us with that opportunity. But by a custom that has developed in recent years, the chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court has been invited to speak to the legislature every other year, on the state of our justice system. We are most grateful for that opportunity.
Relevant to that subject I would like to say a brief word about the court on which I sit, the State Supreme Court. We have, in my view, a very fine court and I am extremely proud of all of my colleagues and am very honored to have been elected by them to serve a second four-year term as chief justice.
I can tell you that all of us on our court are unified in our desire to work with our judicial colleagues around the state to deliver equal and quality justice to all in a system that is administered, in the words of our state constitution, "openly and without unnecessary delay." Our court is currently very experienced. All of us practiced law in this state early in our careers and collectively we have 117 years of judicial service. I am pleased to say also that the relationship between the justices is very collegial. At the same time, though, we are all free thinking individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds. Thus, it is not surprising that we are not unanimous on every issue that comes before us.
Although most of you are somewhat familiar with the veteran members of the Supreme Court, I would like to say a word about our newest member, Justice James Johnson. He was sworn in at a ceremony at our court a mere eight days ago. Justice James Johnson is a native Washingtonian who obtained his B.A. degree from Harvard. He then went on to law school at the University of Washington. Following law school Justice Johnson served a two-year stint as an officer in the United States Army. For the next 20 years he served with distinction as an assistant attorney general of the state of Washington. Since 1993 he has engaged in the private practice of law in Olympia. We welcome Justice James Johnson to our court and look forward to working with him in succeeding years.
Whenever a new person comes to the court it is a happy occasion, but it is always accompanied by a tinge of sadness. That is because when someone new comes on the court that means that a valued colleague has left to create an opening. So as delighted as we are to welcome Justice James Johnson, we will still miss our friend, Justice Faith Ireland, at our conference table. I have asked Justice Ireland to be here today and I would like her to stand so that you can join me in thanking her for her twenty-plus years of devoted service to the people of the state of Washington, as a superior court judge, Supreme Court justice, and nationally recognized leader in the area of judicial education-Justice Ireland.
Let me now, in my capacity as chief justice, speak to you more directly about the state of Washington's justice system. I can tell you right up front that the judicial branch of government is managing to keep its head above water, despite the many and increasing demands that have been placed upon it. This would not be true, of course, without the hard work and ingenuity of the many judicial officers of this state as well as the splendid employees of the judicial branch, including the excellent county clerks in each of our counties. I can honestly say that in my 32 years as a judge in this state, the judiciary has never been more skilled and hard working than it is right now.
I can't begin to convey to you the depth of my admiration for the outstanding work of the 208 full- and part-time judges of our district and municipal courts who hold forth in the towns, cities, and counties of our state and who manage caseloads made heavy with over two million new filings each year. Our state's 179 superior court judges are equally as dedicated and energetic, managing to stay on top of caseloads that are enriched each year by approximately a quarter million new filings. Collectively, our two levels of trial court entertain approximately one case filing for every 2.5 citizens each year-cases that run the gamut from a dispute over a parking or speeding citation to cases where the charge is aggravated murder in the first degree. On the civil side, they entertain small claims to cases that involve millions and, in some cases, billions of dollars and significant public issues.
I am also very proud of our appellate courts. I have already made reference to the court on which I sit, the Supreme Court. Let me say a word about our State Court of Appeals, which sits in divisions that are located in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma. This is a workhorse court which doesn't get near the credit that it deserves. Unlike the Supreme Court, it is without discretion to decline an appeal and it must take on all cases that are ripe for review. In 2004, that court managed to maintain its tradition of staying current despite an influx of approximately 4,400 appeals, personal restraint petitions, and other petitions.
I wish I could have invited every judicial officer in the state to be here today, but, as you can tell from my remarks, they have plenty of work to do at home. I did, though, ask a few judges to be here to represent all of our state's judges-allow me to introduce them to you. Representing the district and municipal court judges of our state is Judge Eileen Kato, of the King County District Court. Judge Kato is a very fine judge and is president of the District and Municipal Court Judges' Association. Judge Kato. Representing the superior courts, we have the very able Leonard Costello, president of the Superior Court Judges' Association. Judge Costello is a judge of the Kitsap County Superior Court. Judge Costello. Representing the 22 judges of our Court of Appeals, we have a veteran judge, Ken Kato of Division Three in Spokane. Judge Kato is standing in for Judge Elaine Houghton of Division Two in Tacoma, who is the chief presiding judge of the entire Court of Appeals. Judge Kato.
In past addresses to you, I have taken a few minutes to describe some of the really positive things that have taken place in the judicial branch over the last couple of years. I'm not going to do that today, not because there isn't much to talk about-there is. I could tell you, for instance, about court rules we have adopted to make our courts even more open to cameras and broadcast equipment and our court records more accessible to the public by electronic means. I could tell you also about the great work that some of our trial courts are doing, often on a shoestring, in developing and maintaining Unified Family Courts, and problem solving courts like drug courts and mental health courts. I could go on and on but I'm passing up that opportunity because I want to spend the remainder of my time talking to you about a serious problem that Washington's trial courts face, a problem that seriously inhibits the ability of those courts to deliver timely and quality justice to all of the persons who come before them-a problem that truly places justice in Washington in jeopardy.
The problem I am speaking about, in a nutshell, is the way we fund our trial courts and the extent to which we fund them. And, by the way, when I speak of trial courts I am talking about our superior courts, trial courts of general jurisdiction, and our district and municipal courts, trial courts of limited jurisdiction. There is, as you know, one or more superior court and district court in every county in our state and a municipal court in many, if not most, of our cities and towns.
As you probably know, since statehood our trial courts have largely been funded by local government, the counties and cities. Frankly, this funding mechanism worked well in the early days when courts had much less business and local government had fewer obligations. But as the work of courts has grown dramatically and counties have, at the same time, experienced greater budget challenges, the budgets of our state's trial courts have suffered-in some places more than others. While time does not permit me to recite at length all of the ill effects of this inadequate funding, I can tell you that some of our trial courts are no longer able to provide probation services, and many, if not most, are unable to offer programs that have proven effective elsewhere like adult and juvenile drug courts, mental health courts, and unified family courts. Furthermore, too many of our trial court jurisdictions are experiencing crowded court dockets which frequently results in the postponement of trials, particularly civil trials. In three of our four largest counties, the time to trial in civil cases is over twelve months. That, ladies and gentlemen, is too long for people to wait to have their disputes resolved. This may seem trivial, but I have to tell you that the funding situation has become so bad in many counties, including our largest and wealthiest county, King, that our trial courts do not have sufficient funds to even provide box lunches for jurors when the jury is deliberating on its verdict. This means that trial judges have to permit sequestered jurors to separate at mealtimes and then return to the jury room after they have obtained a meal at their own expense.
Now our trial judges have obviously known of the problems that they face in their own jurisdictions, but the scope of the problem statewide was not fully catalogued. Consequently, the judiciary of the state determined in 2002 that a comprehensive analysis of the way our state's trial courts are funded and the sufficiency of that funding should be carried out. To conduct the study the Board for Judicial Administration, which is made up of the leadership of all four court levels in Washington, created a broad based task force. It consisted not only of judges and court administrators, but others with an interest in our state's justice system. The task force included seven members of the legislature: Senators Adam Kline, Steve Johnson, Mike Hewitt, and Jim Kastama, and Representatives Pat Lantz, Lois McMahon and Ruth Kagi. We thank all of them for their service. The task force was chaired by a very distinguished attorney from Seattle, Wayne Blair, who is a past president of the Washington State Bar Association. Mr. Blair is here today and I would like him to stand and be recognized for the leadership he provided as chair of the task force. Mr. Blair. The task force was charged with focusing on trial court funding, both the structure of the funding and the amount necessary to adequately fund the trial courts and ensure long-term funding stability.
The task force completed its work in October 2004 when it issued its final report and executive summary-you have all been furnished with a copy of the report and you will receive the executive summary this week. While time will not permit me to summarize the report in great detail, I can tell you that the task force came to the conclusion, rather rapidly, that the way Washington's trial courts are funded is not very sound. As I have already indicated, these courts are largely locally funded with little financial support coming from state government. Because of a provision in the state constitution, the State is required to pay one-half of the salary of each superior court judge, but that is about it in the way of state funding. Currently Washington is 50th out of 50 states in terms of the percentage of state support for its trial courts if you include the cost of criminal prosecution and public defense.
A core finding of the task force is that there must be a rebalancing of responsibility for the funding of trial courts so that the state government, as opposed to local government, contributes in a more equitable way to the operations of the superior courts and the district and municipal courts. The report does not suggest, nor should it, that state government take over the entire responsibility for funding our trial courts, as our neighboring states of Oregon and California have done. Our state's populist traditions and a belief that government that is closest to the people is the best government, continues to suggest that counties and cities should share the cost of operating the trial courts within their jurisdiction. But it is also clear from the report that the state government should be contributing more toward the operations of its trial courts. I emphasize the words "its trial courts" because clearly the superior court is a state court, its judges being state elected officials with statewide jurisdiction. Our district courts, unlike the old justice of the peace courts, are also state courts. I am comfortable saying that because the legislature created these courts, you establish their number and location and their responsibilities and jurisdiction have been substantially increased in recent years.
The Board for Judicial Administration, after being presented with the task force report, spent considerable time reviewing its findings and recommendations. Eventually it developed a proposal for this, the 59th Legislature, to consider. Let me be clear-we understand that there are no quick fixes to the problems we see as a consequence of inadequate and unreliable funding for our trial courts. For over one hundred years, ever since statehood, our trial courts have been funded almost exclusively by local government and we know that this will not change overnight or even in one or two legislative sessions. It will take a long-term commitment from the judiciary and the legislature to rebalance the funding. We believe, though, that what we are proposing to you in this session is a reasonable first step.
Our first recommendations to you are in the area of trial court operations. We propose that state government undertake payment of one-half of the salary of our district court judges and elected municipal court judges. This would be consistent with what the state now provides for superior court judges and would be an important recognition of the increased stature of our important courts of limited jurisdiction which exist in every county of our state.
The other request in the area of trial court operations is that the State assume one-half of the costs for jurors. By that I mean one-half of the daily juror fee and mileage costs. I am sure you would agree with me that the right to trial by jury is one of the most sacred rights citizens of this nation possess. It is also a right that is guaranteed in civil and criminal cases by our state constitution. It seems only appropriate that the State should bear one-half of these costs that are now borne by counties and cities alone. In connection with this request, we are recommending that the minimum daily fee for jurors be increased from the present $10 to between $30 and $45 for the second or subsequent day of jury service. As I indicated in my first state of the judiciary address four years ago, the present minimum daily fee of $10, which was set in 1959, is woefully inadequate and, frankly, an embarrassment-it is not sufficient to reimburse jurors for the costs of parking in our larger cities, much less other out of pocket costs for things like child care that may be necessary. The argument I made four years ago for an increase in that fee is even more compelling today.
Now you may be asking yourself this question: if the State simply picks up costs already being borne by local government, how does that benefit our trial courts and allow them to deal with the problems caused by insufficient funding that have been identified in the task force report? That is a good question and one that is answered by our recommendation that one-half of the savings that counties realize as a consequence of the State's assumption of a portion of district court salaries and jury costs be set aside in local trial court improvement accounts. Decisions regarding expenditures from these accounts should be left to the sound discretion of the legislative body of the local government and should be available only for improvements to trial court operations.
The next proposal we make to you is not in the area of trial court operations. It is in the important area of public defense in criminal cases. Although the provision of public defense is, technically, a function of the executive branch, it is our trial courts that are in the best position to observe the work of our public defenders and, ultimately, it is courts that must determine if the state is meeting its constitutional obligation to provide effective counsel to indigent defendants in criminal cases. Unfortunately, our public defender systems in this state are not in good shape-I wish I could say otherwise, but I can't. Because almost the entire financial responsibility for providing counsel is being borne by local government, we have a situation where no two defender systems in Washington are the same. The result is that we have a crazy quilt of systems. Although the systems in some counties are better than in others, the most common feature that these systems share is public defender caseloads that are too large, a lack of training, improper supervision for public defenders, and, almost always, a lack of adequate support services. The system, in other words, is broken and in crisis. What I am saying to you is borne out by the findings of the Washington State Bar Association's Blue Ribbon Panel on Public Defense and the investigative series that was recently carried in the Seattle Times. That series of articles showed that while many dedicated persons work in our public defender offices, in too may of our jurisdictions defendants are poorly served by the system.
Without assistance from the State, our cash strapped counties and cities are unable to correct the problems that have been identified in the bar study and the Times' articles. That is why we are recommending to the legislature that the State invest $12,500,000 in the state's public defender systems in each year of the coming biennium. This money, we propose, should be distributed to the counties and cities on a formula, based largely on population and criminal filings. We recommend, though, that funding in the second year be contingent upon a showing by the jurisdiction that progress has been made in improving their system consistent with the long-ignored standards for public defense service that counties have been directed to develop pursuant to legislation passed by this body in 1989.
One might well ask at this point, why with all of the meritorious requests that are made to the legislature for funding should we be concerned about providing counsel to indigent defendants in criminal cases, when many of them will be found guilty of the crime with which they are charged or some lesser offense? The short answer is that the constitution we are all sworn to uphold guarantees the effective assistance of counsel to each defendant who is charged with a crime that carries with it a potential loss of liberty, regardless of the defendant's financial circumstances. Long before the famous United States Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright made that right binding on all of the states, as a matter of constitutional law, the legislature of this state recognized that responsibility. The year was 1909 when the 11th Legislature passed a statute, which said: Whenever a defendant shall be charged with a felony and "shall request the court to appoint counsel to assist in his defense" because "he is unable by reason of poverty to procure counsel, the court shall appoint counsel" to be paid at public expense.
Finally, we are also recommending to you that the state government phase in full funding of the cost of attorneys for the parents of children in termination proceedings. As you know, this legislature previously funded a four-year pilot project in which the State did ensure payment of these costs in the three pilot counties. This project has been immensely successful in moving these kinds of cases through the system more expeditiously than elsewhere and it has resulted in reducing the amount of time that the children, who are the subjects of these actions, spend in foster care. We also recommend that the State continue its efforts to improve the level of funding for civil legal services, consistent with the recommendations of the civil legal needs study that were approved by the Supreme Court's Task Force on Civil Equal Justice.
We recognize that what we are proposing will cost real money that the State is not now paying out. I wish, therefore, that we as judges could bring some money to the table so to speak. But, alas, as the judicial branch, we do not have the power to generate additional revenue. We do, however, collect a wide variety of fees at our trial courts. We believe that those fees, which have not been increased for some time, should be increased across the board and that other fees should be imposed for some services for which no fee is now imposed. If our recommendation in this regard is adopted by you, it will generate a substantial sum of money for the State that could assist in underwriting the costs of what we have proposed. We make this recommendation with a degree of reluctance because any increase in fees can, if it is too great, inhibit access to justice. We don't want to do that and we are satisfied that the increases we are proposing will not have that effect.
Let me close by saying that we know that this legislature will receive a myriad of requests to increase funding for a variety of governmental functions-for our common schools and universities, for public employee salaries, for corrections and for public assistance, and on and on. All of these proponents, I am sure, will have a legitimate case to make. I don't mean to tell you how to sort out all of these competing requests, other than to say that the provision of justice, on both the criminal and civil side, is a core function of government that should be adequately supported by all taxpayers, not just users of the system. The first building that was built on this campus, courtesy of a long ago appropriation from the legislature, was called the Temple of Justice and the first building that every county built after this state was organized was a county courthouse. This reflects the fact that provision of justice has been and always will be a priority for Washingtonians. In order for our state's judiciary to continue to provide the quality of justice that our citizens expect us to provide, we must make the recommendations I have outlined. We hope you will give these reasonable requests favorable consideration. Thank you for listening to me so courteously and for inviting me to present this address."
The President thanked Chief Justice Alexander for his remarks.
The President asked the special committee to escort Chief Justice Alexander from the Rostrum.
The President asked the special committee to escort the Governor from the Rostrum.
The President asked the special committee to escort the statewide elected officials from the Chamber.
The President asked the special committee to escort the Supreme Court Justices from the Chamber.
MOTION
On motion of Representative Kessler, the Joint Session was dissolved.
The President thanked the Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding) and members of the House for their hospitality, and returned the gavel to him.
The Speaker (Representative Lovick presiding) asked the Sergeant at Arms of the House and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate to escort President of the Senate Owen, President Pro Tempore Franklin, Majority Leader Brown, Minority Leader Finkbeiner and members of the Senate from the Chamber.
There being no objection, the House advanced to the eleventh order of business.
MOTION
On motion of Representative Kessler, the House adjourned until 10:00 a.m., January 18, 2005, the 9th Day of the Regular Session.
FRANK CHOPP, Speaker
RICHARD NAFZIGER, Chief Clerk