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Gov. Jay Inslee signs a bill on March 30 during his first public bill action of the 2023 session.
Legislation is beginning to pile up on the governor?s desk after passing the House and Senate. Gov. Jay Inslee signed 12 bills Thursday during his first public bill action of the 2023 session.
Among the bills signed Thursday was SB 5729, ensuring that Washingtonians with diabetes will continue to pay no more than $35 per month for insulin. Sen. Karen Keiser sponsored the bill and another like it last year, intended to temporary limit insulin pricing while the United States Congress worked to pass federal controls. Congress has yet to act, so Washington state continues to do the right thing by demanding a fair cost for a common, non-proprietary, life-saving medication.
Review current and pending bill action on the governor?s website.
The Legislature this week cleared the March 29 policy committee cut-off, and is quickly approaching the April 4 fiscal committee cut-off. Those fiscal committees will pull long hours the next several days to vote out dozens of bills. On Saturday, April 1, for example, the House Appropriations Committee has at least 40 bills up for public hearing. The Senate Ways & Means Committee has more than 100 bills on the agenda for next Monday and Tuesday. After that, committees will only hear bills considered necessary to implement the budget.
The House and Senate released their remaining budget proposals this week and started hearings and votes to move them forward. On Wednesday, the Senate passed their proposed operating budget on a 40-9 vote. The House released its operating budget proposal this past Monday, and is expected to vote on April 3. Budget writers will now begin intense negotiations to iron out differences and craft a final two-year budget bill. So far, legislators are well-aligned on priorities such as special education, climate, housing, behavioral health and other urgent issues.
On transportation, legislators in both chambers are proposing increased investments to combat the spike in traffic-related fatalities and increase roadway and pedestrian safety. Both proposals also include funding for new ferries and ferry workforce initiatives, and would use revenue from the state?s new cap-and-invest program to electrify state ferries, expand transit and support various active transportation projects that make it safe for people to walk, roll or bike in their communities.
To preview which bills are on the floor calendars, you can look up the House Floor Activity Report or Senate Floor Activity Report. From these calendars you can find links to fiscal notes and proposed amendments. TVW is a reliable source for all the live action. The legislative session is scheduled to end April 23.
Gov. Jay Inslee greets aircraft maintenance technicians working at Grant County International Airport during a visit to Moses Lake on March 28, 2023. One employee was a recent graduate of a local technical college, and she now helps maintain a groundbreaking hydrogen-powered aircraft.
Moses Lake's clean tech boom is creating jobs and producing innovations that will help decarbonize industry and transportation. The very first all-electric passenger aircraft took flight in Moses Lake last September, and the largest-ever hydrogen-powered aircraft took flight there a month later. Two large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturers are also setting up shop.
Gov. Jay Inslee visited Moses Lake on March 28 to speak with leaders in sustainable aviation and battery production. The governor asked what resources might benefit their industry - some mentioned infrastructure and grants, but all agreed that a skilled workforce was paramount.
To support the clean tech boom, the state hopes to nurture a new generation of clean tech workers. Universities and local colleges are offering new courses in airplane maintenance, engineering, fabrication, and other in-demand skills. This session, the Legislature is fueling the fire by funding a new clean technology institute and other workforce development efforts. Young Washingtonians are in a great position to benefit from the state?s clean energy direction, and the governor and Legislature are helping open those pathways to more people.
Read the full story on Gov. Jay Inslee's Medium here.
Surjit Gill, Jonathan Stringer, David Ameh, Demetrius Sellers, and Harold Felton were workers each lost to recent trench collapses while on the job. Their deaths could have been prevented if their employers had done more for workplace safety. The state Department of Labor & Industries is stepping up enforcement at excavation sites, where 35 workers across America died in 2022.
A recent L&I op-ed details the unfortunate and preventable circumstances of recent worker deaths. In one instance, a company had been cited more than four times for serious safety violations in the years preceding a deadly trench collapse. In another, workers were sent into a trench 20 feet deep with no safe exit and no prior inspection. It collapsed, killing a worker.
The common denominator of most workplace deaths is that carelessness preceded them. In addition to accelerating inspections at excavation sites, L&I is calling on workers to report unsafe conditions.
Braced or sloped walls, accessible ladders, inspections, and other common safety standards are the law, and they are the minimum standard that employers should uphold to protect their workers. When those requirements are ignored, workers die and employers face jail time.
Read the op-ed via The Tacoma News Tribune, and report safety hazards via the L&I site.
Veterans and their families may qualify for phone and internet service
The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) offers qualifying veterans and their families computer equipment and phone and internet service. Many low-income veterans may enjoy two years of T-Mobile phone service, a Chromebook, and a cell phone. WDVA kicked off the new Digital Navigator program with an event on March 23 at the Washington Soldier?s Home in Orting, outfitting 45 veterans with new equipment and connectivity. To apply or learn more, call 1-800-562-2308 or visit?the WDVA website.??
Organ donors to be honored next week
Pierce County Sheriff?s Deputy Dom Calata was killed last year while serving a felony warrant. He left behind his wife and young son. In his heroic last act, he saved four lives by donating his organs and tissue. Deputy Calata and 260 other donors will be honored next Thursday during a ceremony at the Capitol Building in Olympia. Donors? families will receive a Gift of Life Award signed by Gov. Jay Inslee to commemorate their loved ones? generous and lifesaving donations. Visit the state Department of Licensing website to learn how to register as a donor.
Gun violence prevention bills make progress
The tragic shooting at a Nashville elementary school this week reminds us that guns kill more children in America than any other cause. A series of gun reforms proposed by Gov. Jay Inslee in December are advancing through the state House and Senate this session, and appear on-track to reach the governor?s desk. The bills include a requirement of recent safety training and a waiting period before a firearm purchase may proceed, an assault weapons ban, and the establishment of liability for improper business practices by firearms manufacturers and distributors.
?I?m confident that we?re going to take strong actions against gun violence in the state this year, and I look forward to signing bills in this regard,? Inslee said Wednesday.
A veteran at the Washington Soldier's Home in Orting receives a new phone and Chromebook through the WDVA Digital Navigator program. (Image courtesy of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs)
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