ࡱ> M\N#` bjbjmm I858.,Z49l(9999999M;h=Z9"l"""99{${${$"j8{$"9{${$2Z4  $["j388\9093j>e#>Df4f4>z4J{$l< U99$^9""""D 22  CARNEY BADLEY SPELLMAN LAW OFFICES A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CORPORATION 701 FIFTH AVENUE, SUITE 3600 SEATTLE, WA 98104-7010 FAX (206) 467-8215 TEL (206) 622-8020MEMORANDUM To: Sandra Powers-Booth Josh Nace Susan Pittman From: Melvin N. Sorensen Date: January 20, 2008 Re: WAHU Legislative Report1-08 2008 Legislative Session Gets Underway Legislators gathered in Olympia on Monday, January 14 to convene the 60-day 2008 Legislative Session. Although their main task will be to write a supplemental budget for the remainder of the 2007-2009 biennium, legislators will also consider hundreds of bills addressing a number of top priorities including health care, education and transportation. Democrats hold a 32-17 majority in the Washington State Senate, and a 63-35 seat majority in the Washington State House of Representatives. Washington budget-writers enjoy a $1.4 billion general fund surplus, but legislative leaders promise to save at least $1 billion in reserve, including $430 million to be set aside in the states new rainy day fund that was approved by voters last November. With a surplus of funds and elections to be held later this year, higher taxes will be off of table. The Governor has proposed a supplemental budget that provides $234 million more to the states $33 billion biennial budget passed last year. Other priorities for the legislative leaders and the Governor include housing, flood relieve, health care, transportation, and the environment. Short Session Means Tight Timelines for Consideration of Bills The House and Senate have approved a cutoff resolution for the consideration of bills during the 2008 legislative session. Under the schedule bills must be reported out of committee in the House of origin by the close of Friday, February 8. Bills must be approved in the House of origin by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19. Only ten days laterFriday, February 29bills must be reported out of committee in the opposite House. Friday, March 7 is the last day for bills to be considered in the opposite House. The 2008 Legislative Session must adjourn by midnight on Thursday, March 13, although many legislators expect the session to close early. Senate Committee to Consider OIC Request Bill Clarifying Producer Licensing Requirements The Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee will consider SB 6591 at a hearing on Wednesday, January 23. The bill contains various technical adjustments to the producer licensing measure passed last year. The OIC has indicated that the measure is intended to be uncontroversial, and corrects various technical issues. House and Senate Committees Consider Flurry of Health Care Reform Bills Committees in the House and Senate have kicked off the short 2008 legislative session with hearings to consider a wide array of proposals to reform the health care reimbursement and delivery system in Washington State. During the first week of the 2008 session, House and Senate committees considered a significant group of measures which would pose significant changes to the health care delivery and financing system. HB 2537 was introduced at the request of the Health Insurance Partnership Board, and has attracted the concern of the business community. The measure would eliminate the provision that at least one employee of a participating employer must be eligible for a subsidy. The bill would also allow the Partnership Board to limit the number of small group plans to be offered. The Senate also took up ESB 5261Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidlers proposal to have increased authority over the individual health insurance market. Individual health plans, the Association of Washington Business and AHIP testified with concerns about the fragile nature of the individual market, and expressed opposition to the OICs proposal. On Monday, January 21 the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee will consider SB 6221 (Establishing the Washington Health Partnership to provide universal comprehensive coverage for all eligible residents beginning January 1, 2010); SB 6603 (Establishing a Guaranteed health Benefit Program with preventive and catastrophic coverage for all eligible state residents beginning January 1, 2011); SB 6030 (authorizing health carriers to design a plan for young adults between the ages of 19 and 34 that may exclude or limit some requirements that would otherwise apply); SB 6574 (Creating a Health Insurance Exchange to facilitate the availability and enrollment of individuals in private health insurance plans). New Wrongful Death Bill Likely to be Introduced This week HB 1873 was moved back from the House Rules Committee to the House Judiciary Committee. HB 1873 was the controversial wrongful death bill introduced in the House last year. After passing in the House, the measure failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee last year when an insufficient number of committee members failed to sign the majority report to pass the bill out of committee. In all likelihood, the action this year means that the House is preparing to wait for the Senate to take action on this issue rather than the House moving on it first. We will continue to watch for developments on HB 1873, but we understand that it is likely that a new bill is being drafted in the Senate to be introduced in the near future. We have learned that proponents of the legislation will try to have the new Senate bill referred to the Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee rather than the Senate Judiciary Committee where it died last year. Plaintiff lawyers appear to be trying to find a way to get through the hearing process in the Senate, and that they have been simply running into the same problems this year in the Senate Judiciary Committee that they had last year. Local governments will be actively working the Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee to build opposition to the measure. Others who oppose the measure will assist wherever possible.     PAGE 1 -  PAGE 2 - QRgi     ! 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