The week ahead: Jan 15-19

Taking center stage next week: Capital Budget, plus our priority bills on PSERS, social workers, campus police, affordable housing, prescription drug costs, shared leave

Next week is a big week for our issues and priority legislation.

Here’s what’s on tap for the week of Jan. 15-19:

Monday, Jan. 15

  • Monday is the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – that means it’s our MLK Day Lobby Day. Sign up for that and every Lobby Day at: https://wfse.org/lobby-days
  • One of priority bills that would grant binding arbitration rights to campus police, HB 1559, comes before the House Appropriations Committee.
  • The new Senate majority has wasted no time moving along the state Capital Construction Budget, schedule a vote in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on its version, SB 6090. The public hearing was yesterday (Jan. 11). The House version 2SHB 1075 is on the calendar for a vote of the full House.
  •  The House Public Safety Committee holds a public hearing on HB 1889 that would create an Office of Corrections Ombuds.

Tuesday, Jan. 16

  • The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee holds a hearing on one of our priority issues, prescription drug cost transparency, in this case SB 5586. A House version, 2SHB 1541, is awaiting a vote of the full House.
  • The Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee takes up a bill allowing specified offenders to earn positive achievement time on community custody.
  • The Senate Energy, Environment and Technology Committee takes up the proposal from Sen. Reuven Carlyle of the 36th Dist. to reduce carbon pollution by moving to a clean energy economy, SB 6203.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

  • Two of our priority pension bills come up before the House Appropriations Committee Jan. 17:

    Our priority bill to expand membership in the Public Safety Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), HB 1558. It would add institutions workers in high-risk jobs to PSERS so they could retire earlier at 60 in recognition of the physical toll their dangerous jobs take on them; and

    Our priority AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE)-initiated bill that would make PERS 2 the default pension plan for newly hired state employees, HB 1560.
  • Our priority bill to expand shared leave, SB 5295, comes before the Senate State Government Committee. SB 5295 would add the use of shared leave for employees who are sick or temporarily disabled because of pregnancy disability or for the purposes of parental leave to bond with the employee’s newborn, adoptive or foster child.
  • The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee takes up a bill to add part-time employees to state civil service.
  • The Senate Ways and Means Committee holds work sessions on Corrections and residential habilitation centers.

Thursday, Jan. 18

  • Our priority bill on affordable housing, HB 2583, comes up for a hearing in the House Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs Committee.
  • Our priority bill on Interpreter Services (SB 6245) comes up for a hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.
  • The bill creating the Social Work Professional Loan Repayment Program (SB 6259) gets a public hearing in the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. 
  • The Senate Ways and Means Committee holds a public hearing on SB 5513 that would increase tax exemption transparency and accountability.

Friday, Jan. 19

Every day is Lobby Day. Sign up: https://wfse.org/lobby-days