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Seven bills prime sponsored
by Rep. Bailey pass the
House
10th District lawmaker's measures now in the
Senate for consideration
Rep.
Barbara Bailey saw seven bills she is prime sponsoring
pass off the House floor in the last two weeks. The measures are now in the Senate for
consideration.
"It has been a busy time in the House -- both on the
floor and in committee," said Bailey, R-Oak Harbor.
"I'm honored that my legislative colleagues joined me in moving some
good bills forward. I look forward to working with the Senate to
ensure they advance to the governor's desk."
House Bill 1869
would require the disclosure of all fees
and charges for care services by health care providers and licensed
facilities, at the request of the patient. This
would provide transparency
and better public information on the cost and quality of
health care.
"The goal is to
assist patients in making informed choices about their
health care, and encourage private
insurers and public programs to reward quality and
efficiency," said Bailey. "This is also
about transparency -- something our health care system needs more of as
we move forward with reforms."
House Bill 1461 would allow counties to adopt a biweekly
pay period for county officers and employees. It would also provide a
county using a semi-monthly pay period to adopt a biweekly pay period
and make payments not later than 13 days after the end of each pay
period.
"This is about local control and more flexibility
for smaller counties. It could help many jurisdictions around
our state -- including Island County, whose auditor brought the idea to
my attention," said Bailey. "To pass the
House is an important hurdle."
House Bill 1547 would increase from $150,000 to $175,000
the lump-sum death benefit that is paid to survivors of state, school
district, higher education or other Washington State Retirement
Systems-covered employees who die as a result of injuries sustained in
the course of employment.
"This is very
important for law enforcement officials and fire fighters in our
communities and across the
state. These groups testified and provided a very compelling case for
making changes," said Bailey. "It was great to see
unanimous support for this measure in the House, and I hope for the same
in the Senate."
The measure would also make the $175,000 death benefit
payable either from the member’s retirement plan or, if the employee was
not covered by one of the state retirement systems, from sundry
claims.
House Bill 1548 would eliminate the requirement that
members make contributions for interruptive military service upon return
to state service if that service is during a period of war. It would
also refund past
member contributions for interruptive military service, if that military
service was rendered during a period of war.
"We must ease the burdens of our servicemen and servicewomen in the state. As
they put their lives on the line in far-away places, we should be doing
all we can at home to help them and their families," said
Bailey. "No one testified against this bill, and it would not
impact pension contribution rates this two-year budget cycle. This is
important when you consider our state faces an $8 billion budget
shortfall."
The measure would also provide that
if a member dies during interruptive military service during a time
of war, the survivor does not have to pay for the cost of the military
service credit.
House Bill 1567 would change Medicare Supplement policy
replacement standards and require the reporting of premiums for tax
purposes to be consistent with the basis the insurer used to report in
the insurer’s annual statement.
"This would update and correct
our insurance code. It would fix some
incorrect language and update some outdated language," said
Bailey. "It is what some people in Olympia call 'a good little
bill.'"
House Bill 1568 would prohibit certain practices for
surplus line brokers, apply a number of statutes to surplus line brokers,
and make a number of language and grammatical changes.
"This
is a collaborative effort and I think everyone is satisfied with what
we've crafted," said Bailey. "It also contributes to a
continued effort to the overhaul of the regulation of producers."
House Bill 1749
would modify licensing, education, and background check
standards for mortgage brokers and loan originators.
"This
legislation is about taking the necessary steps at the state level to
regulate mortgage brokers, so the federal government won't have to
make decisions for us," said Bailey. "I continue to
believe that thoughtful state regulation is better for consumers and
businesses."
The 105-day
legislative session is scheduled to run through April 26.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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