Dear friends and neighbors,

The 2009 legislative session is just past its midway point and will run through April 26. The last two weeks in the state House of Representatives have been very busy. I thought this would be a good time to pause, bring you up to speed on a resolution and some bills I have prime sponsored, and invite you to three "coffee talks" I'll be holding this Saturday with Rep. Norma Smith.


Coffee talks

You are invited to join me at three "coffee talks" Saturday. I look forward to hearing from constituents and updating you on what is happening in Olympia. Here are the details:

Langley
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 
Langley City Hall - 112 Second Street

Oak Harbor
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Skagit Valley College (Oak Hall #223) - 1900 SE Pioneer Way

Stanwood
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Stanwood Senior Center – 7430 276th Street NW


Honoring the Navy

I had the privilege of sponsoring House Resolution 4630 last Friday -- a measure that honors Navy Day. On the House floor, I spoke about our dedicated servicemen and servicewomen, including their importance around the world, in our local communities and for our state economy. You can read more about House Resolution 4630 by clicking here. 

 


My prime-sponsored legislation that has passed the House

Seven bills that I'm the prime sponsor of have passed off the House floor. I'm very excited that my House colleagues have joined me in supporting these measures. I look forward to working with the state Senate to ensure this legislation makes it 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.

House Bill 1461 would allow counties to use 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 idea was brought to me by the Island County Auditor.

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 particularly important for law enforcement officials and fire fighters, and these groups testified and provided a very compelling case for making changes. 

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. This is about easing the burdens of our servicemen and servicewomen. 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.

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.

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 has been a collaborative effort to overhaul the regulation of our producers.

House Bill 1749 would modify licensing, education, and background check standards for mortgage brokers and loan originators. This 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.


Staying connected with you

If you have any ideas, questions or concerns to share, please let me know. My contact information is above. Please also visit my Web site to view my video updates, news releases and bills.

Sincerely,


Barbara Bailey

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