2009 Session
Bills Dead and Buried
Following the floor cut-off date
UPDATED - March 16, 2009

   March 12 (5 p.m.) was the final day for bills to be considered in their house of origin. Those bills not passed from the House by that deadline are considered "dead" for the session. Budget-driven bills are exempt from the cut-off.

   The following is a report of those Republican House bills that did not survive. . .  

Click here for 2009 Floor Cutoff Survivor bills 

BUDGET AND TAXES

SOLUTION: Pass a budget that increases prosperity for citizens, doesn't increase their taxes, and sustains essential services.

• House Bill 1702 (Bailey) Would have required a review of new state programs.
• House Bill 1458 (Bailey) Would have required the fiscal impact of legislation be made public at the time a bill is first heard.
• House Bill 1654 (Alexander) Would have let the sun shine on the state budget. Would have required the budget sit for five days before a vote.
• House Bill 1655 (Alexander) Would have enacted a balanced budget requirement for governor’s proposed budget and the final budget.
• House Bill 1656 (Dammeier) Would have eliminated hidden budget accounts and apply a state spending limit.
• House Joint Resolution 4208 (Orcutt) Would have proposed an amendment to the state Constitution to place restrictions on tax increases.
• House Joint Resolution 4209 (Bailey) Would have proposed an amendment to the state Constitution to require extraordinary revenue growth to be transferred to the budget stabilization account (rainy day fund).

EDUCATION

SOLUTION: Help students achieve success by funding the fundamentals of education first.

• House Bill 1671 (Anderson) Would have provided greater accountability for college success by measuring job placement by institution and degree type
• House Bill 2000 (Priest) Would have expanded flexibility for production of math and science teachers

JOB RETENTION AND CREATION

SOLUTION: Support employers and protect jobs by eliminating red tape and regulations that stifle business growth.

• House Bill 1160 (Condotta) Would have eliminated the paid family leave insurance program.
• House Bill 1617 (Smith) Would have reduced the regulatory burden for Washington businesses.
• House Bill 1648 (Hope) Would have encouraged that 3 percent of state contracts go to veterans.
• House Bill 2043 (DeBolt) Would have required state agencies to respond to all submitted permits within 90 Days.
• House Bill 2039 (Roach) Would have established an expedited permit process for large transportation projects to get them built quicker and provide more construction jobs.
• House Bill 2057 (Hope) Would have reduced the sales tax to 3.25 percent for new home construction.
• House Bill 2060 (Hope) Would have provide tax relief for auto dealers with lower sales taxes for new cars and B&O tax credit for auto dealers.

PUBLIC SAFETY

SOLUTION: Put families before felons by advancing legislation that cracks down on criminal activity and keeps our homes and families safe.

• House Bill 1240 (Dammeier) Would have expanded the list of crimes requiring dismissal of school employees.
• House Bill 1247 (Pearson) Would have allowed prosecutors to more easily prosecute child sex predators who view child pornography.
• House Bill 1834 (Angel) Would have required electronic GPS (global positioning system) monitoring of all Level 3 sex offenders and sex offenders who are registered as homeless, transient, or have a prior conviction of failing to register.
• House Bill 2027 (Smith) Would have made driving under the influence (DUI) a class C felony upon the third conviction after two previous DUIs within seven years. 
• House Bill 2028 (Smith) Would have added an additional four years to the standard sentence range for vehicular homicide committed while driving under the influence.

HEALTH CARE

SOLUTION: Give health care back to consumers by creating a patient-centered health care system.

• HB 1687 (Shea) Would have provided protections to health-care professionals who decline to provide services that violate their personal beliefs. The “right of conscience” bill had bipartisan support, but did not make it out of the Health Care and Wellness Committee.
• House Bill 1866 (Ericksen) Would have provided parameters for carriers to design health plans for adults between the ages of 18 and 34.
• House Bill 1868 (Bailey) Would have provided increased access to health insurance for small employers and their employees.
• House Bill 1870 (Condotta) Would have expanded employee health care options.
• House Bill 1871 (Herrera) Would have provided access to out-of-state health carriers.
• House Bill 1872 (Hinkle) Would have provided tax incentives for small businesses to purchase health insurance for their employees.

TRANSPORTATION

SOLUTION: Provide congestion relief, safe roads and highways, and ensure that taxpayers receive value for their transportation dollars.

• HB 1705 – (Shea) Would have moved Spokane’s North-South Freeway to the top of the priority list of the Special Category C transportation funding.
• House Bill 2036 (Roach) Would have helped fund the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement by selling development rights for the property underneath the existing viaduct, and dedicating all sales tax on tunnel construction and related private development back to the project to reduce costs.
• House Bill 2037 – (Roach) Would have modified transportation policy goals to include congestion relief as a higher priority for state transportation investments.
• House Bill 2038 – (Roach) Would have opened HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes during non-peak hours and weekends.
• House Bill 2039 – (Roach) Would have expedited permitting for major projects of $1 billion or more with a six-step process that provides clear deadlines and decisions.
• House Bill 2238 – (Rodne) Would have required the state to use $1.955 billion identified in the 2008 legislative budget to build the Highway 520 floating bridge first.

BALANCED ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

SOLUTION: Create fair and balanced energy and environmental policies that weigh the impact on citizens.

• House Bill 1658 (Ericksen) Would have created an incentive for utilities to promote renewable energy.
• House Bill 2002 (Klippert) Would have created a carbonless energy park for expansion of clean energy production through wind, solar, nuclear and  biotechnology

• House Bill 1086 - Would have established a new feed-in tariff for alternative energy that will be passed to consumers in the form of higher energy costs.
   
• House Bill 1133 - Would have added new mandates for renewable energy that will drive up electricity costs.
   
• House Bill 1422 - Would have reversed a recent court ruling to impose Brokered Natural Gas Use Tax at the place where it is burned; could lead to higher costs for companies that use natural gas in their operations.
   
• House Bill 1490 - Would have implemented heavy-handed climate change restrictions into the GMA goals.
   
• House Bill 1528 - Employer gag rule - Would have prohibited certain employer communications about political or religious matters.
   
• House Bill 1712 and 1714 - Would have restricted Association Health Plans.
   
• House Bill 1718 - Climate Action Team Recommendations - Would have created numerous costly environmental mandates.
   
• House Bill 1819 - Would have enacted cap and trade restrictions against businesses and citizens. (Senate Bill passed - SB 5735)
   
• House Bill 1854 - Would have changed the greenhouse gas performance standard for utilities by adding new requirements for where power comes from, which will make it harder for utilities to acquire reasonably priced power to serve customers.
   
• House Bill 2121 - Would have imposed government-run health care for catastrophic care as proposed by the Insurance Commissioner.