May 19, 2009

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Six bills prime sponsored by Rep. Barbara Bailey signed into law 
10th District lawmaker sees 44 measures she prime or secondary sponsored 
make their way to governor's desk

Six bills prime sponsored by Rep. Barbara Bailey have been signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire from the 2009 legislative session that concluded April 26. A total of 44 measures either prime or secondary sponsored by the 10th District lawmaker have made their way to the governor's desk.

"I'm honored to have worked closely with my legislative colleagues and concerned citizens in moving good bills forward this year," said Bailey, R-Oak Harbor. "While the state's budgets and other controversial measures often made the headlines, there were a lot bills that pass behind the scenes in Olympia that affect people in meaningful ways. I'm happy many of my ideas became law, and the ones that did not I will continue to work for next year."  

A total of 602 bills passed in the 2009 legislative session, with 322 originating in the state House and 280 in the state Senate.

House Bill 1869, which was signed into law yesterday, will  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 will 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."



Gov. Chris Gregoire congratulates Rep. Barbara Bailey on the signing of House Bill 1869.

Other bills that Bailey prime sponsored that were signed into law include:

House Bill 1461 will allow counties to adopt a weekly pay period for county officers and employees. It will also allow a county using a semimonthly pay period to adopt a biweekly pay period and make payments not later than 13 days after the end of each pay period.

House Bill 1548 will eliminate the requirement that state retirement plan members make contributions for interruptive military service upon return to state service if that service is during a period of war. It will refund past member contributions for interruptive military service, if that military service was rendered during a period of war. The measure will 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 will 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.

House Bill 1568 will 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.

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

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For more information, contact: John Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758