Bill Topics
Healthcare
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
---|---|---|---|
HB 1047 | Requiring coverage for hearing instruments for children and adolescents | It is essential for children and adolescents with hearing loss to have access to hearing-assistive devices regardless of ability to pay. | Referred to HEALTH CARE & WELLNESS |
SB 5010 | Prohibiting the use of credit scores to determine rates for personal lines of insurance | The use of credit scoring in insurance is an unfair practice that negatively impacts people with disabilities, who have less access to credit than those without disabilities, potentially preventing them from receiving care they need. | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee |
SB 5052 | Concerning the creation of health equity zones | People with disabilities are faced with significant health disparities stemming from things like difficulty accessing services, inflexible policies and procedures, and inaccessible environments. This results in higher cases of missed diagnoses, lower rates of prevention, and delays in care services, disproportionately impacting minorities experiencing higher rates of mobility-related disabilities. | Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/17 at 1:30 PM |
SB 5185 | Concerning capacity to provide informed consent for health care decisions. | Many people with disabilities have guardianships. This bill would make it so people with a guardianship that includes healthcare decision making are assumed to not be able to make their own healthcare decisions regardless of capacity. | IN THE HOUSE – First reading, referred to Health Care & Wellness (Not officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report) |
HB 1141 | Increasing access to the death with dignity act. | Referred to Rules 2 Review. | |
HB 1218 | Improving health, safety, and quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities. | People with disabilities make up a significant percent of residents in long-term health care facilities. In addition to high rated of COVID-19 deaths in the facilities, the pandemic has also resulted in further isolation thereby affecting the mental health of residents. | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee |
HB 1411 | Expanding health care workforce eligibility. | Reducing barriers so individuals who have a criminal record can become caregivers. This will increase availability of caregivers and diversify the caregiving workforce. | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee |
Behavioral Health
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1086 | Creating the state office of behavioral health consumer advocacy. | People who use mental health and substance abuse services need a coordinated system of effective, well trained, accessible advocates to respond to complaints. | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/17 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1020 | By request of Department of Social and Health Services Concerning state of emergency operations impacting long-term services and supports. |
Caregiving services, approval of caregivers, and abuse prevention strategies must be continued to ensure continuity of care. | Referred to Committee on STATE GOVERNMENT & TRIBAL RELATIONS |
HB 1182 | Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services. | Creating a separate behavioral health crisis response system from the existing 911 system. This will allow for behavioral health professionals to respond to non-violent behavioral health crisis’. name: 988 | Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 AM |
SB 5071 | Creating transition teams to assist specified persons under civil commitment. | Creating transition teams to support those exiting the state hospitals. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/22 at 9:30 AM |
SB 5073 | Concerning involuntary commitment. | Changing language to reflect integration of behavior health and embedding mental health advance directives. | IN THE HOUSE – First reading, referred to Civil Rights & Judiciary |
SB 5209 | Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services. | Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care at 10:30 AM on Jan 29 | |
SB 5397 | Improving access to behavioral health treatment in certified crisis facilities. | People with multiple disabilities and complex needs are frequently declined services from evaluation and treatment facilities and put into single bed certifications. This would require E&Ts to report why they were denying services if beds are available. | Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care 2/12 at 10:30 AM |
HB 1392 | Establishing a pilot project for mobile mental health crisis intervention. | Referred to Committee on APPROPRIATIONS | |
HB 1499 | Providing behavioral health system responses to individuals with substance use disorder. | Many people experiencing a psychiatric disability use substances as a coping mechanism. This bill would decriminalize the possession of substances for personal use and instead provide treatment options. Name: Treatment First | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Public Safety at 1:30 PM. PS – Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. Referred to Appropriations. |
Housing
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1035 | Providing local governments with options to grant rent relief and preserve affordable housing in their communities. | Access to affordable housing is a crucial component of disability rights and critical in keeping people with disabilities in their communities and out of institutions. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Finance 2/18 at 9:00 AM |
HB 1490 | Maintaining residential electricity and heating service for low-income households and households with people with disabilities. | Assistance with electricity and heating utilities for low-income households and households with people with disabilities. | Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Environment & Energy 2/12 at 10:00 AM |
SB 5007 | Temporarily reducing compliance and tax burdens on electric utilities to lower costs and support utility assistance for low-income customers. | Access to electric utilities is vital for people with disabilities, some of whom rely on electric-power equipment and assistive devices, such as motorized wheelchairs, oxygen generators, and refrigerated medications. | Referred to ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY & TECHNOLOGY |
SB 5012 | Providing a local government option for the funding of essential affordable housing programs. | Access to affordable housing is essential for people with disabilities who may otherwise face institutionalization or homelessness. | Referred to Ways & Means |
HB 1083 | Concerning relocation assistance for tenants of closed or converted manufactured/ mobile home parks. | People with disabilities may have limited financial resources, and should never be put in jeopardy of losing their home due to circumstance or financial status. | Referred to Rules 2 Review. |
SB 5139 | Limiting rent increases after expiration of the governor’s eviction moratorium. | People with disabilities struggle to find accessible and low-barrier housing. Secure housing is a crucial component of staying safe during the pandemic. The expiration of the eviction moratorium would mean wide spread eviction and rent increases, which could perpetuate housing insecurity and risk the health of vulnerable populations. | Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Housing & Local Government 2/11 at 8:00 AM |
SB 5117 | Concerning rental vouchers to eligible offenders. | People with disabilities are disproportionately incarcerated which impacts the ability to access housing during reentry. Equal access to safe and affordable housing is important for incarcerated people to have successful reentry. | Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/1 at 4:00 PM |
Criminal Justice
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1044 | Increases access to post-secondary education in prison and provides educational assessments and accommodations for people with disabilities | People with disabilities are disproportionately incarcerated, and thus may need access to special education services. | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/16 at 1:30 PM. APP – Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. |
HB 1054 | Establishing requirements for tactics, such as the usage of chokeholds/neck restraints, and equipment (including the usage of military equipment, tear gas, and police dogs) used by peace officers | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee | |
HB 1071 | Concerning bias-based criminal offenses. | People with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violent crimes than commit them. People with psychiatric disabilities are more likely to be incarcerated for symptoms of their disability. | Returned to Rules Committee for second reading |
SB 5051 | Concerning state oversight and accountability of peace officers and corrections officers. | People with disabilities disproportionately face police violence. Implementing oversight and measures of accountability concerning the practice of peace officers and corrections officers is essential to ensure the rights and safety of people with disabilities is protected. Companion of HB 1082 | Passed to Rules Committee for second reading |
SB 5164 | Provides for resentencing for people who are currently incarcerated as three-strike “persistent offenders” due to Robbery 2 convictions; this makes last year’s bill on this issue, which applied prospectively, apply retroactively to the almost 60 people who remain incarcerated for life due to a Robbery 2 conviction. | Passed to Rules Committee for second reading | |
HB 1082 | Concerning state oversight and accountability of peace officers and corrections officers. | People with disabilities disproportionately face police violence. Implementing oversight and measures of accountability concerning the practice of peace officers and corrections officers is essential to ensure the rights and safety of people with disabilities is protected. Companion of SB 5051. | Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Public Safety 1/15 at 10:00 AM. |
HB 1126 | Limiting tolling of community custody terms | Among other changes, this bill eliminates the requirement that a person’s community custody term be tolled when absent from supervision. This is especially relevant for people who are hospitalized or arrested during a psychiatric emergency while under supervision, who often experience longer terms of supervision as a result. | Referred to Rules 2 Review. |
HB 1169 | Allows people to accrue earned time on sentence enhancements, permits court discretion in imposing stacked enhancements in the future, and allows for the resentencing of people who currently have stacked enhancements. | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/17 at 1:30 PM | |
HB 1202 | Addressing meaningful civil remedies for persons injured as a result of police misconduct, including by allowing for an award of attorney fees in addition to damages and injunctive and declaratory relief. | Individuals who have been victims of police misconduct often times do not receive proper justice for their grievances, and considering that persons with disabilities disproportionately face such violence, it is vital their grievances are properly addressed. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1282 | Allows people to earn 33% off their prison sentence through participation in positive programming. This earned time would be earned on enhancements as well as mandatory minimum terms of incarceration. | Referred to Appropriations | |
HB 1344 | Allows people who were convicted before the age of 25 to seek resentencing | Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Public Safety 2/15 at 1:30 PM | |
HB 1348 | Providing medical assistance to incarcerated persons. | People incarcerated for less than 30 days will not have Medicaid suspended. This will allow for easier reentry into the community as Medicaid will not need to be re-activated. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1310 | Concerning permissible uses of force by law enforcement and correctional officers. | Requires law enforcement to take “reasonable care” when determining whether to use force and while using force. Reasonable care includes taking disability status into consideration. | Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1413 | Provides that points assessed for crimes committed as a juvenile are not counted in adult sentencing and provides for resentencing | Provides that points assessed for crimes committed as a juvenile are not counted in adult sentencing and provides for resentencing | |
SB 5036 | Expands the clemency board to include community stakeholders and provides a mechanism to review people for release who have served long sentences; this bill also expands the eligibility for extraordinary medical placement, which may allow release for people with chronic, serious medical issues | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/19 at 9:00 AM | |
SB 5119 | Creates a process to review in-custody fatalities in jails and prisons and directs that the results of those reviews be made public. | Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM. WM – Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation. | |
SB 5163 | Directs the Special Commitment Center to conduct discharge planning and create less restrictive alternative placements in a state-wide manner for people releasing from the Special Commitment Center, many of whom have cognitive and physical disabilities and require specialized housing and supports. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/19 at 9:00 AM | |
SB 5248 | Establishing the joint task force on jail standards | Referred to Ways & Means | |
SB 5293 | Alternatives to total confinement for people with serious mental illness who enter the criminal legal system | Post-conviction community based sentencing program for people with psychiatric disabilities. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/22 at 9:30 AM |
SB 5413 | Bans the use of prolonged solitary confinement in state prisons, limiting its use to 15 days and precluding vulnerable populations entirely, including people with mental health needs. At least 30% of the prison population identifies as having a disability and people with disabilities are disproportionately subject to solitary confinement. | Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation 2/9 at 1:30 PM | |
HB 1312 | Concerning solitary confinement. | First reading, referred to Public Safety. |
Support Services
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1061 | Concerning youth eligible for developmental disability services who are expected to exit the child welfare system. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/16 at 1:30 PM | |
SB 5284 | Eliminating subminimum wage certificates for persons with disabilities. | Currently, people with disabilities can be paid according to “productivity.” This bill eliminates the ability for people with disabilities to be paid subminimum wage. | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee |
SB 5213 | Clarifying the authority and role of the office of developmental disabilities ombuds. | Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM on Jan 29 | |
SB 5268 | Transforming services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by increasing the capabilities of community residential settings and redesigning the long-term nature of intermediate care facilities. | Implementing the Ruckelshaus recommendations except for the 120 bed nursing home on the grounds of Fircrest. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/19 at 9:00 AM |
SB 5304 | Providing reentry services to persons releasing from state and local institutions. | People with disabilities are disproportionately incarcerated, and thus need to have access to adequate reentry services. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/19 at 9:00 AM |
HB 1349 | Concerning peer specialists. | Certified peer specialists are people who have accessed behavioral health services. This bill would change the requirements to becoming a CPC. | Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness 2/15 at 10:00 AM |
Voting
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1078 | Restoring voter eligibility for all persons convicted of a felony offense who are not in total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections. | Disability is frequently criminalized which leads to many disabled people arrested and charged with crimes -and where the crime is a felony, losing the right to vote. | Placed on second reading by Rules Committee |
HB 1156 | Increasing representation and voter participation in local elections. | Ranked-choice voting describes an electoral system in which voters rank multiple candidates in order of preference. This system allows for better representation and enables voters to pick candidates they think are best without having to worry about vote splitting. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
SB 5086 | Restoring voter eligibility for all persons convicted of a felony offense who are not in total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections. | Disability is frequently criminalized which leads to many disabled people arrested and charged with crimes -and where the crime is a felony, losing the right to vote. | Referred to Committee on STATE GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS. |
Education
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1085 | Promoting a safe learning environment for students with seizure disorders. | Students with disabilities should have a fair and equal access to education. Ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment is important for fostering student success. | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Education at 1:30 PM. ED – Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. Referred to Rules 2 Review. |
HB 1153 | Increasing language access in public schools. | When family members are engaged, statistics show that students have higher rates of graduation, display better performance in school, and have higher self-esteem. In order to equitably promote student success, family members with disabilities must have access to meaningful communication with schools. | Referred to APPROPRIATIONS. |
HB 1295 | Providing public education to youth in or released from institutional education Facilities. | People with disabilities accessing IEPs or accommodations in RHCs or juvenile detention centers should have access to free and appropriate public education. | Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
SB 5044 | Concerning professional learning, equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism in the public school system. | IN THE HOUSE – First reading, referred to EDUCATION | |
SB 5194 | Providing for equity and access in the community and technical colleges. | Over half of SWD elect to attend a community college. This bill would recognize that students with disabilities have historically faced barriers to access and completion in CTCs and implement appropriate framework for resolving this, including minimum standards for counselors and counselor to student ratios. | Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means 2/22 at 9:30 AM |
State Budget
Bill Name | Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
House Capital Budget | HB 1080 | By request of Office of Financial Management Concerning the capital budget. |
This includes investments for Trueblood implementation, historic investments into housing, and investments into institutional settings in the form of a new forensic hospital and nursing facility at Fircrest. | Hearing 1/14 8am in House Capital Budget |
Senate Capital Budget | SB 5083 | By request of Office of Financial Management Concerning the capital budget. |
This includes investments for Trueblood implementation, historic investments into housing, and investments into institutional settings in the form of a new forensic hospital and nursing facility at Fircrest. | Hearing 1/12 4pm in Senate Ways and Means |
House Operating Budget | HB 1094 | By request of Office of Financial Management Concerning the operating budget. |
Funding for programs which support people with disabilities including Trueblood implementation. | Hearing 1/14 3:30pm in House Appropriations |
Senate Operating Budget | SB 5092 | By request of Office of Financial Management Concerning the operating budget. |
Funding for programs which support people with disabilities including Trueblood implementation. | Hearing 1/12 4pm in Senate Ways and Means |
Miscellaneous
Bill # | Description | Importance to People with Disabilities | Status |
HB 1072 | Removing one of the restrictions on the use of civil legal aid funds. | This bill will make it possible to use civil legal aid funds to represent disabled undocumented individuals, many of which have been subject to the federal public charge executive order. | IN THE SENATE – First reading, referred to LAW & JUSTICE |
HB 1140 | Concerning juvenile access to attorneys when contacted by law enforcement. | Youth with disabilities are disproportionately exposed to the criminal justice system. These youth are at a heightened risk when interacting with law enforcement, and must be provided access to attorneys for consultation. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/18 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1329 | Concerning public meeting accessibility and participation. | This piece of legislation would make it easier for the public, in particular people with disabilities, to engage in public policy by requiring most public meetings to continue to offer the option to participate online, post pandemic. | Executive action taken in the House Committee on Local Government at 3:30 PM. LG – Majority; 1st substitute be substituted, do pass. Referred to Rules 2 Review. |
SB 5027 | Concerning closed captioning on televisions in places of public accommodation. | This will ensure individuals who are deaf/Deaf and or hard of hearing have access to television programming in public places. | IN THE HOUSE – First reading, referred to Civil Rights & Judiciary |
HB 1264 | Establishing an equity impact statement for legislative proposals. | All bills with a fiscal note or which a legislator requests an equity impact review will receive one. Implementation will be rolled out in three phases. | Referred to APPROPRIATIONS. |
HB 1099 | Improving the state’s climate response through updates to the state’s comprehensive planning framework. | This bill is an update to the Growth Management Act that will encourage communities to start working to reduce vehicle miles traveled. This is important because it could mean more essential services located near where people live, making accessing our communities without access to vehicles easier. | Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Appropriations 2/17 at 1:30 PM |
HB 1301 | Providing expanded options for fare enforcement by regional transit authorities. | This would allow Sound Transit to move away from bringing criminal charges against people for fare enforcement, moving Sound Transit to a system more similar to the one King County Metro uses that allows people to resolve fare evasion cases outside of the criminal justice system. | Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM |