— from Governor Inslee’s Office —
The legislative session hit the halfway mark this week, and with that comes the House of Origin cutoff. This means most bills need to have passed out of at least one chamber in order to keep moving forward. Gov. Inslee thanked legislators this week for moving quickly on several significant priorities. Inslee proposed several ambitious proposals related to orcas, climate change, behavioral health, broadband, education and health care and all of them are advancing steadily through the Legislature.
A behavioral health bill that would create an unprecedented, first-in-the-nation partnership for a University of Washington teaching hospital passed the House with a 95-0 vote, showing overwhelming bipartisan support. It now moves into the Senate. Three other governor request behavioral health bills continue moving forward with support from both sides of the aisle. The bills would transform the mental health system in the state. It would put more emphasis on community-based treatment and resources for people with mental illness and substance use disorders.
The House passed a clean fuel standard that would provide cleaner air, reduce carbon pollution and grow jobs for Washingtonians. The bill is part of Inslee’s clean energy proposal to decrease emissions by transitioning to clean electricity, clean and ultra-energy efficient buildings and clean transportation. High school students from Methow Valley visited the Capitol to show support for the 100 percent clean energy bill, which is now in the House after passing the Senate.
The Senate also passed the health care public option bill with bipartisan support on Wednesday. This bill would make high-quality, affordable health coverage more accessible to all Washingtonians.
Three hearings are scheduled next week for orca and salmon recovery issues, which include oil transportation safety, chinook abundance and minimizing vessel noise. Finally, College Promise, the governor’s proposal to offer free college tuition to qualified students, passed the Senate over the weekend and is now in the House for consideration. The Senate amendment would guarantee financial aid to students whose family incomes are at or below $28,325 per year for a family of four.
And for readers who want to learn more about the bill-making process, Washington State Archives tweeted a helpful Throwback Thursday graphic that breaks it down.
.
