BILL TRACKER - SESSION 2012
Last Updated: March 12, 2012

REASONABLE CONSUMER PROTECTIONS

FORECLOSURE FAIRNESS ACT (HB 2421, SB 6364, HB 2614)

Last year, we lead the way in ensuring that families facing foreclosure would have the right to a mediation process with their lenders. The Foreclosure Fairness Act, which passed in 2011, brought homeowners, lenders and a third-party mediator together to discuss alternatives before losing their homes. These bills build on the strengths of last year’s law and provide added protections for homeowners and mediators while they work to find alternatives to losing their home and most valuable asset. HB 2421 died but then the bill was amended to HB 2614. HB 2614 has passed the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor for her signature.
Take Action: E-mail your legislators about this issue now!

FAIR TENANT SCREENING ACT (HB 2642, SB 6315)

Landlords frequently use tenant screening reports in evaluating and selecting tenants for their rental properties. These tenant screening reports are purchased from screening companies and may contain misleading, incomplete, or inaccurate information. It is difficult and costly for tenants to dispute errors until after they apply for housing and are turned down. Applicants who apply for housing with multiple housing providers pay repeated screening fees for successive reports containing the same information, often spending down the required deposit and other moving-in fees just to apply for housing. These bills allow for portable screening records that applicants can use multiple times and contest information without spending down their first months rent in the process. HB 2642 died in committee. SB 6315 was amended in committee, passed the Legislature and was delivered to the Governor for signing. The amended bill creates a workgroup of stakeholders to address this issue.

HARM REDUCTION IN GARNISHMENT (HB 1552)

Working families making low wages should have sufficient funds to live on after a wage garnishment. People living on low incomes must make tough choices about whether to pay a bill, feed their kids or keep the lights on. Families fall into debt for a variety of reasons including illness, a medical event or other life-changing situation, or a loss of one or even two jobs per household due to the economy. Garnishment is a serious legal step, one that significantly impacts consumers. Not only is their credit report severely damaged, but the income they used to provide for their family is substantially decreased. This bill will protect residents from catastrophic reductions in wages due to garnishments by limiting the amount a debt collector can garnish from a person’s wages. HB 1552 has passed the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor for her signature.
Take Action: E-mail your legislators about this issue now!

HOUSING REVENUE (HB 2048, SB 5952)

The state has time and time again reaffirmed it’s commitment to ending homelessness. More than 124,000 low-income families are paying more than half their income on housing, putting them at risk of becoming homeless. These bills extend a critical funding source that supports the state’s efforts to address homelessness and affordable housing in Washington. By extending the sunset of an existing fee and implementing additional revenue through fees, these bills will increase access to affordable housing and improve coordination between landlords and state and local governments. HB 2048 has passed both the House and Senate. Once certified, this bill will go to the Governor for her signature.

PAID SICK DAYS (HB 2508, SB 6229)

Paid sick days are the responsible way to prevent the spread of disease and keep everyone healthy by encouraging sick workers and children to stay home – away from co-workers, schoolmates, and customers. Yet an estimated 1 million people working in Washington, primarily low-wage service industry workers, have no paid sick leave. These bills would extend paid sick days to ensure people can care for their health needs without losing their job. With paid sick days, people can seek preventive care and early treatment for themselves and their family members – and that keeps us all healthier. SB 6229 and HB 2508 have died in committee.

ENGAGED AND EQUITABLE WASHINGTON

MARRIAGE EQUALITY (HB 2516, SB 6239)

We must ensure that every Washingtonian is equal under the law. The strength of any democracy is based on equitable representation of all people; we should not be in the business of discrimination. This year we support the Governor’s call for marriage equality. Building on the 2009 campaign to approve Referendum 71 that extended domestic partnership rights to same sex couples, which we also supported, we will urge lawmakers to approve SB 6239 and HB 2516. These bills would make Washington the seventh state in the US to extend marriage licenses to same-sex couples. SB 6239 was signed by the Governor!

EARLY VOTING REGISTRATION (HB 2205, SB 6128)

Increasing the number of registered voters increases voter turnout. Young people vote at far lower rates than other demographic groups. Many times, young people are unsure of the voter registration and are therefore not fully participating in the political process. This bill allows 16 year olds to pre-register to vote. Once they reach the age of 18, their registrations will automatically become active. SB 6128 died in committee. HB 2205 passed the House with amendments and has been placed on second reading for Senate Rules Committee.

REGISTRATION EXPANSION (SB 6127)

Eliminating barriers to exercising the right to vote is essential to a thriving democracy. This bill would increase access to voting by allowing for all eligible citizens to register to vote at any time up to, and including, Election Day.  By eliminating arbitrary cut-off dates, this bill ensures that every eligible person who could vote has the opportunity to do so. SB 6127 is in Senate Rules "X" file.

HIGH EARNERS CAPITAL GAINS TAX (HB 2563)

The state programs that are the foundation of a strong economy and society depend on new sources of revenue and it’s time to ask everyone to pay their fair share. The legislation would effect Washington’s highest income earners by placing a small tax on their income from a capital gain. A capital gain is a profit that results from investments, such as stocks, bonds or real estate, which exceeds the purchase price. Currently these profits are not taxed in our state. Washington’s tax code is the most regressive in the country and this bill would help mitigate this problem. HB 2563 has died in committee, but could be considered NTIB (necessary to implement budget). Stay tuned.

Take Action: E-mail your legislators about this issue now!

BASIC NEEDS

TAKE BACK THE TANF BOX (HB 2262, SB 6411)

In an effort to strengthen the state’s Safety Net, this bill removes oversight and administrative responsibility for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families “Box” from Governor’s office to the Legislature. Currently, the legislature can only appropriate funds for TANF (put funds in the TANF “box”), but it has no say in how those funds are spent. Changing this is essential in ensuring accountability for this program to the people of Washington state. As a lifeline for many families in our state, TANF is too important to have one person administering it. HB 2262 has passed the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor for her signature.

DENTAL ACCESS (HB 2226, SB 6126)

Too many Washingtonians cannot get affordable oral health care when and where they need it. Dental complaints are the number one reason uninsured residents seek emergency care. Lack of affordable dental care affects people’s ability to eat, work and go to school. It’s not just about teeth—oral health affects overall health. Dental problems, when left untreated, can lead to serious medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even death.  These bills propose a new mid-level dental care provider as part of Washington’s solution to the dental care crisis. Mid-level dental practitioners are currently successfully extending high quality, routine dental care to underserved populations and areas across the United States. HB 2226 and SB 6126 have died in committee.

INSURANCE PARITY (HB 2330 , SB 6185 )

As Washington state implements the federal Affordable Care Act, women face increased barriers in their ability to access health care. Because the federal law will allow states to ban abortion coverage in health insurance plans, forward-thinking lawmakers are working to pass legislation now that would maintain the access that women currently have in our state when federal health care reform takes effect in 2014. Comprehensive health insurance coverage should include comprehensive reproductive health care coverage and access to those services should not be dependent on income. The bills will preserve the right to choose and ensure everyone has access to the full range of reproductive health care, regardless of their income. HB 2330 passed the House and had an Executive action in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means and was passed to Senate Rules committee for second reading.

SB 6185 is in Senate Rules "X" file.

RACIAL EQUITY BILL TRACKER

Poverty Action acknowledges that every budget priority and policy that we work on has an inherent racial justice impact. However, the bills in the racial equity bill tracker either explicitly exacerbate historic racial inequities or move immigrant communities and communities of color toward real equity.

We are grounded in the understanding that racism in our culture and in our policies perpetuate intergenerational poverty, and that to end poverty, we must eliminate racism. People of color are more likely to live in poverty than whites, with 29.1% of African Americans and 19.2% of Latinos living below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), compared to only 7.6% of white households. Moreover, the median income of white households is almost twice that of African American households. Many of the barriers people of color face are a direct result of institutional racism, including housing discrimination, criminal justice practices, benefits denied to immigrants, and predatory lending.

JUVENILE JUSTICE

CIVIL INJUNCTIONS (HB 2594, SB 6008)

OPPOSE: In a climate where low-income youth and youth of color are being pushed into the criminal justice system at alarming rates, HB 2594 and SB 6008 would make this problem worse by allowing law enforcement officers to issue an injunction against anyone they label a gang member, even though no crime has been committed. While there is a real need for gang prevention and diversion programs in our communities, these two punitive bills could both exacerbate racial inequity and fail to address the root causes of gang activity in low-income communities and communities of color. HB 2594 and SB 6008 died in committee, however they could be considered NTIB (necessary to implement budget). We are currently fighting to ensure that this issue is not amended into Rep. Moscoso's bill. Stay tuned.

CRIMINAL GANG INTIMIDATION (HB 1913)

OPPOSE:In a state where our students and youth of color are two or three times more likely than white youth to be placed in a confinement facility, HB 1913 is another suppression-only bill that will likely be used to arbitrarily dispense felony charges on youth who officers believe are disrespecting them. HB 1913 has died in committee.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS (HB 2632)

OPPOSE: HB 2632 gives law enforcement permission to remove or arrest individuals for criminal trespass if they are not an official tenant and living on a given premises regardless if they have permission from a tenant to be there. This bill further stigmatizes youth of color as gang members and criminalizes innocent parties who may have nothing to do with gang activity. HB 2632 has died in committee.

GANG PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION (HB 2432)

HB 2432, sponsored by Rep. Luis Moscoso, seeks a variety of creative funding sources for prevention and intervention programs to keep kids out of gangs, including $5 million from the general fund. This bill is one of the only proposals that supports prevention over suppression, protecting the lives of low income youth and youth of color in our communities. HB 2432 has died in committee, but is considered NTIB (necessary to implement budget). We are currently fighting to ensure that civil injunctions are not amended into this bill. Stay tuned. Take Action: E-mail your legislators about this issue now!

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

DRIVERS LICENSE (SB 6433)

OPPOSE:A person's ability to drive legally should not be based on their citizenship status; a drivers' license is NOT the platform for addressing immigration. SB 6433 would use citizenship as a basis to get a driver's license, thereby marking people as "undocumented" and putting many at risk of deportation or serious penalties. SB 6433 has died in committee.

OPPOSE: MANDATORY ENGLISH ONLY (SB 6053, SJR 8220)

SB 6053 and SJR 8220 would require the state to provide information, education and services in English only, failing to protect the right of non-English speakers to receive important information in another language. SB 6053 and SJR 8220 have died in committee.

E-VERIFY BAN (HB 2568)

HB 2568 would allow businesses to keep the right to use or not use the e-verify workers authorization system and prohibit state and local ordinances that would require mandatory use of e-verify. Banning mandatory e-verify protects our communities from discrimination against foreign-born workers including naturalized U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. HB 2568 has died in committee.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

VOTING RIGHTS ACT (HB 2612, SB 6381)

HB 2612 and SB 6381 increases the opportunity for fair representation of racial and ethnic minority voters in local elected office by allowing for at-large elections to be challenged especially where districts are racially segregated, and voting has been proven to have a disproportionate impact in determining the electoral success of candidates. HB 2612 and SB 6381 have died in committee.