Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Greetings from Olympia! We are into the third week of the 60-day session here at the Capitol, and committees are busy holding public hearings on bills. Some of those bills will make it to the House floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

This week I would like to share information with you about some of the important education bills that recently passed the House and are now headed to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate committee and full Senate pass the same version as the House without any changes (called amendments), the bill goes to the governor for his signature or veto. If the Senate amends the bills, they come back to the House for final approval.

Education Task Force for School Levy Reform

Since the 2012 Supreme Court McCleary case, the Legislature has increased K-12 education funding by $4.5 billion, a 36 percent increase. However, more work needs to be done related to how school districts utilize their voter-approved local levies.  House Bill 2366 would set up a new education funding task force to find a compromise to end the state’s overreliance on school levies to pay for basic education and reform staff compensation funding before the 2018 deadline. The bill passed the House with a 64-34 vote, advancing to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee where it awaits a hearing. I voted “yes” on this bill. The remaining work is complex and cannot reasonably be completed in the remaining days of this 60-day session, but the momentum towards resolving the final steps of the McCleary case should continue.

Responding to Substitute Teacher Shortages

A proposal to allow school districts in need of substitute teachers to employ retired teachers without putting their retirement benefits in jeopardy passed the House on Monday, 96-1. Teachers under early retirement provisions would be able to work as substitute teachers up to 630 hours per year without suspending their pension benefits. The 630-hour provision would be available to retired teachers until Aug. 1, 2020. House Bill 1737 is on its way to the Senate Ways and Means Committee where it awaits further action. I voted “yes” on this bill as well. The substitute teacher shortage is one of the concerns shared with me over the last two years during meetings with local educators.

Streamlining Student Assessments

Washington students are repeatedly tested by the state to assess their progress as they move through school.  House Bill 2214 would streamline high school assessments by expanding some of the alternatives for students related to graduation requirements. This proposal would allow students to demonstrate proficiency by using dual credit courses in a relevant subject area, using courses determined by their local school district. The bill provides more flexibility to local districts and students, will likely reduce the need for college remediation courses, and save the state an estimated $14 million dollars in 2017, and more than $29 million every two years after that. This bill passed the House, 87-10, and will advance to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. I voted “yes” on this bill because I believe we should be focused on testing less and learning more. I also believe school districts need more flexibility to help students reach their college or career ready goals.

Pateros Inspired School Bill Approved

Another one of the early bills to pass the House this year was House Bill 1003, which is a bill I sponsored in order to address recovery efforts related to the Carlton Complex Fire. The bill, inspired and requested by Pateros School District which suffered over $2 million of damage to its school in the summer of 2014, would create a model policy to help school districts to restore their facilities following natural disasters.  This proposal would pull state resources and agencies together to develop a policy to guide school districts following natural disasters, such as wildfires, mudslides, and earthquakes. During the 2015 session, the bill passed the House with unanimous support, but unrelated politics about teacher evaluations kept House-passed education bills from advancing in the Senate last year. Under legislative rules, the measure was returned to the House for reconsideration. On Wednesday, House Bill 1003 passed the House (again), 96-1, and has been referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

Please feel free to contact my office anytime by phone at (360) 786-7832, toll-free at (800) 562-6000 or by e-mail at brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov. I also encourage you to sign up for my periodic e-mail updates on my website at www.representativebradhawkins.com.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

Photo caption – FFA students Bridgeport High School visit with Rep. Hawkins in Olympia.

Photo caption – Jon Wyss, Okanogan County Long-Term Recovery Group Chairman, and Lois Davies, Pateros School District Superintendent, testifying before the House Education Committee in favor of House Bill 1003.

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov 
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are now in our second week of the 2016 legislative session. As I shared previously this is a “supplemental budget year” and is only scheduled for 60 days.  In shorter sessions things move quickly.  (Key dates coming up in the next few weeks are listed at the bottom of this newsletter).

As legislators, we are already hearing from many constituents on topics of importance statewide and back home, including education, environmental, law enforcement, and budget issues. Many constituents have also visited me here in Olympia, which is always appreciated.  I always welcome your input on issues important to you.  I will make sure to keep you updated on various issues as the session continues.

Update on local government fireworks bill

Following days of extreme heat and the devastating Sleepy Hollow Fire in Wenatchee last summer, local government officials found state law confusing regarding implementing fireworks ordinances and, as a result, did not fully understand how to take action at the local level. Current state law requires that if counties and cities adopt rules that are stricter than the minimum state standards, they cannot go into effect until at least one year after local adoption.

Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-SeaTac) and I have teamed up to introduce House Bill 2348 that would remove the one-year waiting period for local governments to adopt fireworks ordinances. On January 14th we both testified before the House Local Government committee on behalf of this proposal. I am pleased to share that the committee is developing an amendment that allows local governments to issue temporary restrictions on fireworks if there is an extreme fire hazard due to drought conditions. This amendment would represent a compromise, which is what we often try to achieve here in Olympia.

House Bill 2348 is an important step forward in advance of the next fire season. This bill has 40 bipartisan co-sponsors and is supported by several statewide associations and advocacy groups including the Association of Washington Cities,  Washington State Association of Counties, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Office of the State Fire Marshall, Washington State Council of Firefighters, and Washington Fire Chiefs.

Click here for Link to TVW video coverage of testimony for House Bill 2348.
Click here for audio – Rep. Brad Hawkins fireworks bill up for discussion this week.
Click here to read Wenatchee World’s editorial.

Community broadcast

Every Friday morning, my seatmates, Rep. Cary Condotta and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, and I call into our local radio stations to talk about the latest events and discussions in Olympia. I encourage you to listen in!

7:15-7:30 a.m. – KOHO 101.1 FM (Leavenworth/Wenatchee) – click here for audio link.
7:30-7:45 a.m. – KOZI 1230 AM (Chelan) – click here for audio link.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact my office anytime at (360) 786-7832, toll-free at (800) 562-6000, or by email at brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov.

Thank you for allowing me to represent you in Olympia.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

Key Dates

February 5, 2016 – Commonly called “committee cutoff.” This is the last day House bills can be heard and passed in a House or Senate committee, with the exception of budget-related bills.

February 9, 2016 – We call this the “fiscal committee cutoff.” This is the last day House bills that spend money, deal with taxes, or are budget related can pass a House or Senate committee.

February 17, 2016 – This is the last day a bill (except for budget-related bills as previously mentioned) can pass their house of origin.  This often means long days and sometimes nights debating and passing House bills on the House floor, while senators do the same with Senate bills.

Upon passage, House bills advance to the Senate and Senate bills advance to the House. The same committee process occurs in the opposite chamber.

February 26, 2016 – Similar to the previous “committee cutoff,” only now the House is dealing with Senate bills and the Senate is dealing with House bills.  These cutoff dates help keep the process moving along.

February 29, 2016 – This the last day for House bills that are budget related to pass the Senate and vice versa in the House.

March 4, 2016 – At this point, all House bills that are still “alive” must pass the Senate, and all Senate bills that are “alive” must pass the House.  This can be an interesting day of discussion, debate, and compromise.

March 10, 2016 – This is the last day provided for the regular 60-day session.

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov 
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000