2009 ICSEW LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

2009 ICSEW LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Vision: Enriching lives through advocacy, service, and commitmentMission: To better the lives of state employed women

In this issue:

Washington State Deals with Toughest Budget Challenge in Decades

Telecommuting Options and Flexible Work Schedules:

Senate Bill (SB) 6088 Addressing Com• mute Trip Reduction for State Agencies

Senate Bill (SB) 6104 Addressing State• Agency Hours of Operation

Important Improvements in 2009 to Health Care Coverage

Financial Education

Key Federal Decisions improve Health Care Coverage Options in early 2009

Our thanks to the Alabama Grandma: Lilly Ledbetter turns her loss into a win for working women everywhere.

Minority and Women’s Issues:Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1087 Minority and •Women’s Business (MWB) Enterprises

House Joint Memorial (HJM) 4013 Addressing •Discrimination Against Women

House Resolution (HR) 4613 Honoring Girls and •Women in Sports

Senate Bill (SB) 5038 Making Technical Corrections •to Gender-Based Terms

Victim’s Rights in this 2009 State Legislative Session

Leadership • Integrity • Fostering Growth • Empowerment • Wellbeing

2 0 0 9 I C S E W L E G I S L A T I V E P R I O R I T I E S

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Washington State Deals with Toughest Budget Challenge in DecadesBy Wolfgang Opitz, Office of the State Treasurer

In the just-concluded 105 day legislative session, Washington State’s Legislature and Governor dealt with an unprecedented $9 billion budget shortfall caused by a sharp nation-wide economic recession.

Because this recession is consumer led and our state government gets a lot of its revenue from sales taxes, we feel an extra hard bite. Even with significant relief from the federal government to help protect major health, education, and public safety services, there will be large cuts to many services all over the state.

Top-quality professional economic and revenue forecasts gave decision-makers early warning of the daunting challenge they faced. The legislature asked for early guidance in February from Dr. Arun Raha, Executive Director of the Office of the Forecast Council. Dr. Raha told us in February the economy had declined and to expect a revenue drop of at least $2.4 billion. By March the national economy had worsened, so his official forecast came in $2.9 billion below what the Governor had expected in December.

The early warning helped give the legislature more time to find the reductions across all of state government that they could agree on. By the end of their regular 105 day session on April 26th, they had passed and sent the Governor a spending plan to balance the budget. A summary of the budget they passed (and all the details) is posted at http://leap.leg.wa.gov.

“There is simply no way to sugarcoat the impact of a $9 billion hole in the state budget,” said Governor Gregoire in her post-session statement.

Some of the areas hit the hardest include:Lower reimbursements for human service • providers that are expected to affect access to services for children, aged and disabled people;

Higher college and university tuition with a • decrease in enrollment opportunities while college class sizes go up;

Less health care coverage for low income • working people after Basic Health Plan enrollment is cut by 40,000; and

K-12 schools will see cuts to class-size reduction • funds that will create larger classes for students throughout the state.

Everyone will need to pitch in to deal with the many cuts to programs and services. Significant reductions in administrative and operational spending will likely mean fewer people to deliver services. These difficult times test our skills and determination. We will all need to find ways to help deal with the impact of these cuts on the people we serve and on our co-workers. But, I am confident our resilient economy will rebound and the dedicated and professional people working throughout state government will find the best way forward through these challenging times. ■

Telecommuting Options and Flexible Work SchedulesBy Amilee Wilson, Department of Fish and Wildlife

Did you know the Washington State Legislature passed the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law in 1991, incorporating it into the Washington Clean Air Act?

The goals of the program are to reduce traffic congestion, air

pollution, and petroleum consumption through employer-based programs decreasing the number of commute trips made by people driving alone.

Alternative commuting is good for the environment and can free up extra time in your day to relax, catch up with a co-worker or read a good book.

The state legislature took the CTR program even farther this year by identifying the Department of Transportation as the lead in providing technical assistance to regional transportation planning organizations, counties, cities, towns, state agencies (as defined in RCW 40.06.010), and other employers in developing and implementing

continued on page 7

Senate Bill 6088: Commute Trip Reduction for State Agencies


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Committee Chair: Andrea HarkerDepartment of Labor and Industries

Committee Members: Kim Buccarelli Department of General Administration

Michelle FisherOffice of the Insurance Commissioner

Leesa GilbertsonHealthcare Authority

KayCee JohnsonDepartment of Licensing

Anna JonesDepartment of Natural Resources

Charlene KayDepartment of Transportation

Kimberly MathisDepartment of Licensing

Angie NaillonDepartment of Financial Institutions

Genevieve O’Sullivan State Auditor’s Office

Audrey Pitchford Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Juanessa Scott Department of Services for the Blind Amilee WilsonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife

Important Health Care Coverage Improvements in 2009 By Audrey Pitchford, Office of the Insurance Commissioner

As health care costs and the number of medical bankruptcies rise, many people at both the state and national levels are trying to find ways to fix the United States health care system.

This past spring, the state legislature passed two laws of special interest to the Insurance Commissioner’s Office and ICSEW:

Organ transplants: If you or a loved • one needs a new organ and your employer switches your insurance plan, should your wait period for the organ start all over? Substitute House Bill 1308 says no! For more information, see http://www.insurance.wa.gov/legislative/index.shtml.

Discount plans: As health insurance • becomes more costly, some consumers are joining discount plans, which are not insurance. These plans give a percentage discount on certain types of medical procedures. But if the consumer has problems, to whom are discount plans accountable? In our state, the answer used to be “no one.” Now, Substitute Senate Bill 5480 says the Insurance Commissioner’s Office will regulate

these plans, and ensure the plans give consumers the benefits purchased. For more information, see http://www.insurance.wa.gov/legislative/index.shtml.

Unfortunately, larger-scale efforts to improve the health care system, such as the Commissioner’s Guaranteed Health Benefit Plan (House Bill 2121), did not survive the current year’s session. But health care coverage for all Washington State residents remains one of the Commissioner’s top priorities. To learn more about his plan and future efforts to enact improvements, see http://www.insurance.wa.gov/legislative/index.shtml.

To review the details of any of these bills and the status of other health-related bills from this past session, go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ and search either by bill number or key word (e.g., “health” or “insurance”). ■

Financial EducationBy Angela Naillon, Department of Financial Institutions

How significantly is your credit score impacted by your payment history? Or your current debt?

With the signing of Substitute House Bill 1347, you may soon have

answers to many important financial questions, including how credit scores are calculated.

This bill creates the Financial Education Public-

Private Partnership, which provides financial education standards for school districts, reviews curriculum, creates evaluation tools, and provides direction regarding appropriate professional development for educators.

At this time, school districts can apply to become pilot sites for implementing the financial education curriculum. The Partnership and the Superintendent of Public Instruction plans to choose four districts for a pilot study. Upon completion of the project, each district will file a report on the program’s success by April 30, 2011.■


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Key Federal Decisions Improve Health Care in early 2009 By Audrey Pitchford, Office of the Insurance Commissioner

President Obama says fixing the nation’s health care system is one of his top priorities. While any sweeping changes have yet to occur, a few small changes since the President took office give working adults and families in Washington State greater options.

For Folks Who Lose Employer-Provided Health CareIf you lose a job with health insurance, or if your employer can no longer continue to offer health care, you may qualify for benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). COBRA is a federal law from 1986 that gives you the right to continue job-based insurance in cases where you might otherwise lose that coverage (such as when you lose your job). But the continuation comes with a price tag – under COBRA, you may have to pay up to 102% of the full cost of your health care yourself.

Before 2009, the cost of COBRA prevented nearly 90 percent of COBRA-eligible folks from taking advantage of the benefit. Now, those who lose their jobs between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 may qualify for a subsidy, where they can get COBRA coverage for 35% of the total premium for nine months.

For more information, visit the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html or call their Seattle office toll-free at 1-866-444-3272.

For Families with Kids A federal law now lets the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Medicaid Office offer health care coverage to children in families with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. This coverage is through the state’s Apple Health for Kids program.

Your kids may qualify if:

Even families who are close to these “ceilings” should check with their local Community Services Office because some income adjustments are available and may help them qualify. Parents with job-based insurance may want to see if they qualify for Medicaid help in paying the cost of the plan.

For more information, go to http://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/maa/AppleHealth/ or call DSHS toll-free at 1-877-543-7669. ■

Your family size (including adults and unborn children) is:

And your monthly income is less than:

2 $3,642 3 $4,578 4 $5,514 5 $6,447


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Our Thanks to the Alabama Grandma: Lilly Ledbetter Turns her Loss into a Win for Working Women EverywhereBy Audrey Pitchford, Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Did you know, before January 29 of this year employers could pay women workers less money than men doing the same jobs – and after 180 days women had no recourse?

This happened to Lilly Ledbetter, a long-time employee of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Alabama. Ms. Ledbetter discovered in 1998 at the time of her retirement that her salary was much lower than the men her company employed to do the same job.

Ms. Ledbetter sued her employer and won in lower court proceedings, showing her job performance always satisfied the company, and her gender was the only reason for lower wages. However, in 2007 Ms. Ledbetter lost the case at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled she was entitled to sue her employer only within

180 days from the start of the discrimination (in other words, within 180 days after receiving the first paycheck at a rate lower than her male colleagues’ checks).

National outcry over this case prompted Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was the first bill President Obama signed into law this past January. Though the new law does not change the outcome of Ms. Ledbetter’s own situation, it establishes that each new discriminatory paycheck gives affected employees legal rights to sue and effectively removes the 180-day limitation. To learn more, go to http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ002.111. ■

President Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, while Ms. Ledbetter (behind and to the right of the President) looks on.


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Minority and Women’s IssuesBy Amilee Wilson, Department of Fish and Wildlife

Engrossed House Bill 1087 Minority and Women’s Business (MWB) EnterprisesAre you a women or minority seeking to expand your small business through state contracts? If so, listen up—this news concerns you!

During spring 2009, the legislature passed Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1087 improving the effectiveness of Minority and Women’s Business enterprises (MWB). This legislative bill requires the development of a strategic plan to improve carrying out the purposes of RCW Chapter 39.19 to assist small minority and women’s businesses to succeed in Washington State.

Addressing barriers to state certification and improving outreach to small businesses are just a few of the items covered in the strategic plan. EHB 1087 requires each state agency and educational institution to submit yearly reporting data to the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises on the participation of qualified MWB’s.

For more information on business opportunities and contracting services, visit the MWB website at http://www.omwbe.wa.gov/index.shtml.

House Joint Memorial 4013: Discrimination Against Women The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on December 18, 1979, and became an international treaty in 1981. By August 2006, one hundred eighty-five nations,

including all of the industrialized world except for one nation, agreed to pursue the Convention’s goals . Guess which one industrialized nation has not adopted this Convention!?

It is the United States of America: “Land of the Free.”

This session, the state legislature developed a proclamation supporting adoption of the treaty to fight discrimination against women. The proclamation urges the United States to ratify the Convention, which affirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of each person, and in the goal of equal rights, opportunities, and protections for women and girls.

Women in every country play a fundamental and important economic role in their community and frequently constitute major economic support for their families. The proclamation highlights what still needs to be accomplished in women’s struggles for equality in many fields in society, including

business, politics, law and education.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton place the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in high priority, and hope to accelerate the treaty passage with full ratification by the United States. View the entire proclamation at http://leg.wa.gov/legislature.

The ICSEW supports this proclamation, as do other organizations, like the American Civil Liberties Union, that support the advancement of women’s full equality in American Society. For more information on ICSEW visit us at http://www.icsew.wa.gov/ or to learn about the American Civil Liberties Union, go to http://www.aclu.org/womensrights/index.html.

House Resolution 4613: Honoring Girls and Women in Sports Have you in the past or do you currently participate in a sport at some level? Do you have a daughter participating in school sports activities?

Females make up 42% of the total number of athletes participating in high school sports in Washington State. Girls and women participating in sports tend to have higher levels of self-esteem, fewer incidents of depression, and a reduced risk for heart disease, breast cancer, and other illnesses. Funded research projects focusing on specific needs of female athletes are limited, but the information provided by these projects is imperative to the health and performance of future female athletes. To view the entire resolution, visit http://leg.wa.gov/legislature.

The House passed a resolution this legislative session honoring women and girls in sports by recognizing the National Girls and Women in Sports Coalition (established in 1987) National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 4, 2009.

Senate Bill 5038: Making Technical Corrections to Gender-Based TermsThis legislative session, the Statute Law Committee took matters in their own hands by making corrections to various state laws containing gender-based terms. This bill, passed by both the House and the Senate and delivered to the Governor for signature, rectifies many instances of gender-based terminology by replacing the language with gender-neutral terms.

For example, in cases where “he” or “she” is used, the terms are replaced by “person.” Words such as “man” or

“men” are replaced by “human being” or “persons.”

To view the Senate bill and the full extent of gender-neutral terminology changes, visit http://leg.wa.gov/legislature. ■


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Victim’s Rights in the 2009 State Legislative SessionBy Kim Buccarelli, Department of General Administration

During this year’s legislative season, ICSEW tracked 12 bills affecting victim rights. Of the 12 bills, Governor Chris Gregoire signed four into law; they take effect July 26. These bills are:

1. HB 1287 allows victims, survivors of victims, and witnesses to make statements

to the Sentencing Review Board before the release of an offender. The bill also allows victims and survivors of victims to present statements to the Clemency and Pardons Board regarding an application for pardon or commutation of a sentence.

2. SB 5012 directs the Washington State Patrol to develop and implement an:

AMBER Alert plan in recovering abducted • children.Advisory plan in recovering endangered missing • persons who do not qualify for inclusions in an AMBER Alert.

The plans depend on voluntary cooperation between local, state, tribal, and other law enforcement agencies,

state government agencies, radio and television stations, and cable and satellite systems.

SSB 52611. creates a statewide electronic sex offender notification and registration program.

SB 58322. extends the current statute of limitations until the victim’s 28th birthday for these offenses:

Incest• Indecent liberties by forcible compulsion.• First, second and third degree rape of a child.• First, second and third degree child molestation.• First and second degree rape, if the victim is • under 14 years of age and reports the offense within one year.

Four additional bills signed by Governor Gregoire become law effective July 26, 2009, on these topics:

Protecting tenants who are unlawfully harassed.1.

The notification to domestic violence victims of 2. the release of an offender.

Requiring registered sex/kidnapping offenders to 3. register their electronic web addresses.

Requiring domestic employers of foreign 4. workers/international labor to provide prescribed information. ■

CTR plans and programs. Technical assistance includes:

Guidance in methodology and practice for 1. determining progress in attaining goals.Developing model plans and programs for various 2. situations.Providing consistent training and informational 3. materials for implementing CTR programs.

State agencies and institutions of higher education shall aggressively develop programs to reduce commute trips by state employees. If you haven’t joined your agency’s CTR program, sign up now. Help reduce energy consumption, congestion in urban areas, as well as air and water pollution associated with automobile travel. It’s the right thing to do!

(continued from page 2 Telecommuting Options and Flexible Work Schedules)

Senate Bill 6104: State Agency Hours of Operation State agency hours of operation were modified this legislative session to reflect a minimum of forty hours per week, with the exception of weeks including state holidays. Language was struck from the original legislation limiting state

hours of operation from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The bill also changed the requirement for public records viewing and copying. The original bill required public records to be made available from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each weekday. New

continued on page 8


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The InterAct is published by the Communications Subcommittee of the Interagency Committee of State Employed Women (ICSEW). Photocopying, distributing, or posting of this publication is strongly encouraged. Views stated in re-printed articles are informational and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ICSEW. All persons interested in submitting articles or ideas to this publication should contact their agency’s ICSEW representative or:

Tammy Risner, Chair/PublisherOffice of the State Treasurer

(360) [email protected]

Remember to recycle your old cell phone with

battery charger and cords to the ICSEW’s on-

going cell phone drive. Cell phone donations

go to a local non-profit organization to assist

victims of domestic violence.

For further information contact: Sherry Hickman

[email protected]


language in the bill requires public records to be made available to the public for a minimum of thirty hours per week with no designated time frame.

During fall of 2008, ten agencies implemented a six month trial of the four day, 10-hour a day work week (4/10) in all or part of their offices. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) collected data from participating agencies during the six month period. The savings to the state during the amended work schedule were less than anticipated, but some individual employees found the new schedule desirable. Because the results of the trail were mixed, the governor has directed agencies to continue with their current schedules, at least through the summer, to minimize impacts on employees who will likely be

affected by additional budget cuts in the next few months.

In reviewing performance data from the first six months of the trial, OFM stated it is unlikely the 4/10 schedule would show such overwhelming savings that it would compel the governor to implement changes on a wider scale. However, the high level of staff sat-isfaction may compel state agencies to offer this type of schedule, at least to individual employees, wher-ever practical. Already an employee option in some agencies, the 4/10 schedule could be something more uniformly encouraged at the end of the trial period. ■

(continued from page 7 Telecommuting Options and Flexible Work Schedules)

If you like to write, or have something you would like to see published in the ICSEW InterAct and are not a member of the ICSEW, we welcome your contribution. All persons inter-ested in submitting articles or ideas to this publication should contact their agency’s ICSEW representative or any member of the Communications Subcommittee at http://icsew.wa.gov/committee/communications.htm. The deadline for our 2009 Summer Issue article submission is July 31, 2009.

ICSEW accepts articles from non-representatives!

Note: Submission deadlines and writing guidelines are available on our website.

Documents

2009 ICSEW LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES