Health care, dogs in bars still alive in Olympia

OLYMPIA -- The time for legislators to stop peddling ideas and start making them happen has arrived, with Wednesday marking the cutoff point for bills to pass out of committee.

The bills that didn't get voted out of committee before Wednesday at 5 p.m. won't move forward, unless legislators resort to rarely used parliamentary gymnastics.

Here are some of the bigger bills that are still alive and kicking:

Education: At the request of Gov. Chris Gregoire, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee passed Senate Bill 5165, which would allow high school students to graduate without passing the math portion of the WASL through 2010.

A series of bills that would implement recommendations from Gregoire's Washington Learns advisory committee on education are also moving forward.

Rainy Day Fund: Senate Joint Resolution 8206 asks voters to approve a constitutionally protected reserve fund, which the Legislature could then vote to access after declaring a state emergency. The state would place 1 percent of its annual revenue, or $150 million a year, into the fund.

The bill passed the Senate 45-3 last Wednesday and will move to the House for consideration. If it passes with a two-thirds majority, an amendment will be placed on the November ballot for voters to approve.

Domestic partnership benefits: House Bill 1351 and Senate Bill 5336 would create a state domestic-partnership registry for same-sex couples and couples above the age of 62.

The bills would grant registered partners inheritance rights, the authority to make emergency medical decisions and funeral arrangements, and other benefits now available only to married couples.

Health care reform: House Bill 1569 would create a "connector" program that would standardize four or six insurance plans to be used by providers throughout the state, creating a range of portable health insurance plans and allowing people who move or change jobs to retain their coverage.

By 2009 it would require all small group-market insurance plans to be offered through the connector, and by 2012 that all individual plans to be offered through the connector. Senate Bill 5093, which breezed through the Senate two weeks ago, aims to help Washington reach its goal of insuring all children by 2010 by increasing access to affordable care plans.

Allowing dogs in bars and restaurants: Senate Bill 5484 would create a three-year pilot project allowing dogs to sit with their owners in outdoor seating areas of restaurants, bars and cafés. For businesses to participate, cities would have to pass an ordinance approving the practice.

Health officials do not support the bill, saying it would create unsanitary conditions in food-serving establishments.

Crane safety: Since a construction crane crashed into a Bellevue apartment building and killed a man in November, legislators have been motivated to implement new crane safety measures.

Senate Bill 5990 and House Bill 2171 would require the Department of Labor and Industries to administer certification programs for crane operators and inspectors and require routine inspections of all crane equipment.

Any crane with a non-standard base would have to be inspected by an independent engineer before being used. The only hitch: utility providers and companies like Boeing worry the measure wouldn't apply solely to construction cranes, but also cranes used in manufacturing, which they say would interfere with their operations.

WHAT DIDN'T SURVIVE

Some of the bills that didn't make it out of committee are no surprise, but others that appeared to have a fighting chance in the beginning went down Wednesday as other bills took priority.

Gay marriage: Even the sponsors of these bills (House Bill 1350 and Senate Bill 5335) said they didn't expect them to go anywhere this year. Instead, Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said their goal was to keep the issue on everybody's radar and build support for this year's domestic partnership legislation. He and the bills' other sponsors said they'll bring the bill back every year until it is passed.

Delaying the entire WASL until 2010, and parts of it until 2018: It was never going to happen, but it was a nice try. Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, said the state's education system must be improved dramatically before it can expect its students to perform well on the test, and that it would be unfair to keep them from graduating when they haven't been given the tools they need to succeed.

Regulating interest rates on payday loans: The House measure to limit interest rates on payday loans to 36 percent (which payday lending companies said would put them out of business) will have to wait for another year, despite having 27 sponsors and generating ample discussion earlier in the session.

P-I reporter Melissa Santos can be reached at 360-943-8311 or melissasantos@seattlepi.com.

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