Legislative Digest No. 53

	WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE
Legislative Digest No. 53

SIXTIETH LEGISLATURE
Friday, March 23, 2007		75th Day - 2007 Regular Session

SENATE

SB 5297-S	SB 5452-S	SB 5497-S	SB 6151	SB 6152	SB 6153	SB 6154
SB 6155	SB 6156	SB 6157	SB 6158	SB 6159	SB 6160	SB 6161
SB 6162	SB 6163	SB 6164	SB 6165	SB 6166

HOUSE

HB 1094-S

HB 2394-S

This publication includes digest and history for bills, joint memorials, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, initiatives, and substitutes. Engrossed measures may be republished if the amendment makes a substantive change.

Electronic versions of Legislative Digests are available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/digests.aspx?year=2007.

House Bills

HB 1094-S

by House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Clibborn, Jarrett, and O'Brien; by request of Governor Gregoire)

Making transportation appropriations for the 2005-07 and 2007-09 fiscal biennia.

(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

Makes transportation appropriations for 2007-2009.

-- 2007 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 19	Public hearing in committee.
Mar 20	Executive session in committee.
	TR - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.
	Minority; do not pass.
Mar 22	Placed on second reading.
Mar 27	Scheduled for public hearing in committee. (Subject to change)

HB 2394-S

by House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Clibborn, Jarrett, Kenney, and Moeller)

Requesting the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds for transportation improvements.

(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

Requests the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds for transportation improvements.

-- 2007 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 20	Public hearing and executive action taken in committee.
	TR - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.
	Minority; do not pass.
Mar 22	Placed on second reading.
Mar 27	Scheduled for public hearing in committee. (Subject to change)

Senate Bills

SB 5297-S

by Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Haugen, Tom, Prentice, Keiser, Pridemore, Murray, Regala, Fraser, Kilmer, Rockefeller, McAuliffe, Shin, Weinstein, Kline, Marr, Kohl-Welles, and Oemig)

Regarding providing medically and scientifically accurate sexual health education in schools.

(AS OF SENATE 2ND READING 3/7/2007)

Declares an intent to support and advance the standards established in the January 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention developed by the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health. These guidelines are a fundamental tool to help school districts, teachers, guest speakers, health and counseling providers, community groups, parents, and guardians choose, develop, and evaluate sexual health curricula to better meet the health and safety needs of adolescents and young adults in their communities.

Requires that, by September 1, 2008, every school that offers sexual health education must assure that sexual health education is medically and scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, appropriate for students regardless of gender, race, disability status, or sexual orientation, and includes information about abstinence and other methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. All sexual health information, instruction, and materials must be medically and scientifically accurate. Abstinence may not be taught to the exclusion of other materials and instruction on contraceptives and disease prevention. A school may choose to use separate, outside speakers or prepared curriculum to teach different content areas or units within the comprehensive sexual health program as long as all speakers, curriculum, and materials used are in compliance with this section. Sexual health education must be consistent with the January 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention developed by the department of health and the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

Provides that the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, through its Washington state school health profiles survey or other existing reporting mechanism, ask schools to identify any curricula used to provide sexual health education, and shall report the results of this inquiry to the legislature on an annual basis, beginning with the 2008-09 school year.

-- 2007 REGULAR SESSION --
Feb 14	Public hearing in committee.
Feb 26	Executive session in committee.
Feb 28	EDU - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.
	Minority; do not pass.
	Minority; without recommendation.
	Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
Mar 1	Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
Mar 7	1st substitute bill substituted.
	Floor amendment(s) adopted.
	Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
	Third reading, passed; yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.
-- IN THE HOUSE --
Mar 9	First reading, referred to Health Care & Wellness.
Mar 15	Public hearing in committee.
Mar 22	Scheduled for executive session in committee. (Subject to change)
	HCW - Executive action taken by committee.

SB 5452-S

by Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senator Rockefeller)

Providing for reunification after termination of parental rights.

(AS OF SENATE 2ND READING 3/13/2007)

Provides that a child may petition the juvenile court to reinstate the previously terminated parental rights of his or her parent under the following circumstances: (1) The child was previously found to be a dependent child under chapter 13.34 RCW;

(2) The child's parent's rights were terminated in a proceeding under this act; and

(3) The child has not achieved his or her permanency plan within three years of a final order of termination, or if the final order was appealed, within three years of exhaustion of any right to appeal the order terminating parental rights.

Declares that a child seeking to petition under this act shall be provided counsel at no cost to the child.

Provides that, if, after a threshold hearing to consider the parent's apparent fitness and interest in reinstatement of parental rights, it appears that the best interests of the child may be served by reinstatement of parental rights, the juvenile court shall order that a hearing be held.

Authorizes the juvenile court to grant the petition if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the child has not achieved his or her permanency plan and is not likely to imminently achieve his or her permanency plan and that reinstatement of parental rights is in the child's best interest. In determining whether reinstatement is in the child's best interest the court shall consider, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Whether the parent whose rights are to be reinstated is a fit parent and has remedied his or her deficits as provided in the record of the prior termination proceedings and prior termination order;

(2) The age and maturity of the child, and the ability of the child to express his or her preference;

(3) Whether the reinstatement of parental rights will present a risk to the child's health, welfare, or safety; and

(4) Other material changes in circumstances, if any, that may have occurred which warrant the granting of the petition.

-- 2007 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 30	Public hearing in committee.
Feb 23	Executive session in committee.
Feb 26	HSC - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.
	Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
Mar 10	Made eligible to be placed on second reading.
Mar 12	Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
Mar 13	1st substitute bill substituted.
	Floor amendment(s) adopted.
	Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
	Third reading, passed; yeas, 46; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 3.
-- IN THE HOUSE --
Mar 15	First reading, referred to Judiciary.
Mar 20	Committee relieved of further consideration.
	Referred to Early Learning & Children's Services.
Mar 29	Scheduled for public hearing in committee. (Subject to change)

SB 5497-S

by Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Holmquist, Rasmussen, Oemig, Pridemore, Zarelli, Weinstein, Eide, Hobbs, Keiser, Fraser, Hewitt, Tom, Kauffman, Clements, Hargrove, Kilmer, Franklin, Kohl-Welles, and Shin; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

Authorizing a statewide program for comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval.

(AS OF SENATE 2ND READING 3/1/2007)

Provides that, subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create a grant program to local partnerships of schools, families, and communities to begin the phase in of a statewide comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval system. This program shall be known as the building bridges program. For purposes of this act, a "building bridges program" means a local partnership of schools, families, and communities that provides all of the following programs or activities: (1) A system that identifies individual students at risk of dropping out from middle through high school based on local predictive data, including state assessment data starting in the fourth grade, and provides timely interventions for such students and for dropouts, including a plan for educational success as already required by the student learning plan as defined under RCW 28A.655.061. Students identified shall include foster care youth and youth involved in the juvenile justice system;

(2) Coaches or mentors for students as necessary;

(3) Staff responsible for coordination of community partners that provide a seamless continuum of academic and nonacademic support in schools and communities;

(4) Retrieval or reentry activities; and

(5) Alternative educational programming, including, but not limited to, career and technical education preparatory programs and online learning opportunities.

Provides that, in awarding the grants under this act, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall prioritize schools or districts with dropout rates and truancy rates above the statewide average and shall attempt to award building bridges program grants to different geographic regions of the state. Eligible recipients shall be one of the following entities acting as a lead agency for the local partnership: A school district, a tribal school, an area workforce development council, an educational service district, an accredited institution of higher education, a vocational skills center, a federally recognized tribe, a community organization, or a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. If the recipient is not a school district, at least one school district must be identified within the partnership.

Directs the office of the superintendent of public instruction to establish a state-level work group that includes K-12 and state agencies that work with youth who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school.

Provides that, to assist and enhance the work of the building bridges programs established in this act, the state-level work group shall: (1) Identify and make recommendations to the legislature for the reduction of fiscal, legal, and regulatory barriers that prevent coordination of program resources across agencies at the state and local level;

(2) Develop and track performance measures and benchmarks for each partner agency or organization across the state; and

(3) Identify research-based and emerging best practices regarding prevention, intervention, and retrieval programs.

Requires the work group to report to the legislature and the governor on an annual basis beginning December 1, 2007, with recommendations for implementing emerging best practices, needed additional resources, and eliminating barriers.

-- 2007 REGULAR SESSION --
Jan 31	Public hearing in committee.
Feb 7	Executive session in committee.
Feb 8	EDU - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.
	And refer to Ways & Means.
	Referred to Ways & Means.
Feb 20	Public hearing in committee.
Feb 21	Executive session in committee.
Feb 22	WM - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Early Learning & K-12 Education.
	Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
Feb 28	Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
Mar 1	1st substitute bill substituted.
	Floor amendment(s) adopted.
	Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
	Third reading, passed; yeas, 47; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 2.
-- IN THE HOUSE --
Mar 5	First reading, referred to Education.
Mar 15	Public hearing in committee.

SB 6151

by Senator Prentice

Relating to fiscal matters.