Several Southwest Washington legislators returned to Olympia on Thursday to watch measures they championed be signed into law.
The Legislature is in the midst of a 30-day special session. The state’s primary mission this legislative session is to fix the chronic underfunding of its school system. But while those negotiations appear to have stalled, or at least appear to be moving incredibly slowly, the governor signed 32 bills tackling a wide variety of topics, from school-safety drills to addressing crimes involving service animals.
Here’s a look at some of the measures backed by Southwest Washington’s delegation that received the governor’s signature on Thursday.
• House Bill 1201, sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, would allow regional public facilities, such as Sunlight Supply Amphitheater at the Clark County fairgrounds or the convention center at The Hilton Vancouver Washington, to refinance at lower interest rates.
“When those facilities were bonded it was during the recession and the rates weren’t as good. So now they can take advantage of better rates,” Stonier said.
As he signed the measures, Inslee said it would “stretch precious dollars for local communities doing great work.”
• Surrounded by local veterans, freshman Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, watched as Inslee signed her first measure, House Bill 2138, into law.
The measure would give a tax break for disabled veterans who are building adaptive housing by exempting sales and use taxes on labor and materials for construction.
Inslee noted it was Kraft’s first bill and called it “a very nice little thing to help our veterans.”
“I know it’s going to help them out in their homes,” the governor said.
• The state’s agriculture, natural resources and environmental sectors create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state and Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, is hoping Senate Bill 5285 can help create a stronger workforce for those industries. Her bill would require studying what specific jobs are available in those fields and giving teachers the information to help craft curriculum to create solid training for each sector.
“There are a lot of good jobs in those fields,” Wilson said.
The results of the study are to be given to the Legislature by Oct. 15, 2018.
• Thanks to Senate Bill 5404, sponsored by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, and also championed by Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, students may now possess and use sunscreen at school and during school events.
Inslee noted the measure was timely, since this week saw the first sunny day in the Pacific Northwest in a long time.
“Yesterday I checked and it’s the first time in 145 days our sun dial is working,” Inslee said, adding, “Thank you guys for caring about this.”
• Wilson also stood by the governor on Thursday to watch him sign Senate Bill 5665 into law, which would allow licensed beer, spirit and wine distributors to offset a credit card fee by passing it to consumers. And Senate Bill 5778 would align state standards with the federal law on the G.I. Bill to ensure spouses and children of veterans who lost their lives can retain status as a student who receives in-state tuition.
Inslee called it a “technical correctional bill” that will protect about 20,000 students in the state.
The Democratic governor thanked Wilson for her efforts to ensure the program continues.
