24th Legislative District Legislative Report 2013

Dear Neighbors: It continues to be a privilege and an honor to serve as your state leg- islators. We thank you for giving us the opportunity to make sure your voice and the voice of rural com- munities are heard in Olympia. This newsletter gives us the opportunity to talk about the 2013 session and look ahead to 2014. Among our accomplishments last Representative Representative year was working with our col- Senator leagues to overcome deep partisan Kevin Van De Wege Steve Tharinger divides and pass a budget that [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] sets on solid ground entering the 2013-15 biennium. PO Box 40424 PO Box 40600 PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0424 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 This is just the first step in a long (360) 786-7646 (360) 786-7916 (360) 786-7904 process that will bring Washington 535 East 1st Street back from the effects of the Great 64 Village Lane 64 Village Lane Port Angeles, WA 98362 Sequim, WA 98382 Sequim, WA 98382 Recession but we are excited about (360) 457-2520 (360) 582-9830 (360) 582-9830 the opportunity and look forward Senior Legislative Assistant: Legislative Assistant: Legislative Assistant: to continuing that work and meet- Patsy Feeley ing the challenges before us. Linda Barnfather Leanne Horn Legislative Assistant: Working together, the three of us Shawn O’Neill have and will continue to accom- plish great things for the 24th Legislative District and the state. This included: • Reforms to the mental health system • Improving efficiency and workplace safety in the logging industry • Making the roadways of the safer • Assisting our seniors so that they can grow old with the dignity they deserve • Honoring the men and women who served, but never returned home At the end of this newsletter, you will find a response card with space to write comments or concerns and return them to our legislative offices. Feedback and open lines of communication are critical to our ability to effectively represent you and we encourage you to take this opportunity to let us know what is on your mind. I hope you find this report useful and informative. As always, please do not hesitate to call, write or email our respective offices if you need more information, have questions or concerns, or want to provide feedback.

Sincerely,

Senator Jim Hargrove Representative Kevin Van De Weg Representative Steve Tharinger Senator Jim Hargrove

Working across party lines to • Requiring that shelters notify either parents or the write a bipartisan budget Department of Social and Health Services within 72 hours after a child is known to be away from home with- I’ve always believed that putting aside out permission. party labels and working together is Protecting our children has been and will always be of the the only way to succeed. In 2013, the utmost importance to me. This year and every year, I look for- Legislature overcame a deep partisan divide to pass the 2013- ward to supporting successful ways and creating new ways to 15 budget by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 44-4 vote. ensure that our children are safe and healthy. This budget was truly remarkable. Thanks to an improving economic forecast, we were able to invest $1 billion into our public education system and do so without crippling our Honoring the men and women investments in programs that keep the public safe. This was who never came home done without creating new taxes and while allowing expir- We must never forget the sac- ing taxes to sunset. The only revenue that was added in this rifice of the men and women budget were fixes to the telecommunications tax and the who have fought and died for estate tax, fixes supported by bipartisan majorities in both our country. In a small way, I the House and Senate. In coming together to accomplish this have sought to implant those task, we have set our state on a solid foundation entering the memories in the minds of driv- next biennium. ers on the Olympic Peninsula As the Legislature gathers for the 2014 session, one of the by supporting the designation tasks before us will be the adoption of a supplemental bud- of several veterans’ memorial get. In spite of an improving economic climate, I don’t believe highways. that this is the time to begin spending what little new rev- During the 2013 session, I was thrilled to work with members enue is available to us. While times are improving, we cannot of the Korean War Veterans Association to designate a sec- afford to adopt new policies with large price tags. Any new tion of Highway 117 in Port Angeles as a POW/MIA Memorial policies that come before the Legislature must include their Highway to honor soldiers who were held as prisoners of war own funding source. Relying on the general fund for new and those declared missing in action. policies during uncertain times is unwise and could lead us back into a predicament where we were forced into devastat- These soldiers, sailors and airmen went through a lot in the ing cuts to programs that keep people healthy and safe. service of their country. The lucky ones came home. Many did not. In this small way, we honor their sacrifice and their memory. Making smart investments to protect the most vulnerable Making worker protection more Keeping the public safe is effective and affordable the most important job the Legislature has. In addition to While the logging industry has become supporting bills to strengthen primarily mechanized, there is still a small Washington’s mental health sys- group of loggers who rely on manual tem, I was also proud to sponsor methods to fall trees. The increased and support a number of bills danger in that field means the workers that protect our children from compensation rates have doubled, rising threats ranging from sex offend- to the point where the rates are higher ers to dangerous influences that than wages. can be found on the streets of Washington. This included: Under a bill I sponsored, the state Dept. of Labor & Industries must reach out to manual logging companies and invite them • A bill giving victims of child sex abuse more time to to participate in the Logger Safety Initiative. The initiatives come forward by extending the statute of limitations to safety program will include worker training, supervision stan- prosecute a case. dards and a certification process for each company and upon • Requiring the Department of Social and Health Services completion those companies may save up to $4 per hour in to more closely examine background checks for people L & I rates. Through this program, we help to improve safety seeking licenses for work involving unsupervised access and working conditions while at the same time saving the of children. companies money.

24th Legislative District | Sen. Jim Hargrove • Rep. Kevin Van De Wege • Rep. Steve Tharinger Representative Kevin Van De Wege House Majority Whip

Mental health reform The measure, which passed with bipartisan support, makes a We have all seen what can few changes to our current DUI laws: happen when those suffering • Imposes mandatory arrests for a second drunk driving with mental illness don’t get offense. Current law does not require than an offender the medical attention they be taken to jail. need. This session, we passed • Requires an interlock system to be installed within five a package of reforms to improve mental health care and to business days of release. make Washington state a safer place. • Provides critical funding for prosecutors to file charges Senate Bill 5480 speeds-up the implementation of improve- against chronic offenders. ments to our involuntary treatment laws. A few years ago, we approved new parameters for the involuntary commit- While these changes are major upgrades, there is always ment of people with pressing mental health issues. The new more we can do. If you have ideas on ways to reach our tar- approach takes input from family members and friends into get-zero goals, don’t hesitate to get in-touch with me. consideration when making a decision to commit. Other measures signed into law include: Making Washington a safer place – • House Bill 1114 fills the gap between the criminal justice one student at a time system and mental health care providers. It ensures that This year I sponsored legislation violent mental health offenders get the treatment they to ensure that all Washington need, instead of ending up on the streets. students leave high school with • Senate Bill 5732 builds a bridge between hospitals the skills to administer life-saving and the community for the mentally ill. It creates a medical care in an emergency. step down from state hospitals – which will provide an Almost 383,000 Americans experi- important service to folks beginning to transition back ence sudden cardiac arrest outside into day-to-day life. This isn’t just the right thing to do – of the hospital ever year, and four it’s the cost-effective approach. out of five of those cases happen at home. Even the most efficient of Working to prevent tragedy on our roadways first responders often times can’t make it to the scene in time for Our community is no stranger to resuscitation efforts to be effective. the senseless tragedies that can occur when someone gets behind According to the American Heart the wheel after too much to drink. Association, “Only one-third of sudden cardiac arrest victims receive CPR (cardiopulmonary As a paramedic, I’ve seen firsthand resuscitation), which when administered by a layperson can the terrible carnage caused by a double, or even triple, survival rates.” drunk driver more times than I can count. House Bill 1556 requires CPR training to be included in a high school health class curriculum. This course comes with very As a husband and a father, I fear little costs to schools and can be taught in about 20 minutes. hearing a knock on the door in the The legislation was signed into law by Governor Inslee earlier middle of the night only to learn this year. that a loved one has been injured or killed by a drunk driver. This is about saving lives when every second counts. I’m proud that every Washington graduate will soon have the Too many Washington families know-how to save the life of a family member, friend, or have heard these knocks in recent stranger on the street. years. One of the bright spots from last legislative session was the effort to target and crack-down on the most chronic and per- sistent of drunk drivers.

24th Legislative District | Sen. Jim Hargrove • Rep. Kevin Van De Wege • Rep. Steve Tharinger Representative Steve tharinger

Meeting the needs of an To learn more about your options, visit www.wahealthplan- aging population finder.org or call 1-855-WAFINDER. Open enrollment is under- way and runs until March 31, 2014. Washingtonians are living longer, I’ve also worked hard to maintain funding for hospitals, the healthier and more independent pillars of care for citizens in rural Washington – including the lifestyles. Fourteen percent of 24th legislative district. Last year, we preserved funding for Washington’s population is over the critical access hospitals that were on the chopping block. age of 65, and in the 24th legislative district that figure is closer to 30 percent. This year, sole community hospitals, including our own Grays Harbor Community Hospital and Olympic Medical Center, will This is great news, but it does mean that we have got to pre- receive funding to address shortfalls in some Medicaid and pare to meet the broad spectrum of issues facing the needs Medicare reimbursements rates. of an aging population from transportation, livable communi- ties, health care and financial needs. In addition, Peninsula Behavioral Health and Grays Harbor PACT team received funding and will continue to ensure that Last legislative session, I worked to secure funding to create folks get the help and care they need. the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging and Disability to bring together a group of legislators, agencies heads, and private sector service providers to focus on the needs of this Tax fairness for Washington demographic. Especially in these I am honored to co-chair the important committee work that tough times, when ensures our family members and friends can grow old with families are still strug- the dignity they deserve. gling, the state needs to examine every bit Fighting for access to health care of spending. This anal- ysis should include the Beginning in 2014, Medicaid eligibility is changing – you or billions in tax prefer- someone you know may qualify for the first time. ences we hand out • Households under 138% of the FPL will qualify with no every year. cost sharing. Some tax breaks are • Households with incomes 139-400% of the FPL will be effective and serve eligible for tax credits. a real purpose. Just (Source: WA State Healthcare Authority) this year I sponsored legislation to create There are also eligibility changes for pregnant women and a tax preference for the struggling pulp and paper industry. children. To learn more, This change supports 1,500 direct jobs in the 24th legislative visit http://www.hca. district alone. wa.gov/hcr/me/Pages/eligi- bility.aspx. Not all tax preferences are as effective. They are often very costly, and offer little return on investment. In addition to chang- es to Medicaid, all Last legislative session, we laid the groundwork to bring our Washingtonians can tax code out of the backrooms and into the public spotlight. now use Washington We closed a few loopholes, and implemented strict account- Healthplanfinder – our ability for the tax preferences we created – including the pulp states online one-stop and paper exemption. shop for health insurance. As vice chair of the House Finance Committee, I’ll continue to Despite hiccups with the work hard to make sure that exemptions are a good return on federal exchange, our site investment for the state of Washington. is up-and-running and has led the nation in successful sign-ups.

24th Legislative District | Sen. Jim Hargrove • Rep. Kevin Van De Wege • Rep. Steve Tharinger Fold with this panel out to return your survey RETURN ADDRESS Fold with______this panel out to return your survey ______

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Committee Assignments Committee Map District Legislative 24th