State lawmakers passed more than 200 bills last week. Following is a selection of bills that were acted upon, and how legislators for the 12th District (which includes the Methow Valley) voted on them.
• Senate Bill 6523, expanding higher education opportunities for certain students. Passed the House by a vote of 75-22. This bill is commonly referred to as the Washington State Dream Act but has also been cited as the Real Hope Act, because it provides up to $5 million in funding for this program. The bill passed the Senate on Jan. 31 and is on its way to the governor’s desk.
Rep. Cary Condotta (R-East Wenatchee), yes. Rep. Brad Hawkins (R-East Wenatchee), yes.
• House Bill 2244, restoring resources to the capital budget. Passed the House by a vote of 87-11. The bill is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Condotta yes, Hawkins yes.
• House Bill 2451, restricting the practice of sexual orientation change efforts. Passed the by a vote of 94-4.
Condotta yes, Hawkins yes.
• Senate Bill 5246, clarifying and strengthening the teacher and principal evaluation process. Failed in the Senate by a vote of 19-28.
Sen. Linda Evans Parlette (R-Wenatchee), yes.
• House Bill 2149, concerning medical marijuana. Passed in the House by a vote of 67-29.
The bill seeks to regulate and align the medical marijuana system with the recreational marijuana system and to address the differences.
Condotta, no. Hawkins, no.
• Senate Bill 6464, extending health insurance coverage options for Washington state residents. Passed the Senate by a vote of 25-22. The bill provides that a health insurance carrier may continue to offer an individual or small-group health plan in the market outside the Health Care Exchange, regardless of whether the plan meets any state or federal requirements applicable to the individual or small-group markets after October 1, 2013.
Parlette, yes.
SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org, a project of the Washington Policy Center.
