One-quarter of the way through the legislative session, there’s a rumor circulating that the legislature has set a record for the number of bills introduced. At just day thirteen, nearly 1300 bills had been introduced.
With the first cut-off still almost two weeks away, week three will again focus largely on policy committee hearings. In fact, in week three, WSAC members and staff will testify on 33 bills and register our position on 32 other bills by signing in at the hearings but not testifying, which is an option when our position doesn’t need further explanation.
With so many to choose from, here are just three bills worth highlighting:
- HB 2526 purports to protect taxpayers from home foreclosure, but with protections in place, all it really does is cost counties millions of dollars. Read more here.
- SB 6451 is a very important bill for the health of Washington’s residents, yet it will not be without its share of controversy. WSAC fully supports the efforts of the Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials, which you can read about here.
- HB 2432 will be heard in the House Committee on Local Government on Wednesday morning. The bill does several things:
- It requires the certification of county coroners and medical examiners for completion of medicolegal forensic investigation training, which will be paid for using funds raised by an increase in the vital records fee passed last year;
- It also requires all county coroner and medical examiner offices to be accredited by either the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners or the National Association of Medical Examiners by July 2024;
- Finally, the bill exempts the joint prosecutor/coroner offices allowed for counties with a population fewer than 40,000 but then eliminates that option beginning in January 2027.
WSAC members in counties with a joint prosecutor/coroner office raised significant concerns related to the cost associated with creating a standalone coroner’s office when the need of the county doesn’t justify the creation. After a discussion with the Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and the Washington Association of County Officials, it was agreed that an amendment should be offered to exempt the prosecutors from the training but maintain the joint offices indefinitely. Without this amendment, WSAC will have no choice but to oppose the bill.
WSAC members remained concerned that the “punishment” for failure to achieve certification as required by the bill will fall on the counties’ budgets rather than directly on the coroner/medical examiners’ offices directly through the withholding of autopsy reimbursement funds.
