Washblog

Read the entire report here (beware, pdf file): 

Washington finished its session just a week ago and made its mark in a number of areas. Headlining its accomplishments was becoming the second state in the nation to offer new parents paid family leave. The benefits need to be more generous, but its still landmark legislation.

On health care, the state did not take on a comprehensive reform of the state's health care system, but did pass some solid reforms:

• Extending health coverage to all children in families earning up to 300% of the poverty line by 2009, covering an additional 38,000 children including undocumented immigrants, in the next two years.
• Extended its mental health parity law to smaller businesses and individual health plans-- bringing mental health coverage to 540,000 people.
• Enacted health care cost control measures to provide incentives for more cost-effective procedures and encourage use of electronic medical records.

On the clean energy front,Washington approved greenhouse reduction targets with a goal to lower emission levels by 25% by 2035 and 50% by 2050, as well as approving a bill to encourage use of clean-burning fuels through research and retrofitting buses.

To address the digital divide, the budget will map gaps in broadband access across the state to prepare for comprehensive build out legislation in 2008.

The state create a domestic partnerships option for same-sex couples, giving such couples legally recognized hospital visitation, autopsy authorization and inheritance rights. The state also required school districts to offer a medically accurate sex-ed curriculum.

On election reform, the legislature approved HB 1528, which will allow voters to register online. Unfortunately, the legislature failed to enact either public financing of elections or election day registration, two reforms heavily promoted by state advocates.