Concerning agreements between dentists and third parties that provide supportive services to dentists.

Allows an unlicensed person or entity to: (1) Own or lease assets used by a dental practice;

(2) Employ or contract for the services of personnel other than licensed dentists, licensed dental hygienists, licensed expanded function dental auxiliaries, certified dental anesthesia assistants, and registered dental assistants;

(3) Provide business support and management services to a dental practice; and

(4) Receive fees for the services above provided to a dental practice calculated as agreed to by the dental practice owner or owners.

Prohibits a person or entity from interfering with a licensed dentist's independent clinical judgment.

Accommodating the civil rights of religious objectors to mandatory payments to labor organizations.

Changes the standard for religious nonassociation to bona fide personally held religious beliefs.

Authorizes an employee to secure the right of nonassociation based upon religious beliefs at any time.

Requiring ballot drop boxes in all communities.

Concerning the exemption from background checks for delivery of a firearm owned or leased by an entity licensed or qualified to do business in the state of Washington to, or return of such a firearm by, any of that entity's employees or agents for lawful purposes in the ordinary course of business.

Prohibiting contributions to and independent expenditures for gubernatorial candidates.

Prohibits an entity, that engages in collective bargaining with the office of the governor or its representatives, from making contributions reportable under the fair campaign practices act to a candidate for the office of governor.

Prohibits a political committee from making an independent expenditure in support of or in opposition to a candidate for the office of governor or making contributions reportable under the fair campaign practices act to a candidate for the office of governor, unless the committee: (1) Has not accepted contributions from an entity that engages in collective bargaining with the office of the governor or its representative; or

(2) Segregated contributions received from an entity that engages in collective bargaining with the office of the governor or its representative and the funds used for independent expenditure or contributions were not from the segregated contributions.

Authorizing licensed spirits and wine distributors to sell spirits and wine products to their employees in certain circumstances.

Requiring public employee collective bargaining proposals, fiscal impact analyses, and agreements to be made public.

Creating a special permit for certain wine auctions.

Providing oversight of the state procurement and contracting for information technology goods and services.

Requires the department of enterprise services to consult with the office of the state chief information officer when it makes information technology goods and services available to ensure consistency with standards and policies to govern information technology as established by the office.

Requires the following to be coordinated with and/or approved by the office: (1) Cooperative purchasing for information technology goods and services; and

(2) The delegation of authority to an agency for the purchase of information technology goods and services.

Concerning distillery promotional items and spirit sample sales.

Authorizes a distillery to provide samples subject to the following conditions: (1) Spirits samples may be adulterated with mixers with alcohol of the distiller's own production;

(2) Adulterated samples of spirits of their own production, water, and/or ice of spirits of its own production may be sold to persons on the premises at the distillery; and

Concerning transition services for people with developmental disabilities.

Requires a remodel and update of a building at Fircrest School residential habilitation center to serve as a nursing home for nursing home patients living at Fircrest School and to provide respite as funds are made available.

Requires the department of social and health services to take steps necessary to consolidate other buildings and ensure residents are provided the opportunity to remain at Fircrest School or move into the community in state-operated living arrangements.

Prohibits former Fircrest School residents from returning to Fircrest School, however, after repeated failures, they can remain in the community or choose to move to another residential habilitation center.

Requires building to be started on a federally qualified health center located on property sold or leased by Fircrest School residential habilitation center.

Requires revenue generated from Fircrest School properties and revenue generated with the next phase of the Fircrest School master plan process identified in the 2017-2019 omnibus capital appropriations act, to be deposited into the developmental disabilities community trust account.

Changing the definition of theft.

Concerning aggregating counts of retail theft with special circumstances.

Allows a series of thefts committed by the same person from one or more mercantile establishments over a period of one hundred eighty days to be aggregated in one count and the sum of the value of the property is the value considered in determining the degree of the retail theft with special circumstances involved.

Authorizes the thefts committed by the same person in different counties that have been aggregated in one county to be prosecuted in any county in which one of the thefts occurred.

Requiring notice to state fund employers for certain workers' compensation third-party settlements.

Creating the higher education infrastructure act.

Establishes the higher education infrastructure act.

Creates the higher education infrastructure investment program to leverage state spending on capital projects in high-demand fields of study, in partnership with the state's employers.

Creates the higher education infrastructure board to: (1) Provide oversight and guidance for the program in light of established legislative priorities; and

(2) Fulfill the duties and responsibilities under this act, including soliciting project proposals and funds and setting annual fundraising goals.

Addressing parent-initiated behavioral health treatment for children aged thirteen to seventeen years old.

Requires a parent to, during the evaluation of a minor at the request of the parent and during the course of medically necessary treatment commenced pursuant to the evaluation, be considered the personal representative of the minor for the purpose of transmission of medical information, making treatment decisions, and reviewing the compliance of the minor with treatment recommendations.

Creating the skilled worker outreach, recruitment, and career awareness training program.

Creates the skilled worker outreach, recruitment, and career awareness training program to increase the state's skilled workforce by awarding matching grants to eligible applicants.

Requires the department of commerce to: (1) Administer the grant program and establish a process for accepting grant applications;

(2) Establish a grant review committee to review grant applications and make recommendations on who should receive a matching grant and the amount; and

(3) In coordination with the workforce training and education coordinating board, assess current and future workforce needs and coordinate skilled worker awareness training and education programs throughout the state to assist with implementation of the grant program.

Requiring the Washington state bar association to obtain an affirmative vote prior to increasing bar dues for membership.

Requires membership fee increases approved by the board of governors of the state bar to be submitted to active members for approval by a vote.

Implementing recommendations from the children's mental health work group.

Requires the state health care authority to: (1) Oversee the coordination of resources and services through the managed health care system for children who are eligible for medical assistance and have been identified as requiring mental health treatment; and

(2) Require universal screening and provider payment for depression for certain children.

Requires the department of early learning to establish a child care consultation program linking child care providers with resources for caring for infants and young children who present behavioral concerns.

Requires educational service districts to establish a lead staff person for mental health.

Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to employ a children's mental health services coordinator.

Requires the health workforce council to collect and analyze workforce survey and administrative data for clinicians qualified to provide children's mental health services.

Requires Washington State University to offer one, and the child and adolescent psychiatry residency program at the University of Washington to offer one additional, twenty-four month residency position that is approved by the accreditation council for graduate medical education to a resident specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Concerning higher education records.

Exempts survivor communications with, and survivor records maintained by, campus-affiliated advocates from public inspection and copying and from inspection or copying by an institution of higher education unless: (1) The survivor consents to inspection or copying;

(2) There is a clear, imminent risk of serious physical injury or death of the survivor or another person;

(3) Inspection or copying is required by federal law; or

Concerning coroner inquest procedures.

Authorizes a county legislative authority, by a majority vote, to call for an inquest to be conducted if a medical examiner unreasonably refuses to conduct an inquest in a case.

States that special consideration should be taken in conducting an inquest when a death results from interaction with law enforcement and when a death occurs during incarceration and is by unnatural means.

Requires the coroner to notify the tribe, and include them in the inquest process to the extent possible, when the deceased is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe in this state.

Requires counties to establish funding reserves to fund inquest expenditures.

Concerning transfer of jurisdiction from a tribe in dependency cases involving Indian children.

Requires the state court, if a tribal court orders transfer of jurisdiction from the tribe in dependency cases involving Indian children, to hold a hearing to determine if accepting jurisdiction is consistent with any applicable state or federal laws.

Concerning behavioral health integration in primary care.

Establishes the youth behavioral health protection act.

Addresses a health care integration model in which behavioral health care is colocated, collaborative, and integrated within a primary care setting.

Requires the state health care authority to: (1) In order to increase the availability of behavioral health services and incentivize adoption of the primary care behavioral health model, establish a methodology and rate which provides increased reimbursement to providers for behavioral health services provided to patients in primary care settings;

(2) Complete a review of payment codes available to health plans and providers related to behavioral health;

(3) Create a matrix listing behavioral health-related codes available for provider payment through medical assistance programs; and

Restricting the use of step therapy by public and private insurers for drugs used in mental health treatment.

Concerning construction contracts.

Concerning regional transit authority capital project reauthorization.

Concerning the administration of motor vehicle excise taxes by regional transit authorities.

Authorizes a regional transit authority to contract with the department of licensing for the collection of a motor vehicle excise tax only if the tax is based solely on the vehicle valuation method identified below.

Requires the contract to provide that the department of licensing will receive amounts sufficient to fully cover the costs applicable to the tax collection process.

Concerning behavioral health system reform.

Revises the involuntary treatment act, the community mental health services act, criminally insane provisions, and public and private facilities for the mentally ill with regard to: (1) Integrating risk for long-term civil involuntary treatment into managed care;

(2) Development of community long-term involuntary treatment capacity;

(3) State hospital short-term reforms;

(4) Improving access to assisted outpatient mental health treatment;

(5) Reducing demand for forensic services;

(6) Addressing managed care entities to provide fully integrated care; and

(7) Data measurement.

-- 2017 REGULAR SESSION --
Mar 17	First reading, referred to Ways & Means.