This has been a year of change for the KCBA’s legislative program. In March 2006, the KCBA Legislation Committee reviewed the effectiveness of its efforts and recommended that the KCBA Board of Trustees appoint a task force to do a more comprehensive evaluation and propose improvements.
The Legislation Task Force found several areas of concern, including a lack of adequate and timely information and internal processes that were too slow and cumbersome. As a result, the KCBA’s communication with legislators had often been “ineffective at best and harmful at worst.” The Task Force’s proposed changes included development of a new group that could act quickly as bills are amended through the legislative process. It also recommended that the KCBA hire a lobbyist to take its message to the Legislature in a timely and effective way.
The Board adopted the recommendations and appointed the Board Legislative Group, including the KCBA president, the executive director and three trustees, to act as a rapid response team. In January, the Association hired Donna Christensen as its lobbyist for the 2007 legislative session. Christensen is a Seattle University School of Law graduate, who has worked in the legislative arena since 1994.
For the first time in its history, the KCBA had a lobbyist in Olympia when the legislative session began. The work started quickly when several bills of interest to the Association were introduced early in the session. The KCBA commented on the following measures that passed both houses and were signed by the governor.
HB 1366 and SB 5358, although slightly different bills, related to a privilege from compelled testimony for members of the news media. KCBA opposed the absolute privilege aspects of the bills and their broad definition of “news media.” KCBA members Mark Rising and Dean Little testified regarding the privilege issue and the “news media” definition, which was narrowed in the final bill.
SB 5320 created an office of public guardianship within the Administrative Office of the Courts. KCBA supported this bill, which requires the courts to provide guardianship services for persons who receive long-term care through the Department of Social and Health Services or persons who cannot afford to pay for the services, as long as their income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level.
KCBA supported SB 5336, which establishes a domestic partnership registry and provides certain rights to state-registered domestic partners in the areas of healthcare, incapacity and death, to the same extent such rights are provided to spouses.
SB 5470 revised provisions concerning dissolution proceedings. KCBA worked with the Washington State Bar Association to make improvements to this very difficult bill, which effected a compromise of various interests, and added a number of provisions that will affect how attorneys and judges approach family law. The bill changed the criteria for establishing parenting plans and included new procedures for judges to follow in referencing JIS information. The bill also provided funding for needed services in mediation, interpreters and investigation in family law cases, which KCBA supported.
The KCBA Legislation Committee, the Legislation Committee of the Family Law Section, the Board Legislative Group. and Christensen also worked throughout the session studying, testifying at hearings and developing strategies for the following bills, which died due to failure to meet legislative deadlines.
HB 1108 and SB 5071 were companion bills concerning visitation rights for grandparents. KCBA opposed the bills to the extent they limited such rights, particularly restrictions on who could initiate visitation proceedings based on consanguinity.
Judicial elections were a hot topic in this year’s legislative session. Members of the Judicial Selection Coalition worked with Rep. Shay Schual-Berke and Rep. Jay Rodne to help draft and support bills aimed at the independence of the judiciary, including public financing of judicial campaigns and proposals to create a commission system to nominate persons for appointment to the Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Most of these bills failed to make it out of committee. HB 1186 did pass out of the House Judiciary Committee, but failed to be voted on by the House prior to the deadline.
In addition to the bills listed above, the KCBA monitored numerous bills addressing family law, identity theft and residential landlord/tenant issues. Overall, the Association had a positive legislative year, learned a great deal and benefited from the assistance of a professional lobbyist. The KCBA looks forward to continuing its legislative efforts to promote equality and justice for the citizens of King County in the future.
Information regarding individual bills can be found on the Washington State Legislature homepage at www.leg.wa.gov.
