Wrap Up 6/29/2017 Roll Call Votes Motion to invoke cloture on Neomi Rao to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB; invoked: 59-36.   Legislative Business Completed the Rule 14 process to place on the Legislative Calendar of Business S.1460, ENR Modernization (Murkowski).   Adopted S.Res.210, to correct the engrossment of S.722 (Iran/Russia Sanctions)…  MORE

Wrap Up 6/28/2017 No Roll Call Votes   Legislative Business Began the Rule 14 process to place on the Legislative Calendar of Business S.1460, Murkowski energy bill.   No Executive Business MORE

Wrap Up 6/27/2017  No Roll Call Votes   No Legislative Business   No Executive Business MORE

Wrap Up 6/26/2017 Roll Call Votes Confirmation of Kristine Svinicki to be Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; confirmed: 88-9.   No Legislative Business   No Executive Business MORE

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Last Floor Action:
7:39:10 P.M. – The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on July 3, 2017.

House Activity 6/29/2017

House Activity 6/28/2017

10:00:02 A.M.The House convened, starting a new legislative day.10:00:08 A.M.The Speaker designated the Honorable Mike Bost to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.10:00:21 A.M.MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.10:51:57 A.M.The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.12:00:22 P.M.The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of June 28.12:00:25 P.M.Today’s prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Howard Siplin, Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, Coconut Grove, FL12:02:13 P.M.SPEAKER’S APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Ms. Velazquez demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Ms. Velazquez demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of the Speaker’s approval of the Journal until later in the legislative day.12:02:25 P.M.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Stewart to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.12:05:43 P.M.ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.12:26:39 P.M.H. Res. 414Considered as privileged matter. H. Res. 414 — “Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3003) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to modify provisions relating to assistance by States, and political subdivision of States, in the enforcement of Federal immigration laws, and for other purposes.”12:27:20 P.M.H. Res. 414DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 414.1:50:19 P.M.H. Res. 414On ordering the previous question Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 235 – 190 (Roll no. 331).1:58:10 P.M.H. Res. 414On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by recorded vote: 235 – 190 (Roll no. 332).1:58:11 P.M.H. Res. 414Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.1:58:12 P.M.UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on agreeing to the Speaker’s Approval of the Journal.2:05:41 P.M.On approving the Journal Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 232 – 183, 2 Present (Roll no. 333).2:06:05 P.M.The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h)of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate stating that that body had made a clerical correction to the March 22, 2017 appointment to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.2:06:47 P.M.H.R. 1215Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 382. H.R. 1215 — “To improve patient access to health care services and provide improved medical care by reducing the excessive burden the liability system places on the health care delivery system.”2:06:52 P.M.H.R. 1215Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1215 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. A specified amendment is in order. The resolution makes in order as original text for purpose of amendment an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 115-10. The resolution makes in order only those amendments printed in the report.2:07:05 P.M.H.R. 1215House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 382 and Rule XVIII.2:07:05 P.M.H.R. 1215The Speaker designated the Honorable Garret Graves to act as Chairman of the Committee.2:07:42 P.M.H.R. 1215GENERAL DEBATE – The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 1215.3:24:16 P.M.H.R. 1215An amendment, offered by Mr. Sessions, numbered 1 printed in House Report 115-179 to begin the tolling of the statute of limitations on the date of the alleged breach or tort, rather than the date of the injury, which is not always a date certain. The statute of limits will be three years after the alleged breach or one year after the claimant discovers the breach, whichever occurs first.3:24:19 P.M.H.R. 1215DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 382, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Sessions amendment No. 1.3:35:37 P.M.H.R. 1215On agreeing to the Sessions amendment; Agreed to by voice vote.3:35:56 P.M.H.R. 1215An amendment, offered by Mr. Sessions, numbered 2 printed in House Report 115-179 to clarify that health care services as defined in H.R. 1215 include safety, professional, and administrative services directly related to health care.3:35:57 P.M.H.R. 1215DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 382, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Sessions amendment No. 2.3:48:00 P.M.H.R. 1215On agreeing to the Sessions amendment; Agreed to by voice vote.3:48:21 P.M.H.R. 1215An amendment, offered by Mr. Roe (TN), numbered 3 printed in House Report 115-179 to limit who qualifies as an expert witness in medical malpractice negligence cases, based on professional qualifications as well as geographic relation to where the case in chief is being litigated.3:48:23 P.M.H.R. 1215DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 382, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Roe (TN) amendment No. 3.4:00:16 P.M.H.R. 1215On agreeing to the Roe (TN) amendment; Agreed to by voice vote.4:00:47 P.M.H.R. 1215An amendment, offered by Mr. Hudson, numbered 4 printed in House Report 115-179 to allow a physician to apologize to a patient for an unintended outcome without having the apology count against them in the court of law. Requires a plaintiff to provide a notice of intent to the physician 90 days before the lawsuit is filed. The amendment also defers to sundry state laws regarding lawsuits and outlines requirements witnesses must meet for testimony during trial.4:00:51 P.M.H.R. 1215DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 382, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Hudson amendment No. 4.4:12:42 P.M.H.R. 1215POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Hudson amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Cohen demanded a recorded vote, and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.4:13:15 P.M.H.R. 1215An amendment, offered by Mr. Barr, numbered 5 printed in House Report 115-179to give affirmative defense to defendants in health care liability cases if they can show they complied with clinical practice guidelines.4:13:18 P.M.H.R. 1215DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 382, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Barr amendment No. 5.4:24:49 P.M.H.R. 1215POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Barr amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Barr demanded a recorded vote, and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.4:25:18 P.M.H.R. 1215UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on adoption of amendments which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.4:47:34 P.M.H.R. 1215On agreeing to the Hudson amendment; Agreed to by recorded vote: 222 – 197 (Roll no. 334).4:54:49 P.M.H.R. 1215On agreeing to the Barr amendment; Failed by recorded vote: 116 – 310 (Roll no. 335).4:55:04 P.M.H.R. 1215The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 1215.4:55:33 P.M.H.R. 1215The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.4:55:50 P.M.H.R. 1215The House adopted the amendments en gross as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.4:57:00 P.M.H.R. 1215Ms. Kuster (NH) moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on the Judiciary.4:57:59 P.M.H.R. 1215Floor summary: DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Kuster motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to report the same back to the House forthwith with an amendment to add an exemption to the underlying bill for any claim or action that pertains to the negligent prescription of opioids.5:05:51 P.M.H.R. 1215The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.5:13:10 P.M.H.R. 1215On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 191 – 235 (Roll no. 336).5:20:08 P.M.H.R. 1215On passage Passed by recorded vote: 218 – 210 (Roll no. 337).5:20:10 P.M.H.R. 1215Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.5:20:11 P.M.UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on adoption of a motion to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.5:20:21 P.M.H.R. 1500Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 1500 — “To redesignate the small triangular property located in Washington, DC, and designated by the National Park Service as reservation 302 as “Robert Emmet Park”, and for other purposes.”5:28:03 P.M.H.R. 1500On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 423 – 0 (Roll no. 338).5:28:04 P.M.H.R. 1500Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.5:28:25 P.M.ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.5:39:11 P.M.SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.6:42:27 P.M.Mr. Green, Al moved that the House do now adjourn.6:42:49 P.M.On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.6:42:50 P.M.The House adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on June 29, 2017.

House Activity 6/27/2017

House Activity 6/26/2017

by KOMO Staff

SEATTLE – A new law designed to protect Seattle’s restaurant and retail employees went into effect Saturday.

The Secure Scheduling Law is designed to help hourly workers with erratic work schedules. The new law impacts more than 1000 businesses, including REI and Nordstrom.

The law mandates that employers post work schedules at least 14 days in advance.

It also decrees that employees have at least 10 hours off in-between shifts and give scheduling preference to employees with child and healthcare needs, as well as those who have educational requests.

For many retail employees, this is a big deal.

“I know my fiance is looking forward to it,” Parker Seanan, a local resident, said. “If she has to work a late shift and then early the next morning, she gets time-and-a-half, which is awesome.”

For other companies, such as Ivars, a Seattle-based seafood chain, the new law doesn’t change much.

Ivars President Bob Donegan says the company has always scheduled people with lots of time. He also says the restaurant’s hours of operation allow for lots of time off between shifts.

The ordinance only affects businesses with more than 500 employees, which some people say isn’t fair, pointing out that it ignores employees at smaller stores and restaurants.

for the video and or more information: komonews.com

New tax revenue

• $1.6 billion from an increase in the state property tax earmarked for education.

• $431.8 million from expansion of online sales-tax collections.

• $15.6 million from eliminating tax breaks on bottled water and extracted fuels.

New spending

• $1.8 billion added to public schools.

• $618 million for state-worker pay raises.

• $102 million to improve Washington’s troubled mental-health system.

• $75 million added to higher education.

• $25 million to expand early-childhood education.

• $6.3 million to create a new state Department of Children, Youth and Families.

• $4.6 million to fund a clean-air program that caps carbon emissions from a handful of businesses.

• $3.2 million to the Department of Corrections to hire records staffers and beef up its IT systems in the wake of a long-running mistaken release of prisoners.

resource: seattletimes.com

This weekend marks the halfway point through the year and even though we’ve still got a good six months ahead of us, I’m proud to say Working Washington has gotten enough done that we need to break out the bullet points.

So far in 2017, with your support:

• We kicked off the New Year by celebrating minimum wage increases in Seattle and across the state — and since then we’ve seen record-low unemployment, and job growth in all 39 counties.
• We helped stop anti-minimum wage fast food CEO Andy Puzder from getting appointed to be the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
• We organized, spoke out, and took action to make paid family leave one of the key issues in state politics this year, setting the stage for a potential breakthrough.
• We exposed the misleading practice of minimum wage surcharges.
• We updated our groundbreaking What’s my Wage app to help workers navigate the various minimum wage rates across the state.
• We re-launched the BossFeed Briefing, our weekly roundup of key news on workers rights & inequality.
• We helped lead a powerful protest in Yakima in defense of affordable healthcare.
• We launched a project to train workers to address health & safety issues on the job.
• We co-hosted a forum for Seattle mayoral candidates to make sure worker voices are part of the public debate.
• We grew our movement by more than 15,000 people.
• And just a couple days from now on July 1st, secure scheduling takes effect for thousands of Seattle food, coffee, and retail workers.

All that — and we’re only halfway through the year!

Click here to contribute $25 or whatever you can afford so we can build on that success and continue to break ground in the second half of the year. 

I feel good about what we’ve accomplished so far together. It’s almost enough that we could maybe get away with just sitting tight and phoning it in for the rest of the year.

But that’s not how Working Washington rolls. In the months ahead we are going to keep on getting it done and we’re going to make that list of bullet points grow even longer.

Here’s a sneak peek: We want to build a voice for workers in state politics with our first-ever statewide candidate endorsements. We want to roll out innovative new approaches to organizing workers in key industries. We want to build new partnerships across the state to address issues like housing, transportation, and immigration that affect workers’ lives when they’re not on the clock. And so much more.…

And yeah, that’s a lot to get done, but we’re already halfway there — and with your support we’ll make it. (I swear.)

You read our emails. (The good ones at least. 🙂 ) You take action when it’s needed. You support our work in all kinds of ways, and you’ve helped make all this happen. Now can you take the next step to build our movement by making a contribution today?

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Thanks for everything you do,
Sage, Working Washington

P.S. Woah, woah, living on a prayer.