Legislative Success
2010: Helping Our Vulnerable Neighbors
(for prior years,scroll down)
 
During the 2010 legislative session, Evergreen Public Affairs did a great deal of work in major coalitions on two crucial fronts: pushing for additional revenue as part of the budget solution (achieving almost $800 million in new revenue); and working to maintain General Assistance-Unemployable (now called “Disability Lifeline) to continue assistance to our most-vulnerable neighbors.
 
On behalf of the criminal defense bar, Evergreen Public Affairs got legislation passed to add a defense lawyer to the oversight of the state crime lab. This was signed into law about the same time Governor Gregoire was signing legislation to abolish numerous boards and commissions, and downsize others.
 
Also on behalf of the criminal defense bar, we worked with allies to negotiate the tightest-possible language in a proposed constitutional amendment to broaden the denial of bail; then made sure that voter pamphlet arguments explaining the proposal would be written by members of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Washington Defender Association who could explain the implications.
 
We also supported legislation to assure minors are informed of their constitutional right to a lawyer.
 
And we worked to successfully defeat a number of bills, including those:
  1. Prohibiting pro se defendants from directly questioning witnesses in sex cases (violating the constitutional right to confront an accuser).
  2. Making a crime of possessing a police scanner during the commission of a crime
  3. Levying a fee on sex offenders when they register
  4. Abolition of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission
  5. Gutting the landlord-tenant act for ex offenders
  6. Allowing civil judgments against prisoners for assault of a corrections or law enforcement employee
  7. Making robbery of a pharmacy robbery in the first degree
 
Working for the Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Evergreen Public Affairs made sure so-called “alternative” teacher preparation programs allowed in ESSB 6696 are required to meet all requirements and standards of established colleges and schools of education.
 
We worked to ensure performance-based assessments of teaching candidates would be based on research-based methodology.
 
And we made sure that, while some schools are required to submit a proposal to offer a different structure for teacher preparation programs, that those plans do not have to be implemented without additional funding.
 
And on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, Washington Chapter, Evergreen Public Affairs was a strong voice in the successful efforts to soften cuts across a variety of health, mental health, chemical dependency and child care programs.
 
2009: Restoring Voting Rights, & More
 
(May 2009) -- Restoration of voting rights, restrictions on payday lending, and charging polluters for public participation costs in cleanup were among the highlights of legislation signed into law as a result of work on behalf of Evergreen Public Affairs' clients in the 2009 Washington legislative session.
 
HB 1002 allowing a "certificate of discharge" to be issued once someone has completed all conditions of their sentence but still has a no-contact order in place, was signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on April 30. The certificate restores constitutional rights to people who have paid their debt following  a felony conviction, including voting rights (but not gun rights). The bill was introduced on behalf of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Washington Defender Association, Evergreen clients.
Bob Cooper watches as Governor Christine Gregoire signs SB 6024
 
Evergreen also worked in concert with the American Civil Liberties Union of WA and others to pass a more expansive restoration of voting rights as well -- restoration that kicks in when someone is no longer in the custody of the Department of Corrections. HB 1517  creates a definitive demarcation as to whether or not someone with a felony conviction is or is not eligible to vote and will affect an estimated 40,000 people.  
 
Legislation restricting the predatory practice of payday lending also garnered the governor's signature (left) -- the fruits of a coalition led by the Statewide Poverty Action Network. Evergreen Public Affairs was an active participant in the coalition on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, Washington Chapter.
 
Public participation in decisions about the cleanup of the most-contaminated site in the western hemisphere -- the Hanford Nuclear Reservation -- will now be financed by the polluter: the federal government. Before a provision was included in the 2009-2011 biennial budget mandating that the feds be charged for the costs, such public participation grants were paid for out of a general pool of funds for such grants that was mostly made up of a fee paid by oil companies. Evergreen Public Affairs promoted the change on behalf of Heart of America NW, the leading watchdog over Hanford cleanup for more than 20 years.
 
Evergreen was active in the debate over education reform, successfully lobbying provisions related to data collection and teacher preparation mandates on behalf of the Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
 
Other issues successfully supported and lobbied by Evergreen Public Affairs in the 2009 session included:
    •    Funding for the Office of Public Defense
    •    Changes to child support enforcement to encourage partial payment if that is all that can be paid
    •    Working to keep people connected to support and health care -- especially mental health care -- when released from custody (from legislation introduced in 2008)
    •    Credit for time in chemical dependency treatment for those sentenced to jail (also from legislation introduced in 2008) and
    •    Revision to the definition of what constitutes a felony property crime -- the first time the threshold has been changed in 34 years.
 
2008: Protecting Whistle-blowers
 
 
(April, 2008)  Major new protections for whistle blowers in the state of Washington were signed into law March 31st -- legislation crafted and promoted by Evergreen Public Affairs on behalf of the Government Accountability Project. Evergreen partnered with the Washington Federation of State Employees, the State Labor Council, the WA State Trial Lawyers Association and others -- and
Governor Christine Gregoire signs whistle-blower protection bill (ESSB 6776). Evergreen’s Bob Cooper is at the far right. Others instrumental in passing the bill include (from left) Jim Brittain and Linda Long, State Auditor’s Office; Dennis Eagle, WFSE, Rep. Sam Hunt and Matt Zuvich, WFSE. (photo courtesy of  Tim Welch, WFSE)
 worked closely with state Auditor Brian Sontag -- to pass the legislation.
 
Whistle blowers who expose wrongdoing to the head of their agency, the designee of the attorney general, and through several other reporting channels will now be covered by legal protections against retaliation.  
 
Legislation passed this year exploring the future of teacher education will include the voices of Evergreen client the WA Association of Colleges for Teacher Education as those discussions move forward. Redundant legislation that would have needlessly increased bureaucracy in teacher preparation was dealt with in a positive way on WACTE's behalf.
 
The Washington Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and Washington Defender Association, Evergreen clients, saw one of their long-time legislative goals enacted into law: an exception to the requirement for an ignition interlock on an employers' vehicle for people penalized for driving while intoxicated  
 
Evergreen also helped remove the "sunset" clause that would have terminated the Office of Public Defense as a state agency as a partner with OPD on behalf of WACDL and WDA.
 
And while legislation cracking down on criminal street gangs was stripped of the prevention elements all agreed are so crucial in addressing the problem, the governor -- at the behest of WACDL/WDA and others -- directed agencies to begin that work anyway as she signed the bill.
 
The push to accelerate cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation -- the most-contaminated place on earth outside of Chernobyl -- was also kept before the legislature on behalf of Evergreen client Heart of America Northwest.
 
And Evergreen supported, among other legislation,  the enactment of a "working families tax credit" as part of its pro-bono work on behalf of United Way of King County.
 
 
Education & More in the 2007 Session
 
(May 10, 2007) Including the research and expertise of members of the Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE) in a variety of education laws was among the major accomplishments of Evergreen Public Affairs in the 2007 session of the Washington Legislature.
 
The member Colleges and Schools of Education will be full and active participants in:
-- Shaping the overhaul of teacher certification;
-- Designing and implementing a  "Leadership Academy" to prepare future education leaders;
-- Guiding the design and implementation of standardized data systems for future analysis of the results of K-12 education; and
-- Cementing the “First People’s Language, Culture, and Oral Tribal Traditions” teaching endorsement in state law.
 
Evergreen, on behalf of WACTE, also supported: simple majority approval for school levies; bonuses for teachers with National Board Certification; recognition of guidance counselors in state law; and a variety of other improvements for K-12 education.
 
 
Evergreen's work on behalf of Heart of America Northwest -- the region's leading advocate for cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation -- has also led to upcoming meetings between high-ranking Washington officials and the U.S. Secretary of Energy and others over the future of Hanford.
 
Cleanup is years (if not decades) behind schedule. The federal government is in violation of agreements on the work that is supposed to be done. And the state enters negotiations over future cleanup in a strong position to push for additional action and spending to clean up the most-contaminated place in the western Hemisphere.
 
 
Pro Bono work during the session included advocating for increased funding for the Housing Trust Fund on behalf of United Way of King County, which succeeded in raising the fund from $100 million to $130 million, and support of other efforts to end homelessness.
 
 
 
 
2006
March 9, 2006
(Olympia, WA) Asking congress to allow the state to make medical decisions and removing duplicative requirements in a proposed scholarship program were among the accomplishments of Evergreen Public Affairs during the recently-ended legislative session.
Committees in both the House and the Senate voted to approve a memorial to congress asking that local doctors -- not the federal Drug Enforcement Administration -- be allowed to decide if marijuana is an appropriate therapy for chemotherapy patients, people suffering from glaucoma, those with chronic pain and others. Unfortunately, time ran out in the short legislative session, and it was never brought to the floor for a vote.
Other legislation supported during the session included scholarships for mathematics and science teaching candidates, as well as scholarships for classroom aides in bilingual and special education who want to become teachers. Both were funded in the state budget -- with duplicative requirements for colleges removed from the math/science teacher scholarships.
Evergreen Public Affairs also successfully advocated that the Washington Department of Ecology change its policy on nuclear waste disposal at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. State Ecology Director Jay Manning recently implemented the "Hanford Waste First" policy in making decisions about what the state would allow to be disposed of at the site.
2005
Recognizing Military Service
May 3, 2005
(Olympia, WA) Governor Gregoire added her signature to the unanimous votes in the House and Senate for Substitute House Bill 1938, which allows public employees called to military service to earn retirement credit without returning to their public sector jobs. Evergreen Public Affairs shepherded this bill through the 2005 legislature where it did not receive a single "no" vote.
 
The bill was prompted by the case of Col. Michael Pierce (pictured with Governor Gregoire), a 29+ year employee of the Grant County Public Utility District, who had intended to retire soon when he was activated in the Army Reserve. When he tried to retire, the state told Col. Pierce that he would have to have an honorable discharge and go back on the payroll at the PUD.
SHB 1938 allows members of the military "actively serving honorably" to receive the service credit without going back to work, since military call-ups are routinely being extended well beyond the initial tours.
 
Increasing Access to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and WorkFirst
April 22, 2005
(Olympia, WA) The state of Washington will increase access to help for people struggling to overcome felony drug convictions with Governor Gregoire's signature on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5213. Evergreen Public Affairs, on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, was able to garner votes of 47-2 in the Senate and 77-17 in the House to deliver the bill to the Governor's desk.
 
The new law, which goes into effect on September 1, 2005, exercises a state option in federal law to not exclude drug felons from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and associated programs.
When implemented, the law will also give people struggling to overcome a drug conviction access to the WorkFirst program, where the  motto is "A Job, A Better Job, A Better Life."
(Pictured, left to right, Bob Cooper, Evergreen Public Affairs; Sen. Dale Brandland, R-Whatcom County, prime sponsor; Rep. Bill Hinkle, R, Cle Elum; Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D- Seattle; and Governor Christine Gregoire as she signs ESSB 5213 into law.)
 
2004
March 22, 2004
(Olympia, WA)  Governor Locke today signed Engrossed Senate Bill 6411, restoring food stamp eligibility to people whose records include drug felony convictions, which will help thousands of people in recovery who are putting their lives back together. Evergreen Public Affairs pushed this bill through the legislative process on behalf of Washington Citizen Action.
The bill also
  1.   Extends transitional Food Stamp benefits to families leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as they make the transition to self-sufficiency;
  2.   Simplifies reporting for families receiving food stamps while reducing the state's chances for errors that can prompt fines to be levied on the state by the federal government;
  3.   Extends the mandate that schools participate in the National School Lunch Program if 25% or more of their students qualify for free or reduced-price meals; and
  4.   Mandates schools offering academic, remedial or enrichment programs in the summer offer the federal Summer Lunch program to both students and the wider community if half or more of students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
A coalition of organizations promoted the legislation, which was crafted in partnership with Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle) and sponsored by Sen. Dale Brandland (R-Bellingham).  Evergreen Public Affairs, representing Washington Citizen Action, helped lead the effort.
Other legislative successes for Evergreen Public Affairs, on behalf of Washington Citizen Action and in coalition with a wide variety of partners, included:
 
  1. Highlighting the subsidy provided to some employers by the state when the state pays for a company's workers' health care -- leading to an uneven playing field for responsible businesses;
  2. Moderating premiums on children's Medicaid coverage for families earning less than a living wage;
  3. Defeating a proposed limit on General Assistance Unemployable -- a cash assistance program for people suffering physical and mental health problems that prevents them from holding a job;
  4. defeat of caps on jury awards in medical malpractice and other liability cases;
  5. inclusion of the Patients' Bill of Rights in legislation authorizing Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements providing health care coverage for thousands of Washington workers; and
  6. raising the level of debate over corporate accountability for tax breaks.