State lawmakers reach key legislative deadline

Published 8:33 pm Monday, March 7, 2011

OLYMPIA — Washington House lawmakers on Monday approved a bill to impose harsher penalties for drunken driving while state senators voted to close a loophole that has allowed some state workers to both earn a pension and receive a paycheck.

The DUI bill now heads to the Senate and the “retire-rehire” bill goes to the House.

After a week of marathon floor sessions, Monday was the last day for non-budget and non-transportation bills to get a vote in their chambers of origin. Bills that don’t get a vote are considered dead.

Except for a few bills that head to the governor’s desk, most bills approved before Monday’s deadline head over to the opposite chamber for further consideration. Lawmakers will also turn their attention to the budget. The state is facing a projected $5 billion deficit in the next two-year budget.

The Senate voted unanimously to stop the state’s “retire-rehire” policy, by which state employees can earn both a salary and a pension by going back to work shortly after retirement. The bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, and Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla.

An investigation by The Seattle Times last year found that 2,000 state employees were collecting both a pension and salary, costing taxpayers about $85 million yearly.

House members approved two bills dealing with alcohol consumption. The measure to impose harsher penalties for drunken driving offenses passed unanimously.

The bill increases the minimum jail time for first-time DUI offenders from 1 day to 3 days for those with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or less. For those with a blood-alcohol content higher than 0.15, minimum jail time increases from 3 days to a week. A person is considered legally intoxicated in Washington with a blood-alcohol level of .08.

The bill also requires the installation of ignition interlock devices in negligent and reckless driving convictions.

Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, said he wanted to “send a stronger message” with the increased penalties.

Another bill approved by the House is aimed at getting young people to call 911 when they or a friend are experiencing alcohol poisoning. The measure would exempt underage drinkers from being charged with minor-in-possession if they call 911 to get medical attention for themselves or someone nearby who is suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Bill sponsor Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said fear of legal repercussions keeps many young people from calling the police when someone is dying as a result of underage binge drinking.

But opponents are concerned about the implications of this move, saying that this gives minors incentive to drink and not worry about the legal consequences of their actions.

“We want our kids to be safe. The safest thing is for our kids not to drink,” said Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick. “Last thing we want to do is give our kids permission to drink.”

Last year, similar legislation was passed to exempt drug users from penalties when they called for medical attention in overdose cases. Co-sponsor Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, said legislators quickly recognized the need to extend that exemption to alcohol-related medical situations.

Both alcohol-related bills head to the Senate now.

The House also approved a bill allowing law enforcement to publish booking mug shots after the arrested person has been charged with a crime.

Under current law, those photos are usually only made available in a timely manner when needed in an ongoing police investigation. Supporters said the public needs this information.

Another House-approved bill would increase the collective bargaining rights of state Department of Corrections employees.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, aims to enhance safety for corrections employees in the wake of the Jan. 29 slaying of Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl at the Monroe Correctional Complex.

Sells’ proposal would apply the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to corrections workers. The act includes bargaining power for wages, working conditions and personnel matters.

Under that law, employee workload and safety are top mandatory subjects in bargaining. The bill also would extend the PECBA’s provisions for binding arbitration to corrections workers in terms of employee safety.

State Corrections workers previously had more limited bargaining rights.

“This bill is about safety in the dangerous jobs that our state corrections employees do each day,” Sells said. “It allows some of those employees to finally have a robust way of dealing with safety. For me, it’s a moral issue.”

Both parties in the House agreed this is an important measure. But opposing Republicans were concerned about the financial implications.

Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, noted that the bill applies to the entire Department of Corrections, not just correctional officers. The price of workers’ compensation agreements in that department has been steep, he said.

“We need to address our issues of public safety in another manner,” he said.

Sells’ bill passed 59-36 and now advances to the Senate.