Now that the 2022 legislative session has ended, Washington residents have hundreds of new laws on the books to sort through. While several of these new laws have already been in the spotlight — the ban on large-capacity magazines for gun ammunition, police reform, catalytic converter thefts, the biennium budget and transportation package to name just a few — there are dozens more that also will affect Clark County residents. Each of the legislators from the 17th, 18th, 20th and 49th districts that encompass Clark County had at least one bill pass this session. With Democrats controlling both the House and Senate, that’s no small feat given that many of the county’s representatives are Republicans. Two new bills co-sponsored by state Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, passed with unanimous or near-unanimous support from both the House and Senate. House Bill 1646 will continue the work of the Dementia Action Collaborative established in 2016. House Bill 1744 relates to comprehensive cancer care facility employees and higher education institutions. Harris said he was glad to see the transportation package pass, if only for one reason.

“I’m happy with the Interstate 5 Bridge. I didn’t vote for the transportation package because I didn’t like the funding mechanism used, and I still don’t, but I do need a bridge,” Harris said. “I’m glad to get a further study and further work on the I-5 Bridge.” Harris also said two bills he introduced this session that seemingly died were later added to the budget. House Bill 1676 would have used taxes from vapor products to fund additional tobacco and vapor use prevention and cessation programs and services. “A couple of Democrats reached out to me. We worked together to get it in the budget, and it carried through,” Harris said, adding Washington lags far behind other states in working to end smoking. “We got $25 million put in to help people quit smoking.” The 2022 session saw several bills introduced to curb or limit the governor’s powers during an emergency. Harris said he was disappointed to seem them fail. “I think the governor should absolutely have the authority to do what he’s done but maybe just not quite as long. I think after 60 to 90 days, they should bring in the Legislature, and we should weigh in for our constituents.”

State Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, was also appreciative of bipartisan efforts of legislators this session. That was especially true for Wilson’s Senate Bill 5612, which passed the House and Senate unanimously. The bill ensures domestic violence victims and survivors of victims have the opportunity to make a statement during sentencing for all domestic violence convictions. “I appreciate the bipartisan support on behalf of domestic-violence victims, building on the foundation of the Tiffany Hill Act that became law in 2020. The law created by my SB 5612 will allow domestic violence victims and survivors of those killed due to domestic violence to offer statements to the court before the perpetrator is sentenced — something that can only help them to heal,” Wilson said. Wilson noted $1.8 million from the supplemental operating budget was appropriated for the bill.    Wilson already is looking to the next session in 2023 to address issues that weren’t resolved this time. Wilson introduced several bills aimed at providing property tax and sales tax relief and is planning to do that next time as well. “We should all hope the state of emergency ends before next session … but either way, emergency-powers reform will remain high on my list,” she said.

Like Wilson, state Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, noted the bipartisan support of her bill to evaluate the state’s cardiac and stroke emergency response system, Senate Bill 5821, which was signed by the governor on Friday. “It was good to see the unanimous votes for my bipartisan bill on evaluating our state’s response to heart disease and stroke, Washington’s leading cause of mortality; it’s part of my long-standing effort to improve access to health care, especially in rural areas,” Rivers said. However, Rivers said she was disappointed Senate Bill 5309, her bill to end the sales tax on diapers, failed to pass. “(It) would be the most significant tax relief to come out of Olympia this year. We’re talking around $35 million annually back in the pockets of people who, for whatever reason, are purchasing diapers. This tax relief was in the Senate budget but was taken out of the final compromise budget, even though the majority had a $15 billion budget surplus at hand.  That’s unbelievable,” Rivers said. She also criticized Democrats for defeating another of her bills, Senate Bill 5723. “My bill to increase diversity in clinical trials, which should lead to better medications, passed unanimously in the Senate but sank in the House budget committee. What do the Democrats have against diversity?” Rivers added.

Rivers said she plans to bring it back in 2023 when the makeup of the Legislature will be different and there is “less of the partisanship that has blocked so many good policy and budget proposals in the past few years.” Not all the legislators said they saw bipartisanship at work. State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, brought forward a bill to reform police reform bills passed by Democrats in 2020 and 2021. Braun said he was disappointed that “the work that was done to correct some of the, what I characterize as anti-police, bills that were passed last year,” wasn’t supported by Democrats. Braun introduced Senate Bill 5675 to better define use of force. The bill never made it out of committee. That bill and others would have given police officers “more clarity on when and how they could make decisions as they interact with the public in response to criminal acts,” he said. Braun said he was glad to see two of his bills relating to individuals with developmental disabilities pass. Senate Bill 5790, which strengthens community support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Senate Bill 5819, to address caseloads for unpaid Developmental Disabilities Administration services, were both passed unanimously and then signed by the governor on Friday.

For state Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, two bills she sponsored were particularly meaningful. Senate Bill 5815 directs the state Department of Licensing to issue identification cards with a picture to any applicant without a driver’s license. “This is something I’ve worked on for a number of years with some of my local homeless advocates. Something that simple can be an overwhelming barrier for people who are unhoused and can’t even open a bank account or apply for a job,” Cleveland said. The other bill, Senate Bill 5814, provides funding for medical evaluations of suspected victims of child abuse. “In the past, only children suspected of being sexually abused had their exams paid for by our state victims compensation fund. I was able to change that, finally, and ensure that any child, whether they have been suspected of suffering physical abuse or sexual abuse, will now have that exam covered,” she said. Cleveland said this is particularly important for low-income families who may not seek medical treatment because of the costs.

Cleveland’s bill to expand access to the Main Street program, Senate Bill 5617, also passed. Cleveland noted the program is especially important to downtown businesses. One bill she hopes to bring back in the next session is a bill to require pharmacies to print labels in the patient’s native language. “Such a simple act and yet so impactful for people. It can even be a factor in your health if you don’t have a full understanding of the instructions for taking your medication,” she said. Other Clark County lawmakers did not return calls seeking comment for this story.

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