Saturday, March 1, 2014

Latest in Olympia...

The state Senate Health Care committee did NOT hold a hearing on the House-passed abortion insurance mandate (HB2148 "Reproductive Parity Act") by Friday's deadline (February 28th).  This SHOULD mean the bill will die again in the 2014 session, which officially ends on March 13th.  However, it is NEVER over....and there are some old rules that COULD enable the Senate to pass this bill anyway; but that appears unlikely.

So thanks to everyone who called and/or wrote to their state Senators, and more specifically to the members of the Senate Health Care committee (the majority of whom are pro-life)!  But remember...it's never over 'til it's over, and that is not until March 13th when this session formally ends.  There is a somewhat obscure rule in the state Senate called the "Ninth Order" of business which allows a committed majority of Senators to suspend all the Senate Rules and make it possible for that same majority to call any bill to the floor for an immediate vote, including HB 2148.  So we'll continue to keep an eye on this situation.

Meanwhile, for the last 2 weeks of this session, we are focused on supporting passage of SB6434 to curb human trafficking and the sex trade in the state of Washington.  Please contact your state Senators encouraging them to promote passing this important legislation.
http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

As the 2014 legislative session in Olympia comes to an end in mid-March, our focus legislatively will shift to the federal level with bills going through the U.S. Congress.  A bill entitled the "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" was passed earlier this year in the House (in the Senate it's referred to as bill "S1670") that would protect unborn babies capable of feeling excruciating pain beginning at 20 weeks, or more than halfway through pregnancy.  Please contact your U.S. Senators to support passage of this bill.

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