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House passes bills to help families
Four reforms focus on health care and financial literacy
Feb. 24, 2006
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What’s happening with these reforms
Health coverage (HB 2972) – Now in the Senate Health Care Committee, with a
public hearing was scheduled for Feb. 22
A fair shake for families (HB 3156) – Now in the Senate Human Services and
Corrections Committee, with a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.
Financial literacy (House Bills 3157 and 2394) -- Now in the Senate Human
Services and Corrections Committee, with a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.
For more information:
www.leg.wa.gov/billinfo
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OLYMPIA – How can we help children and families? That’s the question a
bipartisan group of lawmakers are trying to answer.
“Mothers and fathers are doing everything they can to provide for their kids,”
said Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle), leader of the bipartisan group. “We
think it’s only right to make sure people who work hard and play by the rules
have a chance at success.”
Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives have been working
together on reforms to help working families. The effort resulted in four new
laws that passed out of the House of Representatives and are now in the Senate.
Those laws include:
- Health coverage for families –
House
Bill 2972 gives part-time and seasonal workers a better chance at affordable
health care. The reform lets employers pool contributions for health insurance
to cover part-time or seasonal workers who have jobs with more than one
employer.
- A fair shake for working families –
House
Bill 3156 uses community outreach to make sure working families receive the
federal Earned Income Tax Credit they’re owed. The bill also assists working
families in training on how to accumulate financial assets; most families
accumulate assets by owning a home rather than paying rent.
- Financial literacy for families – Two laws (House
Bills 3157 and
2394)
give working families information and training on financial literacy – including
building good credit and avoiding credit-card traps – and family asset building.
“This is about giving people the tools so they can provide for their families,”
said Rep. Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma). “Finances are complicated – I know a lot
of people who are lawyers or doctors but can’t make sense of tax forms or the
stacks of paperwork involved in health insurance or buying a house. Working
people can’t afford to just hire an accountant or pay for a doctor out of
pocket. They need the tools to make good decisions when it comes to health care
and making sure your family has a roof over their head.”
The bipartisan group – Financial Fitness for Families – also includes Reps. Eric
Pettigrew (D-Seattle), Dawn Morrell (D-Puyallup), Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla),
Bill Hinkle (R-Cle Elum) and Larry Haler (R-Tri-Cities).
The group came together last summer at a meeting hosted by the National
Conference of State Legislatures, and the group worked with the Annie E. Casey
Foundation on ideas to help working families.
“I’m proud of how we’re reaching across party lines to help working families,”
said Rep. Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla). “There are hundreds of thousands of
working moms and dads in this state who’ll be helped by these reforms, and I
hope we keep cooperating to find innovative ideas to give every family a chance
to prosper.”
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