Author Archives: brianzylstra

Senate panel to hold work session on future of UW, WSU athletic programs

The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee will hold a work session Wednesday on the future of the University of Washington and Washington State University athletic programs as a result of the changes from this past year’s Pac-12 Conference realignment.

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney and the Republican leader on the panel, said committee staff will give a presentation that covers the timeline of the Pac-12 Conference, litigation pertaining to the conference and a very high-level look at the UW and WSU athletic budgets.

The committee will then be joined by representatives from the UW and WSU athletic departments. Those officials have been told to be prepared to discuss the future of their athletic programs, Holy noted.

The work session will take place at the start of the committee meeting, which begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room 2 of the John A. Cherberg Building.

Senate passes Holy bill aimed at helping high-school students attend college

A bipartisan bill from 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy that would help students decide about attending a university or college is moving through the Legislature.

The Senate yesterday voted 48-1 to pass Senate Bill 6053, which aims to remove a barrier to higher-education opportunities by providing students with information about postsecondary educational and financial-aid possibilities.

“This is a really good bill,” said Holy, the Republican leader on the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. “We’re moving forward on the idea that high-school students need to figure out exactly where they’re going to go for postsecondary education. Under this proposal, OSPI must share directory data of high school students with WSAC and higher education institutions within the state. WSAC and the higher ed institutions may only use that directory information to contact students to inform them about financial aid opportunities and higher ed opportunities. The benefit to the student is that WSAC will help them determine exactly what financial aid is available, and then the colleges will let them know which schools they qualify to attend.”

The proposal would require the WSAC to enter into data-sharing agreements with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction so high-school students have access to information about postsecondary educational and financial-aid opportunities available in Washington.

“Attending a college or university typically is very expensive. Many students need financial aid to pay for their higher education but aren’t aware what kinds of financial aid are available,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “This bill would help students by making it easier for the Washington Student Achievement Council to provide financial aid information to them.”

SB 6053 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

E-newsletter: Spokane Wildfire Resources

Dear Friends,

Like many of our neighbors in the Medical Lake/Four Lakes area, my family was notified to evacuate our home Friday afternoon because of the Spokane Gray Wildfire.

This situation is grave for those who have lost everything; and it is extremely difficult for those who have had to relocate and cannot get home.

I have been in many meetings over the weekend with the Mayor of Medical Lake Terri Cooper and state/local officials. I prioritized spending time at the Red Cross station at Spokane Falls Community College to meet with displaced families.

On Sunday, we were able to see first-hand the devastation at the Spokane Gray Wildfire site. The extent of the damage cannot be overstated. I am proud and thankful that our community has stepped up with volunteers and donations to give whatever they have, to those who have lost so much.

I am including state and local resource information below for you to use and to share with anyone who may need them as we navigate this disaster. Since the Spokane County Commissioners and the Governor have declared both a County-wide and State Emergency – I will be sharing more information on available government assistance and resources as they become available.

As always, if you are having difficulty contacting a state agency for assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office: 509-456-2747.

Best,

Holy pleased that capital budget passed by Legislature includes money for projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake

The 2023-25 state capital budget unanimously approved by the Legislature late last week includes funding for three important community projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Spokane, said 6th Legislative District Sen. Jeff Holy.

“This budget will fund community projects in Airway Heights and Medical Lake, as well as provide funding to improve social and health services and to renovate the hatchery in Spokane,” said Holy, R-Cheney.

The new capital budget includes more than $6.3 million for community projects in the 6th Legislative District, such as the Airway Heights Public Safety Campus, the Spokane International Airport Transload Center and building a stormwater mitigation system in Medical Lake.

The spending plan also provides $16.8 million for the renovation of the Spokane Hatchery. This renovation plays a major role in protecting and preserving the trout that are raised in the hatchery.

The capital budget also funds these projects in the 6th District:

  • Eastern State Hospital commissary building repairs ($4.45 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital Activity Therapy Building HVAC upgrades ($3.71 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital-Eastlake nursing station improvements ($1.74 million)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs – burial and columbarium expansion grant ($3.3 million)
  • Conservation project at Riverside State Park Little Spokane River Robinson property ($1.46 million)

After the House of Representatives approved the capital budget 96-0 on Friday, the Senate passed it 48-0 yesterday. It now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end today.

Governor signs Holy bill to address nurse shortage

A bipartisan bill sponsored by 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy that helps address Washington’s nursing shortage was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee today.

Senate Bill 5582 aims to increase the number of nurses in the state by reducing barriers and expanding educational opportunities in this field.

Holy said the state Employment Security Department has reported that nursing is the occupation most in demand by employers in Washington.

“We have a great demand for nurses but there are many nursing positions that are unfilled,” said Holy, the ranking Republican on the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. “Our nursing shortage could have a negative impact on our state’s health-care system. The nurse shortage is a problem not only for hospitals but also nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. This bill is a good way to encourage more people to become registered nurses and licensed practical nurses so we can address this important need.”

SB 5582 gives the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges until December 2024 to develop a plan to train more nurses. The plan must prioritize expanding or creating programs that increase capacity to train nurses at the Bachelor of Nursing level, expand training opportunities for rural and underserved students, and are in partnership with public four-year universities. The bill also directs the SBCTC to develop an online curriculum to earn a licensed practical nurse credential.

Holy’s measure also creates a pilot project that brings high-school students in training to become certified nursing assistants together with understaffed rural hospitals, to help address workforce shortages while promoting nursing careers in rural hospitals.

“Rural communities in our state have especially been affected by the nursing shortage,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “The lack of nurses in rural hospitals is forcing patients to drive long distances to see a nurse and receive treatment. This bill will help ensure there will be enough nurses in rural hospitals.”

SB 5582 was passed by the Senate 48-0 on March 6 and 97-0 by the House of Representatives on April 7.

Sen. Holy statement on Senate Democrats’ proposal to raise property taxes

After Senate Democrats introduced a measure today (Senate Bill 5770) that would allow state and local property taxes in Washington to grow at a rate triple the current limit, 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, issued this statement in opposition to the proposal.

“The Legislature should not consider bills that would raise property taxes, especially this late in the session. So many people in our state are still struggling with inflation and the return of higher fuel prices. Raising property taxes at a time like this is about the worst idea you can consider. It is unreasonable and insensitive. If this bill becomes law, it just shows how in love Democrats are with taxes and taking away money from hard-working people.

“This bill is a slap in the face of Washington voters who passed Initiative 747 in 2001 to cap property-tax increases to 1 percent annually. More than 57 percent of the state’s voters approved this measure, including about 60 percent in Spokane County. It’s insulting to the voters that Senate Democrats think it’s OK now to dramatically raise property taxes.

“At the same time Democrats are expressing concern about homelessness, their bill to increase the property tax at this compounding rate could result in making homeless those who are just hanging on to a home when the cost of living is rapidly increasing and so many people live on fixed incomes. The American promise always has been that if you work hard, pay your debts and save much of your money, you will be self-sufficient when you retire. Yet in conversations with many constituents, the comment I’ve heard many times has been that the monthly cost of taxes is now greater than the monthly mortgage payment they paid to buy the property. This is wrong. Senate Bill 5770 will make things worse for many homeowners.

“At $6,220 a year in taxes paid per person, Washington already has the 13th highest state and local tax burden per capita in the nation – higher than Idaho or Oregon. Instead of looking for yet more ways to take money away from taxpayers, we should instead look for ways to make better use of existing tax dollars.”

SB 5770 has been sent to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for consideration.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end April 23.

Holy: Senate capital budget funds projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake

The 2023-25 state capital budget unanimously approved by the Senate today includes funding for three important community projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Spokane.

The Senate’s proposed capital budget includes $2 million for community projects that include improving the Airway Heights Public Safety Campus, additional funding for the Spokane International Airport Transload Center and building a stormwater mitigation system in Medical Lake.

The proposed spending plan also provides $16.8 million for the renovation of the Spokane Hatchery. This renovation plays a major role in protecting and preserving the trout that are raised in the hatchery.

“I am pleased with the capital budget that was approved by the Senate today,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “This budget will fund community projects in Airway Heights and Medical Lake, as well as provide funding to improve social and health services and to renovate the hatchery in Spokane.”

The Senate capital budget allotted $35.6 million to the Department of Social and Health Services to make improvements to health-care facilities within the 6th District. The funding is for a predesigned study to assess and make recommendations necessary to modernize the existing agency telecommunications system.

The Senate’s capital budget will also fund these projects in the 6th District:

  • Eastern State Hospital commissary building repairs ($5.43 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital Activity Therapy Building HVAC upgrades ($3.71 million)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs – burial and columbarium expansion grant ($3.3 million)
  • Conservation project at Riverside State Park Little Spokane River Robinson property ($1.46 million)

The House of Representatives is expected to release its proposed capital budget next week. After the House passes its version, capital budget leaders from the Senate and House will meet to negotiate a final version of the plan.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end April 23.

Holy bill to create rare-diseases advisory council moving through Senate

A bill that would add Washington to the handful of states with advisory councils on rare diseases is once again moving through the Senate.

Senate Bill 5097, a bipartisan proposal introduced by 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy, would establish an advisory council on rare diseases within the state Department of Health to advise on research, diagnosis, treatment and education related to rare diseases. Under the measure, the advisory council must submit annual reports on the council’s work and other findings and recommendations to the governor and Legislature starting Dec. 1, 2026.

“This bill would benefit those in Washington who suffer from a rare disease, as well as those who might be afflicted with a rare disease in the future,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “Rare diseases take a substantial financial and emotional toll on patients and their families. This bill could help this vulnerable population by creating an advisory council to focus on the concerns of rare-disease patients in our state. Hopefully, that work will provide better support for all patients with rare diseases in Washington, as well as fewer deaths, through early diagnosis and intervention. The bill also would help physicians by giving them access to a database on rare diseases.”

Senate Bill 5097 was unanimously passed last week by the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee.  It now is before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

A rare disease is defined as any condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in America. Rare diseases include genetic conditions, infections, cancers and autoimmune diseases. The National Institutes of Health estimates there may be as many as 7,000 rare diseases, and that 25 million to 30 million Americans may be living with a rare disease.

Under the proposal, the rare-diseases advisory council would consist of 12 voting members serving three-year terms, including four clinicians and researchers specializing in rare diseases, four people representing patients, the director of the program for children with special health-care needs, a representative from the state Health Care Authority, and two representatives from the life-sciences industry focusing on developing therapeutic products for rare-disease patients or related research efforts. The bill calls for the secretary of the state Department of Health to serve as an ex-officio nonvoting member and to select the council’s chair.

The bill calls for the council to establish, by 2026, a centralized, publicly accessible repository of information that catalogs rare-disease research underway in Washington. The repository also would provide best-practice standards of care for health-care providers, containing the most effective strategies for recognizing and treating rare diseases, and informational resources for rare-disease patients seeking access to clinical care.

Last year, Holy prime-sponsored a similar proposal, Senate Bill 5886, that was unanimously approved by the Senate before stalling in the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.

 

Senate committee passes Holy bill to address nurse shortage

A bipartisan bill sponsored by 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy that would help address Washington’s nursing shortage was approved today by the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee.

Senate Bill 5582 aims to increase the number of nurses in the state by reducing barriers and expanding educational opportunities in that field.

“As is the case in many other states, Washington has a serious nursing shortage,” said Holy, the ranking Republican on the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. “The state Employment Security Department recently reported nursing is the occupation most in demand by employers in our state. The nurse shortage is a problem not only for hospitals but also nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. This bill is a good way to encourage more people to go into nursing.”

SB 5582 would give the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges until December 2024 to develop a plan to train more nurses. The plan must prioritize expanding or creating programs that increase capacity to train nurses at the Bachelor of Nursing level, expand training opportunities for rural and underserved students, and are in partnership with public four-year universities. The bill also would direct the SBCTC to develop an online curriculum to earn a licensed practical nurse (LPN) credential.

Holy’s proposal also would create a pilot project that brings high-school students in training to become certified nursing assistants together with understaffed rural hospitals, to help address workforce shortages while promoting nursing careers in rural hospitals.

“The nursing shortage is especially being felt in rural communities in our state,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “The lack of nurses in rural hospitals is forcing patients to drive long distances to see a nurse and receive treatment. If this bill becomes law, it can help ensure there will be enough nurses in rural hospitals.”

SB 5582 now goes to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.