Legislative Priorities
In the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions Communities Connect successfully impacted the following issues: 1) Statewide access to affordable prescription drugs (SB 5558) which passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Gregoire; 2) Promoting private practice involvement in safety net care (SB5703) which resulted in passage of a budget proviso to study and identify economic incentives for private medical practices who accept safety net patients; and 3) Establishing a community health care collaborative grant program (SB6459, HB3146) to further the efforts of community-based organizations to increase access to appropriate, affordable health care for Washington residents. SB 6459 was introduced and signed into law in 2006.
Communities Connect 2007 legislative priorities are:
- Preserving Private Physician Participation in Community Safety-Net Care. This bill (HB 1945/SB 5922) was introduced as result of the study that was conducted during 2006 to study and identify economic incentives for private medical practices.
- Request $2.8 million be appropriated for the continuation of the Community Health Care Collaborative Grant Program.
- Identify opportunities to support and implement recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission report (SB 5100).
- First in a series of Communities Connect briefing papers regarding the Blue Ribbon Commission Report: "Guiding Principles for Moving Forward: Recommendations from a Community Partnership Perspective"
