Rep. Julia Reed

Maddy summaryHB 1310 eliminates the enrollment cap on students eligible for state special education funding in Washington, directly affecting all public school districts and students with disabilities. The bill increases funding multipliers for districts serving students with disabilities in inclusive settings (80%+ time in general education), raising the multiplier from 1.12 to 1.5289 for those students, while lowering it to 1.447 for less inclusive placements. It also requires the state superintendent to monitor racial disproportionality in special education identification and provide technical assistance to districts. These changes aim to ensure equitable state funding without requiring local district contributions and support inclusive educational practices.

Maddy summaryHB 1504 requires individuals in Washington to demonstrate financial responsibility before purchasing or possessing a firearm, directly affecting most gun owners. It mandates one of three options per firearm: a $25,000 liability insurance policy or bond, self-insurance certification (for owners of 25+ firearms), or a $25,000 certificate of deposit. Proof of compliance must be provided to dealers or law enforcement via an identification card (paper or electronic), with failure to show it constituting a class 1 civil infraction. The bill exempts antique firearms, active law enforcement officers, and military personnel on duty.

Maddy summaryHB 1527 prevents settlement offers in health care claims from expiring before mandatory mediation occurs. It requires that any settlement demand made by a patient or health care provider before mediation must remain valid until the parties attend the mediation session. This applies to cases where mediation is legally required under Washington law, affecting both patients seeking compensation and health care providers facing claims. The law aims to encourage earlier resolutions by ensuring settlement offers stay open during the mediation process, rather than lapsing before parties meet.

Maddy summaryHB 1632 prevents medical debt from being reported to credit bureaus without specific contract terms, directly affecting consumers with medical bills, healthcare providers, and collection agencies. The bill requires all new medical debt contracts to include a clear statement prohibiting credit reporting, and any contract lacking this term becomes unenforceable. If a provider or collector reports medical debt to credit bureaus despite this requirement, the debt is void and cannot be collected. This policy change aims to stop medical debt from unfairly damaging credit scores by removing a key barrier to financial stability for affected consumers.

Maddy summaryHB 1697 updates Washington's newborn screening program to ensure new conditions are added quickly and based on scientific evidence. It requires the state board of health to align the screening panel with the federal recommended list by 2027, and mandates feasibility reviews (assessing costs, funding, and timelines) before adding new conditions. The bill creates a dedicated revenue account for screening costs, ensuring fees collected from parents cover specialty clinics and outreach for conditions like sickle cell disease. It directly affects newborns, hospitals (which collect blood samples), and the Department of Health (which implements screenings and manages funds). The law aims to make the process more efficient while preserving public input for adding conditions outside the federal panel.

Maddy summaryHB 1344 adds respite care to Washington's "basic plus waiver" program, allowing people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their primary caregivers to access respite care funding more easily. The bill requires the state to seek federal approval to include respite care as an "aggregate service" (meaning funds can be used flexibly without extra approval after annual hours are exhausted), with respite care limited to 30% of the waiver's aggregate budget. It directly affects individuals relying on waiver services for community living and their unpaid caregivers, who often need breaks to maintain their own well-being. The state must submit a federal waiver amendment by September 1, 2025, and update the program upon federal approval. This changes how existing waiver funds can be used for respite care, not creating new funding.

Maddy summaryHB 1949 exempts certain scholarly communications from Washington's public records law to protect academic confidentiality. It directly affects faculty, researchers, and students at public universities by shielding: (1) peer review materials for manuscripts or research proposals, (2) human subject identities when confidentiality was promised in consent forms, and (3) unpublished research data, code, or draft manuscripts until they are published, patented, or publicly shared. The bill ensures these materials remain confidential during the academic review and development process, aligning with existing federal research standards. This change applies only to records where confidentiality was explicitly promised or required by academic practices.

Maddy summaryHB 1029 requires Washington’s building code council to update the state residential code to include 3D-printed building construction standards in two phases. First, by the 2024 code update cycle, the council must adopt the 2024 International Residential Code appendix for 3D printing in the code’s appendix. Second, by the 2027 update cycle, it must move these standards into the main body of the residential code, not just an appendix. This bill directly affects builders, developers, and homeowners using 3D-printed construction methods in Washington state by establishing standardized safety and technical requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1956 creates two programs to address Washington's public defense staffing shortage. It mandates a training program for new public defense mitigation specialists and paralegals by June 2027, covering legal standards, ethics, and networking, with outreach to justice-impacted individuals. It also establishes a paralegal support pool to assist contracted attorneys - prioritizing solo practitioners and small firms - with a goal of 10 full-time paralegals by June 2027, requiring similar outreach in recruitment. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, focusing on concrete recruitment and retention mechanisms for public defense staff.

Maddy summaryHB 1865 expands Washington state's Working Connections Child Care program to specifically include employees of small businesses (defined as entities with 50 or fewer employees). It gradually increases income eligibility thresholds: households earning up to 75% of state median income become eligible starting July 2029, and up to 85% starting July 2031 (if funding is available). The bill also extends eligibility to parents enrolled in state-registered apprenticeship programs for the first 12 months of their participation. These changes aim to make child care benefits more accessible for low- and middle-income working families in small businesses and apprenticeships.