Washington State Senate Democrats: Jean Berkey

Financial Institutions, Housing and Insurance Committee Update

Senate Democrats — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:53:00 GMT

As chair of the Financial Institutions, Housing and Insurance Committee, Sen. Berkey was instrumental in the passage of several pieces of legislation that will protect consumers and strengthen our financial institutions.

Credit Unions-SSB 6298 allows state-chartered credit unions to accept public deposits. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Berkey, was signed into law March 12^th and takes effect in 2011.

Rental properties- SSB 6459 allows local municipalities to require landlords to provide a certificate of inspection as a business license condition.

Appeals: If a rental property owner does not agree with the findings of an inspection performed by a local municipality, the local municipality is required to offer an appeals process.
Notice to Tenants: A landlord must provide written notice of his or her intent to enter an individual unit for the purposes of providing a local municipality with a certificate of inspection. The notice must indicate: (1) the date and approximate time of the inspection; (2) the company or person performing the inspection; and (3) that the tenant has the right to see the inspector's identification before the inspector enters the individual unit. Upon request, a copy of the notice must be provided to the inspector on the day of inspection.
Penalties: A penalty for noncompliance may be assessed by the local municipality. Any person who knowingly submits or assists in the submission of a falsified certificate of inspection, or knowingly submits falsified information upon which a certificate of inspection is issued, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and must be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000.
Search Warrant Authority: A search warrant may be issued by a judge for the purpose of allowing a code enforcement official to inspect any specified dwelling unit and premises to determine the presence of an unsafe building condition or a violation of any building regulation, statute, or ordinance. The search warrant may only be issued if sufficient evidence has been set forth by affidavit or declaration establishing probable cause for the inspection. Provisions are created to address the information that must be contained in the warrant and when an inspection to a warrant may be conducted. Any person who willfully refuses to permit inspection, obstructs inspection, or aids in the obstruction of property authorized by the warrant is subject to remedial and punitive sanctions for contempt of court and may be subject to a civil penalty imposed by local ordinance.

Protecting jobs and businesses-HB 2560/SB 6240 will help businesses obtain hard-to-find supplemental flood insurance and prevent tens of thousands of job losses by giving the state insurance commissioner authority to create a joint underwriting association (JUA) if certain conditions are met. The insurance commissioner must begin by forming a market assistance plan (MAP) to help affected businesses. Underwriting operations can’t begin until the commissioner finds that:

A MAP is inadequate because fewer than four admitted or surplus line insurers are offering excess flood insurance, exclusive of personal insurance
Persons, businesses, or service providers cannot buy excess flood insurance through the voluntary market
Or so few insurers sell excess flood insurance that a competitive market does not exist.

Berkey public deposits bill signed into law

Senate Democrats — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:06:56 GMT

State-chartered credit unions will soon be allowed to accept public deposits now that a bill Sen. Jean Berkey sponsored has been signed into law.

Currently, only banks and thrift institutions are allowed to accept public deposits, which are important sources of capital. There are some limitations to SB 6298, however. Deposits can’t be more than the federal deposit insurance limit of $100,000.The bill takes effect in 2011.

2010 Caucus Highlights

Senate Democrats — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:40:00 GMT

The state economy and the challenge of balancing the budget have drawn the lion's share of attention this legislative session, and rightly so — nothing is more fundamentally important, and urgent, than good jobs for Washingtonians. But that doesn't mean that's all the session was about. It's also about improving the ways government works, whether by improving services or streamlining costs, and it's about maintaining public safety in the face of new threats and trends in society. It's about adopting laws that affect Washingtonians across the board, and it's about making changes to address specific needs in local districts. Here's a quick roundup of some of the major pieces of legislation that passed this session.

Small business tax credit —We created a tax credit of up to $4,000 for businesses of 20 or fewer employees that create family-wage jobs. The credit is for each new job created, and the value of the credit would be determined by the job’s wages. The credit could create as many as 5,000 jobs. SB 5899

Early learning opportunities ─ Studies have shown that few strategies for reducing the achievement gap are as successful as giving children learning opportunities at the most critical point in their brain development. That’s why we started down the path to ensure preschool opportunities for the three and four year old children who need them most. Because it’s one of the smartest investments around and can produce returns in as little as a decade, we’ve set a goal of guaranteeing early learning opportunities for all eligible children from low-income families by the 2018-19 school year. HB 2731

Cell phone driving — We’re making our roads safer for all motorists by making it a primary offense to operate a cell phone while driving. The new law still allows the use of hands-free devices and calls to report serious emergencies buts bans texting and other handheld uses. The law also prohibits cell phone use of any kind by a driver with a learner’s permit or intermediate license. SB 6345

Capital budget ─ The Senate approved a 2010 construction and maintenance budget that creates 4,800 jobs while funding shovel-ready construction projects in our K-12 schools, at our colleges and universities, in community health and human services facilities, projects related to toxic clean-up, Puget Sound restoration and water quality projects, forest fire and forest disease prevention projects, community vitality projects and public safety projects. SB 6364

Transportation budget —We’re putting 18,000 people to work annually in good-paying jobs on critical infrastructure and safety projects across the state at a time when the competitive climate is bringing projects in under bid and under budget, saving money that we can apply to additional transportation projects. SB 6381

The 520 Bridge — We broke years of gridlock with a bill that launches millions of dollars in construction projects, employing 5,000 people in great jobs, to replace the Highway 520 floating bridge. SB 6392

Public safety – We responded to the Lakewood officer tragedy in a compassionate, thoughtful and measured fashion. We passed a measure that, if approved by the voters, will amend the constitution to allow judges to deny bail to someone who has committed a crime that could result in life in prison if the individual has shown a history of violence that could endanger public safety. HB 4220

Green River flood protection – Because of weaknesses in the Howard Hanson Dam, the Green River Valley is vulnerable to severe flooding in the coming months that could devastate our regional economically. Currently, flood insurance to supplement federal flood coverage is incredibly hard to come by for businesses in the Valley. We passed a critical bill that will give businesses the surplus coverage they need in the event of a flood disaster. HB 2560

Ferry reforms —We are reforming longstanding bargaining rules so that state ferry workers’ pay, benefits, claims and arbitration will fall in line with that of other state workers instead of those of Alaska and other regions with far different standards. HB 3209

Baby bottles─ After years of hard work, the Legislature passed a bill to limit the use of the toxic chemical bisphenol A(BPA) in certain plastic products intended for children such as baby bottles, sippy cups and sports bottles. Washington is now one of less than a handful of states that have enacted legislation to remove this harmful chemical from certain consumer products. SB 6248

Vaccines for children─ Public, private and non-profit groups created an alternative method of assuring vaccination coverage for all children in the state after last year’s elimination in the budget of the state vaccination program. SB 6263

Race to the Top funds – We coordinate ongoing K-12 education reform efforts to make the state more competitive in its application to the federal “Race to the Top” grant program. Our measure will benefit all schools by increasing accountability, flexibility and targeted reforms in educator preparation and evaluation systems. Schools that continue to struggle will have access to a new strengthened system of support. SB 6696

Aerospace bill to improve workforce training passes Senate

Senate Democrats — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:51:55 GMT

The Senate unanimously approved a bill to help the state maintain a highly skilled aerospace workforce. SB 6678, co-sponsored by Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, creates a Washington Aerospace Training and Coordination Institute to review and establish aerospace training and education programs at our colleges and universities. The goal is to see what curriculum changes need to be made to maintain a well-trained workforce.

The bill also creates the Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation to lead a collaborative effort between the state's universities, private industry and government for the aerospace industry. The University of Washington, Washington State University and the Department of Commerce will partner with the private sector in the development and implementation of research and new technology.

The aerospace industry accounts for $36 billion in economic value to Washington. The legislation is intended to foster strong relationships between the public and private sector, including labor and business.

SB 6678 is now being considered in the House.

Everett Foreclosure Prevention Workshop

Senate Democrats — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:21:29 GMT

Are you falling behind in your mortgage payments? Don't wait until it's too late. Attend a free foreclosure prevention workshop on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at Cascade High School.

Thursday, July 23, 2009
11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Cascade High School
801 E Casino Road Everett, WA 98203

Berkey honored by Snohomish County business leaders

Senate Democrats — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:40:18 GMT

Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, has been presented with a 2009 Business Champion Award by the Joint Government Affairs Committee of the Joint Snohomish County Chambers of Commerce.

Berkey and other state lawmakers were recognized for supporting legislation to improve the business climate in Snohomish County and the state.

The awards were handed out June 3^rd at the Joint Snohomish County Chambers of Commerce Legislative Recognition Breakfast held at the Everett Golf & Country Club.

News: Berkey bill to help stem home foreclosures awaits governor’s signature

Senate Democrats — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:16:00 GMT

A bill to help thousands of Washington homeowners avoid foreclosure has passed the Legislature and awaits the governor's signature.

Under Senate Bill 6033, which is sponsored by Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, a statewide pool of volunteer professionals will be recruited to help families and individuals with incomes up to 140 percent of the county median income renegotiate their mortgage terms.

"The beauty of this bill is it doesn’t add another layer of bureaucracy or cost a lot of money,” Berkey said. “We are using private sector talent to help families. This is a team approach."

The PROOF program (Prevent or Reduce Owner-Occupied Foreclosure) matches homeowners with certified housing counselors and other financial experts to help homeowners save their most valuable asset.

“People need help understanding their options, and that’s exactly what this program was created to do.”

Senate Bill 6033 complements another anti-foreclosure bill expected to become law. Senate Bill 5810, co-sponsored by Berkey, gives homeowners more options and time to negotiate with lenders and protects them against lenders who refuse to take reasonable steps to work with them.

The Housing Finance Commission, which will administer the program, must establish an oversight committee to evaluate the success of the program.

Governor signs Berkey bill to clean up life settlements industry

Senate Democrats — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:30:00 GMT

A consumer protection bill to regulate the multi-billion dollar life settlements industry has been signed into law.

Senate Bill 5195, sponsored by Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, regulates life insurance death benefits sales transactions, creates licensing standards for the industry and bans life insurance sales to parties who have no interest in the survival of the insured.

Under the legislation, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner will closely regulate and monitor the industry.

A life settlement contract is a written agreement between a policy owner and a third party that pays the owner ─ while he/she is still alive ─ a lump sum that is less than the death benefit of the insurance, but potentially more than the policy’s cash value. In return, the policy owner agrees to transfer the death benefit to the purchaser.

Elderly consumers are often confused about how the process works; don’t understand the true fair market value of the policies they are selling; and, in some cases, may invite tax problems that could make them ineligible for federal assistance programs such as Medicaid.

The bill requires full disclosure of the benefits and pitfalls of settling a life insurance policy.

Photo: Sen. Berkey, left, at bill signing.

News: Bill to protect consumers in property exchange deals signed into law

Senate Democrats — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:29:53 GMT

A bill aimed at cleaning up an obscure sector of the financial industry has been signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Exchange facilitators are independent third parties who, for a fee, help property owners trade one or more relinquished properties for one or more "like-kind" replacement properties. House Bill 1078 establishes rules and guidelines exchange facilitators must follow. The bill defines prohibited practices for the facilitators of the exchange, including fraud, misrepresentation, and failing to fulfill the contractual duties of a client.

Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, sponsored a similar bill in the Senate.

Photo: Sen. Berkey, far left, attends bill signing April 13, 2009.

Senate capital budget makes key investment in Everett Community College, other area projects

Senate Democrats — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:58:56 GMT

The newly released Senate capital budget proposal includes millions for projects that will benefit the Everett community, including $4.3 million for construction projects at Everett Community College.

Other projects listed in the budget include:

Marysville Boys and Girls Club-$500,000
Artspace Everett Lofts-$1 million
Imagine Children’s Museum-Legacy Project-$200,000
Visual Arts Education Center (Snohomish County)-$1 million
Convert Key Bank to Everett’s Plaza Theatre-$500,000

“These projects are important to the long-term growth of our community,” said Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett. “But this is only a proposal. People should contact their representatives in the House and let them know this funding should remain in the final capital budget agreement.”

The $3.3 billion 2009-2011 capital budget aims to fund K-12 and higher education infrastructure projects, create jobs and build quality communities.

The budget is nearly $700 million less than the governor’s proposed budget and about $1.3 billion, or 29 percent, less than the 2007-2009 biennium.