THE PORT ANGELES GLOBE

 Cantwell & Bipartisan Group of Senators Urge DOD to Accelerate Transfer of Excess Military Vehicles to Support Fire Departments
Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter today to Defense Secretary James Mattis urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to reverse direction on implementing new red tape that would slow the transfer of excess federal vehicles and equipment to state and local fire departments.
In February 2017, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) issued new guidance for demilitarizing non-combat military vehicles deemed in excess to DOD. The new guidance also covered trucks that would normally be transferred to state and local firefighter departments through the DOD’s Firefighter Property (FFP) program.  Local firefighting departments would be required to obtain special certificates, which necessitate collecting Social Security numbers and performing background checks on all of the firefighters affiliated with the agency, in order to continue to be eligible to receive excess equipment.  Fire service organizations warn that the new guidance will make it more difficult for local departments to obtain the vehicles, and some departments say they will be forced to abandon the FFP program.
“Several states have reported that the burden associated with these new requirements will cause delays in vehicle transfers and force some states to terminate their participation in the FFP program altogether,” the senators wrote. “As the United States continues to struggle with growth in wildfires and suppression costs, now is a highly inopportune time to impede the abilities of local fire departments to acquire vehicles under the FFP program.”
The FFP is a program that helps local firefighting agencies obtain excess government vehicles and equipment that the local agencies could not otherwise afford. Over the last 10 years, $1.2 billion worth of equipment has been donated to state and local firefighting agencies through this program.  The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has partnered with Joint Base Lewis-McChord in carrying out this program, and there are over 130 other local firefighting departments in Washington that also qualify for this program.
“The IAFC thanks Senator Cantwell for her continued leadership in combating wildland fires across Washington and the United States. FFP is an important program which allows fire departments to have access to excess vehicles and fire trucks which ordinarily would have been out of their reach. These vehicles significantly improve the ability of fire departments to protect their communities. The IAFC appreciates the work of Senator Cantwell and others to ensure fire departments can continue accessing these important vehicles,” said Chief John Sinclair, the Fire Chief of the Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue Department and President and Chair of the Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
The letter is cosigned by Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), James Inhofe (R-OK), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Carper (D-DE), James Lankford (R-OK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Steve Daines (R-MT).----from press release issued July 14th ( see text of letter on page 2)





Cantwell Speaks Out on New Junk Insurance Provision of Latest Trumpcare Bill
Cantwell: “So it turns out that these junk plans… don't even count as insurance, and everybody that's in the real insurance market would then end up having to pay more.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate to oppose the latest version of Senate Republicans’ Trumpcare bill, released earlier this afternoon.
The Senator called out a new provision added to the bill allowing insurers to sell “junk” plans that would not cover essential health benefits, which must be covered under current law. She noted a similar strategy was attempted in Washington state in the 1990s.
“The state of Washington tried this… a group of state legislators allowed these junk plans to be sold along with compliant plans. Guess what happened? Nearly all of the insurers in our state pulled out of the individual insurance market and a death spiral ensued. Why? Because the cost then of that individual market was so high and so great, they couldn't service it,” said Cantwell in her remarks.
A transcript of the senator’s remarks can be found below:
Sen. Cantwell: Thank you, Mr. President. I know my Republican colleagues are working on a version of the health care bill that they have been talking about today, and I know my colleagues are going to try to say they are protecting the sickest of Americans, and they are saying that they do want to insure people with preexisting conditions so that they don't have to pay through the nose. But I think the president called the House version of this attempt a very mean bill. I think the original Senate bill was just as mean if not meaner, and the number of people that were cut off of Medicaid over a period of time can be left without access to care.
Today's bill now also includes an amendment, or a package of ideas, by my colleagues from Texas and Utah, a provision that allows insurers to sell junk insurance on the individual market as long as they offer at least one plan that is real insurance. Then insurers could also offer a bunch of plans that, as CBO called them, aren't really insurance. That is, they could just cover one or two things, and, yes, they would be cheaper, but if CBO doesn't even consider them insurance, how are they insurance? So I think the whole notion of junk insurance being invested into this bill is very problematic.
Under junk insurance plans, you could limit or deny coverage of essential benefits, including hospitalization, maternity care, preventative care, prescription drugs, laboratory care, and substance abuse treatment. So that's what you could limit, and we wouldn't want those limited. This is why CBO says if you can't go to the hospital and get care, then it's not really insurance, and I have to agree with them on that. These plans could charge people more, or simply deny them, based on preexisting conditions, and these plans could offer policies that pay out less than 60% of the health care expenses, leaving beneficiaries with these insurmountable deductibles that would make it hard for them to pay.
And these plans would also impose a lifetime cap on insurance. I just had a young woman come to my office today who has been treated at Seattle Children's Hospital in my state. They live in a neighboring state but Seattle Children's Hospital is such a regional entity in the state of Washington, in Seattle, and we're so proud of that, but they told me about the debilitating disease that this young child was born with and how many surgeries she had. Literally, the brain treatments that she has had to receive, she told me and her mother told me, if there had ever been any type of lifetime caps, ‘we would have exhausted them in the first few years.’ I'm so proud that she came to see us today and is continuing to talk about why capping health care plans would be so devastating to somebody like her. ( Remarks of speech continued page 2)




 WASH. State AGO FILES CAMPAIGN FINANCE COMPLAINT AGAINST KITTITAS COUNTY DEMOCRATS
OLYMPIA —The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) filed a complaint in Thurston County Superior Court today alleging campaign finance violations by the Kittitas County Democrats. Specifically, the AGO asserts the committee failed to timely report a total of $18,639 in contributions and $16,277 in expenditures in 2012 and between 2014 and 2017.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson recused himself from any involvement in the matter.
In May, the AGO received a Citizen Action Notice alleging multiple violations of the state’s public disclosure laws by the Kittitas County Democrats.
After receiving the notice, AGO staff determined the Kittitas County Democrats failed to timely file numerous reports of contributions received and expenditures made during the years of 2012 and 2014-2017.
Among the reporting deficiencies, the Kittitas County Democrats:
Failed to timely disclose $18,639 in contributions on 77 separate reports, ranging from one to 198 days late.
Failed to timely disclose $16,277 in expenditures made and in-kind contributions received on 31 separate reports, ranging from one to 519 days late.
In May 2016, the Kittitas County Democrats were fined by the Public Disclosure Commission for failing to timely report contributions and expenditures for 2013. The commission imposed a $500 penalty with $400 suspended, so long as the committee did not violate campaign finance laws within four years.
The state seeks penalties and injunctive relief. The defendant will have 20 days from the date they are served to respond to the state’s complaint.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Linda Dalton is handling the case.
When the Attorney General’s Office receives a Citizen Action Notice, it has 45 days to investigate and respond to the citizen. If the Attorney General’s Office or local prosecutor does not initiate litigation, the individual may sue in the name of the state. If litigation is successful, any penalties awarded go to the state, and the individual’s attorney can recover attorney fees and costs. If the citizen’s litigation is unsuccessful, the defendant may recover attorney fees from the state.
The Attorney General’s Office enforces the state’s campaign finance disclosure law to ensure free, open and fair elections in Washington state. A summary of campaign finance case resolutions is available here. http://www.atg.wa.gov/enforcement-campaign-finance-laws
From press release issued July 14th
http://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ago-files-campaign-finance-complaint-against-kittitas-county-democrats


 DOH: State disciplines health care providers
OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Health has taken disciplinary actions or withdrawn charges against health care providers in our state.
The department’s Health Systems Quality Assurance Division works with boards, commissions, and advisory committees to set licensing standards for more than 80 health care professions (e.g., medical doctors, nurses, counselors).
Information about health care providers is on the agency website. Click on “Look up a health care provider license” in the “How Do I?” section of the Department of Health website (doh.wa.gov). The site includes information about a health care provider’s license status, the expiration and renewal date of their credential, disciplinary actions and copies of legal documents issued after July 1998. This information is also available by calling 360-236-4700. Consumers who think a health care provider acted unprofessionally are encouraged to call and report their complaint.
Benton County
In May 2017 the secretary of health denied an agency-affiliated counselor credential to Keyton Riley Sykes (CG60713550). Between 2013 and 2015, Sykes was convicted of three gross misdemeanors and five misdemeanors.
In June 2017 the secretary of health conditionally granted a certified medical assistant credential to Chelsey Nicole Mortimore (CM60465982) and ordered her to complete continuing education in anger management. In 2015 the state Department of Social and Health Services found that Mortimore abused a vulnerable adult and will not allow her to be employed in caring for or having unsupervised access to vulnerable adults. Her home care aide application was denied in 2016 as a result of that finding.
Clark County
In June 2017 the Nursing Commission entered an agreement with registered nurse Deanna Lea McShane (RN60208635) that requires her to participate in a substance abuse monitoring program. McShane didn’t comply with a previous substance abuse monitoring contract.
In June 2017 the secretary of health ended probation for registered medical assistant Anita Marie Bailor (MR60414915). (continue page 2)

page 2: Continued stories from page 1


page 3: BUSINESS & FINANCE
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Why America Needs a Fully Functional Ex-Im Bank

page 4 ( World & National News)
Security Council Extends Mandate of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2367 (2017)