The Hubbub About HB 1814

This article illustrates why "deep dives" make sense, when exploring the bottom of the ocean - or your local, state legislation.

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023

Dear Vashon Loop Readers and Substack Subscribers,

One of the great ironies is that the people of the United States of America have the best known system for communal control of government, while also knowing almost nothing about how it works or how to engage meaningfully.

When I was seventeen years old, I cared deeply about our environment, pollution, saving old growth forest, the ocean, and so on. That year, two initiatives were being presented to the people of California. They were focused on pollution related to farming and ecological devastation related to forestry practices. Then, two more initiatives came on board - crafted by the industries themselves - and the people of California found themselves inundated by advertising that made it nearly impossible to differentiate between the “original bills” and their “industry copycats.”

What did I do? I sat down and read them, front to back. Talk about fine print! I spent most of my life with 20/15 vision and it was still a challenge. But, I persevered, I took notes, I highlighted, I compared and then I talked to “adults” about the discrepancies and the specific differences I’d found. This was a watershed moment in my life.

Most of the people I knew were the “activist sort.” They went on marches, carried homemade signs, got degrees in Environmental Studies and other related topics, wrote their legislators, and generally got hot and bothered about the media coverage, whether they agreed or not. And, not one of them had read the fine print.

Even worse, few to none were interested. When I whipped out my college notebook (I graduated high school early) and started describing what I’d found - older, supposedly wiser adult eyes glazed over.

“Look,” they said, “we just need to get people to vote for the right ones, and no one cares about the details. That’ll overwhelm people. Focus on a simple message. Initiatives “blank and blank” are written by environmentalists, while initiatives “blank and blank” are written by Big Agriculture, Big Chemical, Big Forestry and they can’t be trusted.”

Yeah. I still read the fine print. Which is why, a few weeks ago, I found myself working around the clock, up to the last minute of our deadline, re-vamping a piece that I’d written a week earlier. Because, as I was giving it a final look-see, a voice in my head said, “But March. You haven’t read the fine print.”

Doubts settled in. What if all the other media coverage is wrong? What if my sources, including one of the sponsors of the bill, hasn’t yet covered all of the details? Because they didn’t think I cared or could handle it?

So, I read the fine print. And the story did a complete 180.

With regard to relevancy - this “local” story is of great “national” import. I highly recommend reading (and sharing) this article, no matter what state you live in. The pattern of behavior is the same, so why not export what works in one state to another?

Russell Brand was being interviewed recently, and he expressed (with great passion) how the success or failure of the USA matters greatly to the rest of the world. And it’s true. We are a beacon of hope on so many levels, but because we live here - in our own country - we very often do not comprehend the rarity of our level of “individual freedom.”

For our own sake - and the sake of those who look to us for inspiration and hope - we must take the reins of this huge, powerful nation and work together to steer our massive steed in a much better direction. This is our privilege and our responsibility. This is what our grandparents and great-grandparents fought and died for. This is what the Revolutionary War was all about. This is how we prevent tyranny, dictatorships, totalitarianism and tragedy.

P.S. We’re skipping the paywall, because this story needs to get to as many people as possible. We’ll be following up in April, with more details that matter to the thousands of people in WA state who have been fired and those who depend upon the services which are now deeply under-performing, due to inadequate staffing.

HB 1814 - What's the Real Story?

by The Editorial Team

In January and February 2023, rumors began to circulate. A proposal was afoot! The goal? Rehiring Washington state employees lost due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

On the Jason Rantz Show (Conservative Talk Radio 770 KTTH), King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn stressed the need to "rehire" King County employees lost to vaccination mandates. He's standing on somewhat solid ground, as on February 6, King County and the City of Seattle issued a press release stating they no longer required proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

In that February 6 announcement, King County Executive Dow Constantine said, “Today, our experts advise that immunity has reached a level that allows these requirements to be relaxed."

Meanwhile, on February 19, KOMO News reported on proposed legislation HB 1814. According to KOMO, Rep. Chris Corry "introduced a house bill that would create hiring preferences for bringing back state workers that were fired, and give those workers a chance to catch up on contributions to the state retirement plan."

HB 1814 is not alone. Cyndy Jacobson was interviewed in January by John Sattgast, on Washington House Republican Radio. She promoted another bill, HB 1029 (which also concerns the re-employment of workers dismissed due to vaccine mandates), by saying, “Let's encourage localities and encourage private sector businesses to hire back those people if they want their jobs. Let's mandate that the state create a pathway ... Let's just extend an olive branch and get moving beyond all this vaccine mandate stuff.” Both bills, having made a splash in the local news pool, now sit in the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, and their future is anything but certain.

The evolving nature of the situation is addressed in HB 1814, right up front: "The legislature further finds that vaccine requirements for state employees continue to evolve as the most recently negotiated state employee collective bargaining agreements remove the vaccine booster requirement and replace it with a $1,000 incentive payment. In light of recent and future changes to employer-mandated vaccination policies, it is the intent of the legislature to facilitate the efficient return of state employees who separated from employment due to mandatory vaccination policies, by providing a hiring preference."

While King County has made an official policy change, HB 1814 is only a proposed bill, seemingly stuck in committee. Meanwhile, Governor Jay Inslee's current FAQ page, pursuant to Directive 22-13.1 (which went into effect November 1, 2022) states: "The directive establishes a condition of employment for new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date they begin state employment, and continues the requirement for existing employees." And, "The state reached agreement with most unions representing cabinet agency employees to continue the vaccination requirement via an interim agreement until June 30, 2023. New collective bargaining agreements with all unions contain the vaccination requirement, and those go into effect July 1, 2023."

We don't know what all of this means for the experienced deputy, ferry worker, firefighter, transportation worker, or other state employee wishing to return to their careers. At this moment, we're not sure anyone does! But, we're actively seeking answers to these questions, and we'll share what we learn in our April Issue.

Editor's Note:

As this story is complex and evolving, we'd like to share a few resources that help shed light on the situation. Many of us view our government institutions with some level of hesitancy. Is it because power is inherently intimidating? Does the veneer of legalese make us feel uncomfortable? Most students graduate high school thoroughly unprepared to engage with our system of government. Luckily, this need not remain the case! Once you learn a bit about how things work, our Capitol begin to feel like what it is: Our House.

(1) Proposed Bills are sometimes brand new, and at other times, they are a list of recommended changes to existing bills. They are usually offered in a PDF version.

(2) The Governor's Office has a website with a treasure trove of information. For this article, we deeply appreciated their FAQ related to Vaccine Mandates in WA State. This is where we discovered that unions will soon bear the weight for Covid-19 vaccine mandates, as per their new CBAs going into effect on July 1st, 2023.

(3) Do you know what the "executive cabinet" and "small cabinet" are, what they do, and who runs them? This is a eye-opening and relevant, because Directive 22-13.1 applies to all executive cabinet and small cabinet agency worksites and employees.

(4) History always matters. While legislative bills can be long and repetitive, these Directives of the Governor are short and to the point: 22-13 and 22-13.1.