Sydney Kurle January 21, 2021
On Monday, the Washington Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee heard testimony on SB 5115, the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act or (HELSA). The committee heard testimony from around 20 groups about the proposed act. These included labor unions, small business associations, insurance associations and the Washington State Hospital Association.
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HELSA is a bill that aims to provide protections for frontline workers during a public health emergency. One of the bill’s main sponsors is the Chair of the Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee, Sen. Karen Keiser.
1. Q&A with Sen. Karen Keiser
rd Legislative District. She is a longtime member and former Chair of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee. She also serves as President Pro Tempore of the Senate. In this Q&A, Keiser discusses her goals for the 2021 session, the Long Term Care Trust, bipartisanship, and the new Biden administration.
Keiser highlights three bills as her top priorities: SB 5052, related to health equity zones; SB 5020, which would impose a tax on unsupported drug price increases; and the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act. On achieving bipartisanship, Keiser says, “We cannot just do slam dunks and have our will because [Democrats] have a slim majority. It doesn’t create long term stability. And if you want to make long term change you have to have long term stability. So bipartisanship is a goal. It isn’t an absolute, but it is always a goal.”
Q&A with Senator Karen Keiser on health policy in 2021 Sydney Kurle | Jan 5, 2021
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Senator Karen Keiser represents Washington’s 33rd Legislative District, which contains cities south of Seattle, including Des Moines, Seatac, Kent, and Burien. She presides over the Senate as President Pro Tempore and is chair of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. She is also a longtime member and former chair of the Senate Health and Long-term Care Committee. In this Q&A, she talks about the 2021 session and upcoming health policy in Washington.
Sydney Kurle: What are your plans and goals for health care policy in the 2021 legislative session?
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