Rep. Williams' last speech on the House Floor, on cuts to health and social services

Rep. Goodman reintroduces bill protecting rape victims from their assailant in the courtroom

KOMO 4 News reports on a bill introduced this week to offer more legal protection to victims of rape, shielding them from coming face-to-face with their alleged assailant in the courtroom.



The bill was first introduced last year by outgoing Rep. Brendan Williams. "I've heard heart-wrenching stories of sexual abuse survivors being revictimized in a courtroom by their abusers," said Williams. "Our justice system cannot endorse courtroom theater that leaves witnesses incapacitated with fear and unable to testify."

It passed the House but failed to pass the Senate. Now, Roger is taking up the mantle from Williams and plans to finish the job this session by reintroducing the legislation on the first possible day. "The rapists acting as their own attorney aren't trying to be found innocent by the jury," Goodman said. "They're taking one last chance to be in control of their victims again. It's sadistic and wrong."

HB 1001 direct the courts to develop rules so that judges could (a) order a stand-in attorney to question rape victims or (b) have accused rapists question victims by closed-circuit television.

New law protects homeless encampments on church properties

After witnessing the City of Lacey attempt to restrict a local church from allowing a homeless encampment on their property, State Rep. Brendan Williams championed a new law protecting the rights of religious organizations to do exactly that.

Advocates for the homeless and church officials joined Brendan at the public hearing for his bill, SHB 1956. In the end, Brendan was pleased a majority of his colleagues in the House and Senate agreed. The new law goes into effect today, making it clear that cities and counties cannot impose unreasonable limitations upon such housing.

Brendan sums it up best: “Our troubled economy and a mortgage crisis created by Wall Street banks have placed too many Washington families on our streets. Government should not interfere in the work of churches to serve those in need – especially not in these times.”

Parents, families rally at state Capital for autism insurance coverage

Families touched by Autism from around the state filled the Capitol Rotunda yesterday to support legislation that would cover the diagnosis and treatment of the developmental disorder that has risen dramatically in prevalence in recent decades.

The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Brendan Williamsknows all too well the toll the disability can take on a family, with a nephew of his own diagnosed with Autism. That experience has made him a leader in the state Legislature on the issue, pushing for better services for those afflicted, as well as better research into the growing epidemic.

It’s a need that’s currently going unmet, says citizen-advocate Arzu Forough, the founder of Washington Autism Advocacy (WAA), the group that helped organize the rally. “It’s very troubling that every single zip code in the state is now represented as reporting lacking in essential basic resources such as appropriate healthcare and research based education and family stability .”

Arzu, the parent of two children with autism, founded the WAA to help other parents navigate a health care system and agency bureaucracies that still have few answers and little support for families.

It’s why they came to Olympia – to put a human face on autism, and show their support for a bill they know will assist those families struggling to meet the special needs of those with autism.

Brendan introduced HB 1210 during the 2009 legislative session, which would require equal coverage by health insurers for autism conditions, along the same lines as a law passed in 2005, which provided health coverage to those suffering from mental illness. The bill has broad and bi-partisan support from his legislative colleagues, yet failed to pass last year. Despite the setback, and despite a state budget crunch that’s reining in any new spending, he isn’t giving up, believing this to be not only a health care issue, but a civil rights issue as well.

Brendan also serves on the state Autism Task Force tasked with studying, and making recommendations to the Legislature regarding the growing incidence of autism and ways to improve the delivery and coordination of autism services in the state.

For his commitment to helping families with autism, Brendan received the Autism Society of Washington’s 2009 legislator of the year award.

For more information about the WAA, visit: http://www.washingtonautismadvocacy.org

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Coming Soon: Virtual Town Halls

Want to learn more about the upcoming legislative session and the budget challenges facing our state but can't make it to Olympia? Well, here's your chance to do so from the comfort of your own home or coffee shop or wi-fi hotspot - pretty much anywhere you sit and stare at a computer screen.

In conjunction with the upcoming tele-town halls for Reps. Brendan Williams and Ross Hunter, we'll be liveblogging the events right here. So follow along, submit questions or comments, and bask in the electric glow of Democracy's future...

Monday, December 14th: Brendan Williams
Watch the replay here


Tuesday, December 15th: Ross Hunter


Or follow along on Twitter:
@hdccomm
#hdccomm
#brendanwilliams
#williamstownhall
@rosshunter
#huntertownhall

Coming Soon: Rep. Williams' Virtual Town Hall Tonight, 6pm

Rep. Williams to hold virtual town hall on Tuesday

Residents of the 22nd Legislative District - which includes the northern portion of Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater - will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual town hall with Rep. Brendan Williams on Tuesday, July 14.

At around 6:00 p.m., Rep. Williams will call nearly 30,000 households in the district and invite them to stay on the line with him for a live town hall. He will update participants on the state budget and the recently-concluded 2009 Legislative Session. Participants will also have the opportunity to press *3 to ask Rep. Williams a question directly.

The more technically-inclined can follow the town hall right here on The Advance and post questions for Rep. Williams on the liveblog.

Virtual town halls - also known as "tele town halls" - aren't a replacement for traditional in-person meetings. But they offer elected officials another method to communicate with constituents, and make it easier for people to have a chance to speak directly with their state representative without having to drive anywhere or arrange for child care. Other House members who have taken advantage of this new technology include Rep. Marko Liias, Rep. Laura Grant, Rep. Larry Seaquist and Rep. Deb Wallace.

House passes Williams’ bill safeguarding pets from domestic violence disputes

The state House of Representatives today passed HB 1148, approving a measure brought forth by Rep. Brendan Williams after hearing compelling and heartbreaking stories of pets caught in the middle of abusive domestic violence disputes.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law, Rep. Williams’ bill would grant someone who seeks a domestic violence protection order sole custody of any pets and apply the same distance boundaries to the animal(s). Violating the protection order, as well as any violence perpetrated against the protected pets would be a gross misdemeanor.

Williams, who has a master’s degree in criminal justice, cited studies showing that criminal deviancy toward animals often evolves into deviancy toward humans – and pointed out that pets are frequently used as instruments of manipulation by abusers to further terrorize, and control, their victims and children. “A pet is at least as valuable as a hairbrush,” stated Williams, who noted that pets are not expressly among those personal effects victims can presently remove from domestic violence situations.

Brendan Roethlisberger vs. Marko Warner

Jerry Cornfield at the Everett Herald is covering the match-up of the session thus far: Veteran Rep. Brendan Williams-Roethlisberger leads the Steelers against rising star, Rep. Marko Liias-Warner, and the Cards.

Says Williams: "It’s not even a photo-shopped picture – it’s actually one from my playing days," he said.

Read all about it here.

Homeowner protection legislation on tap for 2009

The Olympian’s Brad Shannon provides a good overview of the issues around homeowner protection in this weekend’s paper. Rep. Brendan Williams has been one of the more visible players on this issue and has already dropped a bill. In Shannon's words:

Williams already has filed House Bill 1045, which follows a home-warranty approach championed in 2008 by retiring Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor. Lantz's bill was patterned after a warranty rule for condominium purchasers that lawmakers passed in 2005, which Williams is using as a selling point.

But Williams’ approach, which provides homeowners with four-year protections for most defects and 10 years for latent defects and water damage, is only one that lawmakers will be considering.

Rep. Larry Springer and a handful of other Democratic legislators are putting together legislation that will likely include ideas such as a new ombudsman at the Attorney General’s office or arbitration options for homeowners seeking compensation for damages valued less than $50,000. As Shannon reports:

Springer said his focus is specific.

"We're really talking about roofing, siding, doors and windows, framing, and foundations. We are not interested in granite countertops," he said.

"We're really interested in water penetration and structural soundness," Springer said.

Whatever your opinion on this, Shannon outlines many of the pros and cons of the various proposals that is helpful for the average homeowner trying to wrap their head around this issue.