WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.020 What do you think is the criteria that Mitch 00:00:02.020 --> 00:00:05.440 uses to post an outtake? Whatever embarrasses 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.380 me the most, most of the time. That's what I 00:00:08.380 --> 00:00:11.660 think. I think he saves some of those. He makes 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:15.039 some of those. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:17.800 It's excellent. It's hilarious. It was embarrassing. 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:22.820 Welcome to County Connection. the official podcast 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:25.120 of the Washington State Association of Counties, 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.519 where we dive into the legislative issues shaping 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.960 the future of our communities. From budgets to 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:32.880 public safety, infrastructure to elections, we'll 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.539 break down what's happening in Olympia and how 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:37.520 it impacts counties from across the Evergreen 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:40.619 State. Stay informed, stay engaged, and join 00:00:40.619 --> 00:00:43.200 us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 39 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:47.490 counties. Welcome back, everybody, to the County 00:00:47.490 --> 00:00:49.689 Connection podcast. I'm Paul Jewell, your host 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:52.149 and government relations director for the Washington 00:00:52.149 --> 00:00:55.130 State Association of Counties. Today is April 00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:59.030 9th. It's the day after the opposite house fiscal 00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:01.789 cutoff. It's a big day. I keep saying that it's 00:01:01.789 --> 00:01:03.850 a big day here in the legislative session in 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:08.010 Olympia. But these milestones are really important 00:01:08.010 --> 00:01:11.790 as we, you know. talk about what's happening 00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:14.810 legislatively and we're watching different policies 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:17.890 be considered during the legislative session. 00:01:18.049 --> 00:01:21.269 Jamie Bodden with the Washington State Association 00:01:21.269 --> 00:01:23.989 of Local Public Health Officials back in the 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:27.319 studio. On a beautiful afternoon, right after 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.040 cutoff. Happy cutoff, Jamie. Paul, I want to 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:32.379 wish you the happiest of cutoffs. That is the 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:34.840 nicest thing anybody has said to me today. Aw. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.819 Thank you, Jamie. That's what I do. I appreciate 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:42.379 it. So you're pretty happy. You must have been 00:01:42.379 --> 00:01:44.200 looking forward to cutoff, too. It's always a 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:47.219 great day when you get to just mark a bunch of 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:50.099 other things dead and clean up the lists a little 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:53.900 bit more. get a couple bills off the radar. I 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:56.359 cleaned up my lists today. Days get a little 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:59.680 bit sunnier, get a little bit longer. Just because 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.260 that load just gets lifted, it just gets a little 00:02:02.260 --> 00:02:04.079 bit lighter. So what are you paying attention 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:08.099 to now that we've been through? All the cutoffs 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:10.719 that we've been through, right? We started all 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:13.020 the way back on January 13th. We've been through 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:15.800 the House of Origin cutoffs. We've been through 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:17.919 the opposite house cutoffs, at least two of them. 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:20.840 We're looking forward to another cutoff next 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:23.099 week. That's the opposite house floor cutoff 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:27.120 on the 16th. Budgets are out of their committees. 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:29.280 They're in conference or being negotiated. What 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.139 are you watching from a public health perspective? 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:34.620 So our focus is getting the last final bills 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:36.599 that we want across the finish line across the 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:40.469 finish. line, so making that floor cut off. So 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:43.050 everything is out of our committees that we need 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:45.229 to. They're in rules or they've been pulled from 00:02:45.229 --> 00:02:47.050 rules already. So they're just kind of waiting 00:02:47.050 --> 00:02:49.590 that floor vote. So is that your child fatality 00:02:49.590 --> 00:02:50.810 bill that we talked about before? That would 00:02:50.810 --> 00:02:54.270 be our child fatality bill, yep, 5163. We're 00:02:54.270 --> 00:02:56.590 really excited. Our Group B water systems bill, 00:02:56.710 --> 00:03:00.430 1947, has already passed off the Senate floor. 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:04.530 So it is in the governor's hands awaiting his 00:03:04.530 --> 00:03:07.449 signature, which is really exciting. So that 00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:10.539 one went fast and furious. So we're waiting for 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:12.599 child fatalities to see what happens with that 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:16.300 one and just kind of looking forward to getting 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:18.639 that one across the finish line this year. And 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:21.060 then the other thing is we're just focused on 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:24.000 budget. It's the time of year where budget writers 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.580 and the chambers are focusing on passing what 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:29.039 they need to pass off the floors so that they 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:30.919 can turn their attention big time to the budget. 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:35.300 Any little crumbs of intel they're willing to 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:37.699 share about budget is kind of like gold right 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:40.599 now where you kind of take it and think through, 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:43.939 okay, if they're talking, you know, X for budget, 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:48.159 that means this bill needs to pass. And, you 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:50.580 know, they might need to tweak the bill this 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.819 way with a couple of different amendments. Every 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:57.240 lobbyist is scrubbing the floors of the legislative 00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:00.039 building right now looking for any clue. Information 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:03.620 is. Absolutely. a very important currency right 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:05.680 now. Yeah, it's a huge currency right now. And, 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.360 you know, this is the time of year where things 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:11.139 kind of quiet down because they're not in committees 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:13.620 anymore for the most part. Everything's really 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:16.720 happening on the floor and the budget negotiations 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.649 are going on as we speak. but they're usually 00:04:19.649 --> 00:04:21.769 pretty tight lipped. They hold that stuff really 00:04:21.769 --> 00:04:24.870 close to the vest. And if you can get a really 00:04:24.870 --> 00:04:27.649 good piece of intel that's actually legitimate 00:04:27.649 --> 00:04:30.870 and actionable, you're everybody's best friend 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:32.649 suddenly, at least for a very short period of 00:04:32.649 --> 00:04:36.449 time up there at the ledge building. What are 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:40.089 you hearing as far as rumors go with regard to 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:44.029 the budgets moving forward? Well, I, you know. 00:04:44.569 --> 00:04:48.149 We haven't heard a whole lot. I know Democrats, 00:04:48.529 --> 00:04:51.470 Democratic leadership had a media availability 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:55.250 today that I wasn't able to tune into. So I need 00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:57.209 to watch that because I know they always give 00:04:57.209 --> 00:04:59.490 a little bit of nuggets of information there. 00:05:00.050 --> 00:05:03.629 But given Governor Ferguson's press release in 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:06.750 his response to the budgets, was it last week? 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:15.949 I think it was last week. different budgets. 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:18.269 He wasn't satisfied with what the House or the 00:05:18.269 --> 00:05:19.870 Senate proposed. Well, you know, he really came 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:22.509 out strong against the financial intangibles 00:05:22.509 --> 00:05:25.250 tax, right? What's also being called the wealth 00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:28.350 tax basically said he doesn't think it's defensible 00:05:28.350 --> 00:05:32.120 or he doesn't think it has a really strong. argument 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:35.660 for defense is concerned that if the budgets 00:05:35.660 --> 00:05:37.980 were based on a substantial amount of revenue 00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:40.399 from that tax, that they wouldn't be sustainable. 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:44.300 And therefore, he was giving a strong signal. 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:46.699 He wasn't just giving a clue. He came out and 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:49.339 said, if I get a budget that includes that as 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:52.660 the basis for a revenue stream, I will veto it. 00:05:53.019 --> 00:05:55.759 And interestingly enough, both the House and 00:05:55.759 --> 00:06:00.879 the Senate have financial intangible tax proposals 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:03.300 on the table. Are you hearing anything specific 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:06.339 about those, especially as a result of that press 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.500 conference and what the governor said? Nothing 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:12.699 specific, but one can probably infer. I have. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.300 that a big... You've inferred? No. Or have you? 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:19.899 I've heard something specific. Nice. But you 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:22.860 can assume that that's off the table in a meaningful 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:24.899 way and that they're going to go back to the 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:27.600 drawing board and those budgets are going to 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.519 look really different. We have heard that state 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:33.379 agencies have been asked to propose more reductions. 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:36.939 Yeah, I've heard that too. And so they went through 00:06:36.939 --> 00:06:39.339 that budget exercise with... With then -Governor 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:41.959 Inslee, they did it again with Ferguson. They're 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.959 going to be doing it again. So those state agencies 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:49.800 that are more GFS heavy, because GFS isn't spread 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.300 equally amongst the state agencies. And by GFS, 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:55.639 you mean? I mean general fund state. And by general 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:57.420 fund state, you mean? I mean the flexible state 00:06:57.420 --> 00:06:59.660 dollars. That's right. In their general fund. 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:01.339 So these are the state dollars that they have 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:03.459 the most flexibility to use. So if you're a county, 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:06.319 it's like your general fund dollars. Yep. So 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.519 those state agencies. are going to be taking 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.399 big hits. There's just no way around that. Those 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:14.560 that have more secure funding from alternative 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:17.199 sources are definitely going to be in a better 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:19.180 position than those who are really dependent 00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:22.319 on that general fund state revenue. So I kind 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:24.819 of hinted that I'd heard something more about 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:28.060 the financial intangibles tax. You didn't take 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:31.439 the bait on that. What would you like to tell 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.519 our listeners? Thank you. I mean, we just talked 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:36.420 about how these little nuggets of information 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:40.180 are currency. There we go. So here's what I've 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:42.600 heard from pretty good authority. And it was 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:44.259 actually kind of - Do you want to cite your source? 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:47.639 No, I'm not going to cite my source. But if you 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:51.329 listen to the opening of the - press conference 00:07:51.329 --> 00:07:55.509 today with the majority party. Some questions 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:58.430 were asked about this and they hint at it. They 00:07:58.430 --> 00:08:00.490 don't tell you what I'm about to tell you, but 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:03.370 they do hint at it. So my intelligence suggests 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:06.370 and tells me that they are planning to pass that 00:08:06.370 --> 00:08:12.329 tax. But here's the but. They're not going to 00:08:12.329 --> 00:08:17.069 base the budgets on any revenue that they get 00:08:17.069 --> 00:08:19.949 from it. So they do want to push the policy forward, 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:22.350 and I think they want to test it. They want to 00:08:22.350 --> 00:08:25.430 put the tax in place and see what happens. But 00:08:25.430 --> 00:08:27.290 they're not going to base their budgets on it, 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:30.910 so they're going to try to avoid the whole governor's 00:08:30.910 --> 00:08:36.090 veto from his position, which was. I will veto 00:08:36.090 --> 00:08:39.490 this if it moves forward as a basis for the budget. 00:08:39.570 --> 00:08:41.090 So I think they're threading a little bit of 00:08:41.090 --> 00:08:44.669 a needle here, hoping that the governor might 00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:47.509 not veto it, given that the budget's not based 00:08:47.509 --> 00:08:49.870 on it. But they, at this point, are still moving 00:08:49.870 --> 00:08:52.129 forward with the intent. Now, there are two different 00:08:52.129 --> 00:08:54.970 versions in the House and the Senate. And in 00:08:54.970 --> 00:08:56.970 some ways, they have some similarities. In other 00:08:56.970 --> 00:08:58.669 ways, they're very, very different. So they still 00:08:58.669 --> 00:09:02.840 have to come together on what version. I've heard 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:05.779 from at least one really, really valid source 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:08.399 on one side that that is there. Who is? I will 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:12.740 not say. Just checking. But. His lips are sealed. 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.120 Yeah. But I think that's really interesting. 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:18.659 Yeah. And I think that's. Certainly will make 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:20.919 for an interesting supplemental session next 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:24.299 year. And a little unexpected, right? I think 00:09:24.299 --> 00:09:26.659 a lot of people like you did expected that when 00:09:26.659 --> 00:09:29.000 the governor came out that forceful that they 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:31.980 would back away. And they are in some regards 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:33.960 because they're not going to book the revenue, 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:37.000 so to speak, but they're still going to pass 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:39.259 the policy. Yeah. I like the idea of let's pass 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:41.740 it. Let's test it out. Let's get the legalities 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:45.000 out of the way before we. commit the funding 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.820 and then have to do a take back of some sort 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:49.779 yeah i think that's if they can get all of that 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:51.960 then it's like all right we have some some new 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:56.659 revenue to um incorporate into into the budget 00:09:56.659 --> 00:09:59.639 and that might be um an interesting interesting 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.700 next biennium if they can get all that through 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:05.799 in the next year or two. Now, only time will 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:07.740 tell, right? Only in the next couple of weeks 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:10.440 will tell whether that little nugget of currency 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:13.159 that I just traded in was actually worth anything. 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:16.059 But that's the latest information that I have. 00:10:16.059 --> 00:10:17.840 What would you like to trade it in for? Just 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:20.379 popularity. That's what we already discussed. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:23.960 It makes you really popular. Paul wants to be 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.279 popular. Always. I mean, that's always been my 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:30.639 goal. Can't you tell? Session homecoming king, 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:33.299 Paul Jewel. Just by the way I dress, for goodness 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:35.320 sakes. I mean, everybody can tell. Look at this 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:37.840 tie today. It is a lovely tie. It's a nice one. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.000 It's a very nice tie. It's very Denver Broncos 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.940 colors. Oh, you stop it right there. Is that 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:44.820 orange and blue? It is orange and blue, but that 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:47.320 was never my intent. Now you're never going to 00:10:47.320 --> 00:10:48.759 wear it again. Now I'm feeling bad about this 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:51.620 tie. It's also very spring. Sorry, Seahawks fans 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:54.710 out there. It is very spring, however. Well, 00:10:54.730 --> 00:10:57.950 what are you watching from a public health perspective 00:10:57.950 --> 00:10:59.850 when you're looking at the budget? And the reason 00:10:59.850 --> 00:11:04.269 I bring that up, I know there's a lot of... complicated 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:06.649 things happening now with public health. You 00:11:06.649 --> 00:11:11.210 on Monday just gave an update to members in our 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:13.070 virtual series, our virtual assembly series, 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:14.649 which I know our members are familiar with because 00:11:14.649 --> 00:11:17.029 we've been doing them since the pandemic. You 00:11:17.029 --> 00:11:19.049 gave an update on what's been going on with federal 00:11:19.049 --> 00:11:21.429 funding, right? And some of the cuts that we're 00:11:21.429 --> 00:11:23.669 seeing coming down from the federal government. 00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:27.190 And there's more coming. Seattle Times was reporting 00:11:27.190 --> 00:11:29.840 about... new ones today, not necessarily public 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.919 health related ones, but new cuts. But that's 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.460 a big deal for you. And that's been a big deal 00:11:35.460 --> 00:11:39.019 in the past during fiscal. difficulties during 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:40.740 fiscal, you know, challenging fiscal periods, 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:43.639 public health has often taken the brunt of cuts. 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:45.500 We haven't really seen that at the state level. 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:48.080 There's some reductions, right, to FPHS or foundational 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.620 public health services. But you've got these, 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:52.960 you know, these federal ones creeping in now, 00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:55.899 right? And there's threats for more around Medicare. 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:58.620 Is that going to affect the state budget? Are 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:01.120 you worried about public health funding? Are 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.559 they going to, if those things happen, will they 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.980 have funds to backfill that? Or is that going 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:08.659 to cause problems with in the system? I mean, 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:10.500 what are you thinking about? Yeah, there's definitely 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:16.419 spheres or I guess circles of interest for us 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:18.279 around public health funding, if that makes sense. 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:22.759 So like at our very core, the one funding that 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:24.559 we're watching the most is foundational public 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:27.840 health services funding. That's really been... 00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:30.549 Critical. I don't want to overuse foundational. 00:12:30.950 --> 00:12:33.669 So I'm going to say critical or vital or essential 00:12:33.669 --> 00:12:36.690 or foundational core. It's all the same thing. 00:12:36.750 --> 00:12:40.190 All good. All good words to to our governmental 00:12:40.190 --> 00:12:42.549 public health system and for local health jurisdictions 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:44.870 in particular. It's the first time where we've 00:12:44.870 --> 00:12:49.289 had any real meaningful. additional funding come 00:12:49.289 --> 00:12:52.230 our way for public health work. And so we've 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:55.649 really strengthened and built strong public health 00:12:55.649 --> 00:12:57.889 programs with FPHS. In a pretty short period 00:12:57.889 --> 00:13:00.049 of time. Very short period of time. Yeah. So 00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:02.649 that's the one that we're really, really locked 00:13:02.649 --> 00:13:05.289 in on and watching closely. And we had a good, 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:09.000 I think I would say positive, optimistic. um 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.200 result in the budgets around that yes there was 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:14.519 a little bit of a reduction there's also a little 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:16.720 bit of fund shifting from general fund to this 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:19.000 other account that we use that we in a tough 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.779 year like this it's hard to not see any sort 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:23.980 of reduction or shift right yeah but overall 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.139 i agree with you it looked pretty positive yeah 00:13:26.139 --> 00:13:29.879 so so we're we're very pleased and grateful for 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:34.419 um for the fphs investments as they are um recognizing 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:38.759 that it's a tough budget year and that um Not 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:42.279 everything had that strong of a support. So we'd 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:43.779 be really grateful with our legislature with 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.419 that. Well, and right now, if we're thinking 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:47.340 about kind of where we're at as far as the budgets 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:50.179 go and where they are and how those budgets are 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:51.759 based on some of these new revenue proposals, 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:54.120 right? And the fact they haven't passed those 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:55.799 revenue proposals yet. There's a lot of work 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:57.120 to do in the next couple of weeks to get those 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:00.500 done. This is really the high watermark. It only 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:04.600 actually gets worse from here as far as revenue 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:06.399 that's available. So that has to make you a little 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:10.399 nervous too. A little bit, yeah. We're definitely 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:14.679 listening in on conversations. And when we hear, 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:16.919 oh, state agencies tighten those belts a little 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:19.059 bit more, that makes us a little bit concerned. 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:24.759 So we've done a lot of work. around communicating 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:26.980 and messaging out of this is what we've been 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:29.080 doing with FPHS. These are our successes. This 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.559 is how our communities are benefiting, the services 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:36.980 that they're receiving. And that continuing on 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:38.679 through the rest of sessions is really important 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.200 and really critical. So carrying and continuing 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:44.799 that message. Does it hurt us that there are 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:47.620 bigger things in the news right now around public 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:50.960 health that kind of emphasize and reinforce the 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:54.769 importance of that? you know thank you texas 00:14:54.769 --> 00:14:58.220 like you know that's a you know That being in 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:01.320 the news constantly. All right, Jamie, tell me 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:03.379 what's going on in Texas. Massive measles outbreak, 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:07.220 not just Texas. Everywhere, right? Yeah, many, 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.059 many states. I heard Colorado has a case now. 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:12.860 Yeah, and measles cases in Washington too, so 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.279 not to minimize what's going on in our own state. 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:19.259 But just that presence of this is why public 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:21.179 health and the work that we do is really important, 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:25.759 I think helps reinforce that to budget writers. 00:15:26.669 --> 00:15:28.950 Given the federal situation with a lot of those 00:15:28.950 --> 00:15:32.710 cutbacks and terminations and just reducing of 00:15:32.710 --> 00:15:35.210 that federal funding, I think, again, that reinforces 00:15:35.210 --> 00:15:38.710 that critical importance of FPHS as that backstop. 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:43.799 big focus right now for budget. But if you look 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:46.659 farther out kind of in those spheres of public 00:15:46.659 --> 00:15:50.159 health funding or public health areas, you know, 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:53.460 we're looking at related to behavioral health, 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:56.700 a lot of the substance use disorder things, particularly 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:58.840 the prevention side of that or the harm reduction 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.779 side of that, community oriented programs and 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:05.779 services that, you know, provide a more comprehensive 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:09.730 look at. Treatment and substance use disorder, 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:13.070 behavioral health, overdose response, all of 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:15.710 that. There's absolutely public health work within 00:16:15.710 --> 00:16:19.230 that. So looking at, you know, how multifaceted 00:16:19.230 --> 00:16:22.710 are those investments? Is it just treatment or 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:26.269 are there investments into that prevention community 00:16:26.269 --> 00:16:29.690 strategies as well? You know, you mentioned measles 00:16:29.690 --> 00:16:36.320 and if I'm not mistaken, isn't it a lot of. Don't 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:37.799 we spend a lot of federal money on things like 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:40.120 contact tracing and things like that in our programs? 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.159 Yes and no. Right now we have federal funding 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:49.860 through a grant that was authorized to local 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.200 health jurisdictions because of the pandemic 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.360 and COVID to help fund a lot of that disease 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.659 investigation work. Without that funding, that... 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:01.799 That work goes back to local governments who 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:04.339 have been traditionally on the hook to fund that 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:06.799 work. So the loss of those funds at the federal 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:09.500 level doesn't necessarily handicap our ability 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:13.640 to do that critical work around disease control. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.559 Oh, absolutely it does. Oh, it does. Because 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:17.980 without that federal funding, then counties get 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:21.920 the balance. That work doesn't stop just because 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.859 the funding stops. You still have to respond 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:26.920 to those outbreaks. You've just now removed a 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:31.220 funding source from that equation. It is an FPHS 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:34.039 activity, and so a lot of jurisdictions use FPHS 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.220 to kind of braid into that. But without FPHS 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:39.000 and without those federal fundings, that goes 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.299 back to locals who've always been responsible 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:50.250 in paying for that work. Interesting. the OGs 00:17:50.250 --> 00:17:52.650 of the unfunded mandate work for local public 00:17:52.650 --> 00:17:54.650 health. Look at you and your pop culture talk. 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:57.170 I'm just so hip. I can't help it. Well, all the 00:17:57.170 --> 00:17:59.069 young listeners out there really appreciate that. 00:17:59.309 --> 00:18:01.890 You know, when people think of who's the hippest 00:18:01.890 --> 00:18:07.450 from Wasak, it's probably the two of us. Thank 00:18:07.450 --> 00:18:10.039 you for saying that. I appreciate it. I'm not 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:11.500 sure others would agree with you, but we're going 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:13.180 to go with it for today because it made me feel 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:15.519 good. So I appreciate it. You know, I think I'm 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:17.960 actually part of the first generation who really 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:21.720 never knew measles. because of the fact that 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:24.000 it was eradicated for the most part in the United 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.220 States due to vaccinations. It's interesting 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:28.200 that it's coming back, and it's interesting that 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:31.720 it's coming back right now when all of this kind 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:34.460 of financial upheaval is going on both at the 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:36.920 federal and unfortunately at the local level. 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:40.660 It doesn't bode well for kind of keeping measles 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:44.099 at bay unless we're willing to. learn the lessons 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:46.420 from the past really, right? And keep those investments 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:50.180 in place and that infrastructure in place in 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:53.279 public health jurisdictions, local health jurisdictions 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:56.339 to do that really critical work around, you know. 00:18:57.639 --> 00:19:00.299 outbreak response and contact tracing and all 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:02.980 that work. I know in many offices when something 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:04.759 like that happens, it's almost an all hands on 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.559 deck sort of thing. Other work kind of gets set 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.559 aside while that work is going on because it's 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:12.299 so critical and so important to make sure that 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:14.799 you figure out where that came from, try to isolate 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:16.519 it as much as possible and prevent the spread. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.380 Why is measles so dangerous? It's incredibly 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:24.000 infectious, and it has learned to live for a 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.799 long time in the air. So it can live for hours 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.579 after somebody's been in the room. So we are 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:33.359 in the immemorial Eric Johnson office right now. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:39.000 Would you guys stop? Eric, we all know you're 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:43.460 alive. In fact, Eric is the OG of executive directors 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:47.329 here at WASAC. Props to Eric. This is not the 00:19:47.329 --> 00:19:53.150 Eric Johnson Memorial office. Shout out to Eric. 00:19:53.309 --> 00:19:56.069 Anyways, go ahead. Anyway, so we walked into 00:19:56.069 --> 00:19:59.029 this office. I don't know. 10 minutes ago. 10 00:19:59.029 --> 00:20:01.410 minutes ago. Yeah, whatever. But we don't know 00:20:01.410 --> 00:20:03.569 who was in here, you know, two hours ago. True. 00:20:03.650 --> 00:20:06.190 And so it could, you know, so. So someone was 00:20:06.190 --> 00:20:08.190 in here two hours ago. Hours ago. Had measles. 00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:10.869 Had measles. Was infectious. That could still. 00:20:11.130 --> 00:20:13.589 Still is living in the air. Living infectious 00:20:13.589 --> 00:20:17.210 vectors could still. Yep. Wow. And that's one 00:20:17.210 --> 00:20:20.849 of the seriousnesses about measles is that it 00:20:20.849 --> 00:20:24.849 thrives in a way that other. diseases don't thrive 00:20:24.849 --> 00:20:27.309 all right jamie i can't remember when i had an 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:31.450 mlr vaccine last time how long does that thing 00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:35.509 last you are probably okay okay i'm not going 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:37.950 to texas anytime soon so yeah you're probably 00:20:37.950 --> 00:20:39.849 okay although i do love that barbecue there's 00:20:39.849 --> 00:20:42.349 nothing like mesquite wood and beef delicious 00:20:43.900 --> 00:20:46.140 Well, what else are you watching? What else are 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:48.279 we paying attention to now that we've kind of, 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:50.680 you know, I mean, we're screaming towards the 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:53.440 next cutoff at this point. Yeah. So other budget 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:56.200 things that we're looking at, just general prevention 00:20:56.200 --> 00:21:00.460 and community health budget items. These are 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:05.460 things that are often very direct services or 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:09.660 community focused, and are often some of the 00:21:09.660 --> 00:21:12.400 things that get cut. in tough budget times because 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:16.039 they're not required by law. There are no mandates 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:18.319 around them. They're not regulatory in nature, 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:21.319 but they're the things that really help our community 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:24.000 thrive. So thinking of things like our home visiting 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.599 programs and a lot of that funding to bolster 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:28.259 and strengthen home visiting programs. It looked 00:21:28.259 --> 00:21:29.779 like there were some cuts in at least one of 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:32.069 the budgets. Yeah. So cuts around that. cuts 00:21:32.069 --> 00:21:34.549 around our tobacco prevention and education work. 00:21:34.789 --> 00:21:37.470 And so things like that where we're looking at 00:21:37.470 --> 00:21:41.990 of like how can we absorb or pivot or are we 00:21:41.990 --> 00:21:45.109 losing this at the state level and federal level 00:21:45.109 --> 00:21:49.230 and just kind of, you know, being aware of the 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:51.829 funding landscape for these programs and services 00:21:51.829 --> 00:21:55.130 are changing drastically. Communicating, you 00:21:55.130 --> 00:21:59.609 know, their importance of things. And, you know, 00:21:59.609 --> 00:22:02.009 recognizing that it's a tough budget year. And 00:22:02.009 --> 00:22:05.529 when you have a tough budget year, you are obligated 00:22:05.529 --> 00:22:08.769 to do certain funding, obligated to make certain 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:11.390 things whole and keep certain things whole. Right. 00:22:11.769 --> 00:22:14.269 Legally obligated, literally. Exactly. And so 00:22:14.269 --> 00:22:17.049 certain things get cut. Other things we're looking 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:20.230 at is, you know, Medicaid and Medicare are going 00:22:20.230 --> 00:22:25.039 to change. Right. what that landscape looks like, 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:26.680 that really depends a lot on what's happening 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:30.359 federally. And so are we going to know that before 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:34.779 this final budget? Maybe, but probably not. Probably 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:37.279 not. And I'm not going to say it out loud because 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:38.859 if you say it out loud, it's going to happen. 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:42.099 But that might mean, you know, making some decisions 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:45.180 at a future date. I didn't know you were so superstitious. 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:48.220 I mean, it's like a Beetlejuice situation. Don't. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.680 If you see it. Don't. Say it. It happens, and 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.440 so we're not going to. Okay. I was talking with 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:57.440 Brad yesterday, and we were talking about some 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:58.859 behavioral health stuff, and he was talking about 00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:01.240 the same exact thing. Really, really looking 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:04.920 at those Medicaid dollars, wondering when that 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:07.529 kind of... When that news is going to come, whether 00:23:07.529 --> 00:23:11.069 it's going to be good news, bad news, and what 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:13.430 level of good news or bad news that's going to 00:23:13.430 --> 00:23:15.269 be and how that's going to affect programs, you 00:23:15.269 --> 00:23:19.190 and he overlap a lot in regards to Medicaid. 00:23:19.470 --> 00:23:21.829 I mean, it has a big role in public health. big 00:23:21.829 --> 00:23:24.109 role in behavioral health, big role for just 00:23:24.109 --> 00:23:26.309 healthcare in general, human services for sure. 00:23:26.450 --> 00:23:29.150 And so, you know, that's going to be one probably 00:23:29.150 --> 00:23:32.069 July where we're going to know how, you know, 00:23:32.089 --> 00:23:34.190 is that shoe going to drop? How big, how big 00:23:34.190 --> 00:23:37.950 of a drop, what that looks like and what adjustments 00:23:37.950 --> 00:23:41.690 the state might need to do to address, address 00:23:41.690 --> 00:23:43.369 what's happening at the federal level. And it's 00:23:43.369 --> 00:23:46.029 just one where we don't know, we know something's 00:23:46.029 --> 00:23:48.190 coming. We know something's changing and that's 00:23:48.190 --> 00:23:50.549 about it. Yeah. That's all we know so far. Well, 00:23:50.609 --> 00:23:54.910 Jamie, Great talking to you today. Again, it's 00:23:54.910 --> 00:23:57.529 always really interesting to get a read on what's 00:23:57.529 --> 00:24:01.250 happening after we hit a milestone in the legislative 00:24:01.250 --> 00:24:04.230 session, which we just did yesterday on opposite 00:24:04.230 --> 00:24:08.490 house cutoff. We really are moving very quickly 00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:11.089 towards the last cutoff, which is the opposite 00:24:11.089 --> 00:24:13.309 house floor. We also skipped another important 00:24:13.309 --> 00:24:15.940 milestone. at the legislature. What? And that 00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:18.920 is what I like to refer to as blossom fever. 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:21.799 Blossom fever. And that is when the cherry blossoms. 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:24.359 Well, that was last week. Start blooming and 00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:26.680 all of the lobbyists and legislators have to 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:29.480 take their obligatory. cherry blossom pictures 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:31.920 and become influencers for a week. It's not just 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:35.279 the people who work here. Those trees were attracting 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.259 people from all over the place. They were like 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:39.720 bees to honey. They were. And it's fun to see. 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:41.480 It's fun to get a little bit of love out of you. 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:44.839 Well, talk about fun things. And as we start 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:47.059 moving towards kind of the last few days of the 00:24:47.059 --> 00:24:49.160 legislative session, I was really disappointed 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:55.589 to see both the... State clam bills die this 00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:59.509 year. The geoduck versus razor clam bill. both 00:24:59.509 --> 00:25:04.130 of them vying to be the state clam. Even in testimony, 00:25:04.230 --> 00:25:06.990 one tried to get the other to accept state bivalve 00:25:06.990 --> 00:25:14.529 rather than state clam. This was a very serious... 00:25:14.529 --> 00:25:16.410 You've got to love a passionate group of people 00:25:16.410 --> 00:25:19.630 who are very passionate about a very niche topic. 00:25:19.849 --> 00:25:23.309 And I could come up with a whole lot of plays 00:25:23.309 --> 00:25:26.450 on words. I could come up with a whole lot of 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:28.970 puns right now. I'm going to clam up. I'm not 00:25:28.970 --> 00:25:31.289 going to do that, right? Will you at least offer 00:25:31.289 --> 00:25:34.029 a pearl of wisdom? Maybe. I might dig in a little 00:25:34.029 --> 00:25:36.369 bit on some things, but I'm not going to get 00:25:36.369 --> 00:25:39.950 too shellfish and take all of the airtime here. 00:25:40.609 --> 00:25:43.309 But I wanted to just riff on something really 00:25:43.309 --> 00:25:45.470 quickly with you because I was actually talking 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:47.349 about this with a personal conversation with 00:25:47.349 --> 00:25:49.269 somebody the other day because we were kind of 00:25:49.269 --> 00:25:51.309 talking about razor clams and how good they were. 00:25:51.750 --> 00:25:55.240 But someone mentioned that we have this. state 00:25:55.240 --> 00:26:00.200 marine testing facility and program for shellfish 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:03.339 here in Washington State. And looking into it, 00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:06.720 it's kind of a big... It's kind of a big deal 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:10.819 around public health. And, you know, testing 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:13.359 these, you know, we were actually talking about 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:15.460 the upcoming razor clam digging seasons because 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:17.220 there's always spring seasons to dig. I know 00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:20.339 you like to dig clams. I love to dig clams. But 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.859 they actually go out and they test these clams 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:25.920 like right before the season starts every single 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:28.119 time. And what are they looking for when they 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:31.740 do that? So it depends on the shellfish. So for, 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:33.720 you know. Let's just stick with razor clams for 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:37.140 fun. Well, razor clams is more of the parasites 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:42.079 that prevent razor clams from, that hurt the 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:45.039 razor clams. Okay. But like oysters, for example, 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:47.279 will get tested at the state public health lab 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:49.970 and they're looking for certain. uh bacteria 00:26:49.970 --> 00:26:52.990 and biotoxin that are harmful for humans so not 00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:54.769 necessarily harmful to the oysters themselves 00:26:54.769 --> 00:26:58.609 but if we ingest them as humans we get sick so 00:26:58.609 --> 00:27:01.509 when you say we get sick what do you mean by 00:27:01.509 --> 00:27:04.490 i'm talking um there's a whole wide range of 00:27:04.490 --> 00:27:08.690 things um at a minimum some you know not fun 00:27:08.690 --> 00:27:13.839 gi stomach things more serious you know you're 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:16.160 getting I heard there was a paralytic thing yeah 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:19.950 you're getting you know more neurotoxin effects 00:27:19.950 --> 00:27:22.789 of things. And so the warmer the water gets, 00:27:22.970 --> 00:27:27.529 so you'll often see advisories come June, July, 00:27:27.690 --> 00:27:32.569 August, September, really July, August of monitor 00:27:32.569 --> 00:27:35.529 what you're eating in terms of shellfish, particularly 00:27:35.529 --> 00:27:37.710 oysters. Not a great time of the year to eat 00:27:37.710 --> 00:27:40.930 oysters, although I love oysters. Yeah, all year 00:27:40.930 --> 00:27:42.829 long. I would say any time of year is a great 00:27:42.829 --> 00:27:45.569 time to eat oysters, but you're increasing your 00:27:45.569 --> 00:27:48.769 risk. So in warmer waters? Warmer waters. that 00:27:48.769 --> 00:27:50.869 provide a more rich environment for those bacteria 00:27:50.869 --> 00:27:53.990 and biotoxins to grow. So the best time to eat 00:27:53.990 --> 00:27:57.309 oysters is colder time. December, January, February. 00:27:57.609 --> 00:28:00.210 Really, even now. Because the water is still 00:28:00.210 --> 00:28:03.529 pretty cold. Yep. But, you know, one of the things 00:28:03.529 --> 00:28:05.789 that public health does, and this is where it 00:28:05.789 --> 00:28:07.690 connects with businesses, is shellfish. I mean, 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:11.529 razor clamming. gooey ducks, oysters, mussels, 00:28:11.569 --> 00:28:14.829 clams, huge economic driver in Washington State, 00:28:14.890 --> 00:28:17.029 particularly on the sound and the coast. Big 00:28:17.029 --> 00:28:19.210 markets, big businesses, huge export market. 00:28:19.390 --> 00:28:25.470 And so those shellfish beds are precious. You 00:28:25.470 --> 00:28:27.690 need to preserve the quality of those shellfish 00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:29.750 beds. If you're closing down shellfish beds, 00:28:29.869 --> 00:28:33.490 that is a... big economic hit to companies, to 00:28:33.490 --> 00:28:35.569 businesses, to communities, right? You're talking 00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:39.089 jobs, you're talking other things. And so public 00:28:39.089 --> 00:28:41.230 health works really hard to make sure that those 00:28:41.230 --> 00:28:43.890 shellfish beds can stay open or even expanded. 00:28:44.430 --> 00:28:48.329 And so we do that through on -site septic regulations. 00:28:48.569 --> 00:28:51.049 We do that through shellfish monitoring and testing 00:28:51.049 --> 00:28:53.670 and all of those things. And that's an important 00:28:53.670 --> 00:28:56.170 part of the work that we do. Well, that is really 00:28:56.170 --> 00:28:59.319 cool. I have to ask, though, what happened before 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:01.940 public health when people went out to dig clams? 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:05.299 Did they just did someone have to draw the short 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:10.059 straw and eat the first clam? Because I've seen 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:12.319 them close those beaches in December when the 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:15.059 water is cold, saying that the marine biotoxin 00:29:15.059 --> 00:29:16.700 level was too high. I mean, there was a whole, 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:21.259 almost a whole year there where the razor clam 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:23.339 seasons just weren't open for the most part. 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:25.640 And every time it was because they kept testing, 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:27.619 kept testing. And I think they were talking about 00:29:27.619 --> 00:29:30.099 like red tides or green tides or something like 00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:33.819 this that caused too much of that biotoxin. And 00:29:33.819 --> 00:29:36.740 literally it was, it wouldn't just make you sick. 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:39.579 They said it was literally. dangerous to your 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:42.640 health. It could kill you. So I want to know, 00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:46.019 what did we do before public health where shellfish 00:29:46.019 --> 00:29:50.420 were concerned? Did we have really highly paid 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:55.220 risk -taking shellfish tasters? What did we do? 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:59.259 I mean, I don't know when the shellfish program 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:01.980 started. I would imagine we weren't probably 00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:05.349 living. where we were living in such high concentrated 00:30:05.349 --> 00:30:08.769 numbers. And so, you know, we weren't, you know, 00:30:08.769 --> 00:30:12.190 building an outhouse right on the water kind 00:30:12.190 --> 00:30:15.990 of situation. But yeah, it's definitely something 00:30:15.990 --> 00:30:19.750 where it's a good example of when something becomes 00:30:19.750 --> 00:30:23.630 an issue or a concern and a problem and government 00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.869 works well with businesses to make sure that 00:30:26.869 --> 00:30:30.440 people are safe. and healthy but economic businesses 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:33.619 can thrive and well shellfish eaters everywhere 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:36.960 um probably thank you yeah you know yeah thank 00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:39.240 public health Always bringing the fun. Yeah. 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:41.039 That's what we do. I don't, I certainly wouldn't 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:42.960 sign up to be the shellfish taster. That's for 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:44.859 sure. Back in the old days. Well, Jamie, maybe 00:30:44.859 --> 00:30:47.900 it's the same as the mushroom taster. It was 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:52.279 just like, Oh, let's go ask good old Axel over 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:54.599 here to go taste some shellfish and some mushrooms 00:30:54.599 --> 00:30:57.880 and see, see what happens. And all right, give 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:00.339 him 12 hours. And if he's still kick, you know, 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:02.079 if he's still around, then it's good. And by 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:04.539 Axel, we're not talking about anyone more. We 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:07.240 know we're talking about just the. Hypothetical. 00:31:07.369 --> 00:31:09.990 The hypothetical. Yeah. Just to clarify that. 00:31:10.490 --> 00:31:13.690 All right. That's quite a way to finish a podcast. 00:31:14.549 --> 00:31:18.150 Well, thanks, Jamie. You know, we've only got 00:31:18.150 --> 00:31:19.950 a couple weeks left. I'm sure you and I'll have 00:31:19.950 --> 00:31:21.710 a chance to chat again. But until then, take 00:31:21.710 --> 00:31:25.720 care, okay? Yep. All right. Thanks for tuning 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:27.960 in to County Connection. Stay in the loop by 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:30.319 subscribing to us through your preferred podcasting 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.039 app and following us on LinkedIn, Facebook and 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:35.220 Instagram. And don't forget to join the hub, 00:31:35.240 --> 00:31:37.440 your go to source for the latest news and updates 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:39.660 from the Washington State Association of Counties. 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:42.500 Until next time, stay connected and stay informed.