WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.439 What are they teaching you? It's the fun facts 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:07.719 about rural America. For $9 .95, you can get 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:11.539 a diploma. From Poupon U. Or a degree with your 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:16.579 name on it. In fancy script. You too can be an 00:00:16.579 --> 00:00:19.000 alumni. I'm just going to order this online and 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:23.940 put it in my office. Welcome to County Connection, 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:26.059 the official podcast of the Washington State 00:00:26.059 --> 00:00:28.460 Association of Counties, where we dive into the 00:00:28.460 --> 00:00:30.440 legislative issues shaping the future of our 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:33.320 communities. From budgets to public safety, infrastructure 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.259 to elections, we'll break down what's happening 00:00:36.259 --> 00:00:39.039 in Olympia and how it impacts counties from across 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:42.140 the Evergreen State. Stay informed, stay engaged, 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:45.140 and join us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:49.600 39 counties. Welcome, everybody, to the County 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.179 Connection Podcast. I'm Paul Jewell, your host 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:54.640 and government relations director for the Washington 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:57.820 State Association of Counties. It is Wednesday 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:00.600 of the very last week of session. It is beautiful 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:04.060 outside, but I'm inside hanging out with Jamie 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:06.980 Bodden, managing director of the Washington State 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:08.700 Association of Local Public Health Officials. 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:13.540 Jamie, we are this close, and if people could 00:01:13.540 --> 00:01:18.120 see my fingers and how... closely aligned they 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:20.459 are they're less than an inch apart we are this 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:22.459 close to the end of the legislative session it's 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:26.920 the final countdown t minus five well it's t 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:29.760 minus three five four yeah there's five days 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.519 to go right wednesday thursday friday saturday 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.890 sunday so i mean if you counted today You hit 00:01:34.890 --> 00:01:37.950 it right on. T minus five. Nicely done. I know 00:01:37.950 --> 00:01:39.969 we're not quite finished and there's a few things 00:01:39.969 --> 00:01:42.010 that are still kind of hanging out there, but 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:45.090 we know a lot already, right? Policy bills are 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:48.810 through for the most part. The things that we 00:01:48.810 --> 00:01:50.989 were working on as far as our legislative agenda 00:01:50.989 --> 00:01:54.030 items have made it. either all the way through 00:01:54.030 --> 00:01:56.609 or they haven't. I know you've even been to some 00:01:56.609 --> 00:01:58.489 bill signings already with the governor's office. 00:01:59.189 --> 00:02:01.950 Let's do a quick recap of how things went this 00:02:01.950 --> 00:02:04.989 session for you and for Wasafo. Yeah, for public 00:02:04.989 --> 00:02:09.069 health, policy -wise, it felt like a grind at 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:12.409 times, but... We actually really had a great 00:02:12.409 --> 00:02:15.169 session. I'm really, really, really pleased with 00:02:15.169 --> 00:02:18.449 the session that we had. We got both of our policy 00:02:18.449 --> 00:02:20.969 bills across the finish line. Remind us which 00:02:20.969 --> 00:02:24.949 ones those were. One was House Bill 1947. It 00:02:24.949 --> 00:02:27.469 was a Group B water systems bill. Okay, I remember 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:31.310 that one. And then we had Senate Bill 5163, updating 00:02:31.310 --> 00:02:34.750 our child fatality statute. And both of those 00:02:34.750 --> 00:02:38.050 have been signed by the governor, and they are 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:40.740 done. We've gotten the pen. We've taken the pictures, 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:45.539 got the postcard. We're done. So really, really 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:48.580 excited. Did you get the t -shirt? Not yet, but 00:02:48.580 --> 00:02:51.919 do have plans for the t -shirt. Been there, done 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:53.379 that, got the t -shirt. That's what I always 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:56.979 like to say. So not only did you get... both 00:02:56.979 --> 00:02:59.780 bills through both sides of the legislature, 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:01.539 but you even had them signed by the governor. 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:05.719 So they are law as we speak. Yes. I mean, obviously 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:08.000 they go into effect, you know, within 90 days 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.000 or a certain period of time, but correct, but 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.000 they, they will become law, but they will become 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.580 law, which is really exciting. Yeah. Yeah. Nice 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:19.360 job. It's always really fun to, uh, to, to see 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:22.719 the, you know, you, you work a bill really hard. 00:03:23.210 --> 00:03:25.409 all through session it's all you talk about you 00:03:25.409 --> 00:03:28.849 live and breathe it um so so being able to to 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:32.110 kind of tie it with a bow at the end. Usually 00:03:32.110 --> 00:03:35.289 happens after session when everybody's gone and 00:03:35.289 --> 00:03:37.650 it's not as exciting. So being able to do that 00:03:37.650 --> 00:03:40.469 while session's still here is really nice. Yeah, 00:03:40.490 --> 00:03:42.210 they seem to be doing a lot of bill signings 00:03:42.210 --> 00:03:44.009 really early this year compared to what they've 00:03:44.009 --> 00:03:47.330 done in the past. It's pretty remarkable that 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:48.870 you were able to get both of those bills through 00:03:48.870 --> 00:03:51.169 first year of the session. You know, we've talked 00:03:51.169 --> 00:03:53.330 a lot on this podcast with you and with others. 00:03:53.389 --> 00:03:54.949 And I don't remember if you and I have talked 00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:56.789 about this particular piece, but, you know, passing 00:03:56.789 --> 00:04:00.120 a bill. in Olympia is not easy. It can even be 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.500 a really easy item that no one objects to that's 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:05.120 non -controversial. It's still hard to do. This 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:08.080 system is built to make you fail. So for you 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.319 to be able to get both of them through, that's 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:12.479 a pretty good little batting average. Nice job. 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:17.379 Yeah. I think we had a couple of things in our 00:04:17.379 --> 00:04:22.480 favor. 5163, our child fatality bill, was actually 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:24.920 a carryover from last year. And it is one of 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.120 those bills where it's like, this is what we 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.660 would refer to in the biz as a good little bill. 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.220 That's what everybody says about their bills. 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.399 It's a good little bill. I'm here to talk to 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:39.019 you about this good little bill. But in this 00:04:39.019 --> 00:04:41.980 case, we felt like it truly was. How come nobody 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:44.019 ever says, I'm here to talk to you about this 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:49.639 really bad little bill? Please pass this bad 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:55.540 little bill. No one ever says that. And I think 00:04:55.540 --> 00:05:00.649 we all know why. Clearly, we're at the end of 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:03.089 the session. Because that wouldn't be a funny 00:05:03.089 --> 00:05:05.910 joke at any other time of the year. We'd be like, 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:09.629 oh, no, Paul. Yeah, wow, Paul. What are you doing? 00:05:09.829 --> 00:05:13.759 But, you know, it's one where we're not... bringing 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:16.980 a whole new policy initiative. We're not really 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:21.399 changing much. It's just updating and finding 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:23.980 efficiencies and finding things that need to 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:27.139 be improved upon existing legislation. So it's 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:30.120 kind of a bill that tidies things up. And last 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:31.879 year we thought, you know. Sounds more like an 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:37.290 average little bill to me. Well, whatever, whatever 00:05:37.290 --> 00:05:40.410 size it is, it does good work. But, you know, 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:42.329 last year we thought, oh, this is going to sail 00:05:42.329 --> 00:05:44.110 right through, you know, because who's going 00:05:44.110 --> 00:05:45.569 to, you know, who's going to have issues with 00:05:45.569 --> 00:05:47.310 this? Well, we did find that there was issues 00:05:47.310 --> 00:05:50.649 with it. And so sometimes a bill that's not controversial 00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:52.689 that you think is going to sail through doesn't 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:54.730 just because no one gets excited about it. Right. 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:57.029 And so, you know, when you're fighting for floor 00:05:57.029 --> 00:05:59.050 time at the end and whatnot, it just kind of 00:05:59.050 --> 00:06:01.910 gets forgotten about, too. And so, you know, 00:06:01.910 --> 00:06:03.870 worked over the interim to get the bill in a 00:06:03.870 --> 00:06:05.750 better place and were able to present. it this 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:08.709 year. We were really fortunate in that we had, 00:06:08.730 --> 00:06:12.069 you know, a champion in the Senate and a new 00:06:12.069 --> 00:06:14.629 freshman representative in the House who wanted 00:06:14.629 --> 00:06:17.149 to take both of the bills on. Ultimately, it 00:06:17.149 --> 00:06:20.810 went to the Senate. And our sponsor on the bill, 00:06:20.949 --> 00:06:24.449 Senator Orwell, had experienced and it sat through 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:27.089 a child fatality review. So she knew the issue 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:31.129 that we were clarifying, experienced the challenge 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:33.970 that we were attempting to clarify in, you know, 00:06:33.970 --> 00:06:36.430 in. that review. That's always helpful. And so 00:06:36.430 --> 00:06:39.269 she was able to really speak eloquently and speak 00:06:39.269 --> 00:06:42.329 to the purpose of that bill. So I think taking 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:45.310 that extra time to tidy it up over the interim 00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:48.449 really helped move it along. What's also great 00:06:48.449 --> 00:06:50.529 about that bill is that there was no price tag. 00:06:51.129 --> 00:06:52.829 connected to that bill for local government. 00:06:52.990 --> 00:06:55.569 Super important. So we got to talk about, hey, 00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:57.410 foundational public health services supports 00:06:57.410 --> 00:06:59.810 a lot of this work at the local level. We're 00:06:59.810 --> 00:07:01.870 already funding it. We're already doing it. We're 00:07:01.870 --> 00:07:04.290 not asking you for money to do it. We're just 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:07.410 asking you for you to help us clarify and update 00:07:07.410 --> 00:07:10.910 it. And that's a very attractive talking point 00:07:10.910 --> 00:07:14.170 in a session where budget is everybody's asking 00:07:14.170 --> 00:07:17.089 for money and begging not to be cut. Yeah. Asking 00:07:17.089 --> 00:07:19.459 for money was. Almost a non -starter this year. 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.579 It was certainly the thing that put a lot of 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:25.500 bills or left a lot of bills on the cutting room 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.220 floor, that's for sure. And that is a great kind 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:30.259 of segue to our other group, Be Water Systems 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:33.120 Bill, where, again, the cost to implement, there 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.360 is no change in the cost to implement at the 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:38.339 local level. So, you know, we're net zero for 00:07:38.339 --> 00:07:40.079 local health jurisdictions to implement this 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:43.709 program, but we're finding efficiencies. and 00:07:43.709 --> 00:07:47.889 where regulations can be relaxed and homeowners 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:50.670 can save money. So again, another attractive 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:55.069 argument in this budget climate, as well as something 00:07:55.069 --> 00:07:58.449 that both Republicans and Democrats can support 00:07:58.449 --> 00:08:01.550 when we talk about saving money to homeowners, 00:08:01.649 --> 00:08:04.430 giving money back to homeowners, deregulating 00:08:04.430 --> 00:08:08.480 when it makes sense. I think that was on our 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.740 side for getting this bill swiftly through session. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.620 We really had zero hangups on this particular 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:18.220 bill. Well, good. What other bills were you watching, 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:22.120 both from a, you know, hey, that's a problem 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:25.389 bill. to, you know, hey, this is a really good 00:08:25.389 --> 00:08:27.829 bill. Which ones were you watching that had good 00:08:27.829 --> 00:08:30.550 outcomes? Yeah. And of course, good outcomes 00:08:30.550 --> 00:08:32.450 could mean the bill didn't pass too, right? Correct. 00:08:32.450 --> 00:08:35.870 Yeah. So I think one of our early podcast episodes, 00:08:36.049 --> 00:08:38.190 we talked about to regulate or not to regulate. 00:08:38.269 --> 00:08:40.110 We talked about home kitchens and water recreation 00:08:40.110 --> 00:08:42.049 facilities. Oh, yeah. I remember that conversation. 00:08:42.110 --> 00:08:45.250 A callback. And so those are two examples of 00:08:45.250 --> 00:08:48.230 bills dying. We followed them really closely. 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:52.279 And one of those where really tried to... the 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:55.440 pools it was like um like airbnb for pools right 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:59.980 yes yeah yeah um and and both of those um ended 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:04.679 up dying um i believe early on in session um 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:08.620 and you know that's the way that those go um 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:12.100 we were excited to see that happen so those are 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:14.279 policy wins even though it was something we were 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.000 opposed to you think they'll be back um i think 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:20.080 I mean, Home Kitchens has been back quite a few 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:21.659 times, right? I wouldn't be surprised if Home 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:23.960 Kitchens is back. I know we're having conversations 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:26.879 with a lot of stakeholders, including our state 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.480 partners and food industry and hospitality around 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:34.570 larger food entrepreneurship concepts. of which 00:09:34.570 --> 00:09:38.210 micro enterprise things are a piece of that. 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:41.649 And so I think we'll see it come back in probably 00:09:41.649 --> 00:09:44.730 a couple of different policy options over the 00:09:44.730 --> 00:09:47.049 next couple of years. Water recreation, I don't 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:48.570 know if it'll be back or not. I think it might 00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:52.110 be one where Department of Health might be able 00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:54.450 to do what they need to do in rulemaking and 00:09:54.450 --> 00:09:56.990 everything else is just one of those where it's 00:09:56.990 --> 00:10:00.929 like, maybe we don't regulate. Maybe the time 00:10:00.929 --> 00:10:05.500 isn't right to... for this policy policy initiative 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:07.539 that they, that, you know, they, they might want 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:10.440 to, they might want to push for. So I, I wouldn't 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:12.779 be surprised if that one does not come back next 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:14.559 session. Seems like that one would be pretty 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:17.019 controversial. Yeah, I think, I think it is. 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:21.090 So two bills that we were, you know, went fast 00:10:21.090 --> 00:10:26.909 and furious early on. Another bill that we monitored 00:10:26.909 --> 00:10:29.330 closely, and I've already forgotten the number 00:10:29.330 --> 00:10:30.990 for it because it's one of those things where 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:32.889 it was like, I had to care about it during session. 00:10:33.070 --> 00:10:35.269 And now that it's over, it's immediately out 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:37.129 of my mind. And from year to year, I want to 00:10:37.129 --> 00:10:40.730 say, I want to say it's like 1422. I might be 00:10:40.730 --> 00:10:44.730 wrong on that, but it was a bill that was focused 00:10:44.730 --> 00:10:47.610 on our women, infants and children's program, 00:10:47.750 --> 00:10:58.120 the WIC program. And that bill removed the requirement 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:04.320 for medical assistance to be certified to provide 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:08.000 the hematological screenings. So the finger pricks 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:09.779 or the hip pokes. Yeah, I remember that conversation 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:13.799 too. To test for anemia and lead and other things. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.480 And we really liked that bill from not only just 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:20.500 a customer service perspective, side of things 00:11:20.500 --> 00:11:24.759 of being able to provide more comprehensive service 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:29.000 to our WIC families as they were, you know, intake 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:31.659 as part of the intake. process to participate 00:11:31.659 --> 00:11:33.860 in the WIC program, but also from a workforce 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:36.840 perspective of now anybody can be trained in 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:38.580 that and provide that service. We don't have 00:11:38.580 --> 00:11:42.519 to seek out a specific certification or specific 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:45.519 job title or a specific job position to actually 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:47.519 do the test. Now, did that bill pass? That bill 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.519 did pass. And that also passed pretty quickly. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.379 So it's not 1422. I just looked that up. 1422 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:55.600 is the drug take back program bill. But you're 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:57.940 close. Different DOH bill. Definitely a DOH bill, 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.250 but not the right number. So we'll have to get 00:12:00.250 --> 00:12:01.870 back to people on that number but that was the 00:12:01.870 --> 00:12:06.669 one uh what did you okay say the word again hematological 00:12:06.669 --> 00:12:10.450 hematological testing right yep okay I'm trying 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:13.409 to, if people could see me, I'm trying to spell 00:12:13.409 --> 00:12:16.070 this out. I'm like sounding it out in my brain. 00:12:16.909 --> 00:12:20.789 Hematological testing. Okay. We'll have to get 00:12:20.789 --> 00:12:23.710 back to folks on that particular bill number. 00:12:24.509 --> 00:12:26.909 But that was a good bill and that one passed. 00:12:27.169 --> 00:12:30.409 And that one passed. So we've got two bad bills 00:12:30.409 --> 00:12:32.370 that didn't pass, one good bill that did pass. 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:35.710 Another bill, another good example of a bill 00:12:35.710 --> 00:12:39.409 that we didn't like that we worked on throughout 00:12:39.409 --> 00:12:43.190 all of session. And my apologies to LSC members. 00:12:43.350 --> 00:12:45.110 You've heard me talk about this bill probably 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:48.509 more than you want. But 1154 is the solid waste 00:12:48.509 --> 00:12:51.950 handling bill. That's one where we had concerns 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:56.029 right out of the gate. worked really hard to 00:12:56.029 --> 00:12:59.870 get the bill in a position where our concerns 00:12:59.870 --> 00:13:01.950 were addressed, had some outstanding concerns 00:13:01.950 --> 00:13:05.179 throughout session that we just couldn't. get 00:13:05.179 --> 00:13:06.820 the language right, couldn't get the language 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:10.740 right. And then finally, at the kind of the 11th 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:14.000 hour, you know, was able to get some floor language 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:18.500 put in that made it better. I think we still 00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:20.600 had concerns at the end of the day and still 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:22.460 weren't completely comfortable with the bill 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:25.100 at the end of the day. But it's a good example 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:28.600 of you got to work the bill throughout the process. 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:30.919 Even if you don't like it, you can't just say 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:35.169 no, you got to be working on it. Otherwise, you 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:37.090 get taken out of the conversation and things 00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:39.570 move forward without you. And so a good example 00:13:39.570 --> 00:13:42.169 of you got to work it till it's over and you 00:13:42.169 --> 00:13:44.090 got to work the bill, even if you don't want 00:13:44.090 --> 00:13:46.070 to, even if it's not something that you like, 00:13:46.129 --> 00:13:48.370 you still got to work it. We had a lot of outcomes 00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:50.889 like that this year where, you know, there were 00:13:50.889 --> 00:13:53.049 some pretty unpopular bills out there, not just 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:56.029 in public health, but in other issue areas as 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:58.710 well, where we just kept working the bill, working 00:13:58.710 --> 00:14:00.450 the bill, working the bill. And at the end of 00:14:00.450 --> 00:14:02.950 the day, you know, the outcome either was, you 00:14:02.950 --> 00:14:04.879 know, the, not the worst possible, outcome for 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:08.139 us or the bill ended up dying. But there's a 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:10.940 lot of other groups out there that we witnessed 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:13.379 that just go, nope, we're opposed to this bill. 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:17.279 And they just kind of shut down on it. And every 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.379 time a new version of the bill comes out, it's 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:21.860 just, nope, nope, nope. And I think it's always 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:25.539 just in hopes of killing the bill. And sometimes 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:28.179 that works, but sometimes that strategy can really 00:14:28.179 --> 00:14:30.019 backfire. And I agree with you. You're much better 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:32.840 off trying to stay as engaged as possible because 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:37.960 the worst outcome in Olympia isn't losing, it's 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.899 not being at the table when the discussion actually 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:44.279 happens, right? I mean, that should be your worst 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:48.580 fear as an advocacy professional here in this 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:51.940 town. Yeah. And I think we are a small enough 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:55.919 organization where we're really conservative 00:14:55.919 --> 00:15:01.500 in how many oppositions we take on bills. We're 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:07.139 not big. We don't fund campaigns. We don't have 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:11.200 a lot of capital and resources behind us. Our 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:15.539 capital is our presence in Olympia and our relationships 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:18.799 that we have. So we have to be very judicial 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:21.600 about when do we come out in strong opposition 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:25.720 to something. And when do we take the softer 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:30.360 position of concerns or other because we want 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:32.700 to be part of that conversation and work those 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:35.179 bills? Well, and we're government partners, right? 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:38.879 We're not a special interest. We're not a business 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.820 interest or something like that. We were the 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:44.059 ones who actually implement majority of what 00:15:44.059 --> 00:15:48.429 they pass up there on the hill in Olympia. And 00:15:48.429 --> 00:15:53.809 it really behooves us. And I think it mandates 00:15:53.809 --> 00:15:56.490 a strategy of being more collaborative, even 00:15:56.490 --> 00:15:58.269 when we disagree with a policy or have concerns 00:15:58.269 --> 00:16:00.870 about it, trying to make it better so that at 00:16:00.870 --> 00:16:02.870 the end we have something that's workable. And 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:06.210 it comes back to you, right? When you can be, 00:16:06.370 --> 00:16:08.769 I want to be helpful. I want to come find some 00:16:08.769 --> 00:16:11.830 solutions. I want to work on this together. Great. 00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:14.169 Then there's going to be another bill that's 00:16:14.169 --> 00:16:16.049 either this session and this happened to us where 00:16:16.049 --> 00:16:18.490 we got pulled into things of like, hey, we need 00:16:18.490 --> 00:16:20.350 to figure out how to make this particular policy 00:16:20.350 --> 00:16:22.350 work. Can you help us? And it's like, all right, 00:16:22.389 --> 00:16:24.389 let's find some solution. It wasn't a bill that 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:26.370 we were following. It wasn't a bill that we had 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:29.110 a strong position on, but we were seen as a resource 00:16:29.110 --> 00:16:31.330 to help make the bill better, to move it along. 00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:35.190 And we got pulled into the wings before our floor 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:37.490 votes to work on some amendments. The amendments 00:16:37.490 --> 00:16:40.789 got drafted, the bill moved forward. That got 00:16:40.789 --> 00:16:43.769 us some really great goodwill with those legislators. 00:16:44.289 --> 00:16:47.370 It was helpful for us because we're seen as a 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:50.730 valuable voice into that process and a desired 00:16:50.730 --> 00:16:53.129 partner. And that's only going to help us move 00:16:53.129 --> 00:16:56.009 forward. Yeah, and that happened to us in other 00:16:56.009 --> 00:16:58.690 policy areas this year as well. And in previous 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:01.350 years, the only downside to that sometimes is 00:17:01.350 --> 00:17:04.759 suddenly... you get helpful on a bill that you 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:07.259 had nothing to do with. Yeah, there are times. 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:09.660 And now it's a county bill, and you go, whoa, 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:12.759 whoa, whoa, wait a minute. This wasn't our idea. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:15.779 And now somebody who hates the bill is really 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:19.400 upset at you, and they want to know why you helped 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.680 to pass that bill. Yes, boundaries are important. 00:17:22.859 --> 00:17:25.779 Yeah, there's always a downside to every upside. 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:30.140 But you're right. I think when everything balances 00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:32.460 out, it's much better. better to be seen as a 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:36.220 collaborator and as a resource and as a valued 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:39.339 partner than it is as an adversary. But, you 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:40.839 know, occasionally you have to take that position 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:43.880 in an adversarial way. And it's appropriate to 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:45.940 fight against bad ideas. And it's appropriate, 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:48.700 you know, to speak up when things are not going, 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:50.619 you know, the way that you believe they should. 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:57.480 But you want to try to do that, I think. That 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:00.920 shouldn't be your default position on everything. 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:02.619 You know what I mean? It should be the exception, 00:18:02.779 --> 00:18:05.900 not the rule. I agree. Well, you kind of mentioned, 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:08.680 you know, that next bill or that future. And 00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:12.039 I know we're kind of waiting for budgets, the 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.319 final budgets to come out. Like I said, it's 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:18.460 Wednesday. We saw Thursday and Friday. We're 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:20.880 hearing all kinds of rumors right now as to when 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:23.160 the budget's going to come out. Earlier this 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:25.559 week, we were hearing as early as today. I think 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:27.859 we've all heard that that's not happening today. 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:32.180 And I've heard all kinds of rumors that tomorrow 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:34.500 at the latest. And then I've heard, nope, not 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:36.779 going to happen until Friday, tomorrow at the 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:41.079 earliest. And the truth is, you know. That's 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:43.019 typical for this time of year. All kinds of rumors 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:45.859 are swirling around. Nobody really knows except 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:49.160 for the budget writers and usually only a little 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:50.859 while before the budget actually gets released. 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:54.299 So obviously we're all kind of sitting on pins 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:55.740 and needles a little bit, kind of waiting for 00:18:55.740 --> 00:19:00.299 that to happen. What are you hoping for as we 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:04.319 look towards the final budgets? Well, we're really 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.119 anxiously watching what FPHS, what foundational 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:10.059 public health services looks like. Yeah, we've 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:11.740 talked a lot about that. We've talked a lot about 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:15.599 it. And it's one where it's been incredibly powerful 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:19.759 and meaningful and impactful for local government 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.440 and local health jurisdictions. So that's one 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.140 that's... high on our radar. But we're also looking 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:29.200 at other things. We talked about opioid and prevention 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:31.980 and substance use disorder investments, looking 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:34.700 at that, looking at some of the prevention things 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:44.259 around home visiting or health equity or school 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:48.140 -based health centers, some of that kind of tertiary 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:50.619 work that public health might be involved in 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.900 um from an environmental public health standpoint 00:19:53.900 --> 00:19:55.900 we're looking at drinking water we're looking 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:58.920 at environmental toxin hazardous cleanup that 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:02.240 kind of thing yeah um all of those things that 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:03.920 we expect to be in the budgets we're just not 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:06.579 quite sure at what level yep and then we know 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.900 that they'll they're probably putting a pin in 00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:13.359 it if if if nothing else around medicaid um for 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:17.029 the budget this year knowing that What's coming 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:21.049 federally is going to change that over time. 00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:24.210 So really one of those things where we're looking 00:20:24.210 --> 00:20:26.829 at what are they passing? They don't know what's 00:20:26.829 --> 00:20:28.450 coming federally. We don't know what's coming 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:31.410 federally. But we know that something is, some 00:20:31.410 --> 00:20:33.609 change is coming. And so kind of just watching 00:20:33.609 --> 00:20:36.759 that. just interested and seeing where that goes. 00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:38.400 Yeah, we had a chat about that just a little 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.740 while ago on a podcast where we talked just specifically 00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:44.559 about what you were starting to see at the federal 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.819 level. What has changed since then, if anything, 00:20:48.099 --> 00:20:52.299 and what kind of impact? How do I phrase this? 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.240 The federal dollars that come to Washington State 00:20:55.240 --> 00:20:59.839 for Medicaid. are enormous and the money that 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:04.539 is spent in our budget with hca apple health 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:09.359 etc is primarily funded by those medicaid dollars 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:14.480 right so if there were a significant change in 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:19.769 what we receive from the federal government How 00:21:19.769 --> 00:21:22.029 is that going to affect this budget? What should 00:21:22.029 --> 00:21:25.329 we expect at some point in, you know, if that 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:27.289 shoe were to drop in a month or two or three, 00:21:27.369 --> 00:21:29.349 what happens? Yeah, I wish I had a crystal ball 00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:31.950 of knowing what's coming federally. Is it going 00:21:31.950 --> 00:21:35.450 to be a change in reimbursement where maybe something 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:38.549 is being reimbursed or paid for, you know, an 00:21:38.549 --> 00:21:40.589 80 -20 split where the federal government's paying 00:21:40.589 --> 00:21:43.710 80 % or the state's paying 20 %? Right. Does 00:21:43.710 --> 00:21:46.269 that change now to 50 -50? Does it change to 00:21:46.269 --> 00:21:48.869 60 -40? Does it flip completely, you know, over? 00:21:48.970 --> 00:21:52.130 Who knows? Is it more of a block grant where 00:21:52.130 --> 00:21:54.869 instead of being reimbursed for service or a 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:57.930 pay -for -service model, it's here is your Medicaid 00:21:57.930 --> 00:22:03.049 block grant around prenatal care, and it is going 00:22:03.049 --> 00:22:05.910 to be X million dollars, and you figure out, 00:22:05.930 --> 00:22:11.579 Washington State, how, who, how much. how you 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:13.359 want to implement that block grant, but you're 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:16.240 not getting a penny more. Maybe that's how it 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:21.339 is. And so it's really hard to predict what direction 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:24.539 the federal government's going. That's going 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:27.079 to impact and change. What are the chances they 00:22:27.079 --> 00:22:30.579 just turn it off, Jamie? I have no idea. Is that 00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:33.859 even a possibility? I don't think they can. Healthcare 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:39.759 is so dependent on Medicaid. there varies across 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:42.740 the state and varies by populations, but, you 00:22:42.740 --> 00:22:44.500 know, half of our baby, you know, about half 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:46.400 of our babies born in Washington state are on 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:51.680 Medicaid to, to essentially, you know, say to 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.799 those families, you know, figure out how to, 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:57.220 you know, have that baby safely and healthily. 00:22:57.900 --> 00:23:03.720 That's a huge risk, not just, you know, financially 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:07.180 for the family, but. What if they don't get health 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:09.160 care? Right. What if they don't get prenatal 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:13.539 care? What if an issue like preeclampsia happens 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:15.799 for the mother and she has no idea, you know, 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:17.759 like there are all of these. She's not going 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:19.259 to regular checkups because she doesn't have 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:22.339 coverage and that costs money. You know, there 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:24.579 might be, you know, you might be able to identify 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:27.380 potential complications or right after delivery 00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:30.460 potential complications. And that sort of outcome. 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:33.720 from a prenatal point of view, can follow that 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:35.799 child through the rest of their lives. Exactly. 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.680 And that's a cost to society as well. Not only 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:42.819 is it a tragedy, right, but it's a cost. It's 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:46.119 a huge cost. The newborn screening program that 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:47.859 our Department of Health does is a really great 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:51.099 example of being able to identify certain birth 00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:55.420 defects and birth issues that happen within a 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:58.460 span, a short span of a baby's life, that if 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:01.970 they aren't identified can be incredibly, tragic 00:24:01.970 --> 00:24:05.750 for the families where the, you know, treatment 00:24:05.750 --> 00:24:09.509 is needed. Otherwise, you know, lifelong birth, 00:24:09.650 --> 00:24:12.009 you know, birth issues or lifelong, you know, 00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:16.059 challenges or even worse, you know. early death, 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:18.859 you know. So there's a lot of things where Medicaid 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:22.460 is really, really critical. And that's just prenatal, 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:24.359 right, as an example. We're not even touching 00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:27.779 base, you know, on other health care that Medicaid 00:24:27.779 --> 00:24:30.440 covers and pays for. So I think to completely 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:35.299 shut it off would be incredibly, incredibly damaging. 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:39.339 But it's going to look different. How big of 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:41.539 a share are Medicaid dollars to the state budget? 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:44.130 Do you know? I don't know that off the top of 00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:46.630 my head, but it's huge. It's very, very big. 00:24:46.650 --> 00:24:49.789 So a really big change in Medicaid dollars would 00:24:49.789 --> 00:24:52.250 probably require the legislature to come back 00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:56.470 and reevaluate the budget. Yeah, and any change 00:24:56.470 --> 00:24:58.369 is going to probably require the legislature 00:24:58.369 --> 00:25:01.049 to come back and think about that. Is it going 00:25:01.049 --> 00:25:06.170 to be, depending on what that change looks like, 00:25:06.210 --> 00:25:09.829 if that tap gets shut off or, you know. closed 00:25:09.829 --> 00:25:12.789 significantly the state has to decide do they 00:25:12.789 --> 00:25:15.470 pick up you know do they pick up the tab for 00:25:15.470 --> 00:25:18.769 what's you know what the federal medicaid isn't 00:25:18.769 --> 00:25:21.009 paying for anymore right they don't have the 00:25:21.009 --> 00:25:23.130 money for that yeah where do we right yeah where 00:25:23.130 --> 00:25:26.730 do we get the cash um so then you're you know 00:25:26.730 --> 00:25:29.430 what are we what are we willing to not provide 00:25:29.430 --> 00:25:33.289 and not cover and so big conversations, or do 00:25:33.289 --> 00:25:37.250 you change how reimbursement happens? And I know 00:25:37.250 --> 00:25:39.349 that the legislature is tackling a lot of that 00:25:39.349 --> 00:25:42.130 right now through policy change in anticipation, 00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:45.190 but it's still really hard to predict. So that's 00:25:45.190 --> 00:25:47.289 one that we're, I don't think we're going to 00:25:47.289 --> 00:25:50.500 have any answers in the budget. this year. But 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:52.920 I think it's one where we know that it is on 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:55.299 the horizon. It is a future important conversation 00:25:55.299 --> 00:25:57.299 that the legislature is going to have to tackle. 00:25:57.380 --> 00:25:58.920 Yeah, well, I'll be watching it very closely. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:01.200 That's for sure. So Jamie, as we kind of wind 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:04.220 down here, as you mentioned, you know, team on 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:07.259 his five to go. And we're all getting kind of 00:26:07.259 --> 00:26:10.059 excited about that and getting kind of, you know, 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:12.680 looking forward to getting back to normal, so 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:17.740 to speak, here at the office and in our kind 00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:19.609 of you know, regular routines for the rest of 00:26:19.609 --> 00:26:21.250 the year, you know, my thoughts always turn to 00:26:21.250 --> 00:26:23.569 the next session. I just can't help but think 00:26:23.569 --> 00:26:26.529 of the next, you know, for me, it's kind of like 00:26:26.529 --> 00:26:28.970 a seasonal thing, right? When the season's over, 00:26:29.089 --> 00:26:31.150 I'm thinking ahead to the next season, whether 00:26:31.150 --> 00:26:33.410 it's, you know, the session or baseball season 00:26:33.410 --> 00:26:36.970 or football season or whatever it may be. This 00:26:36.970 --> 00:26:38.990 was the first year of the two -year biennium. 00:26:38.990 --> 00:26:41.690 So this was the big, you know, the big 105 -day 00:26:41.690 --> 00:26:45.180 session. Next year in January, starting early 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:48.980 January, we'll have the start of this short session, 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:51.619 the second year of the biennium, only 60 days 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:55.079 long. Traditionally, those have always been reserved 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:58.359 for kind of cleanups and trailer bills and budget 00:26:58.359 --> 00:27:01.039 fixes, but no longer is that the case. There's 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:04.599 usually a lot of major policy that gets considered 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:07.740 during that short period of time, even though 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:09.579 it's a much more intense period of time with 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:12.940 a lot less opportunity to really discuss and 00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:16.039 think about things. What do you see coming forward 00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:19.440 next year as kind of priority items? If we were 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.140 to look ahead and you were to say, okay, here's 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:24.220 my... I'm looking at the roster here. Here's 00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:25.660 who I think are going to be the number one draft 00:27:25.660 --> 00:27:27.640 picks for public health. What do you think is 00:27:27.640 --> 00:27:30.759 going to pop up? For public health issues, I 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:34.839 think we've kind of started to map out some of 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:36.359 the bigger things that we might want to work 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:39.920 on and have interim conversations on. Working 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:42.940 with our state partners on some bigger conversations, 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:48.140 one around data sharing and just data modernization 00:27:48.140 --> 00:27:53.200 updates. Vital Records is one where that's exciting. 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:58.279 You know, you know, I can make anything exciting. 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:01.240 But, you know, so I think that might be one. 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:04.440 I mentioned the food entrepreneurship concepts. 00:28:04.660 --> 00:28:07.200 I think that's going to be another one of how 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:12.779 does public health lean into economic development 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:18.829 in a way that leverages. That's not a regulation 00:28:18.829 --> 00:28:24.529 first standpoint. We have regulation for a reason, 00:28:24.549 --> 00:28:27.069 but we also have this opportunity to support 00:28:27.069 --> 00:28:30.309 and educate and empower. Yeah, more of an enabling 00:28:30.309 --> 00:28:32.990 role. Yeah, so I think that's something that's 00:28:32.990 --> 00:28:34.829 going to be really interesting to work through 00:28:34.829 --> 00:28:38.890 and work out. You know, I think there's going 00:28:38.890 --> 00:28:41.089 to be some, it'll be interesting to see what 00:28:41.089 --> 00:28:44.380 kind of budget. fixes that they might need to 00:28:44.380 --> 00:28:48.740 address. You know, they'll know how some of those 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:53.119 bigger policy initiatives are playing out or 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.099 just kind of the public sentiment of having six 00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:58.380 months. Well, there's just a lot of uncertainty 00:28:58.380 --> 00:29:01.440 economically right now. You know, there's talk 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:04.240 of initiatives already. And so that's going to 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:07.759 have, you know, an impact on things as initiatives 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:11.440 always do. So, you know, Public health is just 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:15.039 a very small piece of that. But, you know, just, 00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:17.799 you know, always wanting to be mindful of the 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:20.319 bigger things going on. We're not the most, you 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:23.400 know. We're not the hot topic of the day and 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:27.700 are very rarely, you know, kind of achieved that, 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:30.279 you know, hopefully once, you know, once a century. 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:32.259 Just a few years ago, you were the hot topic 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:33.460 of the day. We don't need to revisit that again. 00:29:34.160 --> 00:29:36.579 But, you know, we're interested in things like 00:29:36.579 --> 00:29:38.960 housing. We're interested in things like public 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:41.660 safety because they do have peripheries to public 00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:45.259 health where, you know, people who are housing 00:29:45.259 --> 00:29:47.940 secure have better health outcomes. And so it's 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:50.579 an issue that we're interested in watching. following 00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:55.500 because we know you know that certain things 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:57.920 provide better you know better opportunity and 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:00.039 better health outcomes and same with public safety 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:03.259 that we know that being able to have you know 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:06.900 that community connection and thinking uh you 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:13.019 know of um support and relationship as well as 00:30:13.019 --> 00:30:15.319 that more policing side of thing is really, really 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:17.359 important, especially around things like substance 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:20.579 use and behavioral health issues. So, you know, 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:23.599 we're tangentially, you know, watching a lot 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:25.400 of those other bigger issues that are probably 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:27.640 going to come back because they're kind of perennial 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:29.960 policy issues, right? I was hoping you were going 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:32.500 to say this was the year we solved it all. Nothing 00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:36.240 else to talk about. Work is never done. Never 00:30:36.240 --> 00:30:38.420 done here in Olympia. Well, here's to hoping 00:30:38.420 --> 00:30:42.619 you stay out of the headlines from a public health 00:30:42.619 --> 00:30:46.380 perspective. Me? Me specifically? Or are we talking 00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:48.460 about public health? Just public health in general. 00:30:48.700 --> 00:30:51.160 Because I can commit that I will stay out of 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:54.119 the headlines. But, you know. Well, let's hope 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:56.960 you stay out of the headlines, too. But, no, 00:30:57.019 --> 00:30:59.599 I just meant public health in general. It can 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:04.019 get a little uncomfortable, I know. And there's 00:31:04.019 --> 00:31:05.460 a lot of other issues that I think are probably 00:31:05.460 --> 00:31:08.099 going to be taking up media's attention. Let's 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:12.039 hope so anyways, right? What are you most looking 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:14.519 forward to to interim? What is your favorite 00:31:14.519 --> 00:31:16.700 thing to do? Why do I feel like you just turned 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:19.539 this thing around? Suddenly it's Jamie, the host. 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:23.460 Well, I mean, you know, my daughter's getting 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:26.680 married. So that's kind of a big deal for our 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:28.980 family. It's what we're looking forward to the 00:31:28.980 --> 00:31:32.259 most, I think, this year. So on a personal level, 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:34.220 I think that's probably the big family event, 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:38.579 seeing the kids. It's a big milestone for you 00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:40.819 as parents. Yeah, it's a little scary. It's a 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:43.660 big milestone for her and her fiance. It's exciting. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:46.660 She seems completely calm, which is great. Yeah, 00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:50.380 she's got it really put together. And she's, 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:53.440 I don't want to, you know. give out too much 00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:55.960 personal information because I have a feeling 00:31:55.960 --> 00:31:58.759 I'd get in trouble for my family. It's a good 00:31:58.759 --> 00:32:00.680 test to see if they listen to the podcast. I 00:32:00.680 --> 00:32:03.180 don't think they do. But this would be, you know, 00:32:03.299 --> 00:32:05.740 I would say something really foolish and this 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:07.680 would be the one they would listen to. But yeah, 00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:10.579 no, that's coming up pretty quick right after 00:32:10.579 --> 00:32:12.460 session. So that's kind of a big deal. And then 00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:15.200 my wife and I have our 30th wedding anniversary 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:18.500 this year as well during interim. So those are 00:32:18.500 --> 00:32:21.039 the big things for me. What's the gift for 30? 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:27.839 I don't know. Um... Sanity? Whatever Honey wants. 00:32:28.319 --> 00:32:31.700 Whatever my wife wants. That's what the gift 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:34.119 is. Well, congratulations. Thanks. How about 00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:36.359 you? You have any milestones coming up? Let's 00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:39.059 see. I am, and we've talked about this, I am 00:32:39.059 --> 00:32:41.140 taking a trip with my sister who is becoming 00:32:41.140 --> 00:32:43.220 an empty nester. Oh, that's right. Is this the 00:32:43.220 --> 00:32:45.079 one where you don't know where you're going? 00:32:45.220 --> 00:32:46.539 We don't know where we're going. Oh, that is 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:49.259 so crazy. Yeah. We filled out a survey with a 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:52.079 company and they bought our plane tickets. I 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:54.119 think you are so... are planning our whole entire 00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:57.240 trip and we show up an airport with our bags 00:32:57.240 --> 00:33:00.000 and open an envelope and find out where we're 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.180 going. Oh my gosh. That is so crazy. It's great. 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:07.079 And I mean, don't get me wrong. I, I, I would 00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:11.349 never trust anyone enough. To do that. But I'm 00:33:11.349 --> 00:33:13.910 a planner. I can't wait. I'm really hoping it's 00:33:13.910 --> 00:33:18.730 like Iowa. I'm just joking. I love Iowa. I grew 00:33:18.730 --> 00:33:22.150 up near Iowa. Yeah, I can see that. When you 00:33:22.150 --> 00:33:26.910 open the envelope, we're taking you to the rolling 00:33:26.910 --> 00:33:33.839 grain fields of Iowa. Yes! You've heard of flyover 00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:39.460 states? Well, not today. You're landed. I'm hopeful. 00:33:39.619 --> 00:33:41.279 I think we're going to go someplace in Europe. 00:33:41.400 --> 00:33:43.240 But again, we'll find out when we get to the 00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:46.200 airport. That is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:52.240 brave. I was talking with my wife Amanda about 00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:55.700 it. She thought it was a great idea. Of course, 00:33:55.720 --> 00:33:57.960 she said, I know you think it's a terrible idea. 00:33:59.639 --> 00:34:03.180 So when I go someplace, not only am I searching 00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:05.680 things on the internet, I buy the book. Like 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:09.059 I buy the book. Like the Lonely Planet. Yes. 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:12.980 Yeah. I buy the travel book and I look for YouTube 00:34:12.980 --> 00:34:16.900 videos about it. This is how bad I am. Do you 00:34:16.900 --> 00:34:19.920 have a printed itinerary for every day? No. Okay. 00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:23.679 Laminated? No. Not that bad. But I do try to 00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:25.599 have an idea of what I want to do when I get 00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:28.860 to a place. I am really meticulous about researching 00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:30.119 the things that you have to have a reservation 00:34:30.119 --> 00:34:32.139 for because there are more things these days 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:34.280 than you used to, right? I mean, you used to 00:34:34.280 --> 00:34:35.940 be able to just drive into a national park. You 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:38.639 can't do that now. In many cases, you've got 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:40.480 to plan ahead. But don't you want to pay somebody 00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:44.880 to do that all for you? No. No. I just don't 00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:51.699 trust them. No. I actually researched the restaurants. 00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:56.719 I'm almost obsessive about it. I researched the 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:59.110 restaurants. And I decide which ones I want to 00:34:59.110 --> 00:35:01.429 go to before I've even set foot. No, I'm with 00:35:01.429 --> 00:35:04.469 you on that. So you know this. I have a friend 00:35:04.469 --> 00:35:07.030 and we do a New Year's trip every year at a different 00:35:07.030 --> 00:35:11.090 time zone. And next year or this coming New Year's, 00:35:11.090 --> 00:35:13.769 we're going to Finland. Oh, that'll be great. 00:35:13.889 --> 00:35:16.670 Yeah, we did Chile this past New Year. Now, are 00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:18.630 you having someone else plan that trip too? No. 00:35:18.809 --> 00:35:22.489 So what we do is we talk about what we want to 00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:25.250 do. My big thing is I want to go to the Arctic 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:27.030 Circle and I want to spend the night in Nice. 00:35:27.050 --> 00:35:31.010 Hotel. And they're like, well, I want to go to 00:35:31.010 --> 00:35:34.210 Christmas Village for Christmas and experience 00:35:34.210 --> 00:35:36.750 that. So we have different things that we want 00:35:36.750 --> 00:35:39.539 to do, but we're both big food. food fans. And 00:35:39.539 --> 00:35:41.940 so we, we do map out our restaurants. Okay. Well, 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:45.539 that's more of a planned itinerary ish trip, 00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:47.239 but we're still pretty flexible. We're still 00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:49.639 kind of loosey goosey. Okay. Yeah. But you made 00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:51.519 me feel a little more normal. So thank you. I 00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:53.179 appreciate that. But you know, it's also fun 00:35:53.179 --> 00:35:55.760 to just like, no, let's just see what kind of 00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:57.840 adventure we can do. I don't think I could ever 00:35:57.840 --> 00:36:01.539 let go like that. I, I, I just, I, I envy your 00:36:01.539 --> 00:36:04.820 ability to do that. But I don't want to try. 00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:12.179 That makes sense. I don't even want to try. Well, 00:36:12.280 --> 00:36:14.900 you know, it's good to know that about yourself. 00:36:16.719 --> 00:36:21.340 I guess so. Now I feel like I've divulged too 00:36:21.340 --> 00:36:27.130 much. All right, Jamie. Well, it's been great 00:36:27.130 --> 00:36:29.250 talking to you. It's been great working with 00:36:29.250 --> 00:36:32.829 you during the session. You're a really important 00:36:32.829 --> 00:36:36.090 part of the team here at WASAC. Public health 00:36:36.090 --> 00:36:38.769 is a big part of what we do, and I think you 00:36:38.769 --> 00:36:41.070 did a really good job when you were talking about 00:36:41.070 --> 00:36:42.610 what to expect next session. You were talking 00:36:42.610 --> 00:36:47.710 about housing and public safety and all those 00:36:47.710 --> 00:36:50.800 other things. All of the issue areas that we 00:36:50.800 --> 00:36:52.980 work in here at WASAC, they overlap and they 00:36:52.980 --> 00:36:56.280 dovetail. There are not like really clear lines 00:36:56.280 --> 00:36:58.480 between them. There's so many shades of gray. 00:36:58.679 --> 00:37:00.900 And, you know, we spend a lot of time talking 00:37:00.900 --> 00:37:02.780 back and forth about different bills and working 00:37:02.780 --> 00:37:04.800 together on different things, which I really 00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.400 enjoy. I know you probably don't enjoy it as 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:11.280 much, but I just want you to know it's been great 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:12.760 working with you. You're a super valued member 00:37:12.760 --> 00:37:14.780 of the team, and I hope we can keep doing this 00:37:14.780 --> 00:37:17.340 for a long time. Likewise. Congrats on a really 00:37:17.340 --> 00:37:19.179 good session, Paul. Yeah. Well, congrats to, 00:37:19.219 --> 00:37:21.760 well, we'll see. It's not over yet. That's true. 00:37:21.920 --> 00:37:25.400 It's not over until the budgets are signed. And 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:27.599 unfortunately this year, it may not even be over 00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:31.079 then. So yeah, we'll see. But we did it. Look 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:35.059 at us. We did it. Thanks, Jamie. We'll talk to 00:37:35.059 --> 00:37:39.400 you again soon. Bye, Bob. Thanks for tuning in 00:37:39.400 --> 00:37:41.719 to County Connection. 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