OLYMPIA – In a year of historic recession and massive budget cuts, Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, still found ways to make life better for people in the 22^nd Legislative District and in communities across Washington.

“The many needs across our state don’t suddenly go away just because there’s a recession,” Fraser said. “Even though much of my time is devoted to the capital budget, I still work dozens of bills throughout the legislative session to address a wide range of problems.”

Fraser, the vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and Senate leader on the capital budget, was responsible for the $3.3 billion capital budget that included more than $45 million in projects in and around Olympia and Thurston County. In addition to that, Fraser sponsored a number of bills passed this year by the Legislative, including:

• Senate Bill 6000, which extended key protections to home buyers by requiring sellers to provide contact information for officers or other agents who can provide homeowner association financial statements and other information that could restrict the buyer’s use of the property;
• SB 6088, which directs the Department of Transportation to develop a comprehensive commute trip reduction plan for all state entities in the Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater area;
• SB 5199, which protects the public by increasing the Department of Health’s oversight of the operation and maintenance of public water systems;
• SB 6036, which gives the Department of Ecology leeway to approve compliance schedules longer than 10 years, where justified, for businesses whose discharges exceed the allowable total daily maximum load, which will help cleanup of waters such as the Deschutes River;
• SB 5504, which updates the rules on reclaimed water use to make the development of reclaimed water facilities easier and more efficient;
• SB 5537, to bring the state’s debt limit, as described in statute, in line with the constitutional debt limit;
• House Bill 1413, companion to Fraser’s SB 5430, which establishes annual fees to cover the cost of issuing and administering water discharge fees;
• HB 1506, companion to Fraser’s SB 5311, which continues for the Firemen’s Relief and Pension System the allowance of survivor benefits to those whose spouses died in the line even if the spouse chooses to later remarry;
• HB 2254, companion to Fraser’s SB 5842, which expands the allowable use of Certificates of Participation to allow universities and colleges to construct more buildings and create more jobs utilizing their own local funds in order to adjust to a smaller state capital budget; and
•  Senate Joint Memorial 8012, which urges President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to press for swift passage of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); though CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, became an international treaty in 1981 and has been ratified by 85 nations, its ratification has languished in the United States.

In addition, Fraser’s SB 6053 was converted to a budget proviso to study ways to provide toiletries, cleaning products and other fundamental hygiene items to low-income families who qualify for food stamps.

Fraser successfully amended the budget to include $1 million to fund the 211 phone number that will let residents call for information on health and human services and other important, non-emergency information.

In addition to sponsoring bills in the Senate, Fraser played a key role in shepherding several bills through the Senate. Those bills included HB 1420 and several bills from the K-12 Construction Task Force on which Fraser served:

• HB 1420, which requires sellers of residential homes to increase disclosure of potential physical problems with a property, including environmental conditions such as buried toxics;
• HB 1975, which extends the limit for school district expenditures of impact-fee revenues from six years to 10 years;
• HB 1619, which expands the range of projects that may be funded with local six-year school district capital levy revenues; and
• HB 2142, which improves transparency in the K-12 school construction formula by renaming its components.

Other measures sponsored by Fraser included a memorial and two resolutions:

• SR 8628, a resolution recognizing the centennial of when women won the right to vote in Washington; 100 years ago the Legislature passed a bill that put gave voters the opportunity in the next general election to amend the state constitution to grant women the right to vote;
• SR 8616, a resolution recognizing the city of Olympia’s Sesquicentennial (150^th birthday); and
• SR 8636, a resolution recognizing the accomplishments and career contributions of Olympia resident Pat Durham, Grand Madam President of the international Ladies Auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Fraser also sought to preserve the historic vista to and from the state Capitol from the north by limiting the height of new development on Olympia’s isthmus. Though that bill passed the Senate, it did not pass the House.