Washington Business Fall 2015 | Legislative Review | Page 26

2015 legislative review

to the state Department of Ecology (DOE)
to adopt a ban on future chemical flame
retardants. The rule authority would have
created a building code style process,
allowing the agency to propose a rule for
banning a chemical, but not adopt a final
rule until after the conclusion of a subsequent legislative session, thus allowing the
Legislature an opportunity to review the
rule and make changes. AWB preferred
an approach offered by Rep. Matt Shea,
R-Spokane Valley, in an amendment that
would have banned five chemical flame
retardants based on a 2014 study by DOE
and required DOE to develop a report on
subsequent flame retardants and report
back to the Legislature. Although E2SHB
1174 passed the House, it failed to receive
support in the Senate.

SB 5021/HB 1049

concerning cadmium in
children’s jewelry
Failed/AWB Supported

AWB supported Senate Bill 5021, sponsored
by Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, to
ensure Washington’s statute is consistent
with national and international standards
for the use of cadmium. Currently, the
state has the lowest cadmium standard
at 40 parts per million. Recently, updated
best available science showed this standard
was too stringent and exceeds recognized
standards by other governing bodies. SB
5021 would have allowed the use of best
available science to modify Washington’s
standard, which looks at pathways and
exposures. Unfortunately, SB 5021 failed
to move, leaving Washington as an outlier
in acceptable standards.

SSB 5609/HB 1378

protecting waterways from
pollution from synthetic
plastic microbeads
Failed/AWB Supported
Substitute Senate Bill 5609, sponsored by
Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, was
an industry-led effort to move away from
the use of synthetic plastic microbeads
used in soaps, moisturizers and other
personal care items. While the bill passed
through the Senate with unanimous support, it failed to move beyond the House
Environment Committee. Unfortunately,
environmental community advocates
were opposed to the industry-led effort,
and tied the issue to other plastics in
waterbodies.

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24 association of washington business

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