Rude details three of his bills
By Terry Murry on Monday, January 31st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – As the 2022 legislative session begins its fourth week, Rep. Skyler Rude (R-Walla Walla) is providing details on three bills he has introduced this session including legislation on school board meetings (House Bill 1973), hospital visitation rights (House Bill 1983), and funding for charter schools (House Bill 1591).
House Bill 1973 requires school board meetings to be audio recorded and available to the public.
“I think most people would be surprised to know that most school districts don’t record audio and or video of their school board meetings,” Rude said.
The goal of this bill is to make it easier for anyone unable to attend a school board meeting to go back and experience it later. The House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee heard this bill on Monday, Jan. 24 and the committee unanimously moved the bill forward on Thursday, Jan. 27.
“I am hopeful it will come to the House floor for a full chamber vote,” Rude said.
House Bill 1983 concerns hospital patients’ rights to visitors.
“I’ve come to know that a lot of families have experienced situations where they have a loved one in the hospital seriously ill or dying and are not entitled to be with that person,” Rude said.
This bill gives patients entitlement to one visitor per day which also allows the ill patient to have emotional support when they are in the hospital.
The House Health Care and Wellness Committee has not scheduled House Bill 1983 for a public hearing.
House Bill 1591 would increase funding for charter schools. Rude said this bill, which he’s working on with Rep. Laurie Dolan (D-Olympia), increases funding by about $1,500 per student to create parity with the traditional public school system.
“Currently charter schools, which are public schools enacted by the voters of Washington state, experience higher rates of students from families with poverty and high rates of students of color,” Rude said. “And we’re under-funding on a per capita basis, we’re under-funding those students compared to their peers in traditional public schools.”
House Bill 1591 got its first reading on Jan. 10 and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
