8 of 9 Alliance supported bills were passed and signed into law this legislative session - including major initiatives on mental health access, prescription drug costs and sustainable job.

"We owe a great deal to our allies who were responsible for the day-to-day lobbying in Olympia on the various bills" said Tom Robinson (Covenant United Methodist) "but Alliance members played a huge role and have much to celebrate."

The Alliance's Green Building / Green Learning campaign - that resulted in a widely supported agreement with Spokane Public Schools to implement high performance building and apprentice utilization standards on school construction projects - was frequently sited by legislators as a successful model in arguing for passage of separate bills on Apprentice Utilization and High Performance Building Standards.

On health care issues, where 5 of 6 Alliance supported measures were passed, the Health Care Team worked for several years on some measures and were seen as particularly effective in securing support from Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown. "We started working with Senator Brown, Representative Ormsby and several other Spokane organizations early in the fall to develop a Health Care Agenda that everyone could support" explained Karen Hyvonen (Westminster United Church of Christ),"that effort really paid off with Senator Brown's election to Majority Leader. She did a superb job of moving that agenda forward."

The following Alliance supported Health Care bills were passed this session:

1. Mental Health Parity (HB1154/SB5450) Requires mental health insurance to be offered on par with physical health insurance creating relevant coverage for the 1 in 5 persons who suffer from mental illness.
2. Prescription Drug Purchasing Consortium (HB1219/SB5471) Expands access in the Consortium to a wider range of individuals, government entities and private plans - increasing the consortium's bargaining power and expanding the benefits to thousands more WA residents.
3. Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation (HB1677/SB5558) Provides a mechanism to coordinate eligibility and certification for various drug companies' prescription benefit programs low-income patients.
4. Health Insurance For Children. Changes in Medicaid enrollment rules, which add nearly 20,000 additional children to the rolls.
5. Medicaid Reimbursement Rate To Hospitals. Increases in the state budget for reimbursements paid to local hospitals.

In addition to passing Sustainable Jobs Team support bills on Apprentice Utilization (SHB1028/SSB5097) and High Performance Building (HB1272/SB5509), the legislature also passed a Product Efficiency Standards bill (HB1062/SB5098) that provides significant economic and environmental benefits to WA residents by setting efficiency standards on 13 products.