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Email:  Sen. Ken Jacobsen

Senator Ken Jacobsen
Legislative Blog

April 5, 2007

Autism is a developmental disability affecting 1 million to 1.5 million Americans.

This morning, the Senate passed a resolution (Senate Resolution 8681) honoring individuals with autism. I spoke about a new online project that I heard about on NPR that links parents of autistic children to researchers. I wanted to provide you with some additional information on the project.

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore have set up an online registry to involve families in research efforts. The Interactive Autism Network (IAN) is a national online autism registry and can be found at www.IANproject.org.

March 9, 2007

I wish to share the concerns that led me to vote against SB 5958, on direct health service providers, in the Washington State Senate today. While direct health service providers provide quality care and a helpful service to many patients, this bill failed to help – and even tilted the playing field against – many others.

First, this bill was touted as a means of providing health care for more low-income people, but it included no provision to accomplish this. I supported requiring that 15% of a direct practice's primary care services be provided as charity care, an amount comparable to other health care providers such as public hospitals.

Second, the bill allows certain providers to now offer a certain form of health care service, but prevents other providers from offering the same service. In particular, well-respected health maintenance organizations such as Group Health will not be allowed to compete on a level playing field with direct health care providers. This means many health care consumers, especially those with fewer resources to purchase boutique care, are denied equal choices.

Finally, this bill frees direct health service providers from paying the premium tax paid by other providers. Again, this tilts the competitive playing field. Even worse, the proceeds from the premium tax pays for health care for low-income people. So, under this bill, people who can afford boutique care are freed from responsibility for helping the poor, people who can only afford other care still have to pay the tax, and some people who cannot afford care at all lose entirely.

Accordingly, I proposed amendments to correct all three of these problems. Unfortunately, these amendments did not pass, so I was unable to support SB 5958. Now that it has passed, I strongly urge all direct health care providers who benefit from this bill to, in turn, contribute their fair share to guaranteeing quality health care for all citizens of Washington, regardless of wealth.

Jan. 30, 2007

As many of you know, I introduced a bill (SB 5484) to allow dogs in bars. As I was preparing for my testimony, I found an excerpt that I wanted to share with you.

“Eulogy for a Dog”

U.S. Senator George Graham Vest,
Missouri, 1869

“The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

“A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only to be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

“When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

“If fortune drives his master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege that that of accompanying him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when that last scene comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there, by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful, and true, even in death.”

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