How Does A Washington State Legislature Work?

History:

The Washington State Legislature traces its ancestry to the creation of the Washington Territory in 1853, following successful arguments from settlers north of the Columbia River to the U.S. federal government to legally separate from the Oregon Territory. The Washington Territorial Assembly, as the newly created area's bicameral legislature, convened the following year. The legislature represented settlers from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to modern Montana.

Structure:

The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature. The upper house i.e. Washington State Senate together with lower house makes up the legislation of the US State of Washington. It comprises of 98 representatives from 49 districts each of which elects one Senator and two members of the house. Without any term limit, each member of the house is selected for 2 years. Washington has a democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor's office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. There are currently 36 trifectas (14 Democratic and 22 Republicans). As a result of the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their trifecta total with a net gain of six trifectas, and Republicans lost a net of four trifectas. 

Redistricting:

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Washington's 10 United States Representatives and 123 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

The leadership of the House:

The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker and the Speaker Pro Tem are nominated by the majority party caucus followed by a vote of the full House. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position and controls the flow of legislation. In the absence of the Speaker Pro Tem assumes the role of Speaker. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the House. The current Speaker of the House is Democrat Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) of the 43rd Legislative District. The Speaker Pro Tempore is John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) of the 44th Legislative District.

-Brendan Williams (Attorney)

3 Tips for the New Lawyers!

The initial period of career for every lawyer is always very tough because he is not well accustomed to how things really function in the field. Being new in the field, there will be many such lessons regarding the law field that you will have to learn the hard way. But all your effort, time and hard work will be paid off once you manage to emerge as an influential lawyer. After being graduated from the law school and getting your hands on a quality job opportunity, you might be thinking that from now it will be a smooth road ahead though this is not true as you will have to face a lot of challenges, learn and unlearn so many things in order to achieve your goals as a lawyer. 

Here are some important tips that will help new lawyers make their professional life a success. 

Consult senior lawyers:

Know that you are new in the field with no past experience and hence, you would need to take the help of those who have been working in the field for years. Your seniors can help you know about how you should work, what things to do and what to avoid in order to become successful as a lawyer. Keep this in your mind that it will take a lot of time to master the skills needed in the field of law but you can learn fast by continue to practice on a daily basis. Take out some time on a daily basis to consult your senior lawyers so that you can get some useful tips from them. 

Be a great observer:

Since you are new in the field, you can learn a lot by paying close attention to how different cases are being handled by others around you. This will also help you identify how different lawyers tend to understand their clients and their situations. 

Keep asking questions:

Never hesitate to ask more questions. Keep asking until you achieve clarity. Asking more questions will help you see the clearer picture of a scenario and you will be able to perform better in every situation. Admit that you are new and you got to learn so much in order to become successful in the field.  

-Brendan Williams

Trump AHP Expansion

Brief:

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Trump administration expansion of association health plans, which aren't bound by the necessities of the Affordable Care Act. U.S. District Judge John Bates said the June rule from the Department of Labor that slackened limitations on what gatherings could unite as one to offer AHPs "is unmistakably an end-go around the ACA." 

The ruling stems from a lawsuit 11 states and the District of Columbia filed to challenge the DOL rule. It comes that week the Trump administration stepped up its assaults against the ACA, contending in a court filing Monday the law should be eliminated in its completely following a Texas judge's decision the act is unconstitutional without the individual mandate penalty.

The judge had coarse speech sentencing the administration's endeavor to take into account simpler creation and utilization of AHPs, calling the regulatory change a "magic trick" that took into account "preposterous outcomes" undermining the purpose of Congress.

Insight:

The ruling is a hit to the Trump administration's endeavors to dodge the ACA, which increase fundamentally with the administration's filing this week looking for complete nullification of the law. Another hit to those endeavors descended Wednesday when an alternate government judge struck down Medicaid work prerequisites in Arkansas and Kentucky. 

The recharged battle comes as Democrats arranging for a 2020 presidential run are pushing for more dynamic approaches that having recently increased open footing. Some Democratic contenders are making Medicare for all and other single-payer models a focal piece of their stages as human services turns out to be a noteworthy issue for the following presidential decision.

Land O'Lakes, for instance, which said it was the first to offer an AHP under the more loosened up rules, said its plan covered basic advantages and prior conditions, just as "broad network coverage."

The Society of Actuaries has said the same number of as 10% of individuals in ACA plans could leave for AHPs, which would likewise drive up premiums for plans in the individual market. Avalere anticipated about 3.2 million individuals would move and premiums would ascend by 3.5%. 

Supporters of AHPs discredited the judge's choice Thursday. Kev Coleman, the originator of AssocationHealthPlans.com, said in an announcement the decision will sting independent ventures all through the nation.

"A huge number of employees and family members inside the small business community have just joined up with affiliation health plans — which help lower health care costs — since they previously ended up accessible the previous fall," " he said. "They have provided a means by which broad benefits may be accessed at more economical prices. While I do not believe today's ruling will survive appeal, I believe Judge Bates' decision is an unnecessary detour on small businesses' path toward more affordable health coverage."

-Brendan Williams

A Lawyer’s Guide: Mastering Verbal Communication!

Good communication skills are required everywhere. Lawyers have to deal with their clients, staff, jury, judges, and a number of other related professionals and this implies that they must have exceptional communication skills in order to deal with them. As per the perspective of experts:

Communication skills help lawyers in becoming more expressive and confident.

Confidence is an important factor as only confident people can express themselves in an effective way. Moreover, one can get an exceptional understanding of various other skills that are related to communication skills in one way or other. You will become more skilled with time by exercising confidence and communication skills. 

How to master good communication skills?

Master good communication, and your practice will be more enjoyable, because if you are communicating well with people they will trust and like you, and that will make it easier to like - and enjoy helping - them. Your practice will also be more profitable because clients will be more likely to pay your bill.

Mastering good communication skills is an easy task as you have to keep the following things in mind:

Try to have a direct connection with your clients!

It is vital to have a deep and direct connection with your clients. It will help you in having an exceptional relationship with them and they will feel more comfortable while discussing the little details of their case. You will be able to fetch more information from this approach and this will help you acing in your profession too.

Negotiate quite often!

Flexibility is another essential thing and you must be very open and flexible while negotiating with your clients or opposing parties. One must adopt the approach to settle down various conflicts by being flexible.

Keep in touch with your clients!

You will never be able to have complete information and this is the major reason why you should stay in contact with your clients. Every case needs updated information and this kind of information can only be acquired from your clients. 

Never dominate a conversation!

Develop a habit of listening to what others have to add. Dominating a conversation is a bad idea and one must avoid it.