Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office has sent out some tips on how to avoid getting further into debt with debt relief scams.

“When you’re drowning in debt, you’re desperate. But if you’re not careful, your chosen rescuer may toss you an anvil instead of a life preserver,” McKenna said in the release.

Some consumers recently fell prey to a Tacoma company, called “Mutual Consolidated Savings” that was sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly aggressive robo-calling. For those who took the bait, the company would charge between $690 and $899 for … no help.

Here’s how to avoid a similar ‘anvil’:

Avoid companies that:
- Promise to repair a bad credit report
- Wants you to pay before they provide services
- Fails to mention what you can do - on your own - for free
- Suggests you should not contact a credit bureau directly
- Suggests you invent a “new” credit report with an Employer Identification Number instead of your Social Security Number
- Recommends bankruptcy out of the gate

And:
Be aware that just because an organization says it is “nonprofit” doesn’t guarantee that its services are free or affordable.
Think carefully before sending money to a credit counseling organization that doesn’t have an office in your community.
Shop around. Compare a couple of services and get a feel for how they operate. The credit counselor should spend at least 20 to 30 minutes with you in order to get a complete picture of your finances.
Ask a lot of questions and get the answers in writing.

So, where do you go for some reputable names in the business?

The U.S. Department of Justice’s U.S. Trustee Program provides a list of government-approved credit counseling agencies online here
The National Foundation for Consumer Counseling provides a list of member agencies or call 1-800-388-2227 for 24-hour automated office listings.

Tags: debt, debt relief

The Washington Department of Transportation just announced that an internal audit shows that an employee charged some $67,000 of unearned overtime over the last two years.

The employee admitted that she’d filled in overtime she didn’t work over the past two years. She then quit — or she would have been fired.

“We work hard to be highly accountable in our use of taxpayer’s dollars. We are disappointed in our employee’s actions and have taken steps to ensure this kind of abuse won’t happen again,” said Steve Reinmuth, WSDOT’s Chief of Staff.

The State Auditor’s Office, in its annual WSDOT audit, said in March that there was cause for concern that 71 employees without timekeeping responsibilities could access and update hours in the payroll system. Because of the finding, WSDOT’s system is being upgraded so that unauthorized updates will no longer be allowed.

Tags: overtime fraud, WSDOT

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Brian Bradshaw, 24, died on June 25 in Kheyl, Afghanistan. The Steilacoom man was fatally injured by an improvised explosive device.

In his memory, Gov. Chris Gregoire has directed that all flags be flown at half staff tomorrow, July 1.

Flags should remain at half-staff until close of business on Wednesday, or first thing Thursday morning. If you have a flag at home, you are welcome to fly it at half staff to remember Lt. Bradshaw.

Bradshaw is the 108th Washington soldier to die, according to the Washington Post.

Gov. Chris Gregoire just released a statement saying she heartily approves of today’s decision to allow states to pursue their own “clean car” standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s what she had to say: “Today’s action by the Obama Administration is a huge win for Washington state in the fight against climate change. Vehicles are a major source of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions. By having these ‘clean car’ standards for greenhouse gases, we will make significant steps toward meeting our state’s reduction targets. And by 2020 we’ll eliminate pollution in an amount equivalent to removing 1 million cars from our roads and highways.

“I applaud President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for taking this much-needed action. We’ve known for years that new standards were needed – that’s why I championed adoption of ‘clean car’ standards for our state’s residents in 2005. Now, thanks to new leadership in Washington, D.C., we finally have it. EPA’s decision allows our state to implement our standards for new vehicles.

“Washingtonians will enjoy cleaner air, and we have a new tool as we work to control the causes of climate change.”

As we reported earlier this month, the state will no longer pay for the HPV — human pappillomavirus — vaccine. That means if your child (under age 26) plans to get the vaccine, it’ll either be paid for out-of-pocket or by health insurance.

There are some other changes coming to state-purchased vaccines, too.

Details on child vaccine changes are available here. To contact the Department of Health Immunization Program CHILD Profile with questions, call 1-866-397-0337 or e-mail universalchanges@doh.wa.gov.

For help finding a health care provider or an immunization clinic, call your local health agency or the WithinReach Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588.

Read on for the complete release:
Washington’s program that uses state and federal funds to buy vaccine for all children in the state is changing. Starting July 1, human papillomavirus vaccine will no longer be bought with state money. Next May, state funds will no longer be used to buy any childhood vaccine — allowing time to plan a smooth transition so there are no breaks in vaccinating kids.

The state will continue using federal funding to buy vaccines for low income children. Health care providers can use this publicly-purchased vaccine to immunize children under age 19 who are enrolled in the state Medicaid program, have no insurance, are underinsured, or are Native American or Alaska Native. Children enrolled in free or low-cost state health plans, including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Basic Health, will also continue to receive publicly-purchased vaccine.

“Vaccinating children is one of the best things parents can do to keep their children healthy,” said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “The key to disease prevention is to make sure children have continued access to vaccine – that’s our goal as we work through this change with our partners.”

The changes mean kids with private health insurance won’t get state-funded vaccine anymore. So, parents are encouraged to check their insurance policies to see which childhood vaccines are covered. Parents should present their insurance card every time their children are vaccinated.

“People don’t always know if their health insurance covers vaccination,” said Selecky. “Most insurance policies cover the costs of vaccines. Parents should check their coverage to be sure, and remember to take their insurance cards when their children get shots so health care providers can determine which vaccines are covered.”

Private health care providers play a crucial role in immunizing kids. They give more than 90 percent of all childhood immunizations. With these changes, providers will have to buy vaccine for their privately-insured patients, screen children to see if they’re eligible for state-supplied vaccine, and keep separate inventories and records for privately and publicly-purchased vaccines.

Despite funding challenges childhood immunizations remain a public health priority. The budget crisis makes it necessary to change the way vaccines are purchased in our state. Recent outbreaks of measles and chickenpox in our state shows more must be done to protect our children and communities. Partnerships between state and local health and the health care community are more important than ever.

Tags: HPV, vaccines

Washington has an estimated 1.2 percent — or 80,600 more residents — this year than last (as of April 1), according to the Office of Financial Management, which does a yearly estimate.

The growth peak came in 2006, with a 1.9 percent increase.

From OFM: “While Washington remains more economically attractive than California, Oregon and many other states, population gains due to migration have dropped from 81,000 in 2006 to 58,000 in 2008 and 39,000 for 2009, according to Theresa Lowe, the state’s chief demographer.”

Here is all the data.

Here’s a Seattle City Club presentation on building community through sports. It’s airing on TVW today and was recorded last week. It features representatives from the Rat City Rollergirls. Sounders FC, Vulcan Sports, Seattle Storm and Seattle Mariners.

Tags: basketball, roller derby, soccer, sports

KUOW had a story this morning (reported by Austin Jenkins) about the one-year-old ban on driving and talking on the phone without a hands-free device.

The conclusion: It hasn’t been a big success. Only 1,600 tickets have been issued for the secondary offense. (You can’t be pulled over for talking on the phone — only pulled over for a primary offense, like speeding, while talking on the phone, which will net you an additional ticket.)

One trooper said: “My personal observation on the road is I haven’t seen anything change in the last year.”

Tags: ban, cell phones, laws

Have a great weekend — and get ready to come back Monday for a big (though short) week:

On Monday at 10 a.m., we’ll be live with the Joint Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. They’ll hold a hearing on an amendment to the gaming compact between the Tulalip Indian Tribe and the state. First, they’ll review the 2009 legislation on gambling, then they’ll review card room regulations, hear an update on “problem gambling services” and another update on federal legislation on Internet gambling.

Also on Monday is ah earing on climate change. We’ll air it Wednesday at 7 p.m. On the agenda:

1. Overview of the Governor’s Executive Order 09-05 on climate change.
2. Overview of possible federal executive and legislative actions regarding climate change.
3. Review of current policies on solid waste and recycling.
4. Discussion with the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC) and the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) regarding the JLARC briefing report on the PSP.

And Tuesday is a big day: At 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. we’ll have the Supreme Court live — these are the last of their spring docket, and then they’re back in September.

Also Tuesday: U.S. Sen. Cantwell’s health care forum in Seattle with Gov. Gregoire and a panel of health experts from all sides. We’ll televise in on Thursday.

Tags: climate change, gambling, healthcare

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen is heading to China tomorrow for his eighth trade mission in the last 13 years.

While there, his chief of staff will write a blog about his travels, which you can find here.

In 2008, Washington exported about $10 billion in goods to China.

Here’s more on the trip:

After a brief overnight in Beijing and dinner with Ambassador Ding Yuanhong, the lieutenant governor will travel to the city of Qingdao in Shandong Province on China’s east coast, where he will witness the signing of an economic development agreement between a Seattle-based investment group under US sponsorship and local investment firm agents from the region.

He will also visit the city of Haikou in the south east province of Hainan, where he will meet with Jiang Sixian, the vice governor of Hainan, and other provincial leaders. The lieutenant governor will sign an agreement “to promote people-to-people friendly contacts and economic and trade interflow between the two sides, and actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture, education and others.”

The lieutenant governor is also scheduled to visit an elementary school in that province – something he tries to do on nearly every foreign mission he takes.

Tags: China, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, trade