Washington lawmakers have until Wednesday, March 8 to pass the bills from the House of Origin. Here are some of the key bills that have been passed so far.
sbloom@theolympan.com
A flurry of legislation was passed this week as lawmakers debated at length on chamber floors to pass bills before a major cutoff coming up.
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The last day for bills to pass from their house of origin is Wednesday March 8.
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Bills that have passed their first chamber will head for a vote in the opposite chamber. If any amendments to the bill are made in the opposite chamber, those changes would have to be approved by the chamber the bill originated in before being passed.
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Aaron Wasser, who handles communications for Senate Democrats, told McClatchy that Senate Democrats are “happy with what has made it through the process so far and the work that’s been done.”
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“That said there’s lots of work still to do, but there’s been some great stuff passed to improve traffic safety, public safety, housing, reproductive rights and more,” Wasser said. “There’s still a lot of work to come, in those areas I mentioned and others like education, climate, workforce and of course the budgets, but it’s absolutely been a productive first half of session.”
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Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, told McClatchy that his caucus is focused on three things as the session moves forward: public safety, housing affordability and education. He said he is encouraged to see progress in those areas, particularly education, and that he’s hopeful to see a bipartisan police pursuit bill get voted out of the House and sent over to the Senate.
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He said his caucus had some concerns about certain bills such as legislation passed Thursday that protects runaway youth who are seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care. Braun said he believes the bill could cause “real harm” to parents and children in Washington.
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Lawmakers will not be on the floor this weekend, but will be back on their respective floors Monday. The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, will join lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday for a joint session.
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The last day of the legislative session this year is April 23.
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Here are some of the key bills that have passed from their first chamber so far:
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Housing
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House Bill 1337: This bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, and Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, was passed late Thursday with an 81-15 vote and would allow the construction and use of accessory dwelling units in urban growth areas. The bill’s sponsors said in a news statement they believe the legislation could “provide flexible housing options for people of all ages.”
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House Bill 1474: According to the bill, more than 40,000 property deeds in Washington include racially restrictive covenants. This legislation seeks to address that by assisting with first-time home purchasing costs for “groups of people identified in a covenant homeownership program study.” Sponsored by Rep. Jamila Taylor, D-Federal Way, the bill passed the House on Thursday with a 54-43 vote.
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Health care
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Senate Bill 5242: Health care plans could no longer impose cost-sharing for the coverage of abortion services under this bill sponsored by Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver. Plans issued on or after Jan. 1, 2024 could not include the cost. The legislation passed the Senate Tuesday with a 29-19 vote.
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Guns
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Senate Bill 5078: Sponsored by Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, at the request of Inslee and the Attorney General’s Office, this legislation would hold gun manufacturers and dealers responsible for preventing access to guns by “dangerous individuals.” Under the “Firearm Industry Responsibility & Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice Act,” manufacturers and sellers could face criminal liability for failure to establish controls. The bill cleared the Senate by a 28-21 vote Thursday and will now head for the House.
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Education
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House Bill 1658: Elective credits could be earned through paid work experience by high school students 16 and older under this legislation sponsored by Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak Harbor. The legislation passed the House Thursday with a 93-4 vote and will now go to the Senate for a vote.
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Prison reform
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House Bill 1169: Sponsored by Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, this legislation passed with a 56-41 vote from the House on Thursday and would eliminate mandatory Legal Financial Obligations. Currently judges cannot waive the fine even if a formerly incarcerated individual is unable to pay. LFOs are used to pay for things such as victim restitution, but less than 10% of those LFOs imposed were paid in 2019. Instead, the state would have a dedicated source of funding under the bill.
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Mandatory reporting
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Senate Bill 5280: On Tuesday the Senate voted unanimously to pass legislation sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, that would include members of the clergy as mandated reporters. Information relayed in confession would still be protected by clergy-penitent privilege, and would not be required to be reported in that context under the current language of the bill.
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Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People
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House Bill 1177: Under this bill bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Cold Case Investigations Assistance Unit is created to assist with law enforcement agencies cases that involve missing and murdered indigenous women and people. The proposed legislation passed the House on Tuesday unanimously.
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Burials
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House Bill 1037: On Monday lawmakers in the House passed a bill unanimously that would allow family burials on private property. Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, sponsored the legislation and said the way the law currently stands makes it unclear if the practice is currently legal in Washington, so his bill simply clarifies that it would be allowed.
