QUICK UPDATE: Below is a list of bills that have passed and will be on their way to the Governor. We are waiting for conference committee reports on the budgets and to see what will happen with the data privacy bill since the Senate did not agree with the House Amendments. As soon as we see the budget compromise, we will probably see some other bills come back life and move so this list will be fluid until Thursday.
The concluding days of any legislative session are long and filled with anxiety. This year, legislators, the Governor, and agency heads have another cause for concern: COVID-19. Washington has made headlines as the first state to report deaths resulting from the virus. At this time, 102 people in Washington have tested positive and 16 have died. Testing capacity remains a challenge in Washington and healthy individuals are capable of spreading the virus while displaying only mild symptoms. Worldwide, 105,821 people in 99 countries have tested positive for COVID-10 and 3,570 people have died.
This is a rapidly developing situation. Just one week ago, House and Senate supplemental operating budgets proposed $5 million and $10 million respectively to combat the coronavirus. At that time, no cases had been identified in Washington. After local deaths related to the virus were reported, Washington State Department of Health Secretary Dr. John Wiesman appeared before the Senate Ways & Means Committee on March 2 to answer questions about the fiscal concerns surrounding COVID-19. At that time, Dr. Wiesman estimated the public health response in advance of federal funding would require $100 million. He received bipartisan assurance that the resources will be made available to assist state and local agencies.
6312 (Zeiger, R-Puyallup) received final passage on Saturday. The bill permanently extends the expiring nonprofit fundraising sales tax exemption. Attendees of library or nonprofit organization fundraising events need not pay sales tax on items selling for less than $12,000. Extension of the exemption incentivizes donors to bid generously and helps nonprofits avoid the administrative burden of collecting sales tax at fundraisers. The amount will be adjusted for inflation beginning in December 2020.
The most time-consuming bills, with the greatest numbers of amendments and speakers are often run at night. On a party line vote, the House passed the comprehensive sex education bill 5395 (Wilson, D-Federal Way) shortly after 2am on Thursday morning. House Republicans drafted 218 amendments, most of which were ruled to be dilatory in nature and none of which were accepted over the course of the 6-hour debate. Because a striker was adopted, the bill was returned to the Senate for concurrence where an administrative error gave the Republican minority an opportunity to attempt to defer the bill. After 45 minutes of procedural attempts to derail what is perhaps the most controversial bill of the session, the Republican last stand failed, and the concurrence debate and subsequent affirmative vote was allowed to proceed. The bill continues to enrage Republicans and new parental rights groups formed in response, but Governor Inslee is expected to sign.
2638 (Peterson, D-Edmonds), the bill to authorize sports betting in tribal casinos received the required constitutional supermajority in the Senate after 11pm Thursday night. Nevada-based Maverick Gaming maintains its threat to spend tens of millions of dollars to prevent it from becoming law through legal challenges and to punish legislators who have supported the emergency clause that will thwart a referendum. It now heads to the Governor’s desk.
Representative Norma Smith (R-Clinton) announced her retirement this week. Smith serves most notable as the ranking Republican on the Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee. The race is anticipated to be competitive in the months ahead. Three Democrats, Scott McMullen, Ivan Lewis, and Suanne Woodard have already launched campaigns. After Smith's announcement on the floor Wednesday, Greg Gilday became the first Republican to enter the race. Senator Randi Becker (R-Enumclaw) also announced her retirement on the floor. Becker serves as the Senate Republican Caucus Chair and has been a strong voice in th expansion of telemedicine. Representative Andrew Barkis is thought to be the likely candidate for the open seat.
No bills.
Bill # |
Abbrev. Title |
Short Description |
Status |
Sponsor |
Priority |
Position |
Low-cost course material/CTC |
Informing students of low-cost course materials for community and technical college courses. |
H Spkr Signed |
Van Werven |
Monitoring |
|
Bill # |
Abbrev. Title |
Short Description |
Status |
Sponsor |
Priority |
Position |
Domestic violence/workplace |
Creating a task force to identify the role of the workplace in helping curb domestic violence. |
Del to Gov |
Mosbrucker |
Low |
Concerns |
|
Comprehensive plan updates |
Aligning the timing of comprehensive plan updates required by the growth management act with the timing of shoreline master program updates required by the shoreline management act. |
H Passed FP |
Fitzgibbon |
High |
|
|
Industrial insur./employers |
Concerning industrial insurance employer penalties, duties, and the licensing of third-party administrators. Increases certain employer penalties under workers' compensation. Â Specifies an employer responsibility of fair conduct, to be regulated by the Department of Labor and Industries. Â Requires licensure of claims administrators by the Department of Labor and Industries. |
H Passed FP |
Kilduff |
High |
Oppose |
|
SHB 2554 (2SSB 6400) |
Health plan exclusions |
Mitigating inequity in the health insurance market caused by health plans that exclude certain mandated benefits. |
S Passed 3rd |
Stonier |
|
|
SHB 2614 (SSB 6349) |
Paid family & medical leave |
Concerning paid family and medical leave. |
Del to Gov |
Robinson |
High |
Concerns |
Coronavirus response |
Concerning the state's response to the novel coronavirus. |
S Passed 3rd |
Cody |
High |
|
|
Discrimination/immigration |
Concerning discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status. |
H Spkr Signed |
Saldaña |
|
|
|
ESSB 5473 (HB 1445) |
Unemployment benefits/cause |
 Requires the Employment Security Department to study the impacts to the unemployment trust fund and employer contributions for unemployment insurance by allowing exceptions to provisions disqualifying individuals from receiving unemployment benefits for leaving work voluntarily without good cause related to: (1) inaccessible care for a child or vulnerable adult; (2) substantial increases in job duties or working conditions without commensurate increase in pay; (3) separation from a minor child.  Requires ESD to meet at least three times with business and worker representatives to discuss the information gathered by ESD. ÂRemoves modifications to the term good cause for unemployment purposes for the separation due to inaccessible care for a child or vulnerable adult and related to separation from work related to the death, illness, or disability of a family member. |
H Passed 3rd |
Saldaña |
Medium |
Neutral |
SSB 6256 (SHB 2424) |
Heating oil insurance |
Concerning the heating oil insurance program. |
H Passed 3rd |
Wellman |
High |
|
ESSB 6440 (HB 2689) |
Workers' comp medical exam |
Concerning industrial insurance medical examinations. |
S Passed FP |
Stanford |
High |
Concerns |
ESSB 6540 (2SHB 2471) |
Working connect. payments |
Concerning working connections child care payment authorizations. |
H Passed 3rd |
Wilson |
|
|
Bill # |
Abbrev. Title |
Short Description |
Status |
Sponsor |
Priority |
Position |
Housing tax/councilmanic |
Authorizes county or city legislative authorities to impose the local sales and use tax for housing and related services and eliminates the requirement that the imposition of the tax be subject to the approval of a majority of county or city voters at a general or special election. |
S Passed 3rd |
Doglio |
High |
|
|
Comprehensive plan updates |
Aligning the timing of comprehensive plan updates required by the growth management act with the timing of shoreline master program updates required by the shoreline management act. |
H Passed FP |
Fitzgibbon |
High |
|
|
SHB 2343 (SSB 6334) |
Urban housing |
Concerning urban housing supply. |
H Passed FP |
Fitzgibbon |
High |
|
SHB 2384 (SB 6232) |
Nonprofit housing/prop. tax |
Concerning the property tax exemption for nonprofit organizations providing rental housing or mobile home park spaces to qualifying households. |
H Passed FP |
Doglio |
High |
|
Affordable housing financing |
Adding development of permanently affordable housing to the allowable uses of community revitalization financing, the local infrastructure financing tool, and local revitalization financing. |
H Passed FP |
Ormsby |
High |
Concerns |
|
Infill development |
Concerning exemptions for infill development under the state environmental policy act. |
Del to Gov |
Barkis |
High |
Support |
|
SB 6212 (HB 2489) |
Affordable housing/prop. tax |
Concerning the authority of counties, cities, and towns to exceed statutory property tax limitations for the purpose of financing affordable housing for very low-income households and low-income households. |
H Passed 3rd |
Das |
High |
Support |
SSB 6256 (SHB 2424) |
Heating oil insurance |
Concerning the heating oil insurance program. |
H Passed 3rd |
Wellman |
High |
|
SSB 6495 (HB 2809) |
Essential needs & housing |
Regarding essential needs and housing support eligibility. |
H Spkr Signed |
Walsh |
Medium |
Neutral |
GMHB & ELUHO powers, duties |
Clarifying the respective administrative powers, duties, and responsibilities of the growth management hearings board and the environmental land use and hearings office. |
H Passed 3rd |
Takko |
Medium |
|
|
Accessory dwelling units |
Concerning accessory dwelling unit regulation. |
H Passed 3rd |
Liias |
Medium |
Concerns |
Bill # |
Abbrev. Title |
Short Description |
Status |
Sponsor |
Priority |
Position |
HB 1841 (SB 5877) |
Crew size on certain trains |
Establishing minimum crew size on certain trains. |
S Passed 3rd |
Riccelli |
Medium |
Concerns |
No bills.
No bills.
Bill # |
Abbrev. Title |
Short Description |
Status |
Sponsor |
Priority |
Position |
HB 1841 (SB 5877) |
Crew size on certain trains |
Establishing minimum crew size on certain trains. |
S Passed 3rd |
Riccelli |
Medium |
Concerns |
HB 2271 (SB 6094) |
Transp. bonds/budget ref. |
Correcting a reference to an omnibus transportation appropriations act within a prior authorization of general obligation bonds for transportation funding. |
S Passed 3rd |
Duerr |
|
|
ESHB 2322 (SSB 6497) |
Transp. budget, supplemental |
Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium. |
H Conf appt |
Fey |
|
|
SSB 6497 (ESHB 2322) |
Transp. budget, supplemental |
Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium. |
S Rules 2 |
Hobbs |
|
|
No bills.