11 bills to vote “Con” on this Thursday
YOU'VE SEEN THESE BILLS BEFORE. THEY HAVE PASSED ONE CHAMBER AND ARE NOW
IN THE OTHER. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE OUR PUSH BACK.
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Bill summaries provided by the Skagit Click & Send Team
If you need additional information about the bill, click on the “Bill Number” and scroll down to “Bill Documents” &/or “Bill Reports”.
VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Defining the rental or lease of individual storage space at self-service storage facilities as a retail transaction for the imposition of business and occupation and sales and use taxes.
BILL SUMMARY: 5711 This Democrat bill is a cash cow for the state. It bypassed any previous public hearings in the Senate and is scheduled for its first public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means committee, which deals with financing matters. It has not passed the Senate Floor. The bill proposes that renting or leasing individual storage spaces at self-service storage facilities be treated as a retail transaction for the purposes of business and occupation (B&O) and sales/use taxes in Washington State. The bill amends existing tax law to include these services under taxable retail sales. Estimated cash receipts for state and local agencies are $353.6 million from the tax on the rental of storage units. Costs will be passed on to the consumer.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on March 13 at 4:00 PM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 3:00 PM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Concerning agencies, firefighters, prosecutors, and general or limited authority law enforcement, extending eligibility for employment to all United States citizens or persons legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law.
BILL SUMMARY: 5068 This Democrat bill allows all U.S. citizens and individuals legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law to be eligible for employment as firefighters, prosecutors and law enforcement officers. This includes lawful permanent residents and those with valid work authorizations, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. It passed on the Senate Floor 49-0. Opponents have concerns that employing non-citizens in law enforcement or firefighting positions could affect public trust and perception of these institutions, especially among communities that prioritize citizenship in public service roles. Some could argue that expanding eligibility might reduce job opportunities for U.S. citizens in these fields, particularly in regions with limited positions available. Do we really want to turn law enforcement into what could be a foreign army?
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Providing public school students with opportunities for cultural expression at commencement ceremonies.
BILL SUMMARY: 1393 This bill is sponsored by 12 Democrats and Republican Representative McEntire. On the House Floor, the final vote was 88-7. Only Republicans Abell, Engell, Graham, Low, McClintock, Schmidt and Volz voted against the bill; all other Republican representatives voted with the Democrats. The bill REQUIRES school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools to permit students to wear items or objects of cultural significance at high school commencements and other official graduation ceremonies and events. Opponents argue that this policy might open the door to students requesting to wear other types of personal or political statements that go beyond cultural expression, making it difficult for schools to set clear boundaries of an inappropriate cultural garment or item…think tribal spears, gay flags, black lives matter caps, etc. IT COULD EVEN HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF SUPPORTING ANTI-AMERICAN OR TERRORIST GROUPS. The fiscal note is unavailable.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Concerning the effective delivery and administration of basic education services to justice-involved students.
BILL SUMMARY: 1827 This bill is sponsored by Republican Representatives McIntyre and Eslick, along with 4 Democrats. The floor vote was 79-17, with Republican Representatives Abbarno, Barnard, Corry, Dufault, Dye, Graham, Jacobsen, Klicker, Manjarrez, Marshall, Mendoza, Orcutt, Schmick, Schmidt, Stuebe, Volz and Walsh voting against it; all other Republican Representatives voted with the Democrats. The bill REQUIRES the Superintendent of Public Instruction, beginning September 1, 2028, to be responsible for: (1) ensuring the effective delivery and administration of basic education services to “justice-involved (incarcerated) students;” and (2) improving the educational outcomes of those students. Opponents could argue that prioritizing additional resources for incarcerated students may be unfair to law-abiding students in public schools who also need better educational support. Some may see the bill as unnecessary government intervention, arguing that local school districts and correctional facilities should handle educational programs rather than expanding state oversight.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Clarifying a hate crime offense.
BILL SUMMARY: 1052 This Democrat bill passed on the House Floor 61-31 with Republican Representative Connors, Graham, Rude, Schmidt and Steele voting with the Democrats. The bill modifies the conduct that constitutes a Hate Crime offense to include when a person commits a specified act in whole or in substantial part because of the person's perception of another person's certain characteristics. Opponents testified that “There are real world examples of the harm caused by Hate Crime offense laws in other countries such as Britain, where officials and the media are afraid to speak up against horrible acts for fear of being called Islamophobic and punished” and “Hate Crime offense laws seek to punish thought. Assaults are crimes no matter the motivation, but thoughts are not. This bill is too broad and eliminates virtually any requirement of proof. Prosecutors will assume and assert that a person is motivated in part by animosity towards whatever group the victim belongs to. THE DESIRE TO PUNISH THOUGHTS IS AUTHORITARIAN AND TRENDS TOWARDS TYRANNY.”
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Standardizing basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their family members, including spouses or domestic partners.
BILL SUMMARY: 1142 This Democrat bill focuses on standardizing basic training and certification for long-term care workers, particularly those providing in-home care to family members, such as spouses or domestic partners. Long-term care workers providing care for family members (spouse, parent, sibling, etc.) must meet specific training hours, such as 12 hours of training for developmental disabilities care or 15 hours of basic training for those caring for a spouse or partner. Those in opposition to this bill argue that while training is beneficial, IMPOSING IT AS A MANDATE for family caregivers, such as spouses or domestic partners, could be counterproductive and unnecessarily restrictive. This requirement for MANDATORY training could be seen as an unnecessary and burdensome regulation. The financial and logistical barriers to obtaining this training—such as the cost, time commitment, and accessibility of training programs—could disproportionately affect lower-income families, potentially creating disparities in who is able to continue as a caregiver.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care on March 13 at 8:00 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 7:00 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
Option 2 CLICKHERE to submit written testimony. You can submit written testimony for up to 24 hours after the deadline.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Supporting the implementation of competency-based education.
BILL SUMMARY: 5189 This Democrat bill received a “Do Not Pass” recommendation by the minority in its first Senate committee. On the floor of the Senate, only Republican Senator McCune voted against this bill. The final vote was 47-2. The bill REQUIRES the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt rules to identify costs and authorize funding for students enrolled in COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION (CBE) programs and to create competencies aligned with state learning standards. In competency based education, student’s progress is based on evidence of mastery, not “seat time.” Strategies to ensure “equity” for all students are embedded in this type of education. With the poor achievement by students in our K-12 schools, one has to wonder if this is a way for the state to show improvement in student outcomes. And who will be qualified to certify a student as competent? Opponents testified that “CBE has lowered the bar so that students need only to complete waivers, pathways, projects, and feel good assignments. Throwing more money into the system and creating [new] pathways for graduation is not the solution… there is no focus on making sure children master reading or math. It is difficult or impossible to measure mastery…. CBE tends to focus on how a student thinks. This is valid, but we need to put some inputs of knowledge into them first.” The estimated cost is $1.2 million through 2031.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Education on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
Option 2 CLICKHERE to submit written testimony. You can submit written testimony for up to 24 hours after the deadline.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Establishing shared streets.
BILL SUMMARY: 5595 This Democrat bill received a “Do Not Pass” recommendation by the minority in its first Senate committee. But curiously, on the floor of the Senate, only Republican Senators Fortunato, McCune and J. Wilson voted against this bill. All other Republican Senators voted with the Democrats. It passed 45-4. The bill allows cities to establish a 10 mile per hour maximum speed limit on a shared street, that is, where pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles can be found on the same street. Opponents testified “Shared streets can be used to shut down businesses. With the GMA failures and increased operations of trucks, this bill will result in many conflicts between trucks and pedestrians in shared streets. The bill provides an illusion of safe streets.”
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Transportation on March 13 at 4:00 PM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 3:00 PM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
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VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Concerning environmental crimes.
BILL SUMMARY: 5360 This Democrat bill received a “Do Not Pass” recommendation by the minority in its first Senate committee. On the Senate Floor, it passed 29-20, with one Democrat voting NAY along with the Republicans. It establishes new, and reclassifies existing, crimes for certain violations of the state Water Pollution Control Act, Clean Air Act, Hazardous Waste Management Act, and other specified environmental statutes (environmental statutes). Includes certain first- and second-degree felony violations of environmental statutes in the state sentencing grid, as seriousness level five and three offenses, respectively. Opponents testified, “It would expose innocent landowners, operators, and Washington citizens to unfair and potentially unconstitutional penalties because Ecology interprets pollution to include not just the dumping of materials into a body of water but also to simple digging practices. Ecology says that whenever anyone digs in a wetland, it is automatically pollution.”
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Environment & Energy on March 13 at 11:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 10:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
Option 2 CLICKHERE to submit written testimony. You can submit written testimony for up to 24 hours after the deadline.
Option 3 CLICKHERE for Live Remote Testimony Registration.
VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Supporting public school instruction in tribal sovereignty and federally recognized Indian tribes.
BILL SUMMARY: 5570 This Democrat bill received a “Do Not Pass” recommendation by the minority in its first Senate committee. On the floor, the final vote was 35-14, with 5 Republican senators voting along with the Democrats (Senators Muzzall, Braun, Gildon, Warnick, and Torres). The bill creates an Indian education division, to be known as the office of Native education, within the office of the superintendent of public instruction. School districts will be REQUIRED to incorporate curricula about the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes into their social studies curricula no later than September 1, 2026. The tribes are already federally funded and exempt from paying state taxes on income and items associated with the federal treaties. The cost through 2031 is estimated at $1.1 million. Critics may argue the bill imposes additional administrative burdens on already resource-strapped districts, particularly in gathering data and providing culturally specific programs. Concerns may also focus on the need for adequate funding and the challenge of meeting new curriculum requirements by the 2026 deadline.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Education on March 13 at 10:30 AM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 9:30 AM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
Option 2 CLICKHERE to submit written testimony. You can submit written testimony for up to 24 hours after the deadline.
Option 3 CLICKHERE for Live Remote Testimony Registration.
VOTE CON
BILL TITLE: Concerning the property tax exemptions for new and rehabilitated multiple-unit dwellings in urban centers.
BILL SUMMARY: 1494 This Democrat bill received a “Do Not Pass” recommendation by the minority in its first House committee, and passed 63-34 on the House Floor. Republican Representatives Barkis, Caldier, Connors, Couture, Eslick, Klicker, Griffey, Low and Rude voted with the Democrats. The bill focuses on increasing affordable housing and allows cities or towns with populations of at least 5,000 in certain counties to offer property tax exemptions, broadening the scope beyond larger urban areas. Opponents argue that expanding property tax exemptions could lead to decreased revenue for local governments, potentially affecting funding for essential public services such as education, public safety, and infrastructure maintenance.
This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on March 13 at 4:00 PM. Deadline to respond is March 13 at 3:00 PM.
Option 1 CLICKHERE to state your position for the Legislative Record.
Option 2 CLICKHERE to submit written testimony. You can submit written testimony for up to 24 hours after the deadline.
Option 3 CLICKHERE for Live Remote Testimony Registration.