Legislative Committee Calls to Action
The Washington State Legislature meets for 105 days in odd-numbered years (2025) with a primary duty to develop and pass a two-year budget. In even-numbered years (2026), they meet for 60 days to finish up business from the last session and make budget adjustments.
Important dates for tracking and advocating for legislation:
February 21: Policy Committee Cutoff. This is the last day for policy committees to read in committee reports in their house of origin, save for:
February 28: Fiscal Committee Cutoff. This is the deadline for House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees to read in committee reports in their house of origin.
March 12: House of Origin Cutoff (5 p.m.). This marks the last day to consider bills in their house of origin.
April 2: Opposite House Policy Cutoff. This is the final day for policy committees to read in committee reports from the opposite house, save for:
April 8: Opposite House Fiscal Cutoff. This is the deadline for House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees to read in committee reports from the opposite house.
April 16: Opposite House Cutoff (5 p.m.). This is the last day to consider opposite house bills, except for initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, matters necessary to implement budgets, matters that affect state revenue, amendments, differences, and business related to the interim or closing of the session.
April 27: Last day of session.
HB 1174 – Accessible court interpreters
- As of March 7th, HB 1174 passed the House, made it to the Senate, and is still moving forward! This bill amends the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) to improve language access for individuals with limited English proficiency in the court system. It would require the state court system to establish written procedures for providing language services, known as “language access plans.” Court interpreters ensure equity and equal justice for speakers of all languages by providing interpretation in legal proceedings. The bill also improves standards for credentialed and non-credentialed interpreters.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1174
Recommended Text: Each person deserves to understand the court proceedings they are required to attend. Please support HB 1174 to establish the highest quality court interpreters for all of Washington’s residents.
HB 1871 – Grid-interactive, residential energy storage
- Currently in the Appropriations Committee, this bill will incentivize grid-interactive energy storage batteries in homes with renewable energy sources like solar power. It is in the public interest to increase energy storage capacity across the state in response to rising peak electrical loads, wildfire potential, windstorms, and other catastrophic events that may lead to power outages. Home battery energy storage systems are key to this solution, but they must be connected to the grid so that power remains dispatchable by utilities during peak load events and available to customers in case of outages. The high initial cost of these systems is a barrier for many. A targeted incentive program can help utilities and customers adopt these systems, with at least 40% of the program’s benefits going to low- and moderate-income households, low-income service providers, housing authorities, or tribal governments.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1871
Recommended Text: Grid-interactive, residential energy storage helps our communities build local energy resilience and encourages renewable energy use. Please support HB 1871 to help low-income households adopt this solution to improve energy systems across the state.
HB 1232 – Health Inspections for Private Detention Facilities
- House Bill 1232 is an act relating to private detention facilities. This bill will require the Department of Health to adopt rules governing the operation of private detention facilities. The concern is that private facilities once used as internment camps will be repurposed into “wellness farms” and detention facilities under the new administration. If this happens, it is imperative that these facilities house people in sanitary, hygienic, and safe conditions. You are encouraged to write your legislators in support of this bill.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1232
Recommended Text: House Bill 1232 addresses concerns of humane housing within detention facilities. A safe, clean environment which provides adequate hot and cold running water, adequate lighting, sufficient ventilation, heating and cooling, written policies for maintenance and housekeeping, and equipment to accommodate people with physical and mental disabilities must be provided by private detention facility owners. Your support of this bill would be appreciated.
- Excessive rent increases are driving people out of their homes and communities while increasing homelessness. This bill would cap rent and fee increases at 7% during any 12 month period and prohibit rent increases in the first year of tenancy. The bill would also limit late fees, move-in fees, and require 6 months notice forlarger rent/fee increases and limits late fees to 1.5% of monthly rent. This will provide stability in our communities while still allowing landlords to set rates that will cover their costs and generate profit.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1217
Recommended Text: Vote yes on HB1217 to protect our communities from excessive rent increases. In the past few years, cost of living increases have outpaced wages, with renters disproportionately affected by rapidly increased housing costs. Supporting this bill would promote stability for families without undue harm to landlords
SB 5148 – Ensuring comprehensive plans meet housing requirements
- This bill provides oversight to city and county comprehensive plans and ensures that jurisdictions meet existing Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements for affordable and middle income housing. Jurisdictions planning under GMA have the option of submitting their plan to the Department of Commerce for compliance review, but would be required to undergo review if they failed to meet certain requirements. If the jurisdiction is determined to be out of compliance, it would be prohibited from denying affordable or moderate housing under certain circumstances and would not be able to receive certain grants, loans, etc. without first showing progress towards compliance.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5148
Recommended Text: Comprehensive planning in line with the GMA is essential to maintaining affordable and middle income housing in our local communities. This bill is particularly timely here in Skagit County, where we are in the process of updating our comprehensive plan. Please support this bill so that we can keep our area affordable for our local residents.
SB 5123 – Expand student protections to promote inclusivity in schools
- These companion bills aim to add protected classes to the nondiscrimination provisions that apply to Washington public schools: ethnicity, homelessness, immigration status, and neurodivergence. It also separates sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity into three separate protected classes, as well as provides definitions for these protected classes that apply to public schools. This is in response to a Federal Injunction started by M4L that voids 2024 Title IX protections for any school in our state that has a M4L parent as a member.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5123
Recommended Text: Please vote yes to support marginalized students. Federal protections provide a foundation but state action is needed to ensure equity and justice for all students in Washington State.
SB 5077 – Expand automatic voter registration
- This bill would move toward ensuring that every citizen has a voice in our democracy by expanding automatic voter registration to include new citizens, people returning home from prison, and those applying for health care. In Washington State, the Department of Licensing manages the existing automatic voter registration system. This bill would expand automatic voter registration to other state agencies. Helping citizens update their voter registration during these key life transitions would help keep voter registration current in Washington state.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5077
Recommended Text: Please promote state efforts to maintain up-to-date voter registration by supporting SB5077. Expanding automatic voter registration to include new citizens, people returning home from prison, and those applying for health care will help ensure that voter registration is maintained through important life transitions. Please vote to support passage of SB5077.
SB 5181 – Support to Amend the “Parents Bill of Rights”
- This amendment would ensure that all public schools in WA state are following the 2024 Title IX laws regarding gender diverse students and lactating individuals. The 2024 laws are more inclusive of these groups. Currently, any school that has 1 M4L parent is allowed to follow the 2022 Title IX laws, to continue to discriminate against gender diverse students and doesn’t allow fora separate space for lactating individuals.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5181
Recommended Text: I strongly support SB 5181. Please ensure this bill gets a floor vote and vote in favor of passage. SB5181 is significantly different from the Parents Rights Initiative in one respect: it protects children and their families’ rights better. The initiative protects schoolchildren from discrimination on the basis of “upon the sincerely held religious beliefs of the child’s family.” SB5181 protects them from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sensory, mental, or physical disability, the use of a service animal, or sex, or sexual orientation including gender expression or identity.
