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.
HB 1163 – Requires permits to purchase firearms
- Currently permits are not required to purchase a gun in Washington state. This bill mandates that gun buyers obtain a permit which requires a background check. Buyers will also be required to complete a certified firearms safety training program. There are similar policies in about a dozen states.
Email your Legislator to support HB1163
Recommended Text: Suggested Text: Individuals should be required to have completed safety training and passed a background check before they obtain a firearm. This permitting system would ensure that these standards are met. Please support HB1163.
SB 5284 – Improving Recycling Outcomes
- In 2017 approximately 410,300 tons of plastic packing waste were generated by Washington residents and businesses. Only about 9 percent of this plastic waste is recyclable. The Recycling Reform Act develops a producer responsibility program where brands and manufacturers collaborate to reduce unnecessary packaging and paper, fund statewide recycling service and ensure that materials are recycled. A related bill, HB1607 establishing deposit return system for beverage containers is also worth supporting and is on the calendar for a House vote.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5284
Recommended Text: Suggested Text: Please support SB5284 to improve recycling outcomes for Washington residents. Our current recycling systems are insufficient and we need to require brands and packaging manufacturers to collaborate on a solution.
SB 5576 – Funding of essential affordable housing programs.
- This bill provides a local government option for funding essential affordable housing programs by allowing counties, cities, and towns to impose a special excise tax on short-term rental lodging at a rate not exceeding 4%. The tax would exclusively apply to short-term rentals facilitated through rental platforms, with the collected funds dedicated to specific affordable housing initiatives. Local governments can use the revenue for acquiring or rehabilitating affordable housing, funding housing operations and maintenance, providing rental assistance, and supporting social service organizations focused on housing-related assistance. The bill requires local governments to adopt a resolution of intent and gain simple majority approval before implementing the tax and mandates an annual public report detailing how the revenue was spent. Importantly, the tax cannot be imposed before April 1, 2026, and local governments may retain up to 15% of collected funds for administrative costs. The proceeds will be deposited into a newly created “essential affordable housing local assistance account” in the state treasury, with the state department handling tax collection at no cost to the local jurisdiction. The bill also makes technical amendments to existing tax laws to accommodate this new funding mechanism, ensuring consistency with current tax regulations.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5576
Recommended Text: This bill will allow local governments to implement a short-term rental tax to fund affordable housing and should be supported because it provides a crucial funding mechanism for essential housing programs and infrastructure, addressing a critical need in Skagit County and Washington State.
SB 1875 – Allowing the use of paid sick leave to prepare for or participate in certain immigration proceedings.
- This bill expands the use of paid sick leave to allow individuals to participate in immigration proceedings without facing financial hardship. This is crucial for maintaining legal status and family unity in light of increased immigration enforcement.
Email your Legislator to support SB 1875
Recommended Text: Vote yes on HB 1875 to support our immigrant community members in attending vital immigration proceedings in order to protect their legal status. Our immigrant neighbors are vital to our community, and we must back legislation that keeps immigrant families together.
E2SHB 1102 – Services for veterans
- This bill will strengthen an existing state-funded Veterans Service Officer Program that helps veterans access existing services, including federal pension and disability compensation. It updates service delivery to target areas with the lowest percentage of veterans receiving benefits and adds timely outreach to recently discharged veterans.
Email your Legislator to support E2SHB 1102
Recommended Text: Washington State needs to stand up for those who have served and ensure access to federal veterans services. These services are increasingly difficult to access due to the misguided efforts of the federal administration. Now is the time to refocus our efforts on underserved veterans to ensure each and every one of our veterans receives the benefits they deserve.
HB 1106 – Property Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans
- This Act would allow for the phasing down of the combined service-connected disability evaluation rating requirements to qualify for property tax relief. If passed, a veteran would be exempt from all or a portion of the amount of excess and regular real property taxes. The phase-down would begin with taxes levied for collection in 2026, with a disability rating of 60% or higher to qualify for property tax relief. In 2027, the disability rating would be 40% or higher, and in 2028, the rating would be 20% or higher.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1106
Recommended Text: Please support HB 1106 to phase down the combined service-connected disability evaluation rating requirements to qualify for property tax relief.
HB 1971 – Increasing access to prescription hormone therapy
- Hormone therapy referred to Senate Ways and Means Committee. – This bill would improve access to prescription hormone therapy for the trans community and women’s health. If passed, this bill would require health plans that cover prescription hormone therapy to reimburse up to a 12-month refill at one time.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1971
Recommended Text: Please support HB1971 to make hormone therapy more accessible to all. This is a critical treatment for women and the trans community that will improve health outcomes in Washington State.
SB 5490 – Providing parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in a local jail in compliance with federal law
- SB 5490 & companion bill HB 1604 is scheduled for Executive Session in the House Committee on Community Safety. – Please support these bills that will ensure gender diverse inmates are not discriminated against during cavity and/or strip searches. These laws would match the federal law – Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act – as it existed on January 1, 2025. It gives gender diverse individuals access to medical professionals for searches or a choice in the gender of the person doing the search.
Email your Legislator to support SB 5490
Recommended Text: Please support SB 5490 to ensure gender diverse inmates are given the dignity of a choice during cavity and/or strip searches
HB 1303 – Environmental Justice
- An Act relating to increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions. There is currently no way to capture the community and health impacts of different projects and facilities for populations which have disproportionately borne the effects of pollution. This Act will reduce the disparities.
Email your Legislator to support HB 1303
Recommended Text: Please support HB 1303 to reduce health and community disparities by adding environmental justice to the SEPA review process.
