The 2024 Legislature began January 8, 2024 and adjourned 60 days later, on March 7. During this period, the Legislature passed 350 bills, from among hundreds more that were introduced. The LWVWA Lobby Team worked hard to keep up with the strenuous and, at times chaotic, legislative process. 

There were some successes among the League’s priority bills; and there were also disappointments for us and our coalition partners. There were too many bills this session to list them all, but some of the bills are listed below. You can read more details in our final Legislative Action Newsletter. In most cases, the titles of the bills below explain the bill itself.

The legislation that passed covers a lot of policy territory. In many cases, the legislation was related to workforce needs. There was also legislation aimed at the protection of citizens, consumers or clients. Important legislation relating to Washington's response to climate change, and much more!

Below is a break down some of the bills that passed, broken down by issue:

Democracy

• HB 1241 Addressing harassment of election workers.
  
• SCR 8414 Creating a joint select committee on civic health.
  
• HB 1541Establishing the 'Nothing About Us, Without Us' Act (lived experience).

Children

• HB 1455 Eliminating child marriage.
• SB 5908 Extended Foster Care (for youths 18-21).
• There were also budget increases for many early childhood programs.

Health and Behavioral Health

•  SB 5986 Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care service charges.
• HB 1969/SB 5811 Expanding the definition of 'family member' for individual providers (home health care).
  
• HB 1889 Allowing persons to receive professional licenses and certifications regardless of immigration or citizenship status. 
  
• SB 5821 Establishing a uniform standard for creating an established relationship for the purposes of coverage of audio-only telemedicine services.
• HB 1946 Creating the Washington Health Corps behavioral health scholarship program.
  
• E2SHB 2247 Addressing behavioral health provider shortages.
  
• E2SSB 6251 Coordinating regional behavioral crisis response and suicide prevention services. (Coordinating regional behavioral crisis response services.)
  

Climate Change, Forests, and Waste Diversion

• HB 1368 Zero emission school buses.
• HB 1012 Creating an extreme weather response grant program.
• HB 1282 Public Building Materials—Buy Clean Buy Fair.
• HB 1589 Clean Energy Progress—Transitioning utilities from natural gas to electricity.
• SB 6039 Geothermal energy resources.
• Funding was appropriated to preserve mature forests and purchase replacement lands for economically impacted rural counties.
• The Trust Land Transfer Program received $10.8 million conserving 9 projects with over 2,200 acres of state trust land.
• Recycling was expanded among a number of new materials.

Housing and Homelessness

• HB 1998 Authorizing Co-living.
• HB 1012 Addressing the response to extreme weather events.
  
• SB 6015 Concerning residential parking configurations (reduces parking requirements in certain areas).
• SB 6175 Concerning housing affordability tax incentives for existing structures (authorizes cities to establish a sales tax deferral program for conversion of underutilized commercial property to affordable housing).

Some of the disappointments of this session include the bills listed below which did not pass. In some cases, the bills had been worked on for several years:

Revenue

• Unfortunately, no changes were made to WA State’s regressive tax structure this session.
  
• SB 5770 Providing state and local property tax reform.
• HB 2276/SB 6191 Increasing the supply of affordable and workforce housing (with a permanent funding source).

Healthcare

• SB 5241 Concerning material changes to the materials and operation structure of participants in the health care marketplace (formerly Keep Our Care Act).
• SJM 8006 Requesting that the Federal Government create a Universal Health Care Program.
• HJR 4201 Amending the Constitution to address reproductive freedom.
  

Climate Change

• HJM 4003 Requesting that the United States join in developing a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty

Education

• HB 1479 Concerning Restraint or Isolation in Public Schools and Educational Programs
  

Housing and Homelessness

• HB 2160 Transit-Oriented Development.
• HB 2270 Creating a Department of Housing for Washington State.
• HB 2114 Rent Stabilization.
  

Additionally, as was widely reported in the news, three of the six Initiatives to the Legislature were passed; and three were not (and no alternatives were offered). The three initiatives that were not passed will be on the ballot in the 2024 November Election.

Initiatives Passed by the Legislature:

• I-2111—Prohibit a state income tax
• I-2113—Loosen restrictions on police vehicle chases
  
• I-2081—Parental Rights 

Initiatives Not Addressed by the Legislature (which will appear on the ballot in November):

• I-2117—Repeal the Climate Commitment Act; prohibit carbon cap and trade
• I-2124—Opt Out of State-run Long Term Care Coverage (WA Cares Act)
  
• I-2109—Repeal the Capital Gains Tax 
  

The Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Washington will make decisions at a future meeting to determine whether the LWVWA will support, oppose, or remain silent on the three ballot iniatives that will be on the ballot in November.

As always, the Lobby Team welcomes new advocates and Issue Chairs! If you are interested, please contact our Advocacy Director, Cynthia Stewart.