⚠️ Action Alerts ⚠️Click on the links below to take action on bills. Want to know more about a bill and why we support it? Review our 2025 Legislative Issues page. |
Making Democracy Work |
Making Democracy Work
No action alerts this week.
ELECTIONS AND MONEY IN POLITICS
HB 1710 Adds preclearance to the Washington Voting Rights Act of 2018. This bill will require that certain local governments that wish to change their voting policies to vet those changes with the Attorney General office or the Thurston County Superior Court to ensure the changes do not impact the ability for anyone to elect candidates of their preference. When our election processes receive a review from the Attorney General before being implemented, we can prevent negative impacts to a Washingtonian's power to vote. This bill was voted out of the House State Govt & Tribal Relations Committee on Tuesday February 11. It is waiting in Appropriations for a public hearing and executive session.
⚠️ If your Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee; Comment in support of HB 1710 HERE and ask them to pass it out of committee.
HB 1750 Voting Rights Act claims guidelines.
Strengthen our Washington Voting Rights Act by adding stronger protections against voter suppression and vote denial for communities of color. This bill creates guidelines for voter suppression and vote dilution claims under the Washington Voting Rights Act. This bill was voted out of the House State Govt & Tribal Relations Committee on Tuesday February 11. It is waiting in Appropriations for a public hearing and executive session.
⚠️ If your Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee; tell them to support HB 1750 HERE by passing it out of committee.
SB 5382 Petition signature gathers can be charged with a misdemeanor if
they falsify.
Currently law requires that Initiative and Referendum petition
signature gatherers swear that every petitioner signed their true name and
correctly provided address and voluntarily signed without compensation. This
bill makes it a misdemeanor to falsify signatures. These requirements align
with similar requirements in many other states. This bill is scheduled for executive session in the Senate State Gov’t
Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee on February 18 at 1:30 pm.
⚠️ If your Senator is on the Senate State Government Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee; Comment in support of SB 5382 HERE and ask them to pass it out of committee.
SB 5684 Concerning prohibitions on electioneering within buildings containing the division of elections for county auditor offices, including any adjacent county owned and operated parking lots routinely used for parking at the buildings. Expands the location where a person may not influence or interfere with a voter to the building that contains the division of elections for a county auditor's office and any adjacent parking lot. Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM on February 18.
⚠️ If your Senator is on the Senate State Government Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee; Comment in support of SB 5684 HERE and ask them to pass it out of committee.
SB 5069 Voter Pamphlets in Even Year Elections . Requires the secretary of state to print and distribute a voters'
pamphlet for the primary in each even-numbered year and for the general
election every year. This relieves the burden of small counties from having the
burden of printing lengthy voters pamphlets primarily for state races during
the primary elections, and provides more information to education across the
state. This bill had a hearing in the
Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday February 3. It has not yet been
scheduled for an Executive Session.
⚠️ If your Senator is on the Senate Ways & Means Committee; Comment in support of SB 5069 HERE and ask them to pass it out of committee.
LOCAL NEWS AND DEMOCRACY
PRIORITY ACTION: ESSB 5400 Supporting local news journalism. This bill would generate about $20 million annually for local news, will go to the Senate Ways & Means committee following executive session action Friday morning by the Labor & Commerce committee.
In the wake of Friday’s decision, supporters are urged to contact their senators and encourage them to support the substitute bill, which would create the Washington Local News Sustainability Program.
With amendments by Sens. Saldaña and King, a surcharge of 1.22 percent on the gross income of for-profit social media platforms and search engines would fund the program. It would also extend the eligibility for for-profit and nonprofit news outlets – print and online news publications as well as television and radio -- with as few as one full-time journalist.
In declaring his support for the legislation, Senate President Pro Tempore Steve Conway noted “our local newspapers are so critical.”
Extensive research has linked the local news decline in Washington and across the country to a number of impacts, including reduced voter turnout, fewer candidates seeking local elected office, higher government costs, challenges for public health, increased political polarization and reduced civic engagement.
Washington has lost two-thirds of its reporting staffs since the decline’s start in 2008. The United States, meanwhile, has lost one-third of its newspapers, leaving scores of news deserts.
Social media platforms routinely publish content without compensating the news outlets that originally produce the reporting. A November 2023 study by professors at Columbia University and the University of Houston estimated that Google and Facebook owe U.S. news outlets at least $12 billion a year for the value that news content adds to their platforms.
⚠️ If your senator is a member of Ways & Means, contact them this week HERE and ask them to SUPPORT ESSB 5400 before Friday, February 28.
SB 5551 School library information and technology program. Senate Bill 5551 seeks to
strengthen school library information and technology programs by requiring access for every
student to a library program led by a certified teacher-librarian. The League believes providing young people with meaningful media literacy training is vital to their becoming informed voters.
⚠️ If your senator is a member of the Early Learning & K-12 Education committee, where the bill is at present, contact them this week and ask them to SUPPORT the bill by passing it out of committee before Friday, February 28.
HB 1727 School library information and technology programs. HB 1727 is not labeled a companion bill to SB 5551, although it features similar provisions. The League believes providing young people with meaningful media literacy training is vital to their becoming informed voters.
⚠️ If your representative is a member of Finance, where the bill is at present, contact them this week to ask them to SUPPORT the bill by passing it out of committee before Friday, February 28.
SB 5637/HB 1963 Student access to information about media literacy and civic education. The League of Women Voters believes media literacy education is vital for young people, particularly with the decline of access to local news and the overwhelming popularity of social media that fails to distinguish between truth and fiction. The League also believes civics education is vital. In fact, the League was instrumental in passing legislation requiring all high school students in Washington, beginning in 2020-21, to complete a stand-alone one-semester (½-credit) civics course.
While seemingly well-intentioned, SB 5637, by requiring the teaching of both subjects in a single course, would have the unfortunate effect of “watering down” civics education instruction and providing insufficient training in media literacy to our students.
For that reason, the League of Women Voters opposes SB 5637 and HB 1963.
⚠️If your senator is a member of Early Childhood and K-12 Education, where SB 5637 is at present, contact them this week and urge them to OPPOSE this bill before Friday, February 28.
⚠️If your representative is a member of Education, where HB 1963 is after a first reading, contact them this week and encourage them to OPPOSE the bill before Friday, February 28.
REDISTRICTING
No action alerts this week.
Environment
CLIMATE CRISIS & ENERGY
HB 1937/SB 5712 Establishing a Presumption of Compliance for Entities Covered Under the State’s Industrial Stormwater General Permit Under Certain Circumstances. This bill would allow industrial stormwater polluters to shield themselves from certain enforcement and exempt all transportation facilities across the state from having to take stormwater samples. This will cause chaos for permittees working to follow their permits in good faith. These bills were just introduced on February 11 and have public hearings this week: HB 1937 has a hearing at 1:30 pm on Monday, February 17, in the House Environment & Energy Committee. SB 5712 has a public hearing at 1:30 pm on February 18 in the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee.
LWVWA supports strict enforcement of laws affecting water quality and quantity management in Washington State. Enforcement requires emphasis upon cooperation and coordination among the many agencies as well as funding levels adequate to accomplish effective controls. Water claims under the jurisdiction of the State of Washington should be quantified. Water quality and water quantity programs should be integrated.
⚠️Sign in CON on HB 1937 HERE before 12:30 pm on Monday, February 17.
⚠️Sign in CON on SB 5712 HERE before 12:30 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
FORESTS
No action alerts this week.GROWTH MANAGEMENT
No action alerts this week.
WASTE DIVERSION
HB 1150 The Recycling Reform Act (Improving Washington’s solid waste management outcomes. Formerly, the Re-WRAP Act): Championed by Representative Liz Berry and Senator Liz Lovelett, this bill would establish a product stewardship program for packaging and printed paper, including recycling and reuse targets and plastic source reduction. STATUS: HOUSE: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations February 22, at 9:00 am.
⚠️ Sign in PRO HERE for HB 1150 on Saturday, February 22, 2025, before 8 am.
HB 1497 Compost, organics management (Improving outcomes associated with waste material management systems): Championed by Representative Beth Doglio, this bill would address composting and other management of organic (yard and food waste) in order to divert the material from the landfill and avoid methane gas generation. STATUS: Referred to Appropriations. Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 4:00 pm.
⚠️ Sign in PRO HERE for HB 1497 on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, before 3:00 pm.
SB 5175 Solar panel recycling program revision (Concerning the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program): Led by Rep Kloba and Sen. Shewmake, this bill delays the solar panel recycling program and establishes a photovoltaic module advisory committee to make program recommendations by June 1, 2026. Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means February 18, 2025, at 4:00 pm.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on SB 5175 HERE on Tuesday, February 18, before 3:00 pm.
TRANSPORTATION
HB 1921/SB 5726 Establishing new sources of transportation revenue based on motor vehicle use of public roadways. This long-awaited bill, studies for which have been ongoing for years, would establish a road-usage charge on a voluntary basis from 2027 to 2031 and mandatory program phased in from July 2029 through July 2035 for light duty electric and hybrid and internal combustion vehicles with fuel economy ratings of 20 mph or greater. The road usage charge starts at 2.6 cents per mile, offset by the amount of fuel tax paid and waives the other electric and hybrid vehicle fees. The funds may only be used for highway preservation and maintenance. The bill is intended to offset the loss of fuel tax revenue from increased fuel efficiency and increased use of electric and hybrid vehicles. HB 1921 had a public hearing in the House Transportation Committee on February 13 but has not yet been scheduled for executive session. SB 5726 is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, February 18 at 4:00 pm.
⚠️ Sign on PRO for SB 5726 HERE before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
Social & Economic Policy
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
No action alerts this week.EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
HB 1022 Creating a homes for heroes program. Under contract, the housing finance commission will design, develop, implement and evaluate a statewide pilot program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to people working in targeted occupations including licensed or certified child care. Substitute adds paraeducators and clarifies types of child care providers to be included. Fiscal note not available. Executive action taken in House Committee on Housing on Jan 16. Public hearing in Capital Budget Feb 20 at 1:30 pm.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 1022 HERE by Thursday, Feb 20 at 12:30 pm.
SB 5030 Improving access to educational services by reducing barriers to obtaining vital records and allowing alternative forms of documentation. Waives fees for accessing a child’s birth certificate for a parent or guardian eligible for or receiving basic food benefits and enrolling a child in an early learning program. Provides that alternative documents may be used to show a child’s age or date of birth for ECEAP purposes. Fiscal note: $246,000 for 2025-2027. Public hearing in Senate Ways & Means Feb 17 at 4:00 pm.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on SB 5030 HERE by Monday, Feb 17 at 3:00 pm.
K-12 Education
No action alerts this week.HEALTH CARE
HB 1926 Regarding training and testing of home care aides. This bill requires an analysis of testing knowledge and skills of individuals providing home care aide services and a report to the Legislature with recommendations for regulation. As the need for these services increases with the aging population, it will be important to assure that care is provided appropriately. This bill is scheduled for public hearing at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for HB 1926 HERE before 12:30 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
HB 1177/SB 5508 Concerning the child welfare housing assistance program. This bill would require the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to increase the number of households served by the child welfare housing assistance program by at least 200 above those served during fiscal year 2025, with a priority on serving families on any wait lists. The program is intended to reduce the need for foster care placement and shorten the time that children remain in out-of-home care. HB 1177 passed the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee as a substitute on January 31 and has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. It is scheduled for public hearing in Appropriations on Monday, February 17 at 4:00 pm. SB 5508 passed the Senate Human Services Committee on February 5 and is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4:00 pm on Thursday, February 20.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for HB 1177 HERE before 3:00 pm on Monday, February 17.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for SB 5508 HERE before 3:00 pm on Thursday, February 20.
HB 1358/SB 5298 Relating to the notice of sale or lease of manufactured/mobile home communities. This bill would remove the requirement for an owner to provide a notice of sale for a manufactured or mobile home community (MHC), modify the requirements for a notice of opportunity to purchase when selling or leasing an MHC, require the owner to provide the Department of Commerce with an update on the status of the sale every six months of delivering the notice of opportunity to purchase. It would offer greater protection to owners of manufactured and mobile homes who rent the land under the residence. HB 1358 has been referred to the House Housing Committee but has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing. SB 5298 passed the Senate Housing Committee as a substitute on February 7. It is now scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
⚠️ Sign in PROfor SB 5298 HERE before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
HB 1974 Establishing land banking authorities. This bill would authorize local governments to establish land banks and provide a state grant program to support land banking to increase affordable housing in areas where housing can support economic growth within neighborhoods if developed with a focus on services, jobs, public improvements, open spaces, equity, and other elements that make housing vital and economically additive to nearby residents and the region. This bill is scheduled for public hearing at 4:00 pm in the House Housing Committee on February 18.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for HB 1974 HERE before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
HB 1235/SB 5148 Ensuring compliance with the housing element requirements of the growth management act. This bill would require cities and counties that plan under the Growth Management Act to submit their housing elements and housing development regulations to the Department of Commerce for review within certain timelines, in order for their housing elements and housing development regulations to take effect. It prohibits these cities and counties from denying an affordable or moderate-income housing development unless they have received a final determination of compliance from Commerce, or certain other conditions are met. HB 1235 had a public hearing on January 21 but is not yet scheduled for executive session. SB 5148 passed the Senate Housing Committee as a substitute on February 7 and is now scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for SB 5148 HERE before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18.
HB 1443/SB 5332 Concerning mobile dwellings. Requires a city or county fully planning under the Growth Management Act to allow one home on wheels per residential lot if certain requirements are met. This will facilitate additional housing and support individuals who need to live in mobile homes. HB 1443 passed the House Housing Committee as a substitute on February 6 and is now scheduled for public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, February 20 at 4:00 pm. SB 5332 passed the Senate Housing Committee on January 31 and has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee but has not been scheduled for public hearing in that committee yet.
⚠️ Sign in PRO for HB 1443 HERE before 3:00 pm on Thursday, February 20.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES
HB 1177 Relating to the child welfare housing assistance program. Companion to SB 5508. Increases the number of households served through the child welfare housing assistance program to provide housing assistance after the department is no longer providing child welfare or child protective services to the family. Prioritizes families on the waiting list and adds subject to appropriations clause. Public Hearing in House Appropriations Feb 17 at 4:00 pm.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 1177 HERE by Monday, February 17 at 3:00 pm.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
HB 1137 Reducing Use of Long-Term Solitary Confinement. This bill will reduce the number of people who are sent to solitary confinement by (1) increasing the burden of proof needed to prove an infraction, and (2) limiting the types of infractions that will result in solitary confinement.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 1137 HERE before 3:00 pm on Monday, February 17.
SB 5342 Providing Access for Legislators to State Facilities. This bill requires the Departments of Corrections, Children, Youth, and Families, and Social and Health Services to make reasonable efforts to facilitate visits by legislators within the requested time frame.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on SB 5342 HERE before 3:00 pm on Monday, February 17.
HB 1125/SB 5269 Judicial Discretion Act. This bill gives discretion to judges to reduce certain lengthy sentences upon a showing that the original sentence no longer serves the interests of justice.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 1125 HERE before 8:00 am on Saturday, February 22.
HB 1274 Eliminating Juvenile Offenses from Sentencing Range Calculations. This bill retroactively eliminates the requirement that juvenile adjudications be considered to lengthen adult sentences.
⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 1274 HERE before 8:00 am on Saturday, February 22.
REVENUE
HB 1702 Authorizing counties to impose a public utility tax. This bill would authorize counties for the first time to charge a utility tax of up to 3 percent (cities are authorized to charge up to 6 percent) on each of 7 utilities. Since counties have been reliant primarily on property and sales tax for their general funds, and property tax growth has been limited to 1% annually, counties have experienced great difficulty meeting their local and regional needs. This bill would move counties toward equity with cities in their tax structures. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Finance Committee at 1:30 pm on Friday, February 21.
⚠️ Sign in PROon HB 1702 HERE before 12:30 pm on Friday, February 21.