OLYMPIA — As we reach the mid-point of the 2018 session, Senate Democrats remain focused on policies that put people first. Last week, the Senate passed several measures that protect and improve women’s health care with bipartisan support, including the Reproductive Parity Act which had been blocked by Senate Republicans since 2013. The Senate Energy, Environment & Technology Committee also took a big step toward a cleaner future by passing a plan to put a price on carbon pollution. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, expect to see a flurry of hearings on dozens of bills in the Senate Ways & Means Committee as the Legislature faces a Tuesday deadline to move bills out of fiscal committees. The remainder of the week will focus on floor action as the full Senate considers a long list of bills before a Feb. 14 deadline to move all bills out of the Senate.
Click here for a list of bills passed by the Senate so far in the 2018 session.
- Democratic leaders from the House and Senate will hold a press availability at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in the House Caucus Room.
- Possible floor action Wednesday-Saturday.
- Media contacts by senator – Follow Us – Like us – Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Monday
Ways & Means, 10 a.m., Senate Hearing Room 4 Full agenda as of 2/4 – Subject to change
Public Hearing:
- SSB 5689 – Establishing a statewide policy supporting Washington state’s economy and immigrants’ role in the workplace.
- SSB 5407 – Ensuring housing options.
- SSB 6253 – Establishing a clean, efficient, renewable energy standard.
- SSB 6314 – Extending the existing state property tax exemption for residences of senior citizens and disabled persons to local regular property taxes.
- SSB 5935 – Enhancing consumer access, affordability, and quality of broadband and advanced telecommunications services.
- SSB 6161 – Establishing a training course for campaign treasurers.
- SB 6201 – Making the open educational resources project permanent.
- SSB 6421 – Updating the environmental and sustainability literacy plan.
- SSB 6410 – Concerning school safety.
- SSB 6388 – Concerning paraeducators.
- SB 6389 – Regarding career and technical education in alternative learning experience programs.
- SB 6184 – Adding part-time employees to state civil service.
- SSB 6026 – Prohibiting health carriers and pharmacy benefit managers from using contracts to prevent pharmacists from telling their customers about cheaper ways to buy prescription drugs.
- SSB 6150 – Concerning opioid use disorder treatment, prevention, and related services.
- SSB 6102 – Enacting the employee reproductive choice act.
- SB 6549 – Expanding the access to baby and child dentistry program to serve children with disabilities.
- SSB 6129 – Concerning an ambulance transport quality assurance fee.
- SSB 5970 – Establishing the mental health field response teams program.
- SB 6491 – Increasing the availability of assisted outpatient behavioral health treatment.
- SB 6573 – Establishing the capacity to purchase community long-term involuntary psychiatric treatment services through managed care.
- SSB 6160 – Revising conditions under which a person is subject to exclusive adult jurisdiction and extending juvenile court jurisdiction over serious cases to age twenty-five.
- SSB 6277 – Creating a graduated reentry program of partial confinement for certain offenders.
- SB 6283 – Repealing an expiration date that affects state fire service mobilization.
- SSB 6453 – Concerning legal support for kinship caregivers.
- SB 6309 – Extending the timeline for completing a family assessment response.
- SSB 6223 – Concerning equitable educational outcomes for vulnerable children and youth.
- SSB 6502 – Concerning eligibility for the essential needs and housing support and the aged, blind, or disabled assistance programs.
- SSB 6539 – Ensuring compliance with the state’s fiduciary duty in managing state trust lands.
- SB 6109 – Concerning the International Wildland Urban Interface Code.
- SSB 6413 – Reducing the use of certain toxic chemicals in firefighting activities.
- SSB 6396 – Concerning the use of perfluorinated chemicals in food packaging.
- SSB 6268 – Creating the orca protection act.
- SSB 6386 – Ensuring the funding of fairs.
- SSB 6529 – Establishing a modernizing pesticide notification work group.
- SSB 6199 – Concerning the consumer directed employer program.
- SSB 6360 – Improving transition planning for students in special education who meet criteria for services from the developmental disabilities administration.
- SSB 6101 – Establishing the evergreen free college act.
- SSB 6262 – Establishing pilot programs to plan for the needs of certain college students experiencing homelessness.
- SSB 6246 – Providing for approval of school district bonds by fifty-five percent of the voters voting.
- SJR 8213 – Amending the Constitution to allow at least fifty-five percent of voters voting to authorize school district bonds.
- SB 6480 – Concerning local government infrastructure