A busy week two kicks off with a celebration on the Senate floor honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Committees that day will honor Dr. King’s legacy with action, holding public hearings on bills that address criminal justice reforms, the rights of working people and a stronger education system.
RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS FOR WORKING PEOPLE
Monday, Jan. 15
10:30 am
The Labor & Commerce Committee will hear several bills aimed at strengthening and expanding the rights of working people. Senate Bill 5995 creates a professional license for spoken language interpreters and translators, while SB 6105 will make working conditions at adult entertainment establishments safer. Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña. SB 5894, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, adds protected classes in Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. Watch on TVW.
JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM
Monday, Jan. 15
10:30 am
The Human Services Committee will hold public hearings on a slate of bills aimed at reforming Washington’s juvenile justice system. Youth from Green Hill School in Chehalis will be on campus to testify on several bills, including Senate Bill 5981, sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, which would allow the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board to consider their cases before they transfer to DOC. The public will also weigh in on SB 6063, likewise sponsored by Frame, which will modify Washington’s three strikes law for crimes committed by juveniles under the age of 18, a bill (SB 5974, Frame) clearing the slate of juvenile court debt, and a bill dealing with unaccompanied minors released from juvenile detention sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (SB 6042). Watch on TVW.
EMPOWERING SURVIVORS
Monday, Jan. 15
10:30 am
The Law & Justice Committee will hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 5937, an omnibus bill sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra to promote a victim-centered, trauma-informed response to sexual assault in our legal system. The Committee will also hear testimony on SB 5444, sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, which adds zoos, aquariums, libraries and other public spaces to the list of locations where it is restricted to knowingly possess a firearm. Watch on TVW.
MLK DAY
Monday, Jan. 15
12:30 pm
The Senate will honor Martin Luther King Jr with a resolution, speeches and other recognitions on what would have been the civil rights icon’s 95th birthday. Watch on TVW.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Monday, Jan. 15
1:30 pm
The Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will consider several policies to increase funding for Washington’s special education programs, including Senate Bill 6014, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Wellman. Watch on TVW.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Tuesday, Jan. 16
8 am
The Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5987 which guarantees that gift cards are both reloadable and able to be combined with other forms of payment. Watch on TVW.
PROTECTING ABORTION PROVIDERS
Tuesday, Jan. 16
8 am
The Health & Long Term Care Committee will hear Senate Bill 5960 which allows providers who prescribe abortion medications to have their names removed and substituted for their identification number or facility name, protecting them from potential retaliation from hostile parties. Watch on TVW.
SUCCESSFUL RE-ENTRY
Tuesday, Jan. 16
10:30 am
Approximately 96 percent of incarcerated people will eventually be released. It’s important that they have the tools necessary to make it less likely they reoffend. The Human Services Committee will hear several bills with that goal in mind. Sen. Claire Wilson is sponsor of three such policies: Senate Bill 5888 helps coordinate health care; SB 5893 provides modest financial support for people exiting prison; and SB 5912 provides a re-entry plan for everyone leaving DOC custody. Sen. Drew Hansen is the sponsor of SB 6021, which provides free telecommunications for incarcerated people so that they can maintain family support systems while in custody. Watch on TVW.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Tuesday, Jan. 16
1 pm
House and Senate Democratic leaders will answer questions from the press on Tuesday afternoon. Watch on TVW.
GAS PRICE TRANSPARENCY
Wednesday, Jan. 17
8 am
The Environment, Energy & Technology Committee will hear public testimony on a pair of bills aimed at creating greater transparency for consumers. Sen. Joe Nguyen is sponsor of Senate Bill 6052, which will require gas and oil companies to provide information that will allow the Utilities and Trade Commission to exercise oversight regarding transportation fuel costs. SB 6092, sponsored by Sen. Sharon Shewmake, will give consumers a better understanding of the carbon footprint produced by businesses operating in Washington. Watch on TVW.
EDUCATION
Wednesday, Jan. 17
10:30 am
The Early Learning & K-12 Committee will hear a pair of bills to expand education requirements. Senate Bill 5849, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Wellman, would make computer science a graduation requirement. SB 5851, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sens. John Braun, Jesse Salomon and others, would require Holocaust and genocide education in Washington schools. Watch on TVW.
RENT STABILIZATION
Wednesday, Jan. 17
10:30 am
The Housing Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6136 which reestablishes the Business & Occupation tax on rental income for landlords, but offers to exempt landlords from the tax if they voluntarily cap annual rent increases at 5 percent, providing some predictability for tenants. Watch on TVW.
FLOOR ACTION
Wednesday, Jan. 17
1:30 pm
The Senate will be in action Wednesday passing bills regarding education, law enforcement, health care and much more. Watch on TVW.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Thursday, Jan. 18
8 am
The Labor & Commerce Committee will hear testimony on Senate Bill 6194, which builds out the framework for legislative employee collective bargaining, should legislative staff vote to organize. Watch on TVW.
STOPPING HATE
Thursday, Jan. 18
8 am
The Law & Justice Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5917, a policy that adds acts of vandalism on public property to Washington’s hate crime laws. You can read more about this bill here from KXLY. Watch on TVW.
EARLY LEARNING
Thursday, Jan. 18
1:30 pm
The Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hear from the public on several bills aimed at improving access and quality in Washington’s early learning and childcare programs. Senate Bill 5870, sponsored by Sen. Claire Wilson, expands access to the Working Connections Childcare Program and also makes it easier for low-income families to get on to the Early Care and Education Assistance Program. SB 6018, also sponsored by Wilson, provides an early learning coordinator position at each educational service district across the state to help families and schools map, access, and facilitate enrollment in childcare services. SB 5933, sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, funds the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers program, which helps infants and toddlers with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Watch on TVW.
