Week 5 will busy in the Senate, with two full weeks to go before the first big cutoff date of the 2025 legislative session. Committees will hear from the public on a range of policies, including the creation of a EV battery stewardship program, help for working students, stronger protections for reproductive freedom in our state and a ban on certain tobacco products.
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM
10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10
The Law & Justice Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5632, sponsored by Sen. Drew Hansen. The bill will strengthen Washington’s Shield Law, which protects abortion and other medical providers, as well as patients, from legal action or overreach from the federal government or other states. Watch on TVW.
HELPING WASHINGTON’S KIDS
1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10
The Human Services Committee will hear public testimony on bills to help at risk kids. Senate Bill 5617, sponsored by Sen. Claire Wilson, provides a state response to serve unaccompanied minors exiting juvenile detention, while SB 5620, sponsored by Sen. Annette Cleveland, creates the Foster Care Bill of Rights to codify the rights entitled to foster children. Watch on TVW.
SUPPORT FOR WORKING STUDENTS
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11
The Labor & Commerce Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5540, sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa. Currently, working students do not qualify for unemployment benefits if they are taking 12 or more credits. This bill would remove that automatic disqualification but require working students to meet other thresholds such as working at least 680 hours per year. Watch on TVW.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11
House and Senate Democratic leaders will answer questions from the press on Tuesday. Watch on TVW.
EV BATTERY STEWARDSHIP
1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11
The Environment, Energy & Technology Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5586, sponsored by Sen. Derek Stanford. The bill creates an electric vehicle stewardship program to safely reuse parts or dispose of EV batteries at the end of their life cycle. Watch on TVW.
EDUCATION FUNDING
4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11
The Ways & Means Committee will hear public testimony on several bills to improve funding to Washington’s schools in areas such as transportation (SB 5187, Sen. Lisa Wellman), materials, supplies and operating costs (SB 5192, Sen. T’wina Nobles) and special education programs (SB 5263, Pedersen.) Watch on TVW.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12
The Housing Committee will hear public testimony on several bills to make housing more affordable.
Senate Bill 5604, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, addresses Washington’s critical housing shortage near transit. The bill creates a new 20-year tax exemption program for multifamily developments within half a mile of major transit stops. This will help ensure Washingtonians of all income levels can benefit from public investments in transit and encourage density where transit access can reduce living costs.
Senate Bill 5614, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Salomon, creates an impact fee deferral program aimed at reducing upfront construction costs driving up housing costs. By allowing builders to defer fees until project completion, the bill will accelerate housing construction while ensuring communities still receive funding for infrastructure improvements.
SB 5615, also sponsored by Salomon, requires cities to process residential permits under rules in effect when applications are complete, regardless of fee payment timing — creating certainty for homebuilders and reducing unnecessary delays in getting housing built for Washington families.
FLOOR ACTION
12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12
The Senate will debate and pass bills on the Senate floor Wednesday. Watch on TVW.
STRONGER COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES
1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13
The Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5397, sponsored by Sen. Bill Ramos. The bill limits the percentage of classes that can be taught by faculty without tenure at Washington’s community and technical colleges to 45%. CTCs that over-rely on part-time faculty don’t create opportunities for them to become full time or tenured. This also harms students, who miss out on tenured faculty’s diverse research, innovative teaching, and academic freedom. Watch on TVW.
HEALTHIER WASHINGTON
8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14
The Health & Long-Term Care Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5183, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles. The bill prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol cigarettes, flavored vapes and nicotine pouches. It also bans “entertainment vapor products,” which feature interactive elements like video games or animations. Research cited in the bill shows eight out of 10 young users start with flavored products, and in Washington, 14% of 12th graders and 8% of 10th graders vape, with 88% using flavored options. Watch on TVW.
PREVENTING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14
Sen. Manka Dhingra will host her annual press conference to discuss legislation to combat gender-based violence. Dhingra will be joined by lawmakers from both chambers to answer questions about the issue. Watch on TVW.
