Washington’s 2021 legislative session was already bound to be as challenging as any in state history.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers have arranged Zoom-powered proceedings, with a limited number of legislators allowed at any one time on the House and Senate floors, and the Capitol closed to the general public.
Their task list is packed. It includes: adopting a 2021-23 state operating budget; relief for businesses and individuals struggling through coronavirus-related shutdowns; speeding vaccinations; debating new taxes and a sweeping clean-fuels proposal; and efforts to transform policing and promote racial equity.
