Published date: March 31, 2025

Week 12 Report

Finishing week 11 of the 15-week regular session, the policy committees have until April 2^nd to pass bills either to their Rules Committee or to the various fiscal committees.   The fiscal committees have until April 8^th to finish their work.  None of these timelines apply to bills necessary to implement the budgets

Regarding budgets, this week, both chambers released their operating and transportation budgets with associated revenues. The capital budgets will be unveiled next Monday, March 31^st, with committee hearings on Tuesday. The Senate worked this Saturday and passed both it’s operating and transportation budgets from the Senate floor, while the House will hold floor action on its operating budget on Monday, and on its transportation budget on Wednesday.  Also, next week, the House and Senate will hold hearings on their revenue bills connected to the operating budget.  Due to this week’s budgets hearings and the fiscal cutoff, the budget writers are not giving themselves a lot of time to negotiate before the April 27^th end of session.

The transportation budgets are very different: while both rely on a gas tax increase (House 9 cents, and the Senate 6 cents), and both have motor vehicle sales and use taxes on luxury vehicles, but they differ on the other taxes and fees and the amounts raised over six years.   The House transportation budget relies on a total of $4,436M of new revenue, while the Senate transportation resource bill, SB 5801 raises about $3,040M over six years. The House transportation budget contains cuts to the regional mobility grants, but the Senate funds transit safety grants ($100M over six years). For those interested in viewing the Senate transportation new revenue summary, click here: https://fiscal.wa.gov/statebudgets/2025proposals/Documents/st/stSpendingRevenueSummar6YearBalanced.pdf  For those interested in the summary of the Senate transportation resources bill, SB 5801, click here: https://fiscal.wa.gov/statebudgets/2025proposals/Documents/st/stSB5801ResourcesBillSummaryNewRev.pdf , and for those interested in a summary of the House transportation new revenue bill, clerk here: https://fiscal.wa.gov/statebudgets/2025proposals/Documents/ht/htH19795RevenueSummary.pdf  The Senate transportation budget is actually two bills; a existing revenue budget bill, SB 5161, and a new funding budget bill, SB 5160.  Both bills passed from the Senate Transportation Committee and and they were partially combined with a striking amendment to HB 5161.

By passing their respective bills off their chamber’s floors, they establish their positions for the coming negotiations. The Senate approach includes money from the state general fund; HB 5802 diverts .3% of the sales and use tax to the multimodal transportation account. The House transportation budget does not rely on ongoing general fund money.  How stubborn each side holds their ground will be apparent in the coming weeks.

Upcoming Events

Environment & Energy (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 3/31 @ 1:30pm

• E2SSB 5284 – Exec Session – Improving Washington’s solid waste management outcomes.

Transportation (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 3/31 @ 4:00pm

• HB 1537 – Public Hearing – Expanding access to funding from the multiuse roadway safety account for eligible cities and for the Washington state departments of natural resources and fish and wildlife for maintenance and guidance of motorized recreation on green dot roads. (Remote Testimony Available).

Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 3/31 @ 4:00pm

• SB 5797 – Public Hearing – Enacting a tax on stocks, bonds, and other financial intangible assets for the benefit of public schools. (Remote Testimony Available).
• SB 5796 – Public Hearing – Enacting an excise tax on large employers on the amount of payroll expenses above the social security wage threshold to fund programs and services to benefit Washingtonians. (Remote Testimony Available).
• SB 5798 – Public Hearing – Concerning property tax reform. (Remote Testimony Available).
• SB 5794 – Public Hearing – Adopting recommendations from the tax preference performance review process, eliminating obsolete tax preferences, clarifying legislative intent, and addressing changes in constitutional law. (Remote Testimony Available).
• SB 5795 – Public Hearing – Reducing the state sales and use tax rate. (Remote Testimony Available).

Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 4/1 @ 8:00am

• HB 1216 – Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)

Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 4/1 @ 1:30pm

• 2SHB 1503 – Exec Session – Furthering digital equity and opportunity in Washington state.

Transportation (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 4/1 @ 4:00pm

• ESHB 1902 – Public Hearing – Convening a work group regarding the streamlining of permitting for transportation projects. (Remote Testimony Available).
• HB 1970 – Public Hearing – Concerning state highway construction project alternative contracting procedures. (Remote Testimony Available).

Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 4/1 @ 4:00pm

• SB 5195 – Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)
• SB 5804 – Public Hearing – Concerning fish habitat restoration. (Remote Testimony Available).

Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 4/3 @ 9:00am

• HB 1216 – Exec Session – Concerning the capital budget.

Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 4/3 @ 1:30pm

• SSB 5033 – Public Hearing – Concerning sampling or testing of biosolids for PFAS chemicals. (Remote Testimony Available).

Transportation (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 4/3 @ 1:30pm

• SSB 5215 – Public Hearing – Concerning debris escaping from vehicles on public highways. (Remote Testimony Available).
• SSB 5773 – Public Hearing – Concerning alternative procurement and delivery models for transportation projects. (Remote Testimony Available).

Transportation (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 4/3 @ 1:30pm

• SB 5802 – Public Hearing – Rebalancing statutory fund transfers and revenue dedications for transportation. (Remote Testimony Available).

Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 4/3 @ 1:30pm

• SB 5195 – Exec Session – Concerning the capital budget.
• SB 5804 – Exec Session – Concerning fish habitat restoration.

Transportation (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 4/4 @ 1:30pm

• SSB 5690 – Exec Session – Concerning actions of the department of transportation to notify utility owners of projects and seek federal funding for utility relocation costs.