Published date: March 5, 2024
The legislature is entering its final week of the 2024 session, which is scheduled to end on March 7th, a Thursday. Rumors are rampant that the supplemental budgets (operating, capital and transportation) are cooked, having been negotiated through this weekend. If that is true, expect to see the proposals by Tuesday or Wednesday latest – it takes a while for staff to complete the drafting and the budget proposals must “sit on the bar” for 24 hours before they can be voted upon. While that rule can be waived, it rarely is.
Last Friday was the floor deadline for each chamber to consider the other chamber’s bills. This week will be used to reconcile the differences of bills amended in the opposite chamber, and to consider bills necessary to implement the budget. Unlike past sessions, this time may also be used to consider the initiatives to the legislature. Of the six initiatives, the Legislature is considering 3: I-2111, which concerns prohibiting the imposition of an income tax; I-2081, which pertains to parental rights relating to their children’s public education, and I-2113, which address police vehicle pursuits. Each of these has been heard and voted out of their relevant committees and will be consider on the House and Senate floor this week. If the Legislature passes them, they become law – the Governor cannot veto them. Next year, they can be amended just like other bills, by a simple majority vote. If they passed at the ballot, then the Legislature would need to a super-majority vote to amend them.
For those looking for more information on the budgets when they are released, you can find the drafts here: https://fiscal.wa.gov/ , and for those seeking a more in-depth review of the legislative week, I suggest TVW’s Legislative Review: https://tvw.org/shows/legislative-review/ .
APWA Bill Status Report
Budgets
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| HB 1982 | Broadband loans & grants | Concerning the authority of the community economic revitalization board with respect to loans and grants to political subdivisions and federally recognized Indian tribes for broadband. | S Passed 3rd | Waters |
| ESHB 2134 (SSB 5947) | Transportation budget, supp. | Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium. | S Passed 3rd | Fey |
| ESSB 5949 (SHB 2089) | Capital budget, supplemental | Concerning the capital budget. | H 2nd Reading | Mullet |
| ESSB 5950 (SHB 2104) | Operating budget, supp. | Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations. | H Passed 3rd | Robinson |
Contracts and Purchasing
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| 2ESHB 1282 (SSB 5322) | Public building materials | Requiring environmental and labor reporting for public building construction and renovation material. | S Passed 3rd | Duerr |
| ESSB 6040 | Public works payments | Concerning prompt payment in public works. | H Passed 3rd | Valdez |
| SSB 6192 | Construction change orders | Addressing additional work and change orders on public and private construction projects. | H Passed 3rd | King |
Emergency management
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| SHB 1012 | Extreme weather events | Addressing the response to extreme weather events. | S Passed 3rd | Leavitt |
| HB 2135 | Emergency worker prg./tribes | Including federally recognized tribes as part of the Washington emergency management division emergency worker program. | S Passed 3rd | Stearns |
Transportation
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| ESHB 2384 (SB 5959) | Traffic safety cameras | Concerning automated traffic safety cameras. | S Passed 3rd | Donaghy |
| SSB 6115 (ESHB 2356) | Speed safety cameras | Concerning speed safety camera systems. | H Passed 3rd | King |
Uncategorized Bills
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| ESSB 6291 (SHB 2465) | State building code council | Streamlining the state building code council operating procedures by establishing criteria for statewide amendments to the state building code. | H Passed 3rd | Wilson |