Action Alerts for bills will be shown here in accordance with the schedule of the testimony hearings.
Bills below are for the week of: Monday, February 10th to Friday, February 14th, 2025.
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Public Safety
A hearing on HB 1276 has been scheduled:
Washington House Bill 1276 amends sentencing guidelines in Washington state, specifically addressing organized retail theft by adding new provisions to the standard sentence range. The bill introduces additional sentencing enhancements for organized retail theft based on the value of stolen property: 12 months added for property valued at $20,000 or more, and 24 months added for property valued at $50,000 or more. This addition aims to impose stricter penalties for significant thefts, reflecting the seriousness of organized retail crime.
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Environment
A hearing on HB 1550 has been scheduled:
House Bill 1550, Washington State’s Electric Vehicle Battery Management Act, establishes a producer responsibility program for ensuring safe recycling or repurposing of electric vehicle batteries. The bill mandates producers to create and implement battery management plans for collection, recycling, and disposal. These plans must detail environmentally sound practices and include consumer education initiatives.
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Environment
A hearing on HB 1656 has been scheduled:
Washington House Bill 1656, a bipartisan piece of legislation, modifies existing law to allow electrical, gas, and water companies to use securitization to finance costs from emergencies and conservation measures. The bill establishes a process for the Utilities and Transportation Commission to approve these financing orders, ensuring ratepayer protection and defining the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved.
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Taxes
A hearing on HB 1334 has been scheduled:
Washington State House Bill 1334 modifies the way inflation is calculated and, as a result, would allow up to 3% annual increases on property taxes. In fact, the new calculations could potentially result in 3% raises in property tax for several years in a row. Currently, annual property tax increases are capped at 1%. For the past several years, Democrats have attempted to increase the cap limit from 1% to 3% and this year is no different. They just refuse to take ’no’ for an answer. Apparently, we have to spell it out for them: NO!!!
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Education
A hearing on SB 5009 has been scheduled:
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Housing
A hearing on HB 1854 has been scheduled:
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Education
A hearing on HB 1363 has been scheduled:
Washington State House Bill 1363 modifies licensing requirements for child care and early learning providers in Washington state, making several key changes to existing regulations. The bill updates the Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ duties regarding licensing, including the development of separate requirements for different types of child care facilities. Notably, the bill introduces new standards for child care centers, maximum group sizes and staff-to-child ratios, and square footage requirements.
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Taxes
A hearing on SB 5054 has been scheduled:
The proposed bill aims to provide a tax exemption for the first 20,000 gallons of wine sold by wineries in Washington state. It introduces a new tax structure for wineries that sell less than 20,000 gallons of table wine or cider in a calendar year. The bill also includes a tax preference performance statement that outlines the legislature’s intent to support small wineries, which face unique challenges compared to larger operations.
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Environment
A hearing on HB 1707 has been scheduled:
House Bill 1707 establishes a review process that mandates the State Noxious Weed Control Board hold public hearings before listing any agricultural crops as noxious weeds. The legislature recognizes the current challenges facing agricultural producers and wants to ensure that before any agricultural crop can be designated as a noxious weed, the Board must first convene a work group convened by the Department of Agriculture and composed of agricultural producers and at least one Board member. This work group will develop recommendations, and the board must then hold a public hearing to discuss these recommendations before taking any action.
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Individual Freedom
A hearing on SB 5434 has been scheduled:
Senate Bill 5434 aims to establish balanced legislative oversight of gubernatorial powers during declared emergencies by amending existing laws. It introduces new provisions that require the governor’s proclamations of a state of emergency to be in writing, signed, and filed with the secretary of state, and mandates public notice through media. The bill introduces three key ways a state of emergency can be terminated: first, through a direct proclamation by the governor; second, if the legislature is in session, through a concurrent resolution ending the emergency; and third, if the legislature is not in session and more than 90 days have passed since the emergency declaration, through a written termination signed by all four legislative leadership members (majority and minority leaders of the Senate and House).