Essential information on each bill is below. For more details, click on the bill number – e.g., “SB 5000.” The new page will show the progress of the bill, videos of debate, and the link to send a comment to your legislator about the bill.
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Elections
Requesting that the Attorney General of the United States audit and review the state department of licensing’s implementation of the “motor voter law”.
Bill Summary
Concerned about the accuracy of Washington’s voter registration system, Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, has introduced House Joint Memorial 4007, calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to audit and review the Washington State Department of Licensing’s implementation of the state’s voter registration laws. If approved, HJM 4007 would request that the President and U.S. Attorney General review how voter registration is managed when individuals obtain a driver’s license or state ID. Under Washington’s motor voter law, which is part of the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993—also known as the “Motor Voter Act”—individuals can register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or ID. In 2018, Washington expanded this system by passing the Automatic Voter Registration Act, requiring certain state agencies, including the DOL, to automatically register individuals to vote unless they opt out.
Washington operates as an all-mail-in voting state, meaning the accuracy of the voter registration database is critical to maintaining fair and secure elections. Under the current system, the DOL, the Secretary of State’s Office, and local election officials share responsibility for verifying and maintaining voter rolls. However, conflicting reports from these agencies about voter registration procedures have raised questions about whether proper safeguards are in place to prevent errors. While these policies are meant to streamline voter registration, concerns have been raised that the current system does not do enough to verify whether an individual is eligible to vote before being added to the voter rolls. HJM 4007 seeks to ensure that voter registration is handled securely and complies with both state and federal laws and also requests that, if any issues are identified, the U.S. Department of Justice provide recommendations for corrective actions to bring Washington’s voter registration system into full compliance with the law. If approved by the Legislature, HJM 4007 will be transmitted to the President, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leadership, and each member of Washington’s congressional delegation.
“Election integrity is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy,” Walsh stated. “The people of Washington deserve confidence that our voter registration system is secure and functioning as intended. This review is about ensuring accountability, accuracy, and transparency in our elections,” Walsh added. “An audit of how voter registrations are processed will provide clarity and help ensure that we are following both state and federal election laws correctly.”
Bill Summary
House Joint Resolution 4200 proposes an amendment to Washington State’s constitution regarding taxation and addresses issues of tax fairness and uniformity. The constitution mandates uniform taxation, with limitations on levy rates (a maximum of 1% of assessed value) and exceptions for certain entities. This bipartisan amendment would clarify the definition of “property” subject to taxation, allowing for exemptions of certain personal property and specifying that taxes must be uniform within the same property class. Furthermore, the resolution also details the allocation of tax revenue and clarifies the existing personal property tax exemption. It proposes to increase the personal property tax exemption from $15,000 to $50,000 per household, removing the previous “head of family” restriction. The resolution also mandates publication of the proposed amendment prior to a statewide vote. Please support this proposed resolution.
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Education
Amending the Constitution to allow a majority of voters voting to authorize school district bonds.
Bill Summary
House Joint Resolution 4201 proposes a Washington state constitutional amendment. The Democrat-sponsored amendment aims to simplify the voting requirements for school districts to levy taxes and issue bonds, requiring only a simple majority rather than a supermajority. Specific limitations on property tax levies are outlined, along with exceptions for certain purposes like bond repayment and emergency situations. The resolution also mandates public notice of the proposed amendment before the election.
As public school testing scores continue to plummet, more and more citizens have seen the futility of investing ever-greater amounts of money into a failing product. Historic approval rates for increased school levies and bonds are a thing of the past; so, rather than improve the quality-level of our children’s education, Democrats simply want to ‘lower the bar’ as a means to more money. Let’s not let that happen. Please reject this resolution.
Bill Summary
This bill is another in a long line of proposed legislation attempting to make permanent either Daylight Saving Time (DST) or Pacific Standard Time (PST). A similar bill this past Session was not passed. It is encouraging to note this new bill has bipartisan support with Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview and Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond working together to implement permanent Pacific Standard Time.
Approval from the U.S. Congress is required if a state wants to make DST permanent; however, changing to permanent standard time does not require federal approval. Legislators will still be required to work in cooperation with neighboring states to keep the region on the same time schedule.
It appears there are some strong arguments for keeping Washingtonians on permanent Pacific Standard Time from a health and sleep perspective; and yet, experts enamored with DST make a case for their preference based upon safety, more sunlight into the evenings, and energy considerations.
The greatest consensus is that switching our time schedule twice each year is not popular, and this bill would bring an end to this on-going Spring-Fall debacle.
