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.
Bill Summary
Washington State Senate Bill 5189 repeals an older pilot program and aims to support competency-based education. This legislation defines competency-based or mastery-based education – both of which are culturally-responsive learning practices (Critical Race Theory). Key elements include student empowerment and equity. Student progression is based not upon time spent in class but on perceived mastery of a subject. It also mandates the creation of rules and processes for funding and identifying schools implementing this model. FPIW opposed the pilot program and we continue to oppose this new legislation.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5200 concerns veterans’ medical foster homes and makes several amendments to existing Washington state laws to explicitly include medical foster homes in various regulatory definitions and requirements. Specifically, the bill adds medical foster homes, as defined by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, to the list of exempt residential facilities and expands definitions related to long-term care workers and providers to include medical foster home caregivers.
A medical foster home is a home where care is provided exclusively to three or fewer veterans, overseen and annually reviewed by the VA, and whose caregivers comply with state laws including training, certification, and background checks. The changes ensure that medical foster homes are recognized in state regulations about licensing, background checks, and vulnerable adult protections, while maintaining specific provisions that allow these specialized homes to operate with appropriate oversight. The bill aims to provide clarity and legal framework for these unique care settings that support veterans who need specialized, home-based care.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5208 establishes a new clean energy fund program designed to provide loans to various entities for projects that support Washington’s clean energy goals. The department may offer loans for a wide range of activities, including acquiring electric or hydrogen vehicles, developing renewable energy infrastructure, installing solar or wind equipment, advancing nuclear reactor technology, decarbonizing facilities, promoting clean energy research and development, modernizing the electrical grid, and supporting clean energy technology in agriculture and forestry. Eligible loan recipients include businesses, electric utilities, corporations, government agencies, political subdivisions, and national laboratories located in Washington.
The bill creates a clean energy fund account in the state treasury, which will receive funding from appropriations, bond proceeds, federal grants, and loan repayments. Loans to public entities may have reduced interest rates, while loans to private entities must have interest rates at least two percent above the prime rate. The department is required to conduct due diligence and can cancel loans if legal violations occur. The bill emphasizes supporting Washington’s environmental policies, particularly the state’s emissions reduction goals, and ensures that loan distribution is proportional across different types of eligible projects. The clean energy fund program aims to foster innovation and investment in clean energy technologies while supporting the state’s transition to a more sustainable energy economy.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5219 is another in a long line of bills designed to benefit criminals rather than the victims and their families. This bill redefines “partial confinement” to allow for up to 18 months of confinement, expanding the definition to include work release, home detention, and electronic monitoring. Additionally, the bill revises definitions and classifications related to criminal offenses, particularly violent and sexual offenses, and introduces new terms such as “persistent offender” and “recidivist offense.” It outlines the implications of these classifications for sentencing and community supervision. The bill also addresses eligibility for parenting programs and graduated reentry programs, increasing the maximum duration of home detention and mandating treatment for individuals with substance use disorders.
Partial confinement programs pose significant risks to public safety and undermines the integrity of the justice system. Allowing individuals to be released up to 18 months before the completion of their sentence—without ensuring that they have demonstrated positive rehabilitation—creates a dangerous precedent. This could lead to early releases of offenders who have not sufficiently proven their commitment to change, particularly those with a history of serious or violent crimes. Furthermore, the bill does not require a proven track record of rehabilitation for eligibility, potentially placing communities at risk of recidivism. Additionally, the bill’s provisions expand eligibility for the Community Parenting Alternative (CPA) to individuals who may not have had a substantial relationship with their children at the time of the offense. This change could undermine the program’s original intent, which was to focus on incarcerated parents who have a deep, ongoing bond with their children, ensuring a smoother reintegration.
Finally, the bill fails to address the critical issue of monitoring these individuals once they are released. Many current partial confinement programs suffer from insufficient oversight, which has led to cases of individuals engaging in criminal activity while under home detention. Expanding these programs without improving monitoring resources could exacerbate these risks, making communities less safe. Ultimately, the bill’s increased leniency towards early release without proper accountability measures may undermine the goals of justice and public safety, while prioritizing early release over necessary rehabilitation and community protection.
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Housing
Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease terminatio, creating parity between lease types, and providing attorney general enforcement.
Bill Summary
SB 5222, a rent control bill, will lead to limited housing supply, a downturn in housing development options and ultimately will lead to increased rental costs. Over any 12-month period, the billl limits rent and/or fee increases to a maximum of 7%. Furthermore, the bill prohibits rent and/or fee increases during the first year of rental, regardless of the length or type of lease. SB 5222 also provides other protections for tenants, including rent and/or fee increase notice requirements, lease termination provisions, and limits on security deposits, late fees and move-in fees. Historically, wherever rent control laws have been put in place, housing and rental costs have increased substantially. Please oppose this legislation.