The Washington state Capitol building in 2024. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
More legislation fell by the wayside Friday in the Washington Legislature, including bills on signature gathering for ballot initiatives, free school meals and ballot box tampering.
Friday was the deadline for bills to pass through fiscal committees, like Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations. With a multibillion-dollar deficit hanging over the session, bills creating new or expensive programs have proven to be a tough sell.
The latest casualties come a week after the legislative session’s first deadline knocked out a slew of bills.
Legislation next needs to be passed out of the chamber where it originated by March 12. But bills deemed “necessary to implement the budget,” like those that include new taxes, are immune from these deadlines. And it’s possible lawmakers could find creative ways to revive their proposals in the budget process.
The session is slated to end April 27.
Here’s a sampling of the bills that failed to leap the latest hurdle.
Initiative signatures
A Democratic-backed bill dubbed the “initiative killer” by its Republican opponents is now dead.
Senate Bill 5382 would’ve required signature gatherers for initiatives to sign a declaration that information written by signers is accurate and they were not paid for their signature. It also directed the secretary of state to verify the address listed by a person on an initiative or referendum petition. The state’s initiative process allows citizens to propose changes in law on the ballot or to the Legislature.
Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs opposed the bill. And last week, Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen said the bill was not “a major caucus priority.” It lapsed in Senate Ways and Means without a vote.
Free school meals
This isn’t the year for a bill that would’ve offered free breakfast and lunch to all public school students. Currently, around 70% of public school students have access to free meals. It would cost about $120 million a fiscal year to cover 100% of students.
Gov. Bob Ferguson identified the expansion as a priority and many lawmakers signed on in support of the legislation. But the price tag for House Bill 1404 remained a concern given the deficit and other expensive K-12 education bills.
Independent prosecutor
For years, Democrats in Olympia have tried to establish an independent prosecutor to handle cases where police have used deadly force.
Reworking the plan to move the prosecutor inside the existing Office of Independent Investigations in the governor’s office, instead of situating it in the attorney general’s office, wasn’t enough to get it over the finish line. Senate Bill 5584 simply cost too much in a year with a major budget deficit.
“There are a lot of good bills we’d like to advance this year, this one included, but we’re dealing with a very difficult budget reality,” said the measure’s prime sponsor, Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond. The bill fizzled out in Senate Ways and Means.
Unemployment benefits for immigrants
Immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits. Senate Bill 5626 and House Bill 1773 intended to change that, creating a separate unemployment safety net using state dollars. Asked about the bill this week, House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon noted the tough path for bills that create new programs or benefits.
Victims of Crime Act funding
Federal funding for the Victims of Crime Act State Plan has been in decline. The program provides legal advocacy, therapy, emergency shelter and forensic exams to domestic violence survivors and other crime victims.
Proposals in the House and Senate would have required Washington to ensure the fund has $50 million every year through 2029, $60 million every year through 2033 and $70 million every year starting in 2033.
Advocates said that without stable funding services for crime victims could be in jeopardy — after-hours hotlines could be shut down, emergency shelter capacity would shrink and fewer legal advocates would be available resulting in fewer people being helped.
Pay for parental caregivers
Under Washington law, anyone except a legal parent or guardian can get paid to provide care, like bathing, dressing or managing medical needs, to a child under 18 who has an intellectual or developmental disability. Parents are eligible for this pay only after their child becomes an adult. Families often struggle to find caregivers due to the lack of people doing this work.
House Bill 1200 and Senate Bill 5211 would have required the state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration to ask the federal government for permission to use Washington’s Medicaid funding to pay parents of minors with developmental disabilities. The Senate version of the legislation was teed up for a possible committee vote on Friday evening, but Senate Ways and Means declined to move it.
Chronic absenteeism
Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, as recently as Tuesday was celebrating progress on his bill to reduce student absences in Washington’s public schools.
Senate Bill 5007 aimed to, among other things, train staff to identify warning signs of chronically absent kids and get them support to engage in school.
The bipartisan measure had a hearing in Senate Ways and Means, and was scheduled for a committee vote Thursday but never saw action.
Managing textile waste
House Bill 1420 would have required the state’s Department of Ecology to oversee end-of-life management of apparel and textiles, similar to programs that handle the disposal of electronics, pharmaceuticals, paint, and batteries.
This bill would have required apparel and textile producers to pay fees to a “producer responsibility organization” responsible for collecting, sorting, and recycling waste.
Public defender and prosecutor loan repayment
There’s a public defender and prosecutor shortage in Washington, especially in rural areas. Senate Bill 5027 would have established a law school loan repayment program to help attract and retain lawyers for these jobs. Low pay is one of the reasons attorneys have cited for leaving the positions.
Kit homes
A bipartisan proposal would’ve let local governments permit “kit homes” in any single-family zone.
These premade homes can be built relatively quickly and inexpensively. Supporters say they’re another way to expand housing options as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle scramble to get more homes built for the state’s growing population.
After passing through a housing committee unanimously, Senate Bill 5249 didn’t get a hearing in Ways and Means.
Ballot box tampering
A modest, bipartisan measure aimed to keep ballot boxes secure after votes were destroyed in an arson last year.
Senate Bill 5011 would have required each visible side of ballot boxes to display two messages. One would note the box is the property of the county that bought the box. The other would state tampering with the box may violate state and federal law.
The signage would’ve cost an average of $1,000 for each of the state’s over 500 ballot boxes, with counties footing the bill and the state potentially reimbursing them.
Civic engagement in prisons
House Bill 1147 would’ve established “a right to civic engagement” for people in prisons, state hospitals and other institutionalized settings. This right would have covered things like forming political organizations, organizing and communicating with community groups and elected officials, and accessing spaces for meetings.
The bill also would have created a civic engagement coordinator in the state’s Office of Equity.
People in state prisons have become more active in advocating in the Legislature in recent years, especially as remote testimony became an option. But incarcerated activists have also complained of difficulties in engaging in the political process.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs testified against the bill. He said there’s a position in his office focused on issues the bill was trying to address, and suggested lawmakers keep the job funded via a budget proviso. The Department of Corrections and Department of Social and Health Services stayed neutral on the bill.