Monday
Week 7 of the 2023 Legislative Session is here and we’re kicking it off with floor action in the House including two resolutions, one for Children’s Day and another for President’s Day. The House is also bringing back dinosaurs with a vote on making the Suciasaurus rex the official dinosaur of the state of Washington, HB 1020 from Rep. Melanie Morgan (D-Parkland).
The Appropriations Committee will meet for public hearings on bills. That includes HB 1332 from Rep. Debra Lekanoff (D-Anacortes) to support education in Native schools, HB 1316 from Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) to expand access to dual credit programs, and HB 1392, the Fair Repair Act from Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-SeaTac). There is also possible executive session scheduled for Rep. Tana Senn’s (D-Mercer Island) HB 1109, which improves special education in the state by offering incentives to schools to conduct initial evaluations and develop individualized education programs over the summer. Also up for a vote is HB 1436 from Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle) to increase special education funding.
Also in the afternoon, the Capital Budget Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1720 from Rep. Mike Chapman (D-Port Angeles) to improve salmon recovery and riparian habitat through a voluntary, regionally focused grant program. And in the Transportation Committee, there will be a public hearing on HB 1363 from Rep. Alicia Rule (D-Blaine) to modify the vehicular pursuits law and Rep. Jake Fey’s (D-Tacoma) HB 1807 to allow speed safety camera systems to protect workers in highway work zones.
Tuesday
The Appropriations Committee will meet to hear a variety of bills, including HB 1678 from Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) to authorize limited dental therapy in Washington state, HB 1565 from Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-Mukilteo) to create an online employment database for school job postings, and HB 1479 from Rep. Lisa Callan (D-Issaquah) to prohibit nonemergency isolation or restraining of students. Committee members will also hear HB 1110, Rep. Jessica Bateman’s (D-Olympia) Middle Housing legislation and HB 1025 from Rep. My-Linh Thai (D-Bellevue), to create a private right of action when peace officers violate state law or the state constitution.
A voluntary road use charge bill introduced by Rep. Fey is scheduled for a public hearing in Transportation in the afternoon (HB 1832). Also up for a hearing is HB 1513 from Rep. Chipalo Street (D-Seattle) to reprioritize traffic stops to improve safety.
The Finance Committee will meet for a public hearing on HB 1628 from Rep. Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) to modify the real estate excise tax to provide funding for housing support for individuals with developmental disabilities and expanded funding for the Housing Trust Fund, the Affordable Housing for All account, and the Apple Health and Homes account.
Wednesday
Wednesday will feature public hearings in the Finance, Capital Budget, and Transportation Committees. The Appropriations Committee has a public hearing scheduled on HB 1823 from Rep. Joe Timmons (D-Bellingham) improving the state student loan program, HB 1238, prime sponsored by Rep. Riccelli, the Washington Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act to provide free meals to all K-12 students, and HB 1134 from Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) to continue implementation of the 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention system.
Later, the committee will hear HB 1570 from Rep. Liz Berry (D-Seattle) to expand social insurance program access to rideshare drivers, HB 1470 from Rep. Ortiz-Self to require private detention facilities doing business in Washington to comply with the same accountability standards as public institutions, and HB 1715 from Rep. Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline) to enact comprehensive reforms to protect victims of domestic violence and other violence involving family members or intimate partners. Committee members will also hear HB 1389 from Rep. Alex Ramel (D-Bellingham) to provide rent stabilization, HB 1474 sponsored by Rep. Jamila Taylor (D-Federal Way) to establish a covenant homeownership account and program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to help address generations of systemic, racist, and discriminatory policies that formed barriers to homeownership, and HB 1579 sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver), which would establish independent prosecutions of criminal conduct from police use of force.
Appropriations also has possible executive session scheduled on HB 1445 from Rep. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island), to strengthen the Attorney General’s authority to investigate misconduct by law enforcement and HB 1028 sponsored by Rep. Orwall to require law enforcement agencies to conduct an investigation of a reported sexual assault within 90 days when testing of a sexual assault kit results in a hit in the CODIS.
Thursday
Appropriations continues its marathon sprint to the Fiscal Committee Cutoff on Thursday with a public hearing scheduled on HB 1559, prime sponsored by Rep. Debra Entenman (D-Kent), to study and provide improved food and basic need support to college students and HB 1508 from Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) to improve consumer affordability through the health care cost transparency board.
The committee will also hold possible executive session on HB 1025 from Rep. Thai, HB 1110 from Rep. Bateman, HB 1316 from Rep. Paul, HB 1332 sponsored by Rep. Lekanoff, HB 1392 by Rep. Mia Gregerson, HB 1479 from Rep. Callan, and HB 1565 prime sponsored by Rep. Ortiz-Self.
Friday
Friday is Fiscal Committee Cutoff and the Appropriations Committee has scheduled executive session on bills previously heard by the members, including: HB 1134 from Rep. Orwall, HB 1238 from Rep. Riccelli, HB 1389 from Rep. Ramel, HB 1474 from Rep. Taylor, HB 1470 from Rep. Ortiz-Self, HB 1559 by Rep. Entenman, HB 1570 sponsored by Rep. Berry, HB 1823 prime sponsored by Rep. Timmons, HB 1579 from Rep. Stonier, and HB 1715 authored by Rep. Davis.