Monday
The post-House of Origin cutoff deadline is behind us and Week 10 in the House of Representatives kicks off with focus on Senate bills that are now for consideration in the House.
The afternoon hearings include the Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee hearing Sen. Karen Keiser’s (D-Des Moines) SB 5453 to outlaw female genital mutilation. In the Environment & Energy Committee, members will hear testimony from SB 5447 from Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig to promote alternative jet fuel industry in Washington.
The Housing Committee will hear the companion to Rep. Mia Gregerson’s (D-SeaTac) HB 1129, SB 5198 which addresses the ways in which mobile or manufactured home properties can be sold, sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame (D-Seattle). Members will also hear public testimony on Sen. Sharon Shewmake’s (D-Bellingham) SB 5235, companion to HB 1276 from Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle), regarding accessory dwelling units.
Tuesday
In the Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Committee, public testimony will be heard on two bills from Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn). SB 5225 increases access to affordable childcare by allowing more families to qualify for the Working Connections Child Care program and SB 5114 improves support for adults with lived experience of sex trafficking.
The Health Care & Wellness Committee has scheduled a public hearing on Sen. Keiser’s SB 5729 which removes the expiration date for the $35 out-of-pocket limit for a month’s supply of insulin. The Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee will hear SB 5576 from Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) which improves the collection of biological samples in sexual assault procedures. In the Regulated Substances & Gaming Committee, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña’s (D-Seattle) SB 5080 will get a public hearing. The bill amends the existing Social Equity in Cannabis Program to award retail cannabis licenses to people from communities most affected by the War on Drugs.
In the Education Committee, SB 5311 increasing special education funding from Sen. Lisa Wellman (D-Mercer Island) will get a public hearing and receive testimony.
Wednesday
In the 8:00 AM hour, the Labor & Workplace Standards Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 5236, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), to improve staffing standards for nurses.
A joint session will be held in the morning honoring former lawmakers who have passed away in recent years.
In the afternoon, the Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Committee will hold a public hearing that includes SB 5515 from Sen. Dhingra to protect children from child abuse and neglect. SB 5555, creating the profession of certified peer specialists, from Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton) will be heard in Health Care & Wellness.
Later in the afternoon, the Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 5174 from Sen. Wellman to better understand the costs of school district transportation costs and SB 5702 from Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma) to make the Students Experiencing Homelessness and Foster Youth Program permanent. SB 5702 is the companion bill to HB 1693 from Rep. Debra Lekanoff (D-Anacortes).
Thursday
Thursday morning begins with a public hearing on SB 5365 in the Regulated Substances & Gaming Committee, a bill sponsored by Sen. Saldaña to crack down on the use of tobacco and vapor products by minors. In the Education Committee, Sen. Wilson’s SB 5355 to mandate instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification will hear public testimony. SB 5466, policy offered by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) to promote transit-oriented development, is scheduled for a public hearing in the Housing Committee.
Friday
Friday’s committee hearings include possible executive session on SB 5711 from Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest) to increase eligibility for the Washington College Grant in the Postsecondary Education & Workforce committee, SB 5114 to improve support for adults with lived experience of sex trafficking from Sen. Wilson in Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning, and SB 5729 to remove the insulin cap expiration date from Sen. Keiser in the Health Care & Wellness Committee.