With less than one week to go before bills must be passed out of their house of origin in the Legislature, Washington state lawmakers have spent the last several days focused on debating a wide array of legislation.
The cutoff for legislation to be passed is Wednesday. Bills that passed their first chamber will now go through committee and debate in the opposite chamber. The last day of the legislative session is April 27, and lawmakers have signaled that the budget proposal to balance the hole in the budget will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Here are some of the bills passed by House and Senate lawmakers this week:
Mandated reporting for clergy
Senate Bill 5375 — Sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, this bill would require clergy to be added to the list of mandated reporters that also includes health care professionals, teachers and law enforcement officials. Many other states require clergy to be mandated reporters. This is the third year Frame has tried to pass a version of the legislation, and this year's version of the bill includes no carveout for information obtained by priests during confession. The bill passed with a 28-20 vote and no Republicans voting in favor.
Right to Repair
House Bill 1483 — Referred to as the "Right to Repair Act," this bill sponsored by Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, requires manufacturers to provide consumers with manuals and tools needed to repair electronics. Instead of relying on manufacturers and authorized technicians, Washingtonians would be able to repair their electronic devices. Several other states have similar policies on the books. The bill passed Wednesday with a 94-1 vote, with Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, being the sole no vote.
Designating a state cactus
Senate Bill 5325 — Students at the Discovery Lab in Ellensburg wrote letters to lawmakers including prime bill sponsor Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, urging them to adopt the basalt cactus, also known as the Columbia Plateau cactus, as the state's official cactus. The Columbia Plateau cactus is native to the Pacific Northwest and grows in dry locations such as Central Washington and eastern Oregon. Warnick said the bill is a good opportunity to teach students about how laws are passed by the Legislature. The bill passed in the Senate with a 48-1 vote, with Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, being the only no vote.
Medical debt reporting
Senate Bill 5480 — Sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, this legislation would make medical debt void and unenforceable on consumer credit reports, meaning that lenders would be prohibited from considering medical debt when determining creditworthiness. While former President Joe Biden introduced a similar rule nationally in January, President Donald Trump's administration has put the rule on hold. Under Riccelli's proposal, credit reporting agencies could violate the Consumer Protection Act by including medical debt on credit reports. The bill saw some support from Republicans, and it passed the Senate with a 35-12 vote.
Lot splitting
House Bill 1096 — While other versions of this legislation sponsored by Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, have failed to pass both chambers in previous years, this year's version would allow homeowners to split their lots through a more streamlined process. The legislation only applies to cities that already allow middle housing and doesn't increase housing density beyond what is permitted in law. The bill passed with a 93-4 vote and is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Housing Committee on March 14.
Critical energy infrastructure information
House Bill 1610 — In response to attacks on energy substations, Rep. Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, is sponsoring legislation to exempt infrastructure information from the state's Public Records Act, meaning details about substations would no longer be available through records requests. During debate, Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, argued that the legislation was unnecessary because that information, such as blueprints for substations, is already unavailable under state and federal laws. The bill passed Friday with a 72-23 vote.
Electronic monitoring for sex offenders
House Bill 1457 — Sponsored by Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, and a mix of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, this legislation would require sexually violent predators who are to be released to less restrictive alternatives to wear an electronic monitoring device with tracking capabilities. The bill passed the House unanimously Monday, and if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor would go into effect July 26.
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