Today is day 25 of the 60-day legislative session, and yesterday was policy committee cutoff. Bills are first referred to a policy, or subject matter, committee for consideration. Policy cutoff is a key milestone in the legislative calendar, determining which bills will continue progressing through the process. Proposed legislation that was not passed by the policy committee are now considered dead unless they’re necessary to implement the budget (NTIB).
After bills move out of policy committee, they are referred to a fiscal committee if they impact to the state’s operating, capital, or transportation budgets. Fiscal committee cutoff is on Monday, Feb. 5, meaning proposed legislation will be further filtered.
Several bills relevant to the higher education sector remain at play, including:
- House Bill (HB) 2112, concerning opioid and fentanyl prevention education and awareness at institutions of higher education;
- HB 2214, permitting beneficiaries of public assistance programs to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose of receiving the Washington college grant;
- HB 2242, supporting sexual assault survivors at institutions of higher education;
- HB 2309, establishing the Washington 13 free guarantee;
- Senate Bill (SB) 5837, codifying the state election database at the UW to publish, evaluate, and analyze certain election data.
All of the these bills have a fiscal impact so must be heard and voted on in their appropriate fiscal committee. If they are passed in their fiscal committee, they will move to the Rules Committee and then to the floor for consideration by the entire body of the chamber the legislation was introduced in.
If you have questions about any of the bills being considered or the legislative process, please reach out to the Office of State Relations. More information about the legislative process and policy can also be found on the Washington State Legislature website.