It’s day 37 of the 60-day legislative session.
This week saw many milestones and new developments in the legislative process. On Monday, Feb. 16, the Washington State Economic & Revenue Forecast Council released its February revenue forecast, which projected a modest revenue increase through 2029. This forecast indicated that the Legislature has an additional $438 million to appropriate during this legislative session. While positive, this does not fully solve the state’s budget deficit this year. More information about the February forecast can be found here: UW Office of Finance, Planning & Budgeting brief, and here: UW Office of State Relations February Revenue Forecast Blog Post.
Tuesday, Feb. 17, was the house-of-origin cutoff. Bills that were not passed out of the chamber they were introduced in are now considered dead unless they are necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Bills that cleared this significant step now head to the opposite chamber for hearings in policy committees and possible executive sessions. The UW continues to monitor or engage on bills, including:
- House Bill (HB) 2251, concerning Climate Commitment Act accounts.
- HB 2353, concerning predesign thresholds.
- HB 2420, increasing small works roster contract limits.
- Senate Bill (SB) 5931, concerning Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board administrative changes.
- SB 5981, concerning the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
- SB 6137, concerning the regulated sports wagering industry.
- SB 5963, modifying funding for the passport to careers program and eligibility for the Washington College Grant.
- SB 6113, concerning taxes administered by the department of revenue.
Lastly, the House and Senate plan to release their operating and capital budget proposals next week. Both chambers will then work to reconcile the budgets before the end of session on March 12. Details about the House and Senate budget proposals will be posted under News & Updates on this website.
For questions about specific policy or UW’s advocacy efforts in Olympia, please contact Morgan Hickel at mhickel@uw.edu and Kevin Chang at kchang28@uw.edu.