Monday

We’re now into the fourth week of session and work continues in the areas of COVID response, climate change, and racial equity. The Appropriations Committee meets at 3:30 PM to hear testimony on legislation proposed by Rep. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) on law enforcement data collection (HB 1092) and by Rep. Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah) on compliance audits for peace officers and law enforcement agencies (HB 1089). Also being heard is HB 1016, Making Juneteenth a legal holiday, by Rep. Melanie Morgan (D-Parkland).

In the Transportation Committee, HB 1204 from Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) is being heard. This legislation would require all passenger and light-duty vehicles sold in Washington be electric by the year 2030.

The House plans to hold floor session in the evening, voting on bills to be announced.

Tuesday

Tuesday’s hearings in the Finance Committee will cover an update to the Working Families Tax Exemption (HB 1297) from Rep. My-Linh Thai (D-Bellevue), which may also be voted on as early as Thursday, and the introduction of Rep. Noel Frame’s (D-Seattle) Wealth Tax (HB 1406), which taxes the wealth building tools used by billionaires to help improve Washington’s regressive tax system.

In Appropriations, the committee will hold a public hearing on legislation proposed by Rep. April Berg (D-Mill Creek) to eliminate lunch copays for students who received reduced-price lunches (HB 1342). Another bill being heard from Rep. Berg, HB 1273 which requires schools to provide menstrual hygiene products at no cost.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning’s 8:00 AM hearing in the House Committee on Children, Youth & Families will feature the Fair Start for Kids Act (HB 1213) from Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island). Fair Start for Kids aims to make child care more affordable for families, stabilize and expand the diverse child care workforce, support the expansion of child care, and strengthen prevention and intervention services.

The Health Care Committee is scheduled to vote on a variety of bills, including Rep. Marcus Riccelli’s (D-Spokane) bill to expand telemedicine coverage to include audio-only devices such as telephones (HB 1196), Rep. Dan Bronoske’s (D-Lakewood) bill to allow people pursuing substance use disorder certifications to participate in apprenticeship programs (HB 1311), and Rep. Jessica Bateman’s (D-Olympia) bill to improve health, safety, and quality of life for long-term care facility residents (HB 1218).

The House plans to hold floor session in the afternoon, voting on bills to be announced later this week.

Thursday

On Thursday, the House Public Safety Committee has scheduled votes on HB 1203, Community Oversight Boards, and HB 1310, Use of Force, both from Rep. Jesse Johnson (D-Federal Way), and HB 1267, Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force, from Rep. Debra Entenman (D-Kent). These three bills are part of the police reform bills proposed by House Democrats to deliver accountability and oversight aimed to rebuild trust with the communities law enforcement serve.

Also on Thursday, the Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee has scheduled a vote on Rep. Macri’s “Good Cause Eviction” bill (HB 1236) to bring greater housing stability protections for the hundreds of thousands of renters who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Appropriations Committee has scheduled executive session for many of the bills heard earlier in the week, including HB 1016, HB 1089, HB 1092, HB 1273, and HB 1342, all mentioned earlier.

Friday

The close of the week brings more potential executive action, starting in the Labor & Workplace Standards Committee with Rep. Drew Hansen’s (D-Bainbridge Island) Worker Protection Act, HB 1076, which allows whistleblowers to bring actions on behalf of the state for violations of workplace protections. Another Rep. Hansen bill, the Public Broadband Act (HB 1336), is scheduled for a vote in the Community & Economic Development Committee. The Public Broadband Act removes restrictions in state law on public utilities providing broadband access directly to consumers and received over 1350 people signing in to support during the committee hearing.

Also happening on Friday is a public hearing on HB 1395 from Rep. Morgan, which seeks to ensure equity in farming. The bill addresses the inequity that exists in agriculture by requiring the Washington State Department of Agriculture to take steps to increase racial diversity in farming.

Finally, Rep. Macri’s “Good Cause Eviction” bill (HB 1236) is scheduled for executive hearing in the Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee at 10:00 AM.

The House plans to hold floor session in the afternoon, voting on bills to be announced later this week.