Dear Friend,

The legislative process doesn’t allow much time to celebrate or mourn after a significant calendar cutoff. With only 105 days to get all of their work done, legislators just keep on working with hardly an acknowledgment of the milestones. Advocates might take a minute to send off a quick congratulations text or take a sigh of relief on the fate of a piece of legislation before it is back to focusing on the next step in the process. Friday the 17^th was the policy committee cutoff in the house of origin, and yesterday the Senate Ways & Means Committee spent a significant amount of their weekend hearing testimony on bills that they will hopefully take executive action on before the fiscal committee cutoff this Friday the 24^th. Unlike in the House where there are four established fiscal committees to focus on budget issues – Appropriations, Transportation, Finance, and Capital Budget – in the Senate there are only two committees, the Senate Transportation and the Senate Ways & Means Committees. The Ways & Means Committee is known for its marathon-long hearings; the Senate covers more subject matters on its packed agendas.

Many policy bills were amended on the fly last week to keep them moving with the promise of “more work to come.” New language is often added before bills are voted on just to gain the necessary votes to keep the bill alive. Last week and this upcoming week, hearing agendas seem to be updated nearly hourly as bills are either being added or removed from the public hearing or executive action schedules. Just when you think you have secured a hearing for one bill, another bill is in jeopardy and taken off the agenda. It is a bit like legislative whack-a-mole, thus keeping everyone on their toes. One of the main differences between policy committees and fiscal committees is the approach to testimony. When a fiscal committee has twenty bills up for public hearing on one day, quick-to-the-point testimony is appreciated by all. Testimony should focus on the fiscal impacts of the bill, and hopefully the number of people signed up to voice their opinion is limited out of respect for others nervously hoping to keep their bills moving, too.

On Monday, the House Education Committee passed House Bill 1308 sponsored by Representative Monica Jurado Stonier (D-49), a bill concerning high school graduation pathways. This bill, requested by the State Board of Education, creates a new performance-based learning experience graduation pathway. League of Education Voters (LEV) has always supported creating graduation pathways that reflect the different needs and learning styles of students, but we will continue to voice the need to collect data to see how each of the created pathways impacts a student’s postsecondary education and workforce outcomes. HB 1308 is currently in the House Rules Committee waiting to be brought to the floor for a vote.

The House Appropriations Committee heard House Bill 1418 on Thursday which would provide equitable funding for our charter public schools. HB 1418, sponsored by Representative Larry Springer (D-45), is the companion bill to Senate Bill 5442 and would require the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to provide per-pupil enrichment grants to our charter public schools that would equal the state’s local effort assistance threshold of $1,550 per student. HB 1418 has not been scheduled for executive session.

Both the House and Senate will be juggling long fiscal committee hearings with an increase of floor activity in the next week. As the various fiscal committees are rapidly passing bills, the House and Senate Rules Committees will be equally as busy moving those bills onto their floor calendars. Bills will have to be caucused on, debated, and passed out of their House of Origin before the 5:00pm cutoff on March 8^th. The ever-present ticking clock of session continues to be the soundtrack of our days in Olympia. 

This Tuesday the 21^st is one of the most anticipated advocacy days – Potato Day! Nothing brings a smile to the faces of tired staff, legislators, and advocates like free food, and Potato Day is a crowd favorite. If you are in Olympia, come join the fun in the Capitol Rotunda where our local potato farmers will be sharing hot baked potatoes with your choice of fixings. Never overestimate the power of a free meal to lift spirits and keep the legislative process moving.

• Follow which education-related bills we are watching in our Bill Tracker.
• Check out our Youth Advocacy Hub on how to engage with legislation in Olympia.
• Action Alert – Contact key members of the Washington state Legislature and ask them to support the banning of isolation, mechanical and chemical restraint of students.
• Watch our most recent LEVinar on the Special Education Funding Cap.
• Read our guest blog by students from the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) on why we need inclusive education.  
• Watch the recording of our LEVinar on Ending Isolation Practices in K-12 Schools.
• Read our 2023 Legislative Platform and Field Report.
• Watch our LEVinar on What to Expect in the 2023 Legislative Session.
• Join Investing in Student Potential, our coalition to champion students who need special education services.
• Read frequently asked questions about the Washington state Legislature.