Dear Friend, Short sessions leave very little time for anyone to catch their breath. The legislature is in session for 60 straight days, meaning that there is no break for weekends and no recognition of holidays. Legislative milestones, like the recent House of Origin cutoff this week on Tuesday, received little acknowledgment as policy committee hearings were set to start at 8:00 Wednesday morning. The highly organized Senate ended early on Tuesday, completing their work with over an hour to spare before the cutoff. The House, which seemed to have difficulty getting caucus consensus on their priorities during the long days on the floor – meaning that they spent a large portion of time behind closed doors in caucus – brought Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2114, sponsored Rep. Emily Alvarado (D-34) regarding housing/rent stabilization, to the House floor as the 5:00 bill. Floor action cutoffs differ from other cutoffs as they have a set time, 5:00 pm, when the chambers must conclude their work. The only exception to this rule is that members can continue to discuss a bill that was brought up for debate prior to the 5:00 pm deadline. Over the years, members have often scrambled to get their bills started. No one talks faster than a Floor Leader at 4:58 pm trying to bring a bill to the floor before the clocks strike 5:00 pm. There are stories that years ago, leadership used to demand that chamber clocks either be covered or turned back to allow more time for floor action, but those tactics are no longer possible considering everyone now has a computer or phone on them showing the correct time, and all legislative actions are being viewed by the public on TVW. The most anticipated event of the legislative session is happening this Monday. No, it isn’t Potato Day – although that is on Tuesday 2/20. The Senate and House fiscal committees will release and hold hearings on their supplemental operating budget proposals. The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Ways & Means Committee will hear public testimony on their separate proposals on Monday (2/19) at 4:00 pm. The Senate budget writers are planning to make their budget proposal available to the public on Sunday (tomorrow), allowing more time for anxious advocates to look through it to see if their projects were funded. Both committees are scheduled to take executive action on their budget proposals on Wednesday. Budgets move quickly through each chamber because the sooner they pass, the sooner the conference committee can meet and begin negotiating. The State Revenue Forecast was released this week and it projects an increase. State revenue is up $122 million from the last forecast in November 2023. Overall, the Washington state economy is projected to be up by $1.3 billion since they adopted the Biennial Operating Budget in April 2023. While the revenue forecast was good news, budget writers continue to voice concern and caution about the possible effects of the initiatives that will be voted on in November – namely the two initiatives that propose to repeal the capital gains tax and the Climate Commitment Act. The capital gains tax generated nearly $900 million in 2023 and the Climate Commitment Act generated $1.8 billion through the state’s carbon pricing program, cap-and-invest. The House Education Committee this week held a hearing on Engrossed 2nd Substitute Senate Bill 5849, sponsored by Senator Lisa Wellman (D-41), that would create a computer science graduation requirement. Senator Wellman, Chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee, in her testimony spoke of her own experience in the tech industry as one of the reasons she is sponsoring the bill. The legislation requires that beginning in 2029, all students must demonstrate competency in computer science to qualify for graduation. The House Education Committee heard compelling testimony from current high school students on both sides of the issue. Panels of students spoke to the benefit of the computer science requirement, including their ability to secure future employment. They were countered by their peers speaking against the bill, highlighting that computer literacy is already taught in schools and not all students will be pursuing careers in the tech industry. The bill passed out of the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 46-3. The House Education Committee is scheduled to vote on E2SSB 5849 this Tuesday (2/20). The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee only meets two more times before the Opposite House policy cutoff on Wednesday (2/21). On Monday, the committee will hold a public hearing on Engrossed 4th Substitute House Bill 1239, a bill that establishes a uniform complaint process and a code of ethics for educators involved in our elementary and secondary school system. The bill also clarifies when a teacher or school employee can use force, including isolation and restraint, on a child. The bill is sponsored by House Education Committee Chair, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-37), and passed out of the House with a strong 92-5 vote. The Senate Committee would have to take a vote on the bill before Wednesday for it to continue to progress this session. The Opposite House Fiscal Committee cutoff is Monday 2/26. Only bills determined necessary to implement the budget (NTIB) are exempt from these cutoffs. The House and Senate will transition to floor action beginning on Tuesday (2/27) as they continue to race the ticking clock of the session as it counts down towards Sine Die. The Senate and House must reconcile their various policy and budget differences and reach an agreement before the end of session on March 7th. Fingers crossed. | 
