OLYMPIA — This year’s regular 105-day legislative session reached a milestone Feb. 17, the last day to move most bills out of committee in their originating chamber. Lawmakers have until Friday, Feb. 24th to move budget-related and transportation measures out of their respective committees.
After that, legislative focus will shift from committee work to floor action by the House and Senate, as members vote on hundreds of bills before the next legislative deadline arrives March 8, the last day for lawmakers to pass bills out of their house of origin. To date, lawmakers have passed a total of 57 bills (42 in the House, 17 in the Senate), almost all by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. Only one bill has passed both chambers so far. Below are the bills that passed this week by split votes.
House Bill 1121: Changing the frequency of Puget Sound action agenda implementation strategy and science work plan updates, passed the House on Feb.13 by a vote of 75-22, one member excused. The bill would change the frequency for the Puget Sound Partnership to update its action agenda and its science work plan from every two years to every four years. The Puget Sound Partnership was created as a state agency in 2007 to oversee the restoration of the environmental health of Puget Sound.
As part of its work, the Partnership produces three broad documents: an action agenda, a science work plan, and a State of the Sound Report. The Partnership also provides a set of funding recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature every two years. A Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) audit suggested modifying the Partnership’s timeline for reporting. Reviewing and updating the science work plan takes tremendous effort and cost. The bill would create efficiency for those who contribute to the preparation of the Partnership reports and free up personnel to focus more time on implementation of the work of the Puget Sound Partnership.
How they voted:
19 Rep. Brian Blake (Longview) (D) Y
19 Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) N
24 Rep. Mike Chapman (Federal Way) (D) Y
24 Rep. Steve Tharinger (Sequim) (D) Y
House Bill 1209: Relating to municipal access to local financial services, passed the House on Feb. 16 by a vote of 73-24, one member excused.
This bill would include Credit Unions in the definition of public depositories, allowing them to accept public deposits over the maximum insured amount, subject to collateralization. It would also allow the Department of Financial Institutions to rely on information reported by the National Credit Union Association for investigation and examination of public depositories. Proponents testified in committee that this bill would bring credit unions on a par with other financial institutions. A public entity should be able to have a choice to deposit their funds at a credit union. Credit unions are not-for-profit and member owned, and they often have lower fees and higher interest rates. Opponents said the bill would create a new tax preference for credit unions. An inferred tax benefit exists, because credit unions are historically a place for low-income and underserved groups. Community banks would be endangered because they would have to compete against credit unions that do not have to pay the same taxes.
How they voted:
19 Rep. Brian Blake (Longview) (D) Y
19 Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) Y
24 Rep. Mike Chapman (Federal Way) (D) Y
24 Rep. Steve Tharinger (Sequim) (D) Y
House Bill 1738: Relating to protecting water quality by aligning state brake friction material restrictions with the requirements of a similar nationwide agreement, passed the House on Feb. 16 by a vote of 57-40, one member excused.
The bill provides that beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, brake pad manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and distributors must limit copper in brake friction material to 0.5 percent or less. Manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors are given 10 years to sell their then-remaining brake-pad inventory, and equipment service contracts for vehicles manufactured before 2025 are exempt from the restrictions. This act would harmonize the date in state law on which copper in brake friction material must be limited to no more than 0.5 percent with the phase-out timeline set in a 2015 memorandum of understanding among the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Council of the States, and several stakeholder organizations, including brake manufacturers, to phase out copper and other specified materials in brake pads.
Proponents of the bill testified that even small amounts of copper impede the ability of salmon to avoid predators and find spawning streams. A committee recently found that alternative, copper-free brake friction materials are available and recommended that the state move forward with a copper phase out by 2025. Manufacturers of brake friction materials have put significant resources into developing new materials, and the average concentration of copper in brakes sold in Washington has decreased from 7 percent to 3.5 percent. While positive strides have been made, this bill would help facilitate the phase out. No opponents testified in committee.
How they voted:
19 Rep. Brian Blake (Longview) (D) Y
19 Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) N
24 Rep. Mike Chapman (Federal Way) (D) Y
24 Rep. Steve Tharinger (Sequim) (D) Y
SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org is a project of the Washington Policy Center.
Y = Yes, N = No, E = Excused, X = Not Voting
