Last week marked the half-way point of this year’s 105-day state legislative session, which is scheduled to adjourn on April 25, 2021. Lawmakers in both chambers have been debating and taking votes on dozens of bills during day-long sessions, including a rare Saturday session in the House. To date, the House and Senate have passed a total of 322 bills, with an additional 131 measures scheduled for action before next week’s deadline for passing bills in the house of origin. While most bills have passed by broad, bi-partisan vote margins, key measures, like the governor’s proposed low carbon emissions bill and a ban on certain police use-of force tactics were more narrowly passed along partisan lines after extended debate.
House Bill 1091, Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. Passed the House on February 27, 2021 by a vote of 52-46.
This bill would direct the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) to adopt rules establishing a Clean Fuels Program (CFP) to limit the aggregate, overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. It would also direct Ecology to update, prior to 2032, CFP rules to further reduce GHG emissions from each unit of transportation fuel for each year through 2050, consistent with statutory state emission reduction limits. This is the third time the House has passed low-carbon fuels legislation in three years. Previous measures failed to advance in the Senate. The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbons (D-Seattle) said that the move to limit carbon emissions is long overdue, and that “let this be the year we can say we took action.” Republicans said that, if passed, the bill would raise raise the price of gasoline and diesel for Washington’s consumers and businesses. Agriculture would be especially hard-hit, according to Rep. Mary Dye (R-Pomeroy), who said during the floor debate that the bill would impact most of the agricultural producers in this state. Rep. Dye proposed an amendment to exclude diesel fuel from the bill, saying that diesel provides the energy needed to do most agricultural work, like vehicles that help growers plant and harvest crops. The amendment to help farmers was not adopted.
19th District Rep. Joel McEntire (R) — N
19th District Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) — N
24th District Rep. Mike Chapman (D) — Y
24th District Rep. Steve Tharinger (D) — Y
House Bill 1054, Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers. Passed the House on February 27, 2021 by a vote of 54-43, one member excused.
This bill is a sweeping proposal that would ban or restrict a wide range of police tactics, from chokeholds and neck restraints to use of military gear. It would also establish new statewide policies on vehicle pursuits and create a task force to develop policies for the use of police dogs. More than a dozen amendments to the bill were proposed during the floor debate last Saturday, including amendments that were adopted to remove several provisions in the original bill— such as banning tear gas, and the use of police dogs. The bill, as passed, would allow law enforcement agencies to use tear gas, but only as “necessary to alleviate a present risk of serious harm posed by a riot, barricaded subject, or hostage situation.” The bill was sent to the Senate Law and Justice Committee, which has scheduled a public hearing on the measure for March 11th.
19th District Rep. Joel McEntire (R) — N
19th District Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) — N
24th District Rep. Mike Chapman (D) — N
24th District Rep. Steve Tharinger (D) — Y
Senate Bill 5066, Concerning a peace officer’s duty to intervene. Passed the Senate on February 23, 2021 by a vote of 28-21.
This bill would require law enforcement officers to intervene and try to stop excessive force by fellow officers. Police officers who witness excessive or attempted excessive force by a fellow officer would need to step in, or face suspension or decertification. The bill would also require that officers report any wrongdoing by another officer to that officer’s supervisor. During debate, some opponents of the measure said they supported the broader intent of the bill regarding police accountability, but said parts of the bill were too subjective. Senate Republicans proposed nine amendments to clarify the bill’s language and to more precisely define terms like “excessive force” or “intervention.” The amendments were rejected by voice vote. The bill was sent to the House Public Safety Committee, which has scheduled a public hearing on the measure for March 12th.
19th District Sen. Jeff Wilson (R) — N
24th District Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D) — Y
House Bill 1141, Increasing access to the death with dignity act. Passed the House on February 25, 2021 by a vote of 60-37, one member excused.
Washington’s Death with Dignity Act, which was approved by the state’s voters as Initiative 1000 in 2008, allows adult residents of Washington who have a terminal illness with six months or less to live to request medication to end their life. The patient is allowed to self-administer such medication. The patient’s attending physician is responsible for determining that the patient has a terminal condition. This determination must be confirmed by a consulting physician. This bill would change the provisions of the voter-approved law to allow advanced registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and osteopathic physician assistants to perform the duties of an attending or consulting medical provider under the Death with Dignity Act. It would also reduce the currently required 15-day waiting period between the first and second requests for medications to 72 hours. Proponents said that there are many people who have wanted to use the law, but have been frustrated by time delays and the inability to find participating physicians. Opponents argued that the bill would remove the protections in the original law and would go far beyond what the voters approved, which was for only physicians to authorize assisted suicide after a 15-day waiting period. The bill was sent to the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee for further consideration.
19th District Rep. Joel McEntire (R) — Y
19th District Rep. Jim Walsh (Aberdeen) (R) — N
24th District Rep. Mike Chapman (D) — Y
24th District Rep. Steve Tharinger (D) — Y
