As the 2025 legislative session flies by, deadlines and cutoffs have already claimed the lives of a host of proposed bills.
March 12 was the deadline for legislation to make it out of the committee hearing process and be passed by their chamber of origin, with one exception being financial bills that generate revenue.
This year, the three lawmakers representing the 20th Legislative District — Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, and Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama — have the primary sponsors for 54 bills or resolutions introduced to the Legislature.
Of those, 14 are still “living” and could be passed into law by the end of the session.
Here is a rundown of the surviving bills or resolutions and which of the 20th District lawmakers is sponsoring them:
Braun
• Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5009 is described as "accommodating multiple vehicle types for student transportation” by Washington state Legislature staff. The bill was summarized as being a way to allow school districts flexibility in finding the most cost effective way to transport students. It was passed by the Senate March 7 before being introduced to the House and referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
• Substitute Senate Bill 5071 is summarized by legislative staff as “updating the endangerment with a controlled substance statute to include fentanyl or synthetic opioids.” Endangerment with a controlled substance refers to when someone knowingly or intentionally exposes a dependant to a list of dangerous substances, including meth. This bill expands that list to include fentanyl and synthetic substances. It was passed by the Senate on Feb. 3 before being introduced to the House and assigned to the House Community Safety Committee.
• Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5278 is summarized by the legislative staff as “concerning the management of individuals who are placed in juvenile rehabilitation institutions.” The policy changes multiple policies that give superintendents of juvenile facilities more ways to reduce the number of residents in an attempt to address overcrowding and safety issues in state juvenile rehabilitation facilities. The bill was passed by the Senate March 10 before being introduced to the House and sent to the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee.
• Second Substitute Senate Bill 5358 addresses “career and technical education in sixth grade.” This bill allows sixth graders enrolled in middle school to take career and technical education courses. These classes generally explore possible career options and teach both academic and life skills. They can range from career readiness to agricultural sciences. The legislation was passed by the Senate March 6 before being introduced to the House and sent to the House Appropriations Committee.
• Senate Bill 5462 addresses a vehicle inspection backlog in the state. In short, the legislation exempts most all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles from inspection. It was passed by the Senate on Feb. 19 and then introduced to the House and referred to the House Committee on Transportation.
• Senate Joint Resolution 8201 is a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would allow the state of Washington to invest money from long-term services and support accounts. The resolution was passed by the Senate on March 10. It was then introduced to the House and referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
Abbarno
• House Bill 1003 is described by legislative staff as “addressing service of notice by mail in cases involving forcible entry and forcible and unlawful detainer.” This policy is a change to restrictions on notice by mail in situations where someone has overstayed their agreement or entered by force. It would allow postage to be sent from any location in the state of Washington instead of from an address in the same county as the residence. The bill was passed by the House Feb. 6 and then introduced to the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Housing.
• House Bill 1039 would allow for the extension of government services from cities into tribal lands in specific instances. The policy is restrictive on which cities and tribes can enter into an agreement and was drafted with a specific situation in mind concerning the city of La Center and the Cowlitz tribe. The bill was passed by the House Feb. 13 before being introduced to the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Government.
• House Bill 1064 eliminates the expiration of the “interagency, multijurisdictional system improvement team.” The team was started in 2017 to identify, implement and report on improvements to investing in infrastructure projects. If the legislation is passed, the team would no longer be disbanded in 2025 and would be required to submit a biennial report starting in 2026. The bill was passed by the House March 5 and then introduced to the Senate where it was referred to the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections.
• Second Substitute House Bill 1990 would allow utility companies to "securitize certain costs related to disasters or emergencies.” Among other things, the policy would allow electrical, gas and water companies to ask the state Utilities and Transportation Commission for permission to issue bonds in specific situations. The bill was passed by the House March 10 and then introduced to the Senate, where it was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology.
• House Resolution 4608 and House Resolution 4631 recognize the creation of the Washington State Public Works Board and the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics Washington, respectively. HR 4608 was introduced on the floor of the House on Jan. 31 and adopted. HR 4631 will be introduced next week on Thursday, March 27.
Orcutt
• Substitute House Bill 1371 establishes parking privileges for disabled veterans with a qualifying discharge. Those eligible would be able to apply for special parking privileges for individuals with disabilities. The bill was passed by the House Feb. 12, and then introduced to the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation.
• House Bill 1372 changes rules and provisions on Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee studies. It includes an extension of the Sunset Act to 2024, which mandates periodic reviews of state agencies and other state authorities. The bill was passed by the House Feb. 20, and was then introduced to the Senate where it was referred to the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections.
Additional information on any of these bills can be found using the bill or initiative search tool at https://leg.wa.gov/.
The 20th District lawmakers will host a virtual town hall Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Register to attend online at https://tinyurl.com/39tc5xbn.
The next major policy deadline is April 16. Any bills not passed by the house of origin will be considered dead after that, with exceptions for legislation necessary to implement the budget. The 2025 legislative session officially ends April 27.
