LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WASHINGTON: Legislative Newsletter (Feb. 13, 2022)
Editor’s Note: The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Washington sent this legislative newsletter on Feb. 13, 2022. Our mission at the Voter Interests Project is to monitor elected officials and ballot measures; we generally do not report on the activities of non-profit organizations. However, the LWV Whidbey Island chapter conducts candidate forums during most election cycles, and are therefore of particular interest to voters. The LWV of Washington’s website states, “The League is a Nonpartisan Source You Can Trust”; however, the LWV does take positions on public policy. Our observation is that their policy positions inform their management of voter forums. Therefore, we believe it to be of interest to our readers to know the positions for which the LWV advocates.
Action Alerts
Click on the links below to learn more about bills currently being reviewed in the state legislature. You can “take action” on these most pressing bills by sending a suggested, editable email to legislators, encouraging them to vote to promote the League issue in question.
Sign In PRO for Redistricting
We need to let legislators know that we care about redistricting. Remotely sign in PRO on HB 5560 in the House State Government Committee hearing on February 17th by 9:00am. If you can testify, please use this opportunity to testify in favor of comprehensive redistricting reform.
Ask Your Senator to Support Repealing “Advisory Votes” and Vote YES on SB 5182
SB 5182 “advisory vote” repeal is making progress! We need your action for the next step. The bill could come up for a Senate floor vote at any time. However, a floor vote will only happen if we encourage our senators to make SB 5182 a priority on the floor. It is imperative that we let senators know ASAP that we support eliminating advisory votes. The Senate needs to vote YES by 5:00pm, Tuesday 02/15/2022. Please take this action NOW.
The League of Women Voters supports eliminating “advisory votes” from the ballot because they are costly, confusing, nonbinding, and do not change any existing laws.
► Ask Your Senator to Bring SB 5182, Repealing Advisory Votes, to the floor and to Vote YES
Transition Time at the Legislature
As noted in last week’s newsletter, this past week has been primarily floor action, where the House and Senate have been voting on bills that originated in their respective chambers (called the house of origin). The cut-off date for passing bills in the house of origin is February 15. Most committees did not meet this past week and will not be meeting until after February 15.
Some committees have been able to schedule public hearings in the week ahead on bills passed in the opposite chamber early in the process. Other committees have listed “bills referred to committee” on their agendas for next week.
Because the weekly updates in this newsletter are submitted on Friday preceding Sunday’s publication, there will be many bills for which the status report cannot be projected in this issue. Bills are scheduled for floor action a few at a time, so our issue chairs may not know the status of certain bills in time for submitting their updates.
One case in which a public hearing was scheduled in the opposite chamber early enough to prepare an action alert is SB 5560, concerning procedures for approval and submission of the redistricting plan. Please use the Action Alert to ask the appropriate legislators for support on this bill.
Beginning Wednesday, February 16, a new rush of committee action will ensue until February 24, when policy bills must have passed out of the policy committees of the opposite chamber; and next week’s updates will be full of information, both noting bills that died and action needed on those that are still alive.
Our Current Actions page may help you pick out which bills are particularly important to you.
LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2022 Washington State Legislative Session
Click on an issue to learn more about session results on bills the League supported and “This Week’s Updates” to read the issue chair’s report on this past week.
Democracy
Elections | This week’s updates
Money in Politics | No update this week
Education | This week’s updates
Redistricting | This week’s updates
Natural Resources and Climate Change
Climate and Energy | This week’s updates
Growth Management | This week’s updates
Transportation | This week’s updates
Social and Economic Policy
Housing and Homelessness | No updates this week
Health and Behavioral Health | This week’s updates
Calendar
- No events this week.
Other Ways to Follow the State Legislature
- Washington State Legislature website, leg.wa.gov.
- Washington State’s public affairs TV network, TVW.org.
