LEGISLATURE 2023-24: Legislative Newsletter (Mar. 12, 2023/LWVWA)

Editor’s Note: The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Washington uploaded this legislative newsletter to their website on Mar. 12, 2023. 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.

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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.

Recycle Our Batteries!

Our household batteries need to be recycled. E2SSB 5144 (Battery Recycling) will provide for:

Reclamation of valuable materials that can be used to make new batteries or other products
Prevention of release of toxic materials
Establish an extended producer responsibility program that will shift costs to manufacturers
Encourage manufacturers to improve battery design
Decrease environmental pollution caused by fires and protection of recycling and garbage trucks, transfer stations and contracted facilities, and workers from battery-caused fires

Click here to sign in PRO on E2SSB 5144

Support Voting Rights in Washington!

ESHB 1048 (Enhanced Washington Voting Rights Act) passed the house with a vote of 57 – 38 and is already scheduled for both a public hearing and executive session this next week. This bill amends sections of the Washington Voting Rights Act to clarify what constitutes a violation of the act. It also seeks to protect members of classes who do not have an equal opportunity to elect candidates because of barriers like vote dilution or polarized voting. ESHB 1048 is an important upgrade to the 2018 Washington Voting Rights Act —and it needs your support now!

Click here to sign in PRO on ESHB 1048

This Week in the Legislature

HALFWAY!

The session is marching on. In fact, we’re halfway to sine die, the official end. April 23 is the last day allowed for regular session under our state constitution.

As of last Wednesday, March 8, bills passed by the house of origin moved to the opposite chamber for consideration. Those that were not moved are considered “dead” for this session, but will carry over to the 2024 legislative session and start over again. Why do bills die? Partly because there are too many bills and too little time; also because some did not pass a vote, or did not progress to the floor for a vote. Our
legislators worked long and hard this past week, including part of the weekend, and late into some
evenings.

Those bills that passed their chamber of origin have been moved to the opposite chamber, and review in their assigned policy committees has begun. Because many bills didn’t make the March 8 cutoff, we’re dealing with significantly fewer bills overall. However, many bills have been amended along the way, and those must go through a review process.

The next cutoff, which is the last day for bills to pass out of policy committees in the second chamber is March 29. Meanwhile, hearings are being held in policy committees, so be sure to check out the status of the bills you’re following. And enjoy this brief respite.

There are several other ways you can follow the hearings and legislative process:

Via TVW (Washington State’s public affairs TV network), and
On the Washington State Legislature website.

Check out the weekly updates for each issue (below) for information on how to testify, and how to sign on PRO or CON to proposed legislation.

The 2023 Legislative Issues

LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2023 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 | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Money in Politics | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Education | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Redistricting | Issue Overview | New task force underway – see updates

Environment

Climate Crisis and Energy | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Forests | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Growth Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Solid Waste Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Transportation | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Social and Economic Policy