WA Governor - Bill Action - Morning
(May 20, 2025)

Here are some observations from the Tuesday May 20th Washington State Office of the Governor (WA Governor) bill action ceremony.

My top 3 takeaways:

• Advocates who had been trying to revise advertising law for cannabis retailers for several years finally succeeded in 2025, distinguishing trade name signs and increasing the allotment of allowed advertising signage.
  • SB 5206 - Cannabis Retailer Advertising
    • On Thursday January 9th, Republican Deputy Leader Drew MacEwen prefiled a reprise of his 2023-24 bill SB 5363 which was not advanced by representatives prior to the opposite house cutoff in 2024.  In 2025, SB 5206 aimed to increase cannabis retailer advertising signage and transfer authority over trade name signs from the WSLCB to local jurisdictions.
      • See the bill text, bill report, and fiscal note for more details.
      • Curiously, WSLCB staff provided SB 5363 with a $0 fiscal note in 2023 and 2024, but expected over $150K in expenses implementing SB 5206 during the 2025-27 fiscal biennium.  Yet, the bill text of SB 5206 was substantively identical to the final engrossed version of SB 5363.
      • The legislation was introduced on the first day of the 2025 regular session and referred to the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) for an initial policy review.
    • Nearly a month later during the initial public hearing in WA Senate LC on Monday February 10th, cannabis sector interests presented an uncharacteristically unified message of support for the legislation.  The bill was resisted by public health and prevention representatives who framed the measure as increasing retail advertising and overburdening local jurisdictions while threatening normalization of cannabis retailers as legitimate businesses.
      • The next day during the WSLCB Board Caucus on Tuesday February 18th, Director of Legislative Relations Marc Webster recalled that the agency publicly supported SB 5363, but had learned that “public health was pretty outraged and we’ve been neutral on it this year” (audio < 1m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).
    • During the executive session on Tuesday February 18th, SB 5206 was recommended without changes.
      • The late Democrat Bill Ramos representing District 5 (Enumclaw, North Bend) was the only committee member to vote against recommendation of the bill.
    • The committee report was read during the Senate floor session on Wednesday February 19th.
      • As the fiscal note in 2025 indicated operating expenditures were expected to implement the bill, the measure was referred to the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee (WA Senate WM) for fiscal review.
      • During the 2023-24 biennium, SB 5363 bypassed consideration by fiscal committees in both chambers.
    • During the public hearing in WA Senate WM on Monday February 24th, two people testified on the cannabis retail signage bill: one for and one against.
      • Washington CannaBusiness Association (WACA) Executive Director and Lobbyist Vicki Christophersen testified in favor of the legislation, emphasizing the distinction between advertising and trade name signs as well as the movement of control of trade name signs to local jurisdictions.  She expressed confusion over the WSLCB fiscal note as she expected less need for enforcement attention (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
      • Washington Association for Substance Misuse and Violence Prevention (WASAVP) President Linda Thompson testified against the legislation, reiterating her organization’s opposition to any expansion of cannabis advertising and concern about increased youth exposure to cannabis business signs (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
    • During the executive session in WA Senate WM on Thursday Feb 27th, members advanced the bill.  There were no amendments on the legislation which was quickly passed in a voice vote without discussion.
    • The committee report was read on the Senate floor on Friday February 28th and the legislation was referred to the Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE) for calendaring.
    • On Monday March 10th during a WA Senate RULE meeting at the rostrum, SB 5206 was one of three cannabis-related bills remaining in committee which was included in the regular package of legislation selected by chamber leadership for calendaring.
    • On Wednesday March 12th, Majority Floor Leader Marcus Riccelli published amendment S-2314.1 which aimed to move the effective date out to January 1, 2026.
    • During the Senate floor session on Thursday March 13th, the legislation was brought up for its second and third reading, amended, and passed by the body.
      • Riccelli framed his amendment as a request from WASAVP asking for an additional six months to enable local governments to amend or implement new ordinances regarding cannabis retail signage given the transfer of authority envisioned in the bill.  The amendment was incorporated into the legislation.
      • MacEwen briefly spoke to the effects of his bill (audio - 1m, video - TVW) and received the endorsement of Senator Rebecca Saldaña (audio - 1m, video - TVW).  The legislation was passed 39-9-0-1 in the face of largely democratic opposition.
    • On Friday March 14th, the legislation was introduced in the opposite house and referred to the Washington State House Consumer Protection and Business Committee (WA House CPB) for policy review.
    • During the public hearing in WA House CPB on Wednesday March 26th, cannabis sector interests spoke in unanimous support for further business normalization and local control of retail trade name signs.  Public health and prevention interests arrayed against the legislation, arguing tobacco industry research showed child “exposure” to advertising increased risk factors associated with future substance use.
      • WASAVP Board Member Scott Waller acknowledged that his group was working with cannabis sector interests to craft an amendment that would shift their opposition to the bill.
      • WACA Executive Director Vicki Christophersen said her group was working with WASAVP on the language, which WA House CPB Chair Amy Walen indicated was essential to advancing the bill.
    • Late on Monday March 31st, amendment H-2079.3 by Walen was published and described as having the following effects:
      • “Requires the four authorized cannabis-related advertising signs that are either affixed on the building of the licensed cannabis retailer's location or hanging in the window of the licensed cannabis retailer's location, to all be on the side of the building with the main entrance. Limits the additional trade name signs to a maximum of two trade name signs, instead of providing that the maximum number of trade name signs is to be determined by the city, town, or county in which the licensed cannabis retailer is located. Specifies that one of the two trade name signs may be a double-sided sign, such as a pylon sign or monolith sign. A double-sided sign that contains identical content on each side is considered to be one trade name sign.”
    • During the executive session on Tuesday April 1st, WA House CPB members substantially amended SB 5206 before recommending passage.
      • Walen introduced her amendment as having met the needs of the prevention community and “most” cannabis sector stakeholders.  Deputy Minority Leader Chris Corry endorsed the amendment which was adopted in a voice vote.
      • Members advanced the legislation in a unanimous vote with one representative excused.
    • When the legislation was reported on Wednesday April 2nd, it was not referred to the Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) for fiscal review and instead directed to the Washington State House Rules Committee (WA House RUL) for calendaring.
    • On Wednesday April 16th, House leaders pulled the cannabis retail advertising bill out of the rules committee, rejected an unwelcome amendment from a Democrat, and passed the legislation in the span of eight minutes.
      • In the late morning, amendment CLOD 406 by Deputy Majority Whip Mari Leavitt was published and described as having the following effects:
        • “Specifies that each ‘Adopt-a-Highway’ sign under a current valid sponsorship with the Washington State Department of Transportation is counted towards one of the licensed cannabis retailer's four cannabis-related advertising signs otherwise allowed on the licensed premises.”
      • When the bill was brought up for its second reading and her amendment was considered, Leavitt explained, “we know, and have seen the data that spells out that cannabis has a significant effect on youths’ behavioral health.  And we’ve seen the increase in the challenges that our youth are having in behavioral health.”  She aimed to count the ‘Adopt-a-Highway’ signs against retailer totals “in order to not glamorize and expand signage that promotes cannabis” (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
        • Leavitt represented State District 28 (Steilacoom, Lakewood, DuPont).  On March 10th, she joined a small, strange cadre of Republican extremists in voting against passage of HB 1341 (DOH Patient Data Sharing).
        • Walen, who helped bring stakeholders together to craft the version of SB 5206 before the chamber, took exception to the proposed amendment and asked her colleagues to vote against it (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
        • Minority Caucus Vice Chair Stephanie McClintock, the Ranking Minority Member of WA House CPB, seemed more amenable to the change but agreed with Walen that the legislative compromise brokered in committee should not be further changed (audio < 1m, video - TVW).
        • The amendment was not adopted in a voice vote.
      • Following supportive remarks from McClintock and Representative Shelley Kloba along with sour grapes from Representative Tom Dent, the chamber passed the legislation 72-23-0-3 in an unusually mixed vote.  Four Democrats voted against the legislation whereas Republican representatives were perfectly split in support or opposition to the bill.
    • During the concurrence vote in the house of origin on Friday April 18th, senators agreed with House changes to SB 5206 which became the fourth cannabis-related bill passed in 2025.
      • MacEwen, the prime sponsor, was succinct in his remarks on legislation he had worked to pass for several years: “Last bill, short speech.  House tightened it up, I concur, thank you” (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
      • The legislation was passed 38-10-1.  Opposition to final passage was led by Democratic leadership accompanied by prohibitionist-leaning senators from both parties.
    • On Saturday April 19th, Senate President Denny Heck signed SB 5206.
    • On Tuesday April 22nd, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins signed the legislation.
    • And on Wednesday April 23rd, SB 5206 was delivered to the Washington State Office of the Governor (WA Governor).

• No one showed up to the signing ceremony on Tuesday morning, and Governor Bob Ferguson made quick work of his formality.
  • Ferguson stepped away for about 30m after signing the first three scheduled bills, potentially causing conflicts for subsequent ceremony participants.
  • Ferguson said the bill “improves signage requirements for cannabis businesses,” thanked MacEwen for his sponsorship, and signed the bill (video - TVW).

• The legislation would likely require rulemaking by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) and may prompt local jurisdictions to undertake revision or creation of new ordinances to implement local control of trade name signage.
  • During the WSLCB Executive Management Team public meeting on Wednesday May 14th, Director of Policy and External Affairs Justin Nordhorn provided an update on rulemaking to implement 2025 legislation, remarking that staff planned “to open the CR-101s” on June 4th.
  • Local legislative bodies across the state may also consider revising ordinances to institute local control of the size of cannabis retail trade name signs as described in section (3) of the law:
    • “(a)...licensed businesses may use up to two trade name signs.
    • “(b) Trade name signs must be limited to two signs and comply with local authority regulations related to the size of signs for the city, town, or county in which the licensed cannabis retailer is located. The enforcement of the size of trade name signs and billboards is the responsibility of the city, town, or county in which the licensed cannabis retailer is located.”
  • Following enrollment in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) by the Washington State Secretary of State (WA SOS), the law was scheduled to become effective on January 1st, 2026.