WA Legislature - Update (March 28, 2025)

Operating budgets were amended and recommended out of committee in both chambers while senators prepared to hear public testimony on legislation requiring evaluation of the WSLCB social equity program.

Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Friday March 28th, the 75th day of the 2025 regular session.

My top 4 takeaways:

On Thursday, the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee (WA Senate WM) amended and recommended SB 5167, the Senate version of the operating budget.
- SB 5167 - Operating Budget
  - See the bill report and fiscal website for more details.
  - Following a hearing on Chair June Robinson’s proposed substitute on Tuesday March 25th, 58 amendments were published on the Senate version of the operating budget, none of which appeared to be cannabis-related.
  - The democratic majority made quick work during the executive session beginning on Thursday in the late afternoon, adjourning by early evening after recommending the legislation along strictly partisan lines.
  - The legislation would likely be included among committee reports during the Senate pro forma floor session on Friday morning at 10am [ TVW ].

Also on Thursday, Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) members amended and recommended HB 1198, the House version of the operating budget.
- HB 1198 - Operating Budget
  - See the fiscal website for more details.
  - Following a hearing on Chair Timm Ormsby’s proposed substitute on Tuesday March 25th, 48 amendments to the House version of the operating budget weren’t published until Thursday evening. It included two adjacent proposals by Republican legislators which were not adopted.
    - Amendment JEFS 025 by Assistant Minority Floor Leader Travis Couture would have provided $6M during the biennium to the Washington State Patrol (WSP) “to provide funding to the agency for their State Toxicology Laboratory to hire additional staff and purchase equipment for the processing of new DUI cases.”
    - Amendment JEFS 026 by Deputy Minority Leader Chris Corry would have provided $1.5M during the biennium to WSP “to provide funding to a local crime lab to assist in the establishment of a permanent location that will provide additional capacity to support the State Toxicology lab with its current workload and backlog of cases.”
  - Beginning at the same time as senators on Thursday in the late afternoon, representatives worked late into the night during the executive session and adjourned after recommending the amended bill language.
  - The legislation would likely be included among committee reports during the House pro forma floor session on Friday morning at 9:55am [ TVW ].

There were no introductions of cannabis-related legislation on Thursday, and none staged for Friday.
- The draft introduction reports in the House and the Senate for Friday March 28th did not appear to include any cannabis-related legislation.

On Friday, the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) was scheduled to hear testimony on a bill requiring evaluation of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) social equity program.
- 8am: WA Senate LC - Committee Meeting [ Event Details ]
  - Public Hearing
    - HB 1551 - Social Equity Program Evaluation
      - See the bill text, bill analysis, and fiscal note for more details.
      - On March 5th, representatives amended and passed legislation introduced by Representative Kristine Reeves requiring an evaluation of the social equity program without pausing future application windows.
- ~10:15am: WA Senate RULE - Committee Meeting [ Event Details ]
  - According to the announcement, members would be convened “at the Senate Rostrum immediately following pro forma on Friday” to vote on pulling a package of bills including the Senate version of the operating budget, SB 5167.
  - Calendaring the operating budget would position the legislation for floor action on Saturday March 29th [ TVW - morning, TVW - afternoon, TVW - evening ].