WA Legislature - Update
(February 28, 2023)

Cannabis-related bills were not taken up by legislators on Monday, but the social equity bill was moved out of rules, joining three other bills ready for second and third readings.

Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Tuesday February 28th, the 51st day of the 2023 Regular Session.

My top 2 takeaways:

• On Monday February 27th, the social equity bill was moved to the Senate floor calendar by members of the Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE).
  • Convened after the all day floor session, SB 5080 (“Expanding and improving the social equity in cannabis program”) was included among the 29 bills in the regular package pulls promoted by all committee members.
  • Also in the late afternoon, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) staff broadcast two announcements about the upcoming opening of the social equity program retail application window on Wednesday March 1st.

• On Tuesday February 28th, the Washington State House of Representatives (WA House) and the Washington State Senate (WA Senate) planned to reconvene to read, debate, amend, and vote on bills.
  • WA House members planned to convene at 9am PT. At publication time, one cannabis bill had been advanced to the house floor calendar:
    • HB 1772 - “Prohibiting products that combine alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol.”
  • WA Senate members planned to convene at 10am PT. At publication time, three cannabis bills had been advanced to the senate floor calendar:
    • SB 5069 - “Allowing interstate cannabis agreements.”
    • SB 5080 “Expanding and improving the social equity in cannabis program.”
    • SB 5405 - “Modifying the liquor and cannabis board's subpoena authority.”
  • At publication time, there were no published floor amendments on any of the cannabis-related bills.