WA Legislature - Update
(February 25, 2025)

WA Legislature - Update (February 25, 2025) - Takeaways

The cannabis retail advertising bill was heard by a senate fiscal committee with an executive session already lined up, and the home grow bill would be heard by a fiscal committee in the House on Tuesday.

Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Tuesday February 25th, the 44th day of the 2025 regular session.

My top 4 takeaways:

  • On Monday afternoon, legislative staff announcedthe Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE) planned to convene on Wednesday February 26th; three cannabis-related bills were positioned for calendaring.
    • 3:45pm: WA Senate RULE - Committee Meeting [ Event Details ]
      • Members would be allotted one pull in addition to a set of gubernatorial appointment confirmations, a consent package, and a regular package of bills to be added to the chamber second reading calendar for potential amendment, debate, and chamber passage during a subsequent floor session.
      • At publication time, three cannabis-related bills had been referred to the WA Senate RULE for review:
        • SB 5403 - Cannabis Retail Financial Interest
        • SB 5700 - DOH Patient Data Sharing
        • SB 5758 - Social Equity Buffer Zones
      • One adjacent bill was also ready for calendaring:
        • SB 5290 - Pre-Hearing SUD Treatment
  • There were no introductions of cannabis-related legislation on Monday, and none planned for Tuesday.
    • The draft introduction reports in the House and the Senate for Tuesday February 25th did not appear to include new cannabis-related legislation, reflecting the complications besetting introduction of legislation after the House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff.
  • On Tuesday, the Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) planned to host a public hearing for fiscal review of the home grow bill while the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee (WA Senate TRAN) considered advancing driving under the influence (DUI) legislation.
    • 1:30pm: WA House APP - Committee Meeting [ Event Details ]
      • HB 1449 - Cannabis Home Grow
        • Representative Shelley Kloba introduced legislation to allow an adult to grow six cannabis plants (combined up to 15 per ‘housing unit’) while establishing parameters and penalties around the practice.
          • For more details, see the bill report and comparatively low fiscal note compared to prior iterations of the legislation.
        • During the public hearing on January 28th, the majority of testifiers supported having Washington follow the example of 21 out of 24 other states that had legalized adult use of cannabis while also safely allowing home growing of a limited number of plants.  Four representatives of law enforcement, public health, and prevention groups testified in opposition to the legislation.
        • Representative Kristine Reeves, a Democrat whose district included Federal Way where cannabis businesses had been banned since 2013, exhibited an unusual interest in the legislative concept for the third year in a row.  She published three amendments the evening before the executive session suggesting cultivation requirements similar to those imposed on commercial producers, liability insurance coverage, and law enforcement guidelines.
        • During the executive session on Friday February 21st, members adopted the three amendments put forward by Reeves.  They were incorporated into a substitute bill which was recommended by the committee in a 9-6 vote along strictly partisan lines.
        • Due to the fiscal note on the original bill and the additional requirements imposed by the amendments, the committee report recommended and the legislation was referred to the WA House APP during the pro forma floor session on Friday February 21st before the House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff.
        • Late on Saturday night, legislative staff announced a fiscal committee hearing on the bill had been scheduled for Tuesday.
          • At publication time, an executive session on the legislation had not been announced.
    • 1:30pm: WA Senate TRAN - Committee Meeting [ Event Details ]
      • SB 5067 - Alcohol BAC Limit and DUI
        • Senator John Lovick introduced legislation focused on lowering the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit to 0.05, informing the public about the change, and a study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) which would likely be inclusive of data on impaired driving more broadly.
          • See the bill report and fiscal note for more details.
          • WA Senate TRAN was the second standing committee to consider the legislation in that chamber.
        • On Thursday January 30th before the hearing, members convened a work session to learn about "Impaired driving impacts" from experts and families who had lost loved ones to drunk drivers.
          • When Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) External Relations Director Mark McKechnie briefed members, he contextualized State data about polysubstance impaired drivers by acknowledging that “certainly cannabis is one of the common ones but we also see anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, pain medication, and others that interact with alcohol as well” (presentation).
        • As WA Senate TRAN members considered both the policy and fiscal impact of transportation-related legislation, the body was exempt from the House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff, but legislation in committee from the chamber must be advanced by the House of Origin Fiscal Committee Cutoff at close of business (COB) on Friday February 28th.
    • Also on Tuesday, the House planned to convene a pro forma floor session at 9:55am [ TVW ] and the Senate planned to convene a floor session at 10:00am [ TVW ].
      • At publication time, no cannabis-related legislation was positioned for potential floor activity, but three bills were ready for calendaring in the Washington State House Rules Committee (WA House RUL):
        • HB 1141 - Cannabis Production Unions
        • HB 1341 - DOH Patient Data Sharing
        • HB 1551 - Social Equity Program Evaluation