WA Legislature - Update (March 7, 2025)

With six days to go before the House of Origin cutoff, six cannabis-related bills awaited calendaring and floor action to remain active during the 2025 regular session.

Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Friday March 7th, the 54th day of the 2025 regular session.

My top 2 takeaways:

The social equity program evaluation legislation passed by the House would be introduced in the Senate on Friday.
- The draft introduction report in the Senate for Friday March 7th did not appear to include new cannabis-related legislation, but a bill passed by the House would have its first reading in the opposite chamber:
  - HB 1551 - Social Equity Program Evaluation
- The draft introduction report in the House for Friday March 7th did not appear to include new cannabis-related legislation, reflecting the complications besetting introduction of legislation after the House of Origin Policy and Fiscal Committee Cutoffs.

On Friday, legislators would convene floor sessions to debate and advance legislation which may include the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) request to obtain access to Washington State Department of Health (DOH) patient data; five other cannabis-related bills awaited review in chamber rules committees.
- 9:55am: WA Senate RULE - Committee Meeting
  - During the Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE) meeting on Wednesday, Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen indicated the body would not formally convene in their meeting room again before the House of Origin cutoff. Instead, members would briefly convene at the senate rostrum to move selected packages of legislation.
  - On Friday morning, the committee was scheduled to vote on a regular package of bills and a set of gubernatorial appointment confirmations before the floor session began.
  - At publication time, three cannabis-related bills had been referred to WA Senate RULE and awaited calendaring:
    - SB 5206 - Cannabis Retailer Advertising
      - Although not controversial within the cannabis sector, public health and prevention detractors framed the bill as expanding the presence of cannabis advertising, a change which they argued would have a deleterious influence within local communities. While the legislation would also grant local jurisdictions authority to regulate important aspects of cannabis retail signage, opponents framed those provisions as imposing burdensome costs on cities and counties.
      - At publication time, the fiscal note indicated local jurisdictions had not been asked or had not provided an estimate of costs or cash receipts expected.
    - SB 5403 - Cannabis Retail Financial Interest
      - While Senator Rebecca Saldaña’s striking amendment rewriting her legislation in the committee she chaired had been adopted and recommended in a bipartisan but not unanimous vote after hosting a work session outlining the contours of the issue, the legislative concept advanced had not been substantially vetted by either a policy or fiscal committee.
      - At publication time, a fiscal note on the new bill language had not been published.
    - SB 5758 - Social Equity Buffer Zones
      - A final fiscal note on the substitute language was published on March 3rd, but showed no change in rather uncertain expenditures local jurisdictions may have to undertake to amend zoning ordinances.
- 10am: WA Senate - Session
  - [ Floor Activity Report, TVW - Morning, TVW - Afternoon, TVW - Evening ]
  - At publication time, one cannabis-related bill was positioned for floor activity in the Senate.
    - SB 5700 - DOH Patient Data Sharing
      - At publication time, there were no published amendments on the legislation.
  - At publication time, two adjacent bills were positioned for floor activity in the Senate.
    - SB 5067 - Alcohol BAC Limit and DUI
      - At publication time, there were no published amendments on the legislation.
    - SB 5290 - Pre-Hearing SUD Treatment
      - On Thursday afternoon, Senator Jeff Holy published amendment S-2059.2 which was described as having the following effects:
        
        “Permits the defense to make a motion to dismiss nonpossession charges filed under the same cause number and arising from the same course of conduct as the dismissed possession charge, and permits the court to grant that motion unless the prosecutor objects.”
- 10:30am: WA House - Session
  - [ Floor Activity Report, TVW - Morning, TVW - Afternoon, TVW - Evening ]
  - After a late-running session into Thursday night, representatives delayed their previously planned start time of 9am.
  - House leadership established a pattern of pulling a package of bills out of the Washington State House Rules Committee (WA House RUL) at the end of each day’s floor activity to replenish the chamber’s second reading calendar, including on Thursday night. At publication time, two cannabis-related bills remained positioned for calendaring in WA House RUL.
    - HB 1141 - Cannabis Production Unions
      - While advanced more rapidly than any other cannabis-related legislation at the beginning of the session—including bypassing fiscal committee consideration despite a fiscal note documenting hundreds of thousands of dollars in biennial costs—resistance from larger agricultural interests outside the cannabis sector may have brought this contentious legislation to a halt in WA House RUL where it remained unmoved at publication time since referral on January 24th.
    - HB 1341 - DOH Patient Data Sharing
      - As the identical companion SB 5700 had been calendared, it seemed likely the senate bill had been selected as the vehicle to advance the WSLCB agency request, and HB 1341 may remain in WA House RUL beyond the House of Origin cutoff on Wednesday March 12th.
  - At publication time, no cannabis-related bills were positioned for floor activity in the House.