After renewing focus in policy committees, legislators announced plans to address the majority of active cannabis legislation the following week and begin work on the operating budget.
Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Wednesday March 16th, the 67th day of the 2023 Regular Session.
My top 3 takeaways:
- On Wednesday March 15th, leadership of the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) removed a planned executive session on the WSLCB THC bill from the agenda for their Thursday morning meeting.
- Later in the day, it was announced that an executive session on SB 5367 had been rescheduled for Monday March 20th.
- During the WA House RSG public hearing on the legislation on Monday March 13th, committee members heard testimony in favor, opposed, and ‘other’ while seeking suggestions on THC levels for hemp products after the Senate decided any amount of THC was too much. Representatives had many questions on the bill, which many considered unworkable as written, so a delay would grant additional time for the development of amendments.
- Later on Wednesday, Washington State legislative staff published preliminary committee meeting schedules for the following week announcing planned actions on the vast majority of active cannabis-related bills.
- On Monday March 20th at 10:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) planned to host public hearings on the only two cannabis bills referred to them and likely recommend confirmation of the gubernatorial appointments of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) board members.
- Public Hearing
- Executive Session
- Also on Monday at 1:30pm PT, the WA House RSG planned executive action on two of the WSLCB request bills and would host hearings on three other cannabis bills.
- Executive Session
- Public Hearing
- On Tuesday March 21st at 10:30am PT, the Washington State House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee (WA House LAWS) planned to host an executive session on legislation to proscribe pre-employment screening for state legal cannabis use.
- Executive Session
- SB 5123 - “Concerning the employment of individuals who lawfully consume cannabis.”
- Executive Session
- Also on Tuesday at 4pm PT, the WA House RSG planned two more executive sessions and would host their last planned public hearing on cannabis legislation which would grant local control over retail signage.
- On Wednesday March 22nd at 6pm PT, the Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee (WA Senate LAW) planned to host an executive session on a technical fix bill which included provisions to rewrite ‘marijuana’ references remaining in statute to ‘cannabis.’
- Executive Session
- HB 1066 - “Making technical corrections and removing obsolete language from the Revised Code of Washington pursuant to RCW 1.08.025.”
- Executive Session
- On Thursday March 23rd at 8am PT, the WA Senate LC planned to host its final executive sessions on legislation to more clearly prohibit cannabis infused alcohol products and equal arrest protections for all patients.
- Also on Thursday at 8am PT, the WA House RSG planned to wrap up its cannabis committee work with executive sessions on interstate commerce, retail advertising, and a framework for establishing a cannabis commodity commission.
- On Monday March 20th at 10:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) planned to host public hearings on the only two cannabis bills referred to them and likely recommend confirmation of the gubernatorial appointments of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) board members.
- As well, the committee schedule for next week indicated the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee (WA Senate WM) would begin the process of defining the operating budget for the next biennium.
- On Friday March 24th at 2pm PT, WA Senate WM members planned to convene to host a public hearing on SB 5187, “Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.”
- In prior legislative sessions, leadership of the Senate fiscal committee and the Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) closely coordinated efforts to compose voluminous omnibus legislation describing the operating budget appropriations for the entire state government for the following two fiscal years. The WA Senate WM chair, Senator Christine Rolfes, used the Governor’s proposed budget as the basis for substitute legislation she introduced for consideration, amendment, and passage by her peers. On reception in the House, the chair of WA House APP, Representative Timm Ormsby, would offer his own proposed substitute incorporating more or less of the Senate text. After amendment, passage, and return to the Senate, additional changes to the legislation—which typically runs to hundreds of pages—were inevitable and required the appointment and convening of a conference committee composed of fiscal leaders from both caucuses in both chambers. Acceptance of the recommendations of the conference committee and final passage of the operating budget was usually one of the final acts by legislators during each regular session of the Washington State Legislature.
- Senators appeared poised to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors as the meeting announcement indicated the “Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute which includes the 2023 supplemental budget.” At publication time, the proposed substitute bill language had not been published.