Washington State House Finance Committee
(WA House FIN)

Legislative and budget issues were top-of-mind for the board, but they also discussed an impending rulemaking project related to minors on the premises of producers and processors.

The THC tax study didn’t make it through the Opposite House Fiscal Committee Cutoff gateway, narrowing the list of active cannabis-related bills down to seven as legislators returned to floor sessions.

One cannabis bill was gathering signatures, another was ready for final passage, three were in rules awaiting calendaring, and three more were scheduled for execs before the Monday cutoff.

All three cannabis bills at risk were scheduled for executive sessions before the fiscal committee cutoff on Monday, although two carried potential amendments which could alter their outcomes.

Following the latest cutoff, four more cannabis bills were out of the running leaving eight bills active, four of which would require consideration by fiscal committees before Monday February 26th.

At the close of a quiet day for cannabis-related legislation on Thursday, House leadership pulled three bills out of their rules committee onto the floor calendar for potential action on Friday.

Six of seven clearly active cannabis bills were on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature into law, veto, or partial veto while representatives tried to offer tax relief to “eligible farmers.”

The medical cannabis patient excise tax exemption bill made it through the fiscal committee gateway whereas home grow legislation was getting a late start, but was positioned to proceed.

After fiscal committee work and announcement of schedules for the remainder of the week before cutoff, only two of 22 active cannabis bills appeared at risk of being left behind.

With 22 of 34 cannabis-related bills through the initial house of origin policy committee gateway, the fiscal committees took over - and four bills appeared to have uncertain futures.