Washington State Senate
(WA Senate)

Senators reduced by half the period of time registered patients would be exempted from a cannabis excise tax under HB 1453, but a large majority again supported the change.

The patient excise tax exemption bill was modified and passed by the Senate, joining two other bills awaiting concurrence in their chambers of origin as lawmaker attention turned to budgets before sine die.

The “high THC” legislation was expanded in scope before passage in the Senate and the cannabis waste bill was passed in the House ahead of the deadline on Friday which three cannabis bills still had to make.

The WSDA testing lab accreditation bill was passed and two more cannabis bills were calendared for floor activity as the House of Origin Cutoff loomed on Friday.

Interest in advancing inactive legislation via budget proviso had been activated, the “high THC” bill was positioned for floor activity in the Senate, and floor sessions would continue in the push to sine die.

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.

The first cannabis legislation of the session was passed; two bills in fiscal committees were heard and one was advanced regardless of not being heard; and the “potency tax” study was up for a financial review.

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.