The Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) considers issues relating to labor issues, including unemployment insurance, industrial insurance/workers’ compensation, prevailing wage, collective bargaining, worker rights and benefits, and the Washington Cares Act. The committee also considers commerce issues, including the regulation of certain professions and businesses, and alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis.
The lab certification bill was passed in the House before a mishmash of amendments were published on seven cannabis-related bills up for executive sessions Friday morning in advance of the first cutoff.
Two bills were heard and the social equity program evaluation bill was advanced; fiscal committee schedules for the following week remained blank slates; and a SUD treatment bill may be moved.
Three bills were heard Tuesday; advertising and lab certification legislation was advanced; and two hearings were scheduled Wednesday in addition to the controversial social equity program evaluation bill.
Senators heard testimony on out of state ownership, schedules were shuffled, and bills on cannabis producer cooperatives, social equity buffer zones, and retail advertising were up for Tuesday.
Supporters welcomed expanded signage allowances and clarifications offered in a cannabis advertising bill, but opponents viewed changes as increasing youth perception of normalization.
Eight cannabis-related bills were scheduled for hearings and six potential executive sessions were planned in the week before the House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff.
Legislation creating social equity buffer zones could be fast tracked and out of state ownership would be heard in the Senate, but many cannabis-related bills remained at risk before the first cutoff on Friday.
Wrapping up the first five weeks of the 2025 session, committee schedules for the final week before the first cutoff were filling up prompting reshuffling and winnowing of legislative priorities.
The House passed data dashboard legislation, action was deferred on two bills, and preliminary schedules for the final week before the first cutoff indicated many cannabis-related bills may be left behind.
Retail advertising concerns drew out public health and prevention representatives, two new bills were staged for introduction, and legislation to clarify authority over testing labs may be moved on Tuesday.
