With the passing of the April 8 fiscal committee cutoff, the Washington State Legislature has entered its next phase. Over the final two weeks of the session, both chambers will shift their attention to floor debates, huddling in party caucus meetings to determine which bills are ready for a vote, and negotiations on final tax and spending plans. The next major deadline is April 16—the Opposite Floor Cutoff—by which bills must pass out of the opposite chamber to remain alive. After that, the only remaining deadline is the legislature’s final adjournment, or Sine Die, before which legislators must finalize the state’s two-year budgets for operating, capital, and transportation funding.
While policy debates continue on the House and Senate floors, budget negotiations are ramping up behind the scenes. Fiscal leaders are working to reconcile legislative funding priorities with Governor Ferguson’s call for reduced spending and less reliance on new revenue. Life Science Washington has been actively lobbying to protect critical investments like Career Connect Washington and to ensure that new tax proposals don’t unintentionally harm the life sciences industry. See our previous explanations of the tax proposals and read our letters to legislators urging action to retain the preferential B&O tax rate for research and to preserve Career Connect Washington.
Life Science Washington Issues
Work on most of the policy bills is complete. Right to repair, (HB 1483) passed the Senate 48-1. It is now headed back to the House for concurrence. It is expected that the House will concur, and the bill will be sent to the governor for his signature.
SB 5455, technical amendments relating to the Andy Hill Cancer fund, is awaiting a vote by the full House. It should pass before the April 16 cutoff.
HB 2068, relating to regulating and taxing tobacco and nicotine products, is scheduled for executive action on Friday. This is known as the “kids flavored tobacco bill”, and it would provide some funding for the Andy Hill Cancer fund.
Major Bills Enter Final Stages
As the session nears its end, high-profile bills often reach their final stages. HB 1217 (Alvarado, D-34), which proposes a statewide rent cap and related housing provisions, illustrates how contentious legislation moves through last-minute negotiations. After passing the Senate Ways & Means Committee last week, the bill advanced to the Senate floor, where amendments raised the cap from 7% to 10% + CPI and exempted single-family homes not owned by real estate trusts or companies.
In these final days, bills that pass both chambers in different forms, like the rent cap bill, must be reconciled. The originating chamber can agree to the changes (“concur”) or request further negotiations through a conference committee. Only when both chambers agree on the final language does a bill move to the governor for signature. This stage is where final compromises are struck—and where key policy battles are often resolved.
Have questions, comments, or concerns about these bills or any other pending legislation? Get in touch with LSW’s Public Affairs Manager, Curtis Knapp.