Friday, February 17th marked the cutoff for bills to pass out of the policy committee that they had been assigned. Friday, February 24th is the cutoff for bills to pass out of the fiscal committees. Bills that have not moved out of their committee by the cutoff date most likely will not continue in the legislative process, however, nothing is truly dead until session is adjourned.
Here's a quick update on tow of our priorities bills:
SB 5365/HB 1497 - Preventing use of vapor and tobacco products by minors
The House version (HB 1497) failed to make it out of committee, while the substitute Senate version (SSB 5365) was voted out of committee and passed to Rules for a second reading. The Senate version of the bill passed with amendments and we are currently evaluating the changes and deciding if we can still support the bill in it's updated form.
HB 1238/SB 5339 - Providing free school meals for all
While the Senate version (SB 5339) has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee, legislators decided that the House version (HB 1238) will be the vehicle. HB 1238 passed out of the Education committee and has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee, where it is waiting to be scheduled for a hearing. We are monitoring the bill closely because we have heard from legislators that there is some hesitation about the fiscal note for the bill. Thank you to all you who have sent their legislators and the House Appropriations Committee members a message to support this important legislation. If you haven't already, please send your message to the committee TODAY!
We will be in touch when there is movement on these bills.
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thumbnail_alt_text===A picture of the Washington State Capitol Building from outside
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