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March 4, 2024

Updates, News from Our Legislative Consultant Nancy Sapiro, Action Alerts, and More

This past week has been a bit of a blur – so much has happened! Friday, March 1, marked the last cut-off of the 2024 legislative session. This meant that all bills from the opposite chamber had to have been brought to the floor of the second chamber by 5 p.m. In other words, House bills pending before the Senate had to have been voted on by the Senate and Senate bills pending in the House had to have been voted on by the House. All bills that fall into that category are the lucky ones – they have survived. It was a brutal week for many other important public policy issues, as they fell by the wayside and didn’t come up for a vote.

Budget negotiators continued to meet this past week, putting in long hours as they work to find agreement on a final budget. These last four days of the 2024 legislative session will be spent reconciling differences between bills if they passed one house in a different form from another, voting on the three initiatives that the legislature has chosen to hear, and voting on final operating, transportation, and capital budgets. There is a lot to accomplish in the final four days.

Below is information on where AAUW-WA's legislative priorities stand as of March 4.

AAUW-WA has four areas of legislative priority for 2024: Education, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Economic Security, and Healthcare. (You can use these links to go to each section.) This issue contains brief summaries, updates and action alerts. For more complete bill summaries, refer to the January 15, 2024 "This Week in Olympia."

Supporting Students Who Are Chronically Absent
SB 5850 / HB 2146
Sponsors: Senator Braun and Rep Rule

Addressing the multi-faceted issues contributing to high absence rates in schools.

Update: The bill passed unanimously through the Senate on February 13. SB 5850 passed out of House Education and was referred to Appropriations. The bill did not advance out of Appropriations by the fiscal cut-off of February 26 and is therefore DEAD.

School Library Information and Technology Programs
ESSB 5102
Sponsor: Senator Wellman

Requiring school district boards of directors to provide resources and materials for the operation of school library information and technology programs, and ensuring that every student has access to a library technology program.

Update: ESSB 5102 unfortunately did not move out of its House of Origin by the February 13 cutoff and is now considered dead for the 2024 legislative session.

Implementing the Since Time Immemorial Curriculum
2SHB 1332
Sponsor: Rep Lekanoff

Setting minimum standards and a deadline for implementation of Since Time Immemorial, and clearing the way for state grants to help develop curricula.

Update: The bill passed unanimously out of the House on January 31. The bill moved out of its policy committee on the 21st and was referred to Ways & Means. Unfortunately, HB 1332 did not advance out of that committee, and it is therefore dead.

Establishing an Artificial Intelligence Task Force
SB 5838 / HB 1934
Sponsors: Senator Nguyen and Rep Couture

Crearting an AI task force that would include representatives from the legislature, state agencies, tribes, trade groups, civil liberties organizations, education, consumer advocates, and businesses.

Update: The bill passed off of the Senate floor on February 8, 31-18. SB 5838 passed the House 68-28. The bill was modified in the House so it must now go back to the Senate for consideration of the changes made by the House.

Flexible Work Hours for Peace Officers
ESSB 5424
Sponsor: Senator Cleveland

Allowing law enforcement agencies to adopt flexible work policies for officers, such as working less than full-time when feasible, supplementing work during peak hours with part-time officers, and including alternative shift and work schedules.

Update: ESSB 5424 passed the Senate unanimously and also passed off of the House floor unanimously on February 28. It was amended in the House so now must go back to the Senate for consideration.

Concerning Paid Sick Leave
SB 5793
Sponsor: Senator Saldaña

Modifying the state's paid sick leave statute to amend the definition of family member within the law to include chosen family and allowing workers to use sick leave to care for chosen family.

Update: SB 5793 passed through the Senate on February 7 on a 28/21 vote with amendments that narrowed the scope of the bill, eliminating the provisions around using leave for weather events. The bill passed the House 76-19 on February 27. It is now on its way to the Governor for his consideration.

Reproductive Freedom Constitutional Amendment
Senate Joint Resolution 8202/ HJR 4201
Sponsors: Senator Keiser and Rep Gregerson, at request of Governor Inslee

This is a proposal to amend the State Constitution to specify that the state cannot interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom decisions. This includes the right to have an abortion and the right to choose to use contraception.

Update: The resolution is in Senate Rules. Because this is a proposal to amend our constitution, it requires a 2/3 vote of the Senate, not a simple majority, for it to advance. The bill did not come up for a vote and is therefore dead for the session.

Keep Our Care Act
ESB 5241/ HB 1263
Sponsors: Senator Randall and Rep Simmons

Ensuring that health entity mergers and acquisitions improve, rather than harm, access to affordable quality care. Giving the AG’s office the tools it needs to ensure that future health system mergers and other transactions improve access to care. Prohibiting a health entity consolidation that diminishes access to affordable quality care and ensuring AG oversight of all mergers.

Update: The bill moved out of the House Health committee on the 20th, was heard in House Appropriations on the 23rd, and moved out of Appropriations on the 26th. Given that this is a short session, there were only three weeks to socialize the bill in the House, whereas the Senate had been working on it for four years. Nonetheless, SB 5241 was announced as the last bill (known as the 5 p.m. bill) to be debated by the House before the cut-off. There were close to 40 amendments (virtually all of them would have undermined the purpose of the bill) that were ready to be offered when the bill came up for debate. The House Democrats caucused for over four hours and then moved to adjourn without taking the bill up. Sadly, this means the bill is dead for the session. So many of you did such great work in advocating for SB 5241 and the bill wouldn't have made it as far as it did without all of your emails and phone calls.

Other bills that AAUW-WA is tracking:

Reasonable Accommodations for Constructions Workers who Menstruate or Express Milk – EHB 2266

Sponsor: Rep Stonier

HB 2266 ensures that all employers in the state provide reasonable, sanitary accommodations for workers who menstruate, lactate, or express milk. The bill aims to protect the health of workers while also providing additional privacy on jobsites.

Update: The bill has passed the House 84-13. EHB 2266 passed the Senate unanimously on February 27. It was amended in the Senate so needs to go back to the House for concurrence.

Promoting Inclusive Learning Standards and Instructional Materials in Public Schools – ESB 5462

Sponsor: Senator Liias

This bill would require school districts to adopt curriculum that covers inclusive, age-appropriate materials that tell the histories, contributions, and perspectives of LGBTQ+ Washingtonians.

Update: The bill passed out of the Senate on January 17 on a 29-19 vote. An amended version of ESB 5462 passed off of the House floor, 56-37, on February 29.

Harmonizing language relating to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment – HB 1954

Sponsor: Rep Riccelli

Last year the Legislature passed a bill, HB 1340, which protects WA health care providers who provide reproductive and gender affirming care. An amendment was added to the bill, at the last moment, which resulted in some unnecessary confusion. This bill is a technical clean-up bill to harmonize the two sections and avoid any future confusion around the law.

Update: The bill passed out of the House on January 25 on a party line vote. It passed off of the Senate floor, 30-19, on February 22 and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk for his consideration.

Parental Rights Initiative – Initiative 2081

Initiative 2081 would codify a parents' bill of rights on matters ranging from reviewing textbooks and curriculum to obtaining student records, including disciplinary and health information, to being able to opt their child out of sex education. The measure would require parents to be able to review educational materials and receive copies of academic and medical records for free. It also says parents should “receive written notice and the option to opt their child out” of surveys, assignments, questionnaires, and other activities in which questions are asked about their child’s “sexual experiences or attractions” or their family religion or political affiliations.

Update: This initiative was heard on February 28 and executive action was taken on the initiative on March 1. The House and Senate are expected to pass I-2081, in its original form, early this week. As a reminder, the legislature’s options are to pass the initiative, take no action and let it go to the ballot, or pass an alternative proposal, which would send bothI-2081 and the alternative to a vote of the people.

We welcome your input! Our goals for "This Week in Olympia"? Quick to read and easy to find information of interest to YOU. Email suggestions to communications@aauw-wa.org.

More information about Public Policy is available on our AAUW-WA website. Questions? Contact Sandra Distelhorst, publicpolicy@aauw-wa.org.