Yesterday was the house-of-origin cutoff, the third major deadline of the legislative session. This means that bills, unless they’re necessary to implement the budget, had to pass out of the chamber where they were introduced (i.e., House of Representatives or Senate) in order to remain alive and continue through the legislative process.
They will follow the same process as in their house-of-origin, but on an abbreviated timeline. Bills will first be considered in their relevant policy committee (e.g., Higher Education & Workforce Development), and if they impact the state’s budgets, they will then move to the appropriate fiscal committee. After, the bill will go to the Rules Committee, where a committee member must pull it for consideration by the full House or Senate. If pulled, the bill will be considered for a floor vote by the entire chamber.
The next deadline is the opposite house policy committee cutoff on April 2.
The UW has been closely monitoring and engaging on several bills this session. Some that remain in play are:
- Senate Bill (SB) 5239 / House Bill (HB) 1394 concerns retention of hospital medical records.
- SB 5158 concerns student athlete insurance.
- SB 5355 improves safety at institutions of higher education while supporting student survivors of sexual assault.
- SB 5785 modifies students’ share of the education costs at institutions of higher education.
- HB 1755 exempts elective percutaneous coronary intervention performed in certain hospitals owned or operated by a state entity from certificate of need requirements.
- SB 5785 tuition bill.
On March 18, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will release the state’s first quarterly revenue report of 2025. This report will provide a picture of Washington’s economic health and available revenue, helping to inform legislators as they craft the state budgets.
House and Senate budget writers are actively drafting their state operating, capital, and transportation budget proposals, which are expected to be released the week of March 24. After the proposals are unveiled, budget writers from both chambers will come together to negotiate the final, compromised budgets.
Legislative session is scheduled to end on April 27.
Questions?
The Office of State Relations is in Olympia advocating on behalf of the UW. For questions about the UW’s advocacy efforts or the state legislative process, please contact Morgan Hickel at mhickel@uw.edu.