Thank you for your interest in the League of Women Voters of Washington’s advocacy work at the state legislature. Please forward this newsletter to share with family and friends who may also be interested in our advocacy. Or suggest that they sign up to receive it here.

^{Action Alerts}

Click on the links below to learn more about bills currently being reviewed in the state legislature. You can “take action” on these most pressing bills by following the links below. Please sign in as individuals and not as representing the League of Women Voters. Thank you for taking action!

Priority Actions

Support Vibrant Communities

In order to maximize the return on investment in intermodal transportation, HB 1491, Promoting Transit Oriented Housing Development, would support transit-oriented development that reflects the state’s commitment to affordable housing and vibrant, walkable, accessible urban environments that improve health, expand multimodal transportation options, and include varied community facilities, parks, and green spaces that are open to people of all income levels. It provides guidelines and for assistance to cities in achieving this type of development. This bill passed the House as a third substitute and has been referred to the Senate Housing Committee, where it has a public hearing at 10:30 am on Friday, March 14.

⚠️ Sign in PRO for HB 1491 HERE before 9:30 am on Friday, March 14.

Increase Access to Behavioral Health Treatment

Currently, there are not enough psychiatrists and other prescribing professionals to adequately serve the mental health needs of Washingtonians. SB 5112, Establishing a Prescribing Psychologist Certification in Washington State, would help to alleviate the shortage of psychiatrists in Washington State. Patients go without treatment or have long wait times for an initial appointment resulting in worsening of their conditions and unnecessary suffering. These shortages are most critical in rural areas and among disadvantaged and minority populations. Increasing the workforce by allowing specially trained psychologists to prescribe medication would increase access to care. See more information about this bill from NAMI Washington and the Washington State Psychological Association here.

⚠️ Write to your Senator HERE and tell them to bring this bill to a floor vote—and VOTE YES by March 12.

See All Action Alerts

^{This Week in the Legislature}

Mid-Week Transition from Floor Action to Committee Hearings

Since the fiscal committee cutoff on February 28, the House and Senate have been busy moving bills from their respective Rules Committees to the floor for votes and passing legislation for the opposite chamber to consider. The cutoff for floor action is this week, March 12.

Already some committees are holding public hearings on bills that have passed the opposite chamber; but this will become the full focus of their work between March 13 and April 2, which is the cutoff for consideration of bills from the opposite chamber in the policy committees.

In the weekly updates for this week, you will see a number of bills that are listed as "in Rules Committee, 2nd reading". These are the ones that will presumably be voted on between Monday and Wednesday this week. Our updates can't anticipate which ones will be moved ahead, so next week's updates will give the new status for those bills.

We encourage you to respond to the action alerts in the weekly updates for the issues of your choice as well as the ones at the top of this newsletter. Thank you to every reader who acts. We appreciate your help.

^{The 2025 Legislative Issues}

LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2025 Washington State Legislative Session

Click on an issue overview to learn more about the bills the League is following and "This Week's Updates" to read the issue chair's report on this past week. When a "⚠️" appears next to an overview, it indicates there are actions to take for this week. Click on the "⚠️" to be taken to the actions for that issue.

*Please note that additional issues will be available in next week's issue.

Democracy

Redistricting | Issue overview

Environment

Climate Crisis and Energy | Issue overview | Weekly Update ⚠️

Forests| Issue overview |Weekly Update

Waste Diversion | Issue overview |Weekly Update ⚠️

Transportation | Issue overview | Weekly Update ⚠️

Social and Economic Policy

Behavioral Health | Issue overview |Weekly Update ⚠️

Health Care | Issue overview | Weekly Update ⚠️

Affordable Housing and Homelessness | Issue overview | Weekly Update ⚠️

K-12 Education | Issue overview | Weekly Update

Early Care and Education | Issue overview |Weekly Update

Children's Issues | Issue overview |Weekly Update ⚠️

Criminal Justice | Issue overview |Weekly Update ⚠️

Revenue | Issue overview |Weekly Update

Support Our Advocacy Work

League of Women Voters of Washington
1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 801, Seattle, WA 98101
206-622-8961 | 1-800-419-2596 | www.lwvwa.org

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The League of Women Voters of Washington
1511 Third Ave, Suite 900
Seattle, WA 98101
United States

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