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

Ask House Representatives to Support Police Accountability

Local prosecutors work closely with law enforcement officers in their jurisdiction and, out of necessity, must develop strong working relationships to be able to do their jobs effectively. As a result, there is at least the appearance of a conflict of interest when a prosecutor is faced with the decision whether to charge an officer in a case involving the use of deadly force. 

The Governor convened a task force on police use of deadly force following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The task force recommended the creation of an Office of Independent Investigations (OII) and an Office of Independent Prosecutions to ensure that cases involving use of deadly force by police would be handled fairly. The OII is up and running, but we need to finish the job by authorizing the Office of Independent Prosecutions.   

⚠️ Ask members of the House Appropriations Committee to vote HB 1579 out of committee with a DO PASS recommendation here by January 22.

Correct Past Sentencing Injustices

In 2023, the legislature passed HB 1324, which provides that juvenile convictions, or “points,” will no longer automatically be used to lengthen adult sentences. The legislature recognized that automatic addition of juvenile points has resulted in extreme racial disparities in sentencing, especially with respect to our Indigenous community members. And it does not reflect scientific research showing that our brains are not fully developed until age 25.  

HB 1324 applies prospectively but does not help the 800+ people currently in prison whose sentences are longer because of crimes committed when they were children. HB 2065, Elimination of Juvenile Points, rectifies past harms by making HB 1324 retroactive. 

⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 2065 here. 

End Foreign Influence in our Elections

This important bill was heard by the House State Government and Tribal Relations committee on January 9 but has not yet been scheduled for a vote to move it out of committee for further action. HB 1885, Strengthens campaign finance disclosure by prohibiting campaign contributions and expenditures by foreign-influenced corporations would protect the basic principle of democratic self-government, and improve trust in our elections. We need you to encourage committee members to vote this out of committee before January 31, 2024. Please help get this bill passed this year!


⚠️Ask the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee to pass HB 1885 out of committee here. 

Support Statewide Standards for the Effective Implementation of Ranked Choice Voting

The WA VOICES* Act (HB 2250) would provide baseline definitions and legal requirements for ranked choice voting (RCV) elections for local governments. This legislation is critical to prepare for the eventual use of RCV in our state. Seattle voters, by a vote of the people, have already chosen to use RCV in primary elections. The work group to be established would research best practices and develop effective rules, implementation materials, voter education standards, and support materials to aid in the consistent implementation of ranked choice voting throughout the state. This will save the taxpayers money and provide guidance for all local governments.



*Washington Voting Options, Implementation, Compliance, Education, and Standards .

⚠️Sign in PRO for HB 2250 here by Wednesday, January 24 at 12:30 PM.

Oppose Undue Burdens on Local Governments

SB 5993, Concerning voter education, this bill places the burden on local governments to educate voters without the benefit of a statewide implementation plan. This legislation, if passed, allows any eligible voter to file an action against the local voting jurisdiction and election office. This sets up local governments, and its taxpayers, to be assessed monetary damages if even one voter feels the public education and outreach campaign associated with the voting method change is inadequate. 


⚠️Sign in CON for SB 5993 here by Tuesday, January 23 at 12:30 PM.

Transition Our Energy Sources Away From Fossil Fuels Globally

HJM 4003, requests that the United States join in developing a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. This Joint Memorial lists two pages of background and substantiation for this request: “…the Washington State Legislature urges the United States government to join the global community in formally developing a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty as an international mechanism to manage a global transition away from coal, oil, and gas…”.

⚠️ Sign in PRO to the House Environment & Energy Committee hearing here by Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 AM.

Support Healthcare Autonomy 

SB 5241 Concerning Material Changes to the Materials and Operation Structure of Participants in the Healthcare Marketplace. Passage of this bill gives the Attorney General further legal grounds to investigate and intervene in cases where takeover of a secular healthcare facility limits choice in personal healthcare decision making. This is particularly of concern in end of life, gender affirming care and the whole of reproductive healthcare. Is having choices in your healthcare decision making important to you? This bill, if passed, will allow the Attorney General’s Office to review and have input on mergers and acquisitions prior to the final agreement.

⚠️Click here to send a letter to your Senator and tell them this issue is important to you.

Here is sample language you may cut and paste:

Dear Senator,

SB 5241 is important to me as your constituent.  Please vote to support legislation to maintain secular healthcare.  If only religious based institutions own our healthcare individual choices and freedoms in decision making will continue to be eroded.

As noted in last week’s publication, this is a “short” session, the second half of the biennium, but many more bills were prefiled than last year. This is leading to what some people have described as a “chaotic”, others as a “frenzied”, atmosphere at the Legislature. What this means is that legislators are working very hard to move legislation through, knowing how much competition there is for committee time.

Policy bills must be passed from the policy committees in the chamber of origin no later than the cut-off on January 31, so there is not much time to get key legislation through. After that, the fiscal committees have until February 5 to pass revenue and appropriations bills from the chamber of origin. Bills that miss these deadlines are considered dead. They may be introduced again next year as new bills with different numbers, but they will not proceed this year.

Please see the League’s legislative priorities here and use the weekly updates linked below in addition to the prominent Action Alerts above. The weekly updates provide more details on pending legislation and contact information for our Issue Chairs, in case you would like to contact them for more information.

For additional information and to participate in meetings with local legislators, plan to attend the Democracy Lobby Week, starting tomorrow, January 22 through 26. There are brief meetings to address talking points on key issues and meetings with legislators virtually during the day. It isn’t too late to sign up here.

You can also participate in the Monday morning ACT meetings, at which speakers talk in more depth about specific issues. Register here.

Thank you for your interest and for taking action!

Bill Deadlines

This is the third week of the 2024 Legislature and the second half of the biennium. There are only two weeks left for bills that are going to proceed to pass the policy committees in the respective chambers of origin—and only five days after that to pass the fiscal committees.

After the January 31 and February policy and fiscal cutoffs, respectively, the House and Senate will proceed to more floor action, where the full chamber votes on bills for final passage. This means that legislators are very busy and the session is very intense.

The exception to these cutoff dates is the budget. The House and Senate budget proposals will be considered after other bills have moved to the opposite chamber and the final budget will be the last action before the session ends on March 7.

LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2024 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 at the end of an issue, it indicates there are actions to take for this week. Click on the "⚠️" to be taken to our Action Alerts page.

Democracy

Elections | Issue overview |⚠️

Money in Politics| Issue overview |⚠️

Education | Issue overview | Weekly update

Local News and Democracy | Issue overview |Weekly update |⚠️

Redistricting | Issue overview

Environment

Climate Crisis and Energy | Issue overview |⚠️

Forests| Issue overview | Weekly update

Growth Management | Issue overview

Waste Diversion | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Transportation | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Social and Economic Policy

Housing and Homelessness | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Healthcare | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Behavioral Health | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Children's Issues | Issue overview | Weekly update |⚠️

Early Care and Education of Young Children | Issue overview| Weekly update|⚠️

Criminal Justice | Issue overview |⚠️

Revenue | Issue overview |Weekly Update |⚠️

League of Women Voters of Washington
1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 900, 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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