2025 Quaker Voice Priority Bill Tracker

The House and Senate will reconvene on Friday, April 17. The final day for legislative action in this session is Sunday, April 27.

Priority Bills: All the current priority bills have passed in their second chambers, with one exception, a gun control bill (SB 5219). Also, HB 1607 will wait for action later, if needed, because it is NTIB (“necessary to implement the budget”).

Great work, Quaker activists! You can check how your legislators voted on the bill information page, with the “roll call” link next to the record of the vote in each house. You may want to send them a thank you note if they voted the way you wanted, or some other feedback if not.

We still need to watch the progress of these bills through important reconciliation processes and Governor’s signature. In particular, as noted above, HB 1217, the rent stabilization bill needs “fixing.”

Revenue and budget bills: New revenue options were introduced suddenly Thursday, April 16. The Senate bills received public hearings Thursday at 5:30 pm, and the House bills are in public hearings on Friday morning, April 18, at 8 am. Only one of these new options is really progressive, SB 5813, an expansion of the capital gains tax. This bill is scheduled for executive action in Ways & Means on Friday at 8 a.m.

Four of the original progressive set of bills have also now been scheduled for executive action on Friday: SB 5794 (Eliminating obsolete tax preferences, clarifying legislative intent, and addressing changes in constitutional law), SB 5797 (Enacting a tax on stocks, bonds, and other financial intangible assets for the benefit of public schools), SB 5798 (Concerning property tax reform), and HB 2049 (Increasing State and Local Flexibility to Fund Schools and Public Safety). You can write to your Senators and Representatives on any or all of these with your Quaker Voice affiliation, using the “send a comment to your legislator” button on the left of the bill information page. The votes will be taken quickly, so you should act quickly as well, as led.

Criminal Justice Priorities

  • Passed the Senate.
  • Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety on March 18. Passed by the committee on March 26. Hearing held in Appropriations on April 4. Passed by Appropriations on April 7.

Environmental Stewardship Priorities

HB 1483: Right to Repair – Has passed both houses

SB 5284: Improving Washington’s Solid Waste Management Outcomes – Has passed both houses

HB 1607. Concerning recycling and waste reduction.

  • Don’t be worried about the fact that this bill is still in its house of origin. Because it generates revenue, it has been declared “necessary to implement the budget” (NTIB) and can still move forward.
  • It will still need to pass the Senate as well, but because of the NTIB status, there is a bit more time for that if leadership decides to move the bill.

Economic Justice Priorities

This bill limits the size of rent and fee increases, requires advance notice of increases, and establishes a landlord resource center among other provisions to address the rental crisis in Washington. Nearly 50 percent of households in Washington now spend more than 30% of household income on rent, constricting household funds available for food, education, healthcare and transportation. Arguments pro and con are summarized in the Bill Report, pages 6-9.

A third Economic Justice priority is progressive revenue. A first round of proposals is described here. Some of those bills are now scheduled for executive action on Friday, April 18:

  • SB 5794 (Eliminating obsolete tax preferences, clarifying legislative intent, and addressing changes in constitutional law)
  • SB 5797 (Enacting a tax on stocks, bonds, and other financial intangible assets for the benefit of public schools)
  • SB 5798 (Concerning property tax reform)
  • HB 2049 (Increasing State and Local Flexibility to Fund Schools and Public Safety)

On April 16, another set of revenue bills was introduced. These proposals are not particularly progressive and some involve policies we might oppose. Quaker Voice is only supporting the most progressive of these, SB 5813, which expands the capital gains tax. That bill had a hearing on April 16 and is scheduled for executive action on April 18 in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

Chances to sign in PRO for 5813 flew past in a few hours, but you can express support to your Senator or Representatives on any of these bills with the “send a comment on this bill to your legislators” button on the left side of the bill information page. Act fast: All legislative business for this year must be finished Sunday, April 27, so the new revenue bills will be flying like the wind through the process.

2025 Priorities Sheet

HB 1125: Judicial Discretion Act

HB 1178: Unstacking Sentencing Enhancements

Mandatory enhancements to base sentences can add many years in prison and are typically stacked on top of each other.  HB 1178 provides judicial discretion to serve enhancements concurrently.  It eliminates the sentencing enhancement for drug violations committed in protected zones.  These provisions would greatly reduce racial inequity. 

HB 1274: Resentencing without Juvenile Offenses

For a person being sentenced today, certain specified previous convictions as a juvenile are not counted (scored) in determining the length of sentence.  HB 1274 would make this procedure retroactive, by reducing sentences for persons already incarcerated, by not counting offenses as a juvenile that are no longer being scored for new convictions.

HB 1380 Objectively Reasonable Regulation of Use of Public Property

This bill acknowledges that a growing number of Washington state residents face displacement due to lack of affordable housing. Currently there is a “patchwork of legislation” regulating the use of public land. This legislation requires that regulation of the act of sitting, sleeping, or keeping warm, though not with the use of fire, on public land open to the public be objectively reasonable as to time, place and manner and consider health and safety of all citizens.  This legislation would allow individuals to sue municipalities over restricting tent encampments. Arguments pro and con are summarized in the Bill Report, pages 3-5.

HB 1445/ SB 5233 Developing Washington State Health Trust

The Health Trust would ensure that all Washington residents could enroll in “nonprofit health insurance providing an essential set of health benefits including dental, vision, mental health and pharmacy. Currently many Washington residents are either uninsured or have high co-payments and deductibles leading to increased debt due to medical expenses. The health plan administered by the Washington Health Trust would correct some of the inequities of the most vulnerable, including the unhoused, the uninsured and the unemployed.

SB 5066 / HB 1056: AG Investigations of Law Enforcement Agencies

SB 5066 grants authority to the WA State Attorney General (AG) to investigate systemic violations of the state constitution and laws by local law enforcement agencies and sue them.  Currently, this investigative authority is limited to the federal Dept. of Justice, which lacks the time and resources to do this on the local level.  Many other states have provided their attorneys general with this authority. 

SB 5098. Restricting the possession of weapons in public places where children are likely to be present.

  • A second substitute passed the Senate.
  • Public hearing was held in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary on March 18. Passed by the committee on March 26. Hearing held in Appropriations on April 4. Passed by the committee on April 7.
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