Legislative Report

By Boswell Consulting

Only two weeks remain in the 2025 legislative session. Last week, legislators focused their attention on moving legislation through fiscal committees by the opposite chamber fiscal committee cutoff on April 8. Many majority party priority bills made it through the cutoff and are still in play, including unemployment insurance for striking employees, rent stabilization, extended producer responsibility, and paid family medical leave expansion. Following the fiscal cutoff, legislators returned to their respective chambers to debate and vote on bills on the floor.

There were a handful of controversial floor debates, including one in the Senate on House Bill 1217 concerning rent stabilization. The bill passed the Senate on April 10, with several controversial amendments offered by members of the majority party that were adopted on the floor in a dramatic floor debate. One of the amendments raised the annual limit on rent increases from 7% to 10% plus inflation. The House is unlikely to concur with these amendments, which could push the bill into conference.

On April 12, the House passed Senate Bill 5041, which would make striking employees eligible for unemployment benefits. This legislation passed the House last year but ultimately stalled in the Senate. One amendment made to the bill on the House floor would reduce the maximum number of weeks for which unemployment insurance benefits are available to striking employees from 12 weeks to 4 weeks. The bill will now head back to the Senate for concurrence.

The next deadline is the opposite house cutoff on April 16. Following that cutoff, the legislature will spend the remainder of its time negotiating and passing the Capital, Operating, and Transportation budgets before Sine Die on April 27. To see a full list of bills that have already passed the legislature and have been signed by the Governor, click here.

Please see below for key insights from week 13:

Employment Law

House Bill 1213 focuses on expanding employee protections and clarifying employer responsibilities under Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026. The bill underwent executive action in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on April 8, where it passed with majority approval and amendments.

Housing

House Bill 1491 mandates higher-density, transit-oriented development, requiring cities to adopt regulations that facilitate multifamily housing and mixed-use projects in designated station areas. Executive action was taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on April 7, where the majority voted “do pass with amendment(s)” and the minority recommended “do not pass.”

Economic Development

Senate Bill 5492 establishes an advisory group to evaluate the feasibility of an industry-funded self-supported assessment for statewide tourism promotion. The bill passed its third reading in the House on April 10 with a vote of 95-1 and now awaits further action.

House Bill 1515 seeks to expand alcohol service options in public spaces and civic campuses, including shared outdoor and indoor service areas and a new license for nonprofit organizations to serve alcohol at community events. The bill advanced out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee on April 8 with a majority recommendation to pass with amendments and has now been placed on the floor calendar.

Important Session Dates

  • April 16, 2025: Opposite House Floor Cutoff
  • April 27, 2025: Last Day of Session

 

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