Committee work wraps up and floor action begins as Legislature enters its final stretch
With just over three weeks to go in the regular session, negotiators from the House and Senate are hard at work hammering out details of the operating, capital and transportation budgets. The Legislature reached its fifth cutoff Tuesday when bills with fiscal implications needed to be voted out of fiscal committees in order to continue in the legislative process.
Bill status roundup
The bills listed below passed the April 3 policy and April 9 fiscal committees' cutoff deadlines and will continue in the legislative process. This status is as of noon Friday.
| Bill number | Bill title | Bill status |
|---|---|---|
| 2SHB 1303 | Removing certain restrictions on subsidized child care for students at institutions of higher education. | April 11: Placed on second reading by Senate Rules Committee. |
| EHB 1563 | Concerning liquor-related privileges of students enrolled in certain degree programs. | April 12: Passed Senate 43-1 |
| HB 1702 | Informing students of low-cost course materials for community and technical college courses. | April 9: Placed on second reading by Senate Rules Committee. |
| HB 1714 | Concerning community and technical colleges granting high school diplomas. | March 28: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| SHB 1715 | Removing school districts' ability to withhold pupils' grades and transcripts. | April 3: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| SHB 1734 | Requiring accreditation standards for college in the high school programs. | March 28: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| 2SHB 1893 | Providing assistance for certain postsecondary students. | April 9: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| 2SHB 1973 | Establishing the Washington dual enrollment scholarship pilot program. | April 9: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| ESHB 1998 | Creating a task force on sexual violence at institutions of higher education. | April 9: Passed to Senate Rules Committee for second reading. |
| 2SSB 5433 | Providing postsecondary education opportunities to enhance public safety. | April 10: Passed House 67-28 |
| 2SSB 5800 | Concerning homeless college students. | April 11: House Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. |
| SSB 5851 | Enhancing educational opportunities for vulnerable children and youth using funding distributed from the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account. | April 9: House Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. |
Trustees confirmed by Senate
The following trustees were confirmed by the Senate this week, prior to noon Friday.
- Lisa Chin, Bellevue College, confirmed April 10
- Bill Gordon, Columbia Basin College, confirmed April 10
- Sergio Hernandez, Walla Walla Community College, confirmed April 10
- Robert Williams, Seattle College District, confirmed April 11
- Angela Durham, Edmonds Community College, confirmed April 11
- Carol Landa-McVicker, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, confirmed April 12
Coming up next week
Legislators will be on the floor next week, debating and voting on bills ahead of Wednesday's floor cutoff deadline. After Wednesday, representatives from the House and Senate will begin working out differences between bills that passed both chambers before bringing them back for a final vote. Budget negotiators will also continue figuring out details of each budget proposal before presenting them to each chamber for a vote.
