Politics Bulletin: 18 February 2025

 

Politics Bulletin: 10 February 2025

Seattle City Council

Council Briefing, 2:00 p.m.

The Council will hear an update on the State Legislative Session by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.

Councilmembers will deliver individual reports on their activity from the past week, and a look at schedules for the week ahead.

King County Council

Apparently no meetings.

Washington State House

The House will meet at 10:30 for session and caucuses and adjourn by 12:25.

Committee Meetings

Community Safety, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Roger Goodman

Ranking Member: Jenny Graham

Seattle Members: Davis, Farivar

King County Members: Burnett, Goodman (chair), Obras

On the agenda:

The committee will convene in executive session to consider the following four bills. The committee may vote some or all of them out of committee.

1. H.B. 1113 (Concerning accountability and access to services for individuals charged with a misdemeanor, by Rep. Farivar.)
2. H.B. 1180 (Implementing certain recommendations from the Sex Offender Policy Board concerning the criminal offense of "Failure to Register,' by Rep. Farivar.)
3. H.B. 1220 (Concerning appropriate response to assaults by individuals in behavioral health crisis, by Rep. Farivar.)
4. H.B. 1228 (Concerning toxicology testing by certified or accredited laboratories, by Rep. Hackney.)

Following the executive session, the committee will hear testimony on the following three bills:

1. H.B. 1276 (Concerning organized retail theft, by Rep. Leavitt.)
2. H.B. 1512 (Improving traffic safety, by Rep. Street.)
3. H.B. 1591 (Providing remedies for defendant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking, by Rep. Taylor.)

Education, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Sharon Tomiko Santos

Ranking Member: Skyler Rude

Seattle Members: Bergquist, Pollet, Santos (chair), Scott

King County Members: Callan, Reeves, Steele

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1634 (Providing school districts and public schools with assistance to coordinate comprehensive behavioral health supports for students, by Rep. Thai.)
2. H.B. 1683 (Adjusting school director districts, by Rep. Ortíz-Self, by request of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.)
3. H.B. 1709 (Addressing the care of students with adrenal insufficiency by parent-designated adults, by Rep. Callan.)
4. H.B. 1795 (Addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs, by Rep. Callan.)

Environment & Energy, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Beth Doglio

Ranking Member: Mary Dye

Seattle Members: Berry, Fitzgibbon, Street

King County Members: Duerr, Hunt (vice chair), Kloba, Stearns

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1847 (Prioritizing the development of distributed alternated energy resources in targeted circumstances, by Rep. Doglio.)
2. H.B. 1598 (Concerning fair access to community solar, by Rep. Bernbaum.)
3. H.B. 1804 (Improving accessibility of community solar projects in Washington State, by Rep. Fey.)
4. H.B. 1871 (Incentivizing grid-connected residential battery energy storage systems, by Rep. Hunt.)
5. H.B. 1656 (Authorizing electrical companies to securitize certain wildfire-related costs to lower costs to customers, by Rep. Abbarno.)
6. H.B. 1550 (Improving the end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries, by Rep. Street.)

Housing, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Strom Peterson

Ranking Member: Sam Low

Seattle Members: Reed, Thomas

King County Members: Entenman, Gregerson, Zahn

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1696 (Modifying the Covenant Homeownership Program, by Rep. Taylor.)
2. H.B. 1732 (Preserving homeownership options by limiting excessive home buying by certain entities, by Rep. Thomas.)
3. H.B. 1768 (Preserving manufactured housing communities by limiting purchases by certain entities, by Rep. Lekanoff.)

Appropriations, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Timm Ormsby

Ranking Member: Travis Couture

Seattle Members: Bergquist, Fitzgibbon, Macri (vice chair), Pollet, Ryu, Street

King County Members: Burnett, Callan, Gregerson (vice chair), Penner (asst ranking), Springer, Thai

On the agenda:

The committee may convene in executive session to consider the following five bills. If they do, the committee may vote some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1102 (Increasing support and services for veterans, by Rep. Shavers.)
2. H.B. 1114 (Concerning the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, by Rep. Leavitt.)
3. H.B. 1144 (Adding an additional superior court judge in Skagit County, by Rep. Lekanoff, by request of the Administrative Office of the Courts.)
4. H.B. 1217 (Limiting rent and fee increases, and for other purposes, by Rep. Alvarado.)
5. H.B. 1540 (Expanding eligibility for the Students Experiencing Homelessness & Foster Youth Program to an accredited tribal college, by Rep. Timmons, by request of the Student Achievement Council.)

Following the executive session (or directly from convening, if there will be no executive session) the committee will hear testimony on the following four bills:

1. S.H.B. 1057 (Promoting economic development by increasing support for local communities to access federal funds, by Rep.
2. H.B. 1068 (Removing the Exclusion from Interest Arbitration of Washington management service employees at the Dept. of Corrections, by Rep. Doglio.)
3. H.B. 1105 (Exempting exclusive bargaining representatives for Dept. of Corrections employees from certain provisions related to coalition bargaining, by Rep. Fosse.)
4. H.B. 1642 (Providing additional plan choice to members of the Teachers' Retirement System plans 2 and 3, the School Employees' Retirement System plans 2 and 3, and the Public Employees' Retirement Systems, plans 2 and 3, by Rep. Bronoske.)

Transportation, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Jake Fey

Ranking Member: Andrew Barkis

Seattle Member: Reed (vice chair)

King County Members: Duerr, Entenman, Hunt, Taylor, Zahn

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1772 (Establishing shared streets, by Rep. Reed.)
2. H.B. 1774 (Modifying allowable terms for the lease of unused highway land, by Rep. Fey.)
3. H.B. 1822 (Establishing a Driver Work Zone & First Responder Safety course requirement, by Rep. Low.)
4. H.B. 1823 (Modifying Transportation Improvement Board provisions, by Rep. Low.)
5. H.B. 1837 (Establishing intercity passenger rail improvement priorities, by Rep. Reed.)

Washington State Senate

The Senate convenes at 12:30 for a pro forma session.

Committee Meetings

Higher Education & Workforce Development, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: T'Wina Nobles

Ranking Member: Judy Warnick
Seattle Members: none

King County Member: Slatter

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Independent Colleges of Washington and Heritage University
2. S.B. 5658 (Concerning the workforce education investment account, by Sen. Hansen.)

Following the public hearing (including on SEVERAL nominations [see below]), the committee will consider several other nominations in executive session (again, see below), as well as three bills.

1. S.B. 5275 (Modifying funding and award levels for the Passport to Careers Program and eligibility for the Washington College Grant, by Sen. Nobles.)
2. S.B. 5542 (Expanding tuition waivers for high school completers at community and technical colleges, by Sen. Boehnke, by request of the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges.)
3. S.B. 5543 (Providing equity in eligibility for the College Bound Scholarship, by Sen. Boehnke, by request of the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges.)

For the full list of nominations to be considered (there are SO MANY), go here.

Law & Justice, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Manka Dhingra

Ranking Member: Jeff Holy
Seattle Members: Salomon, Valdez

King County Members: Dhingra (chair), Fortunato

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5632 (Protecting the confidentiality of records and information that may be relevant to another state's enforcement of its laws, by Sen. Hansen.)
2. S.B. 5651 (Increasing the amount exempt from garnishment in non-bankruptcy cases, by Sen. Alvarado.)
3. S.B. 5534 (Concerning spring blade knives, by Sen. Fortunato.)
4. S.B. 5536 (Concerning the just and equitable distribution of real property and liabilities in the dissolution of marriage or domestic partnerships, by Sen. Fortunato.)

Labour & Commerce, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Rebecca Saldaña

Ranking Member: Curtis King
Seattle Members: Alvarado, Saldaña (chair)

King County Members: Ramos, Stanford

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Cannabis retail ownership
2. Briefing: Social equity licenses and zoning.
3. S.B. 5206 (Concerning cannabis retailer advertising, by Sen. MacEwen.)
4. S.B. 5700 (Concerning the Medical Cannabis Authorization Database, by Sen. King.)
5. S.B. 5368 (Studying taxes and fees related to alcohol, by Sen. Chapman.)
6. S.B. 5371 (Eliminating the Per Transaction Limit for wine and spirit sales, by Sen. MacEwen.)
7. S.B. 5399 (Concerning liquor licenses, by Sen. Schoesler.)
8. S.B. 5511 (Regarding low-proof alcoholic beverages, by Sen. King.)

Agriculture & Natural Resources, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Mike Chapman

Ranking Member: Shelly Short
Seattle Member: Saldaña

King County Members: none

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Food insecurity.
2. S.B. 5454 (Extending the Dairy Inspection Program until 30 June 2031, by Sen. Chapman.)
3. S.B. 5491 (Establishing a Prescribed Fire Claims Fund pilot program, by Sen. Warnick.)
4. S.B. 5599 (Concerning commercial fishery licenses, by Sen. MacEwen.)
5. S.B. 5605 (Concerning the operation, authorization, and permitting of microenterprise home kitchens, by Sen. Frame.)
6. S.B. 5656 (Modifying the definition of Inflation Rate for aquatic leases, by Sen. Krishnadasan.)

Human Services, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Claire Wilson

Ranking Member: Leonard Christian
Seattle Member: Frame (vice chair)

King County Members: Orwall, Claire Wilson (chair)

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5617 (Providing for a Child in Need of Services Petition process for juveniles in and exiting detention, by Sen. Claire Wilson.)
2. S.B. 5620 (Codifying the rights of children and youth in foster care, by Sen. Cleveland.)
3. S.B. 5643 (Expanding the purview of child fatality and near fatality reviews, by Sen. Christian.)
4. S.G.A. 9175 and S.G.B. 9195 (Rhonda Salvesen and Aline Flower to be Members of the Clemency & Pardons Board.)

Local Government, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Jesse Salomon

Ranking Member: Nikki Torres
Seattle Member: Salomon (chair)

King County Member: Goehner

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5475 (Concerning maintenance for salmon recovery projects, by Sen. Dozier.)
2. S.B. 5573 (Concerning electric security alarm systems, by Sen. Chapman.)
3. S.B. 5635 (Concerning approval of certain alternative on-site sewer systems, by Sen. Christian.)
4. S.B. 5660 (Making it possible for more properties to have access to water, storm drains, and sanitary sewage systems, by Sen. Goehner.)
5. S.B. 5571 (Regulating exterior cladding materials, by Sen. Bateman.)

Transportation, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Marko Liias

Ranking Member: Curtis King
Seattle Members: Alvarado, Valdez

King County Members: Fortunato, Goehner (asst ranking), Ramos (vice chair)

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5432 (Addressing license plate production issues, by Sen. Liias.)
2. S.B. 5440 (Allowing single license plates for certain vehicles, by Sen. MacEwen.)
3. S.B. 5444 (Creating several new special license plates, by Sen. Cortes.)
4. S.B. 5524 (Creating the Donate Life Special License Plate, by Sen. Goehner.)
5. S.B. 5692 (Creating the Seattle Reign FC Special License Plate, by Sen. Nobles.)
6. S.B. 5581 (Implementing safe system approach strategies for active transportation infrastructure, by Sen. Shewmake.)
7. S.B. 5595 (Establishing shared streets, by Sen. Alvarado.)

Ways & Means, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: June Robinson

Ranking Member, Operating: Chris Gildon

Ranking Member, Capital: Mark Schoesler
Seattle Members: Frame (vice chair, finance), Hasegawa, Pedersen, Saldaña

King County Members: Dhingra, Kauffman, Stanford (vice chair, operating), Wellman, Claire Wilson

On the agenda:

1. S.G.A. 9104 (Tracy Stanley, to be a Member of the State Investment Board.)
2. S.B. 5130 (Eliminating childcare licensing fees, by Sen. Claire Wilson.)
3. S.S.B. 5062 (Establishing a Childcare Workforce Standards Board, by Sen. Stanford.)
4. S.B. 5211 (Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities, by Sen. Frame.)
5. S.B. 5648 (Encouraging Achieving a Better Life Experience Accounts, by Sen. Braun.)
6. S.B. 5361 (Delaying the use of the ASAM 4 criteria, treatment criteria for addictive, substance related, and co-occurring conditions, by Sen. Dhingra, by request of the Office of Financial Management.)
7. S.S.B. 5064 (Creating an Advisory Council on Rare Diseases, by Sen. Liias.)
8. S.B. 5304 (Expanding eligibility for the Students Experiencing Homelessness & Foster Youth Program to an accredited tribal college, by Sen. Kauffman, by request of the Student Achievement Council.)
9. S.B. 5334 (Adding the Dept. of Natural Resources' Civil Enforcement Decisions under RCW 76.04.205 to appeals that may be heard by the Pollution Control Hearings Board, by Sen. Short, by request of the Dept. of Natural Resources.)
10. S.B. 5234 (Concerning snowmobile registration fees, by Sen. Shewmake, by request of the Parks & Recreation Commission.)
11. S.B. 5109 (Concerning the Mortgage Lending Fraud Prosecution Account, by Sen. Kauffman.)

United States House

The House will convene at noon/9:00 a.m. for Morning Hour, and 2:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. for Legislative Business.

The House will debate the following bills:

1. H.R. 224 Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act (by Rep. de la Cruz.)
2. H.R. 386 Chinese Currency Accountability Act of 2025 (by Rep. Davidson.)
3. H.R. 692 China Exchange Rate Transparency Act of 2025 (by Rep. Meuser.)
4. H.R. 736 Protect Small Business from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 (by Rep. Nunn.)
5. H.R. 975 Credit Union Board Modernization Act (by Rep. Vargas.)
6. H.R. 965 Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (by Rep. Sherman.)

Votes are postponed until 6:30 p.m./3:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

Rules

Meets at 4:00 p.m./1:00 p.m.

The committee will debate H.R. 77 Midnight Rules Relief Act (by Mr. Biggs.)

United States Senate

The Senate convenes at 3:00 p.m./12:00 noon.

Following remarks by Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, or their designees, the Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence.

The vote to limit debate on the Gabbard nomination will begin at 5:30 p.m./2:30 p.m.

Last Thursday, the Majority Leader requested to end debate on five nominations:

1. Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence
2. Robert F. Kennedy to be Secretary of Health & Human Services
3. Howard Lutnick to be Secretary of Commerce
4. Brooke Rollins to be Secretary of Agriculture
5. Kelly Loeffler to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration

The President of the United States

The President will sign executive orders at 1:00 p.m./10:00 a.m.

Politics Bulletin: 7 February 2025

Seattle City Council

Sustainability, City Light, Arts, & Culture, 9:30

Chair: Alexis Rinck (Citywide)

Vice Chair: Cathy Moore (5/North)

Members: Rob Saka (1/West), Mark Solomon (2/South), Dan Strauss (6/Northwest)

On the agenda:

1. MA 03071 (Heather Hargesheimer, International Special Review District Board, by Mayor Harrell.)

King County Council

No scheduled meetings.

Washington State House

The House will convene at 9:55 for a pro forma session.

Committee Meetings

Consumer Protection & Business, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Amy Walen

Ranking Member: Stephanie McClintock

Seattle Members: Berry, Ryu, Santos

King County Members: Kloba, Reeves, Steele, Walen (chair)

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1505 (Correcting obsolete or erroneous references in statutes administered by the Insurance Commissioner, by Rep. Walen, by request of the Insurance Commissioner.)
2. H.B. 1530 (Modernizing payment systems by expanding consumer-friendly transaction options for registered tow truck operators and regulated businesses, by Rep. Walen.)
3. H.B. 1516 (Conducting a study of insurance coverage options for permanently affordable homeownership units, by Rep. Hill.)

Early Learning & Human Services, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Steve Bergquist

Ranking Member: Carolyn Eslick

Seattle Member: Bergquist (chair)

King County Members: Burnett (asst ranking), Goodman, Penner, Taylor

On the agenda:

The committee will convene in executive session to consider the following six bills. The committee may vote some or all of them out of committee.

1. H.B. 1130 (Concerning utilization of developmental disability waivers, by Rep. Farivar.)
2. H.B. 1211 (Concerning the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect, by Rep. Walen.)
3. H.B. 1248 (Improving the effectiveness of juvenile justice programs by providing ongoing evaluations and clarifying juvenile diversions practices, by Rep. Couture.)
4. H.B. 1390 (Repealing the Community Protection Program, by Rep. Goodman, by request of the Dept. of Social & Health Services.)
5. H.B. 1391 (Improving developmentally appropriate alternatives for youth outside the formal court process, by Rep. Cortes.)
6. H.B. 1544 (Improving the risk assessment process used when investigating alleged child abuse and neglect referrals, by Rep. Rule.)

Following the executive session, the committee will proceed to public hearing for the following two bills:

1. H.B. 1724 (Improving access and practices related to portable orders for life-sustaining treatment, by Rep. Paul.)
2. H.B. 1752 (Concerning concurrent jurisdiction for courts of limited jurisdiction over juvenile misdemeanor cases, by Rep. Duerr.)

Healthcare & Wellness, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Dan Bronoske

Ranking Member: Joe Schmick

Seattle Members: Davis, Macri

King County Members: Obras, Thai

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Medicare and the Insurance Commissioner's Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) Program.
2. H.B. 1603 (Requiring guaranteed issue of Medicare supplemental coverage to an individual who voluntarily disenrolls from a Medicare Advantage plan and enrolls in Medicare Parts A and B, by Rep. Berg.)
3. H.B. 1639 (Requiring entities offering Medicare Advantage coverage in Washington to provide certain disclosures to consumers, by Rep. Bernbaum.)
4. H.B. 1754 (Requiring Medicare supplemental insurance to be offered on a guaranteed issue basis during an open enrollment period, by Rep. Thai.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following three bills, and may vote some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1291 (Concerning cost sharing for maternity services, by Rep. Rule.)
2. H.B. 1394 (Concerning the retention of hospital medical records, by Rep. Parshley.)
3. H.B. 1430 (Concerning advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant reimbursement, by Rep. Simmons.)

State Government & Tribal Relations, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Sharlett Mena

Ranking Member: Kevin Waters

Seattle Member: Farivar

King County Member: Stearns (vice chair)

On the agenda:

1. H.C.R. 4403 (Renaming the Joel Pritchard State Library, by Rep. Tharinger.)
2. H.B. 1759 (Designating the twelfth day of December as The Day of the 12s, by Rep. Mena.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following five bills, and may vote some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1381 (Improving meaningful access to elections by increasing language assistance, by Rep. Shavers.)
2. H.B. 1146 (Improving access and removing barriers to voting in jails and state hospitals, by Rep. Simmons, by request of the Secretary of State.)
3. H.B. 1055 (Enhancing access to public records, by Rep. Abbarno.)
4. H.B. 1631 (Establishing the State Marine Forest, by Rep. Nance.)
5. H.B. 1628 (Creating the Fire Service Policy Board, by Rep. Bronoske.)

Agriculture & Natural Resources, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Kristine Reeves

Ranking Member: Tom Dent

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Reeves (chair), Springer

On the agenda:

The committee will hear a briefing on food security, then proceed to executive session to consider the following four bill. The committee may vote to pass some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1048 (Concerning a rangeland fire protection association pilot project, by Rep. Dent.)
2. H.B. 1294 (Extending the Pesticide Application Safety Committee, by Rep. Dent.)
3. H.B. 1309 (Addressing the impacts of burrowing shrimp on bottom culture shellfish farming through integrated pest management research, by Rep. McEntire.)
4. H.B. 1389 (Extending the expiration date for reporting requirements on timber purchases, by Rep. Bernbaum.)

Following the executive session, the committee will proceed to public hearing on H.B. 1735 (Prohibiting the force-feeding of birds, by Rep. Parshley.)

Civil Rights & Judiciary, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Jamila Taylor

Ranking Member: Jim Walsh

Seattle Member: Farivar (vice chair)

King County Members: Burnett, Entenman, Goodman, Salahuddin, Taylor (chair), Thai, Walen

On the agenda:

The committee will convene in executive session to consider the following four bills. The committee may vote some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1620 (Concerning limitations in parenting plans, by Rep. Taylor.)
2. H.B. 1403 (Simplifying condominium construction statutes, by Rep. Taylor.)
3. H.B. 1621 (Authorizing superior courts to appoint housing court commissioners, by Rep. Macri.)
4. H.B. 1065 (Concerning family burial grounds, by Rep. Walsh.)

Labour & Workplace Standards, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Liz Berry

Ranking Member: Suzanne Schmidt

Seattle Members: Berry (chair), Scott (vice chair)

King County Member: Obras

On the agenda:

The committee will convene in executive session to consider the following nine bills. The committee may vote to pass some or all of the bills out of committee.

1. H.B. 1128 (Establishing a Childcare Workforce Standards Board, by Rep. Fosse.)
2. H.B. 1155 (Prohibiting non-competition agreements and clarifying non-solicitation agreements, by Rep. Berry.)
3. H.B. 1213 (Expanding protections for workers in the State Paid Family & Medical Leave Program, by Rep. Berry.)
4. H.B. 1332 (Concerning transportation network companies, by Rep. Obras.)
5. H.B. 1335 (Protecting military spouses from employment discrimination, by Rep. Richards.)
6. H.B. 1398 (Concerning factors which are considered in interest arbitration for adult family home providers, by Rep. Scott.)
7. H.B. 1402 (Concerning job postings requiring driver's licenses, by Rep. Scott.)
8. H.B. 1511 (Concerning Washington State Ferries captains, by Rep. Parshley.)
9. H.B. 1524 (Concerning workplace standards and requirements applicable to employers of isolated employees, by Rep. Obras.)

Local Government, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Davina Duerr

Ranking Member: Mark Klicker

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Duerr (chair), Hunt, Zahn

On the agenda:

The committee may convene in executive session to consider the following four bills. The committee may vote some or all out of committee.

1. H.B. 1562 (Increasing the availability of baby diaper changing stations, by Rep. Hunt.)
2. H.B. 1529 (Increasing opportunities for cities to utilize county resources for road construction & maintenance, by Rep. Griffey.)
3. H.B. 1600 (Modifying the fee to support family services, by Rep. Eslick.)
4. H.B. 1688 (Concerning electric security alarm systems, by Rep. Parshley.)

Following the executive session (or directly from the start of the committee, if there isn't an executive session) the committee will hear testimony on H.B. 1684 (Concerning water recreation facilities, by Rep. Thai, by request of the Dept. of Health.)

Finance, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: April Berg

Ranking Member: Ed Orcutt

Seattle Members: Santos, Scott, Street (vice chair)

King County Members: Penner, Springer, Walen

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1307 (Easing the financial burden on families by removing sales and use tax on diapers and essential childcare products, by Rep. Caldier.)
2. H.B. 1318 (Providing a sales and use tax exemption for children's diapers, by Rep. Rule.)
3. H.B. 1340 (Exempting prepared food from sales tax, by Rep. Manjarrez.)
4. H.B. 1751 (Establishing a sales and use tax exemption for required course materials at public institutions of higher education, by Rep. Timmons.)

Washington State Senate

The Senate will convene at 12:30 p.m. for session, and remain in session until approximately 3:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

Health & Long-Term Care, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Annette Cleveland

Ranking Member: Ron Muzzall

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Orwall (vice chair), Slatter

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Corporate practice of medicine
2. S.B. 5387 (Concerning the corporate practice of medicine, by Sen. Robinson.)
3. S.B. 5324 (Aligning the implementation of application programming interfaces for prior authorization with federal guidelines, by Sen. Cleveland.)
4. S.B. 5395 (Making improvements to transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process, by Sen. Orwall.)
5. S.B. 5557 (Codifying emergency rules to protect the right of a pregnant person to access treatment for emergency medical conditions in hospital emergency departments, by Sen. Krishnadasan.)

Labour & Commerce, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Rebecca Saldaña

Ranking Member: Curtis King

Seattle Members: Alvarado, Saldaña (chair)

King County Members: Ramos, Stanford

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Workers' compensation
2. S.B. 5548 (Concerning workers' compensation benefits, by Sen. Shewmake.)
3. S.G.A. 9140 (Robert Battles, Member of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following 11 bills, and may vote some or all of them out of committee.

1. S.B. 5330 (Protecting consumers from spiked drinks, by Sen. Dhingra.)
2. S.B. 5265 (Expanding minimum requirements for electrical inspectors to include certain out-of-state experience, by Sen. King.)
3. S.B. 5090 (Updating the Professional Engineers' Registration Act, by Sen. Liias, by request of the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors.)
4. S.B. 5061 (Requiring certain wages in public works contracts to be at least the prevailing wage in effect when the work is performed, by Sen. Conway.)
5. S.B. 5381 (Establishing department authority to ensure payment is received from the self-insured employer after a self-insured group or municipal employer has their self-insurer certification withdrawn, by Sen. Conway, by request of the Dept. of Labour & Industries.)
6. S.B. 5433 (Exempting exclusive bargaining representatives for Dept. of Corrections employees from certain provisions related to coalition bargaining, by Sen. Ramos.)
7. S.B. 5400 (Supporting local news journalism, by Sen. Liias.)
8. S.B. 5041 (Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking or lockout workers, by Sen. Riccelli.)
9. S.B. 5023 (Providing labour market protections for domestic workers, by Sen. Saldaña.)
10. S.B. 5336 (Concerning protections for isolated employees, by Sen. Orwall.)
11. S.B. 5408 (Allowing for corrections to wage and salary disclosures, by Sen. King.)

Environment, Energy, & Technology, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Sharon Shewmake

Ranking Member: Matt Boehnke

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Dhingra, Ramos, Slatter (vice chair), Wellman

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5033 (Concerning sampling or testing of biosolids for PFAS chemicals, by Sen. Jeff Wilson.)
2. S.B. 5450 (Increasing transparency regarding sewage-containing spills, by Sen. Slatter.)
3. S.B. 5519 (Reducing environmental impacts associated with the operation of certain ocean-going vessels, by Sen. Lovelett.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will hear the following six bills in executive session, and may vote some or all out of committee.

1. S.B. 5175 (Concerning the Photovoltaic Module Stewardship & Takeback Program, by Sen. Shewmake, by request of the Dept. of Ecology.)
2. S.B. 5241 (Adding fusion energy to facilities that may obtain site certification for the purposes of Chapter 80.50 RCW, by Sen. Liias, by request of the Energy Facilities Siting & Evaluation Council.)
3. S.B. 5236 (Concerning emissions of greenhouse gases used for anesthetic purposes, by Sen. Slatter.)
4. S.B. 5174 (Concerning wood burning devices, by Sen. Shewmake, by request of the Dep. of Ecology.)
5. S.B. 5360 (Concerning environmental crimes, by Sen. Trudeau.)
6. S.B. 5036 (Strengthening Washington's leadership and accountability on climate policy by transitioning to annual reporting of statewide emissions data, by Sen. Boehnke.)

Housing, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Jessica Bateman

Ranking Member: Keith Goehner

Seattle Members: Alvarado (vice chair), Salomon

King County Members: Goehner (ranking), Orwall

On the agenda:

1. S.G.A. 9181 (Michone Preston to be a member of the Housing Finance Commission.)
2. S.B. 5580 (Concerning the registration of certain corporations and trusts that own single-family homes and condominium units, by Sen. Orwall.)
3. S.B. 5587 (Concerning affordable housing development in counties not closing the gap between estimated existing housing units within the county and existing housing needs, by Sen. Cleveland.)
4. S.B. 5591 (Creating a Sales & Use Tax Remittance Program for affordable housing, by Sen. Bateman.)
5. S.B. 5613 (Concerning the development of clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development, by Sen. Salomon.

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following four bills. The committee may vote some or all out of committee.

1. S.B. 5148 (Ensuring compliance with the housing element requirements of the Growth Management Act, by Sen. Bateman.)
2. S.B. 5298 (Concerning the notice of sale or lease of manufactured/mobile home communities, by Sen. Frame.)
3. S.B. 5470 (Establishing limitations on detached accessory dwelling units outside urban growth areas, by Sen. Goehner.)
4. S.B. 5471 (Authorizing middle housing in unincorporated growth areas and unincorporated growth areas, certain limited areas of more intensive rural development, and fully contained communities, by Sen. Goehner.)

State Government, Tribal Affairs, & Elections, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Javier Valdez

Ranking Member: Jeff Wilson

Seattle Members: Hasegawa, Valdez (chair)

King County Members: Fortunato, Kauffman

On the agenda:

The committee will convene in executive session to consider the following 14 bills, including one Memorial and one Gubernatorial Appointment. The committee may vote some or all out of committee.

1. S.G.A. 9221 (Gent Welsh, to be Director of the Dept. of Military.)
2. S.B. 5014 (Concerning election security, by Sen. Boehnke, by request of the Secretary of State.)
3. S.B. 5143 (Concerning the Ethics in Public Service Act, by Sen. Gildon, by request of the Legislative Ethics Board.)
4. S.B. 5225 (Concerning candidate filing requirements, by Sen. MacEwen.)
5. S.B. 5152 (Concerning state employee access to peer-reviewed journals, by Sen. Warnick.)
6. S.B. 5049 (Concerning the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee, by Sen. Jeff Wilson.)
7. S.B. 5338 (Concerning the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, by Sen. Nobles, by request of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.)
8. S.B. 5106 (Establishing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays, by Sen. Trudeau.)
9. S.B. 5245 (Concerning the oath of office for members of the State Legislature, by Sen. Krishnadasan.)
10. S.B. 5050 (Concerning the privacy of party selections during presidential primaries, by Sen. Jeff Wilson.)
11. S.B. 5325 (Designating the State Cactus, by Sen. Warnick.)
12. S.B. 5414 (Requiring social equity impact analysis in performance audits and legislative public hearings thereon, by Sen. Hasegawa, by request of the State Auditor.)
13. S.J.M. 8008 (Rescinding prior applications for a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the Constitution of the United States, by Sen. Krishnadasan.)
14. S.B. 5522 (Concerning the State Capitol Campus, by Sen. Krishnadasan, by request of the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State.)

United States House

The House convenes at 9:00 a.m./6:00 a.m. for Legislative Business.

The House will proceed with One Minute Speeches (up to five per side, maximum 10 minutes.)

Following One Minutes, the House will consider HR 26 Protecting American Energy Production Act (by Rep. August Pfluger of Texas.)

First votes expected at approximately 10:30 a.m./7:30 a.m.

Last votes expected at approximately 11:15 a.m./8:15 a.m.

Committee Meetings

Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

Meets at 9:30 a.m./6:30 a.m.

Organizational meeting

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Meets at 10:00 a.m./7:00 am.

Organizational meeting

United States Senate

The Senate is out until Monday.

The President of the United States

Times provided in Eastern/Pacific format.

11:30 a.m./8:30 a.m. The President welcomes His Excellency Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan, to the White House.

11:50 a.m./8:50 a.m. The President and the Prime Minister hold a formal lunch.

1:10 p.m./10:10 a.m. The President and the Prime Minister hold a press conference in the East Room.

2:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. The President is expected to make an announcement related to the White House Faith Office, and will sign executive orders in the Roosevelt Room.

3:00 p.m./12:00 noon The President and the First Lady depart the White House en route Joint Base Andrews.

3:10 p.m./12:10 p.m. The President and the First Lady arrive at Joint Base Andrews and depart for Palm Beach International Airport.

5:25 p.m./2:25 p.m. The President and the First Lady arrive at Palm Beach International Airport and depart for Mar-a-Lago

5:50 p.m./2:50 p.m. The President and the First Lady arrive at Mar-a-Lago, where they will remain for the weekend.

BREAKING: State of the Union set for 4 March

 Today, US House Speaker Mike Johnson invited the President to deliver the first State of the Union address of his new term on 4 March 2025, before a Joint Session of the House & Senate.

The President speaks on the House rostrum, (usually) in front of the Vice President (as President of the Senate) and the Speaker of the House.

Most Members of Congress attend, as do most Supreme Court Justices, members of the President's Cabinet, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The First Lady also attends, along with guests invited by the President, the First Lady, the Vice President, and members of Congress.

The Constitution requires the President to send an annual message to the Congress on the state of the union, and every address since 1981 has been a spoken address.

This will be the latest date for a State of the Union address by this particular President, but earlier than last year's, which was 7 March 2024.

BREAKING: Judge blocks Jus Solis Executive Order

 The Hon. John Coughenour, a judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan, issued an order today blocking one of the President's executive orders revoking jus solis citizenship, or birthright citizenship.

In the United States, you are considered a citizen from birth if: You are born in the United States, in one of the US Territories, or when at a US Airport or docked at a US Port; or, one or both of your parents are US Citizens at your birth. The President's executive order revoked that first citizenship option, known as jus solis (or "right of the soil", as opposed to jus sanguis, "right of the blood").

More from the WA Standard here.

John C. Coughenour.

Technically a senior judge since 2006, Coughenour, age 83, was appointed to the US District Court for Western Washington by Ronald Reagan in 1981, and served as Chief Judge from 1997 to 2004.

He is a native of Pittsburgh, and a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law ('66). Prior to serving as a judge, Coughenour worked as a litigator at Bogle and Gates, and has tought trial and appellate practice at UW School of Law.

Politics Bulletin: 23 January 2025

 Seattle City Council

Libraries, Education, & Neighborhoods

CANCELLED. 

Contact for more information: CM Maritza Rivera, (206) 684-8804, or email.

SPECIAL MEETING: Full Council, 1:00 p.m.

On the agenda:

Presentations by finalists for the District 2 Council Seat appointments.

Presentations are three minutes each, and delivered by candidates in alphabetical order by surname:

1. Hong Chhuor
2. Adonis E. Duckworth
3. Thaddaeus J. Gregory
4. Edward C. Lin
5. Chukundi Salisbury
6. Mark A. Solomon

Governance, Accountability, & Economic Development

CANCELLED. 

For more information: Council President Sara E. Nelson, (206) 684-8809, or email.

King County Council

No meetings.

Washington State House of Representatives

The House will meet in a pro forma session at 10:30 a.m.

Committee Meetings:

Community Safety, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Goodman

Ranking Member: Graham

Seattle Members: Davis, Farivar

King County Members: Goodman (chair), Burnett, Obras

On the agenda:

The committee will consider five bills in executive session and may choose to vote them out of committee.

1. H.B. 1091 (Concerning sexually violent predators' ineligibility to earn supervision compliance credit, by Rep. Couture.)
2. H.B. 1119 (Concerning supervision compliance credit, by Rep. Goodman, by request of the Dept. of Corrections.)
3. H.B. 1131 (Concerning clemency and pardons, by Rep. Goodmn.)
4. H.B. 1137 (Establishing uniform policies and procedures with Dept. of Corrections facilities relating to disciplinary proceedings and administrative segregation, by Rep. Peterson.)
5. H.B. 1192 (Concerning disciplinary hearings held by the Dept. of Corrections, by Rep. Simmons.)

Following executive session, the committee will hold a public hearing on the following bills:

1. H.B. 1125 (Providing judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice, by Rep. Simmons.)
2. H.B. 1233 (Concerning work programs for incarcerated persons, by Rep. Simmons.)

Education, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Santos

Ranking Member: Rude

Seattle Members: Bergquist, Pollet, Santos (chair), Scott

King County Members: Callan, Eslick, Reeves, Steele

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1285 (Making financial education instruction a graduation requirement in public schools, by Rep. Rude.)
2. H.B. 1289 (Gathering survey information to improve the public school system, by Rep. McClintock)
3. H.B 1296 (Promoting a safe and supportive public education system, by Rep. Stonier.)

Environment & Energy, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Doglio

Ranking Member: Dye

Seattle Members: Berry, Hackney, Street

King County Members: Duerr, Hunt (vice chair), Kloba, Stearns

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1303 (Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions, by Rep. Mena.)
2. H.B. 1329 (Concerning wholesale power purchases by electric utilities under the Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, by Rep. Hunt.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following three bills. The committee may vote to pass them out of committee.

1. H.B. 1024 (Concerning the leasing authority of the State Parks & Recreation Commission at St. Edward State Park, by Rep. Kloba, by request of the Parks & Recreation Commission.)
2. H.B. 1018 (Adding fusion energy to facilities that may obtain site certification for the purposes of chapter 80.50 RCW, by Rep. Shavers, by request of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council.)
3. H.B. 1154 (Ensuring environmental and public health protection from solid waste handling facility operations, by Rep. Duerr.)

Housing, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Peterson

Ranking Member: Low
Seattle Members: Reed

King County Members: Entenman, Gregerson, Low (ranking member)

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1204 (Concerning senior shared housing in manufactured home communities, by Rep. Eslick.)

Following the public hearing, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider H.B. 1108 (Creating a Task Force on Housing Cost Driver Analysis, by Rep. Klicker.) The bill may be voted out of committee by members.

Capital Budget, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Tharinger
Ranking Member: Steele

Seattle Members: Davis

King County Members: Callan (vice chair), Eslick, Salahuddin, Stearns, Steele (ranking member)

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Affordable Housing financing.

Finance, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Berg

Ranking Member: Orcutt

Seattle Members: Santos, Scott, Street (vice chair)

King County Members: Penner, Springer, Walen

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1047 (Creating a sales tax exemption for equipment purchased by Fire Districts in rural counties, by Rep. Dent.)
2. H.B. 1060 (Concerning newspapers and eligible digital content, by Rep. Santos.)
3. H.B. 1094 (Providing a property tax exemption for property owned by a qualifying nonprofit organization and loaned, leased, or rented to and used by any government entity to provide character-building, benevolent, protective, or rehabilitative social services, by Rep. Walen.)

Following public hearing on the above bills, the committee will proceed to executive session to further consider the following three bills, and may vote those bills out of committee:

1. H.B. 1004 (Increasing the personal property tax exemption, by Rep. Leavitt.)
2. H.J.R. 4200 (Concerning taxation of personal property, by Rep. Schmidt.)
3. H.B. 1126 (Standardizing notification provisions relating to local tax rate changes and shared taxes administered by the Department, by Rep. Walen, by request of the Dept. of Revenue.)

Appropriations, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Ormsby

Ranking Member: Couture

Seattle Members: Bergquist, Macri (vice chair), Pollet, Ryu, Street

King County Members: Burnett, Callan, Gregerson (vice chair), Penner (asst. ranking member), Spring, Thai

On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1156 (Concerning volunteer firefighter participation in the state deferred compensation program, by Rep. Steele.)
2. H.B. 1260 (Concerning administrative costs associated with the document recording fee, by Rep. Schmidt.)
3. H.B. 1270 (Concerning automatic deferred compensation enrollment for county, municipal, and other political subdivision employees, by Rep. Bronoske, by request of the Dept. of Retirement Systems.)
4. H.B. 1300 (Transferring dedicated account for certain professional licenses to the Business and Professions Account, by Rep. Donaghy, by request of the Dept. of Licensing.)
5. H.B. 1349 (Concerning the purchase of Pension Service Credit for authorized leaves of absence, by Rep. Griffey, by request of the LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board.)

Transportation, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Fey

Ranking Member: Barkis

Seattle Members: Hackney, Reed (vice chair)

King County Members: Duerr, Entenman, Hunt, Low (asst. ranking member), Taylor
On the agenda:

1. H.B. 1061 (Providing additional parking flexibility in residential neighborhoods, by Rep. Low.)
2. H.B. 1371 (Concerning parking privileges for veterans, by Rep. Orcutt.)
3. H.J.M. 4000 (Extending the naming of Martin Luther King , Jr. Way, by Rep. Gregerson.)
4. H.J.M. 4001 (Concerning Russ Blount Memorial Bridge naming, by Rep. Fey.)

Washington State Senate

The Senate will meet for a pro forma session at 12:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

Business, Financial Services, & Trade, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Kauffman

Ranking Member: Dozier

Seattle Members: Hasegawa

King County Members: Fortunato, Kauffman (chair), Stanford

On the agenda:

1. S.B. 5109 (Concerning the Mortgage Lending Fraud Prosecution Account, by Sen. Kauffman.)
2. S.B. 5141 (Requiring the experience-rated group disability income insurers to include all applicable rating factors and credibility formulas in rate manual filings with the Insurance Commissioner, by Sen. Cortes.)
3. S.B. 5207 (Requiring refunds to consumers for early cancellation of term-based subscriptions to electronic media services, by Sen. MacEwen.)
4. S.B. 5251 (Concerning lodging tax revenues, by Sen. Christian.)
5. S.B. 5280 (Protecting consumers of virtual currency kiosks, by Sen. Kauffman, by request of the Dept. of Financial Institutions.)
6. S.B. 5294 (Transferring dedicated accounts for certain professional licenses to the Business & Professions Account, by Sen. Gildon, by request of the Dept. of Licensing.)

Health & Long-Term Care, 8:00 a.m.

Chair: Cleveland

Ranking Member: Muzzall

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Orwall (vice chair),  Slatter

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Healthcare Affordability
2. S.B. 5064 (Creating an Advisory Council on Rare Diseases, by Sen. Liias.)
3. S.B. 5019 (Concerning prepacked medication distribution, by Sen. Chapman.)
4. S.B. 5244 (Providing an exemption for Women, Infants, & Children Program staff to perform hematological screening tests, by Sen. Riccelli, by request of the Dept. of Health.)

Early Learning & K-12 Education, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Wellman

Ranking Member: Harris

Seattle Members: none

King County Members: Wellman (chair), Claire Wilson (vice chair, early learning)

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Issues related to rural school districts.
2. S.B. 5008 (Supporting the use of assessment, diagnostic, and learning tools in public schools, by Sen. Braun.)
3. S.B. 5009 (Modifying the Student Transportation Allocation to accommodate multiple vehicle types for transporting students, by Sen. Braun.)
4. S.B. 5120 (Expanding the Learning Assistance Program, by Sen. Nobles, by request of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.)
5. S.B. 5177 (Considering the experiences of historically marginalized and under-represented groups when identifying professional development resources on certain topics, by Sen. Nobles.)

Following public hearing on the above bills, the committee will proceed to executive session to further consider the following two bills, and may vote to pass them out of committee:

1. S.B. 5181 (Amending the Parents Rights Initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law, by Sen. Claire Wilson.)
2. S.B. 5190 (Allowing school districts to request extensions to state energy performance standard deadlines for K-12 school buildings, by Sen. Wellman.)

Law & Justice, 10:30 a.m.

Chair: Dhingra

Ranking Member: Holy

Seattle Members: Salomon, Valdez

King County Members: Dhingra (chair), Fortunato, Wagoner

On the agenda: 

The committee will begin in executive session to consider 14 bills and may vote to pass a bill or bills out of committee.

1. S.B. 5133 (Concerning departures from the guidelines for caregiver status, by Sen. Claire Wilson, by request of the Administrative Office of the Courts.)
2. S.B. 5105 (Concerning offenses involving fabricated depictions of minors, by Sen. Orwall.)
3. S.B. 5037 (Enacting the Uniform Custodial Trust Act, by Sen. Holy, by request of the Uniform Law Commission.
4. S.B. 5071 (Updating the Endangerment with a Controlled Substance Statute, by Sen. Braun.)
5. S.B. 5122 (Enacting the Uniform Anti-Trust Pre-Merger Notification Act, by Sen. Trudeau, by request of the Uniform Law Commission.)
6. S.B. 5093 (Concerning dignity in pregnancy loss, by Sen. Dhingra.)
7. S.B. 5202 (Ensuring the efficacy of judicial orders as harm reduction tools that increase the safety of survivors of abuse and support law enforcement in their efforts to enforce the law, by Sen. Salomon.)
8. S.J.M. 8006 (Concerning the Limited License Legal Technician Program, by Sen. Torres.)
9. S.B. 5147 (Reviewing laws related to criminal insanity and competency to stand trial, by Sen. Torres.)
10. S.B. 5060 (Creating a Law Enforcement Hiring Grant Program, by Sen. Holy.)
11. S.B. 5068 (Concerning agencies, firefighters, prosecutors, and general or limited authority law enforcement, extending eligibility for employment to all United States citizens or persons legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law, by Sen. Lovick.)
12. S.B. 5209 (Explicitly listing the Dept. of Labour & Industries in the definition of Limited Authority Law Enforcement Agency while not granting new enforcement authority, by Sen. Lovick, by request of the Dept. of Labour & Industries.)
13. S.B. 5224 (Concerning officer certification definitions, processes, and commissioning, by Sen. Lovick, by request of the Criminal Justice Training Commission.)
14. S.B. 5099 (Establishing additional requirements for the business operations of licensed firearms dealers, by Sen. Lovick.)

Following executive session, the committee will begin a public hearing on the following bills:

1. S.B. 5169 (Concerning testimony of children, by Sen. Nobles.)
2. S.B. 5142 (Providing owners of real estate taken through eminent domain by school districts, or sold under threat of eminent domain, the opportunity to purchase the real estate back when it is not put to intended public use, by Sen. Hasegawa.)
3. S.B. 5198 (Concerning training as an alternative to driver license suspension for the accumulation of certain traffic infractions, by Sen. Valdez, by request of the Dept. of Licensing.)

Agriculture & Natural Resources, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Chapman

Ranking Member: Short

Seattle Members: Saldaña

King County Members: Wagoner

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Dept. of Fish & Wildlife organizational review
2. S.B. 5303 (Extending the water supply milestone for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan to 2035, by Sen. Warnick.)
3. S.B. 5305 (Concerning the new environmental accelerator for salmon recovery and ecological resiliency projects, by Sen. Muzzall.)

Higher Education & Workforce Development, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Nobles

Ranking Member: Warnick

Seattle Members: none

Washington Members: Slatter

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Degree Attainment
2. S.B. 5275 (Modifying funding and award levels for the Passport to Careers Program and eligibility for the Washington College Grant, by Sen. Nobles.)
3. S.B. 5304 (Expanding eligibility for the Students Experiencing Homelessness & Foster Youth Program to an accredited tribal college, by Sen. Kauffman, by request of the Student Achievement Council.)
4. S.B. 5308 (Establishing the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program and requiring student notifications, by Sen. Hansen.)

Following the public hearings, the committee will proceed to executive session to consider the following two bills, and may vote one or both bills out of committee.

1. S.B. 5110 (Providing tuition waivers for tribal elders at Washington's community and technical colleges, by Sen. Kauffman, by request of the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges.)
2. S.B. 5158 (Concerning student athlete insurance, by Sen. Valdez.)

Local Government, 1:30 p.m.

Chair: Salomon

Ranking Member: Torres

Seattle Members: Salomon (chair)

King County Members: Goehner

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Salmon Habitat Recovery Pilot Program
2. S.B. 5155 (Extending a program to streamline the environmental permitting process for salmon recovery projects, by Sen. Salomon.)
3. S.B. 5154 (Clarifying the duties of county auditors, by Sen. Goehner.)
4. S.B. 5221 (Simplifying processes and timelines related to personal property distraint, by Sen. Bateman.)

Transportation, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Liias

Ranking Member: King

Seattle Members: Alvarado, Valdez

King County Members: Fortunato, Goehner (asst. ranking member), Ramos (vice chair)

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Introduction to local government agencies:
1. Cities, Counties, Ports
2. Transit Agencies, and Metropolitan/Regional Transportation Planning Organizations.

Ways & Means, 4:00 p.m.

Chair: Robinson

Ranking Members: Gildon & Schoesler
Seattle Members: Frame (vice chair, finance) Hasegawa, Pedersen, Saldaña

King County Members: Dhingra, Kauffman, Stanford (vice chair, operating), Wagoner, Wellman, Claire Wilson

On the agenda:

1. Briefing: Pension systems
2. S.B. 5085 (Concerning three of Washington State's closed retirement plans, by Sen. Robinson.)
3. S.B. 5113 (Concerning cost-of-living adjustments for Plan 1 Retirees of the Teachers' Retirement System and Public Employees' Retirement System, by Sen. Boehnke, by request of the Select Committee on Pension Policy.)
4. S.B. 5357 (Concerning actuarial funding of pension systems, by Sen. Conway, by request of the Office of Financial Management.)
5. S.B. 5114 (Paying state retirement benefits until the end of the month in which the retiree or beneficiary dies, by Sen. Boehnke, by request of the Select Committee on Pension Policy.)
6. S.B. 5168 (Concerning the appointment, removal, and salary of the State Actuary, by Sen. Robinson.)
7. S.B. 5306 (Concerning the purchase of Pension Service Credit for authorized leaves of absence, by Sen. Holy, by request of the LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board.)

United States House of Representatives

The House meets today at 10:00 a.m/7:00 a.m. for Morning Hour, and proceeds to Legislative Business at noon/9:00 a.m.

The House will allow up to thirty Representatives (up to 15 Democrats and 15 Republicans) to speak on any topic for up to one minute.

Following "One Minutes", the House will consider two bills today, with a possible third:

1. H.R. 471 Fix Our Forests Act (Rep. Westerman of Arkansas.)
1. This bill has 55 cosponsors, notably WA Rep. Dan Newhouse (District 4/Central WA).
2. H.R. 21 Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (Rep. Wagner of Missouri.)
1. This bill has 159 cosponsors, all Republicans.
1. This includes WA Rep. Dan Newhouse (see above)
3. Possibly: H.R. 375 Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act (Rep. Tokuda of Hawai'i.)
1. This bill has one cosponsor, Hawai'i Rep. Ed Case.

Committee Meetings

Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, & Fisheries, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Harriet Hageman, of Wyoming

On the agenda:

1. H.R. 231 Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act of 2025 (by Rep. Hageman of Wyoming.)
2. H.R. 261 Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 (by Rep. Carter of Georgia.)
3. H.R. 331 (To amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes, by Rep. Fulcher of Idaho.)
4. H.R. 635 WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act (by Rep. Stansbury of New Mexico.)

Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, & Hazardous Materials, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Daniel Webster, of Florida

Ranking Member: Dina Titus, of Nevada

On the agenda:

"America Builds: Examining America's Freight & Passenger Rail Network."

Hearing witnesses:

1. Ian Jeffries (President and CEO, American Association of Railroads.)
2. Chuck Baker (American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association.)
3. Joe DaLoisio (Chair, National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association.)
4. Jared Cassity (Alternate National Safety & Legislative Dir., Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation - Transportation Division.)

Appropriations, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Tom Cole, of Oklahoma

Ranking Member: Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut

Washington Members: Dan Newhouse (Central), Marie Perez (Southwest)

Organizational meeting

Budget, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Jodey Arrington, of Texas
Ranking Member: Brendan Boyle, of Pennsylvania

Organizational meeting

Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications & Technology, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Richard Hudson, of North Carolina

Ranking Member: Doris Matsui, of California

On the agenda:

"Strengthening American Leadership in Wireless Technology."

Hearing witnesses:

1. Michael Powell (President & CEO, The Internet & Television Association.)
2. Brad Gillen (Executive Vice President, The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.)
3. Diane Rinaldo (Executive Director, Open RAN Policy Coalition.)
4. Chris Lewis (CEO, Public Knowledge.)

Agriculture, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: Glenn Thompson, of Pennsylvania
Ranking Member: Angie Craig, of Minnesota.

Washington Members: Dan Newhouse (Central), Marie Perez (Southwest)

Organizational Meeting

House Administration, 10:00 a.m/7:00 a.m.

Chair: Bryan Steil, of Wisconsin

Ranking Member: Joseph Morelle, of New York

Organizational Meeting

Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance & Memorial Affairs, 1:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.

Chair: Morgan Luttrell, of Texas

Ranking Member: Chris Pappas, of New Hampshire

On the agenda:

"Correcting VA's Violations of Veterans' Due Process & Second Amendment Rights."

Hearing witnesses:

1. Jordan B. Cohen (Analyst of Firearms Policy, Congressional Research Svc.)
2. Scott Szymendera (Analyst of Disability Policy, Congressional Research Svc.)
3. James McCormick (Former Nat'l Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart.)
4. Wayne Reynolds (Nat'l Treasurer, Vietnam Veterans of America.)
5. Nancy Springer (Associate Director, Nat'l Legislative Svc., Veterans of Foreign Wars.)
6. Michael "Top" Washington (MSgt, retired, USMC, Everytown Veterans Advisory Council.)

United States Senate

The Senate meets at 10:00 a.m/7:00 a.m.

Following remarks by Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the Senate will be in a period of Morning Business, where any Senator can speak on any topic for up to ten minutes.

At approximately 11:00 a.m./8:00 a.m., the Senate will vote on whether or not to end debate on the nomination of John Ratcliffe to be CIA Director.

If the vote passes, there will be up to two hours of debate. Following the close of debate, the Senate will vote on final confirmation.

Following the confirmation or rejection of the nomination, the Senate will vote on whether or not to end debate of the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense.

If the vote passes, there will be up to thirty (30) hours of debate. 

Additional votes are possible.

The Majority Leader has filed requests to end debate on four nominations:

1. John Ratcliffe to be CIA Director
2. Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense
3. Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security
4. Scott Bessent to be Secretary of the Treasury

Committee Meetings

Veterans' Affairs, 9:00 a.m./6:00 a.m.

Chair: Jerry Moran of Kansas

Ranking Member: Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

Washington Member? Yes, Patty Murray.

On the agenda:

Vote on approving the nomination of Douglas Collins to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Environment & Public Works, 9:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.

Chair: Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

Ranking Member: Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island

Washington Member? No.

PNW Member? Yes: Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California

On the agenda:

Vote on approving the nomination of Lee Zeldin to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Energy & Natural Resources, 9:30 a.m./6:30 a.m.

Chair: Mike Lee of Utah
Ranking Member: Martin Heinrich of New Mexico

Washington Member? Yes, Maria Cantwell

On the agenda:

1. Considering amending committee rules with regard to quorum.
2. A resolution funding the committee for the Congress
3. Vote on approving the nomination of Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior
4. Vote on approving the nomination of Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy

Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry, 10:00 a.m./7:00 a.m.

Chair: John Boozman of Arkansas

Ranking Member: Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Washington Member? No

PNW Members? Yes, Adam Schiff of California.

On the agenda:

Confirmation Hearing: Brooke Rollins to be Secretary of Agriculture

The President of the United States

1. 11:00 a.m./8:00 a.m.: The President delivers remarks via video and holds a virtual panel discussion with CEOs as the World Economic Forum in Davos.
2. 12:30 p.m./9:30 a.m.: The President receives an intelligence briefing
3. 2:30 p.m./11:30 a.m.: The President signs executive orders in the Oval Office
4. 3:30 p.m./12:30 p.m.: The President will call His Excellency Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, President of El Salvador.
5. 4:30 p.m./1:30 p.m.: The President will record various video messages.
6. 5:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.: The President will lead a senior staff meeting & swearing-in ceremony.