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2018 Washington legislative session

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2018 legislative sessions coverage
Washington State Legislature

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General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 8, 2018
Session end:   March 8, 2018
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Cyrus Habib (D)
House Speaker:  Frank Chopp (D)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Sharon Nelson (D)
House: Pat Sullivan (D)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Mark Schoesler (R)
House: J.T. Wilcox (R)
Structure
Members:  49 (Senate), 98 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Art II, Section 2, Washington Constitution
Salary:   $45,474/year + per diem
Elections
Redistricting:  Washington State Redistricting Commission has control

This page provides an overview of the 2018 Washington State Legislature and its general and special sessions. The timelines below contain noteworthy events from the sessions curated by Ballotpedia throughout the year.

If you know of any additional events that should be added to this page, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Overview

In 2018, the Washington State Legislature was in session from January 8, 2018, through March 8, 2018.

Partisan control

Washington was one of eight Democratic state government trifectas in 2018. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Washington State Legislature.

Senate

Party As of July 2018
     Democratic Party 26
     Republican Party 23
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

House

Party As of July 2018
     Democratic Party 50
     Republican Party 48
     Vacancies 0
Total 98

Leadership in 2018

Senate

House

Regular session

Bill statistics

House Senate Total
Introduced 2,387 2,065 4,452
Passed both chambers 388 325 713

Source: Washington State Legislature, "Statistical Report: All Bills (2017-18)," accessed July 24, 2018

Status of legislation at the end of the regular session

This table details the status of legislation covered on this page at the end of the regular session.

Status of legislation at the end of the 2018 regular session
Legislation Subject area Actions during the regular session Status at the end of the regular session
HB 1506 Require gender pay equity Passed House
Passed Senate 		Governor signed
SB 5722 Prohibit youth conversion therapy Passed Senate
Passed House 		Governor signed
SB 5992 Ban bump stocks Passed Senate
Passed House
Senate agreed to amendments 		Governor signed
HB 2282 Require ISPs to follow net neutrality guidelines Passed House
Passed Senate 		Governor signed
SB 6052 Repeal death penalty Passed Senate
 Did not see further action
SB 6002 Allow communities to adjust election systems Passed Legislature Governor signed
SB 6298 Add domestic violence offenders to the list of persons prohibited from possessing a firearm Passed legislature Governor signed
SB 6614 Supplemental budget Passed legislature Governor signed

January 17, 2018

Washington House of Representatives approves gender pay equity bill
The Washington House of Representatives voted 69-28 to approve legislation concerning gender pay equity. The bill would update Washington's existing Equal Pay Act to prohibit wage and promotion discrimination based on gender, require equal compensation for employees in comparable roles, and establish penalties for employers found to be in violation of the law. The bill would also expand on existing federal law to protect employees who discuss their wages.

The bill headed to the Washington State Senate for consideration.[1][2] Read more here.

Update: The state Senate approved the bill on March 1, 2018, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed it on March 21, 2018.

January 19, 2018

Washington State Senate approves ban on youth conversion therapy
On January 19, 2018, the Washington State Senate voted 32-16 to prohibit licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on youth in the state. Conversion therapy is a type of therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay or transgender individuals. Supporters of the bill claimed that conversion therapy is inhumane and that the legislation would protect youth in the state from child abuse. Some opponents of the legislation argued that any type of coercion during therapy is already considered to be professional misconduct, while others argued that the legislation did not protect against the practice of conversion therapy by unlicensed therapists or religious organizations. The bill moved to the Washington House of Representatives for consideration.[3][4] Read more here.

Update: The legislation passed the state House on February 28, 2018, and the governor signed it on March 28, 2018.

January 25, 2018

Washington State Senate approves bump stock ban
The Washington State Senate voted 29-20 to ban a trigger modification device known as a bump stock. The legislation would make it illegal for anyone in the state to manufacture or sell bump stocks beginning July 1, 2018. Then, in July 2019, it would become illegal to own or possess a bump stock in the state. The bump stock, which allows semi-automatic firearms to fire similarly to automatic weapons, was linked with the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Four Republicans joined with the chamber's Democrats to pass the legislation. The bill moved to the Washington House of Representatives for consideration.[5]

Update: The state House approved the bill with amendments on February 23, 2018. The Senate agreed to the amendments on February 27, 2018, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed it on March 6, 2018.

February 9, 2018

Washington House of Representatives passes bill on net neutrality
The Washington House of Representatives voted 93-5 to approve House Bill 2282, which would prohibit internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking content, impairing traffic, or prioritizing content in exchange for benefits (also known as paid prioritization). The bill would require ISPs to disclose information about management practices, performance, and commercial terms, and create an internet consumer access account in the state Treasury.[6][7]

Update: HB 2822 passed the state Senate on February 27, 2018, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed it on March 5, 2018.
See also: Net neutrality responses by state

February 14, 2018

Washington State Senate votes to repeal death penalty
The Washington State Senate voted 26-22 in favor of SB 6052, which would abolish the death penalty as the sentence for aggravated first-degree murder and replace it with life imprisonment without possibility of release or parole.[8] SB 6052 was sent to the state House for consideration.

Previous bills abolishing capital punishment did not make it out of the committee phase. Gov. Jay Inslee (D) placed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014. According to The Seattle Times, "The death penalty has been overturned or abolished in 19 states and the District of Columbia, and several states are considering measures this year. An additional four states — Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Pennsylvania — now have moratoriums."[9] Read more here.

Update: The bill was sent to the state House, where it did not see further action in 2018.

February 23, 2018

State House passes bump stock ban
The Washington House of Representatives passed SB 5992 56 to 41, with 40 of the House's 48 Republicans and Democrat Brian Blake voting against the bill. SB 5992 would make it illegal to manufacture or sell a bump stock effective July 1, 2018. The bill would additionally ban owning, buying, loaning, furnishing, transporting, assembling, or repairing a bump stock effective July 1, 2019.

The House also passed an amendment that would establish a buy-back program administered by the Washington state patrol and implemented between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Individuals would be able to exchange their bump stocks for $150. Bump stocks usually cost between $130 and $330, according to the Columbia Basin Herald.[10]

Update: The Senate agreed to the amendment on February 27, 2018, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed the legislation on March 6, 2018.

February 27, 2018

State Senate agrees to House amendment of SB 5992
The Washington State Senate concurred in the state House's amendment to SB 5992 in a 31-18 vote. Six Republican senators joined all Democrats to vote in favor. SB 5992 would ban the sale, and eventually the ownership, of bump stocks. The House amended SB 5992 to include a buy-back program that would allow individuals to turn bump stocks over to the state in exchange for $150.

The bill was sent to the governor's office. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted his support for the bill:

Update: The governor signed SB 5992 on March 6, 2018.

Washington Legislature passes net neutrality bill
The Washington State Legislature website described HB 2282 as a bill "protecting an open internet in Washington state."[11] The bill would prohibit internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking content, impairing traffic based on content, or engaging in paid prioritization. It would also require ISPs to disclose information about network management practices, performance, and commercial terms.

Nine Republican senators joined the Senate's 26 Democrats to approve the measure, 35 to 14. The state House passed the measure 93 to 5 on February 9, 2018.[11] The bill was sent to Gov. Jay Inslee's (D) desk. Inslee tweeted that he was glad the legislature passed the measure.[12] Read more here.

Update: The governor signed HB 2282 on March 5, 2018.
See also: Net neutrality responses by state

State Legislature approves bill allowing communities to adjust election systems
The Washington State Legislature passed SB 6002 when the House approved the measure 52 to 46. Republican Representatives Paul Graves (District 5b) and Larry Haler (District 8) joined the House's 50 Democrats to pass the bill. The measure passed the state Senate 29 to 19 on January 19, 2018, with four Republican senators and every Democratic senator voting "yes."

A bill analysis from the state House described the act's purpose as "to protect the equal opportunity for minority groups to participate in local elections." The act would allow cities, towns, and school districts, among others, to change election systems from city-wide or at-large elections to district elections, for example.[13] According to The Stand, a website connected to the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (WSLC), the act would provide local communities with a process other than litigation to address voter disenfranchisement. The Stand reported that similar legislation passed the state House six times in the past six years but failed in the state Senate, which was formerly under Republican control.[14]

Opponents of the bill said it would generate lawsuits at local levels.[15] Click here to learn more about voting in Washington. Read more here.

Update: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed SB 6002 on March 19, 2018.

Washington Legislature prohibits domestic violence harassment offenders from purchasing guns
A bill to prohibit individuals with domestic violence harassment convictions from purchasing firearms passed the Washington House of Representatives in a 94-4 vote. The bill would add domestic violence harassment to a list of crimes that already prohibit offenders from purchasing firearms. It passed the state Senate on February 9, 2018, by a vote of 34 to 13.[16]

Update: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed the bill on March 22, 2018.

March 5, 2018

Washington becomes first state to sign net neutrality bill into law
Democratic Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 2282 into law. HB 2282 prohibits internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or slowing web traffic or providing paid internet fast lanes. The law also requires ISPs to disclose service information. The bill, which passed the state Legislature with bipartisan support, took effect on June 6, 2018.[17]

During the bill signing ceremony, Inslee said:

“ Today we make history: Washington will be the first state in the nation to preserve the open internet. We’ve seen the power of an open internet. It allows a student in Washington to connect with researchers all around the world — or a small business to compete in the global marketplace. It’s allowed the free flow of information and ideas in one of the greatest demonstrations of free speech in our history.[18] ”

On December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2, along party lines, to repeal net neutrality rules instituted during the Obama administration. The FCC also sought to prevent state and local government from imposing net neutrality rules.

At the time of the bill's passage, Washington was one of 21 states and the District of Columbia involved in a legal challenge to the FCC's ruling. All of the states that joined the suit also had Democratic attorneys general. At least 26 other states had also introduced bills in response to the FCC's decision. Read more here.

See also: Net neutrality responses by state

March 6, 2018

Gov. Inslee signs bump stock ban into law
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5992 into law, making it illegal to manufacture or sell bump stocks in the state, effective July 1, 2018, and illegal to own bump stocks, effective July 1, 2019.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, other states with bans on bump stocks or similar devices included California, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon, as of November 2017.[19] Read more here.

March 8, 2018

Washington Legislature approves budget deal
The Washington State Legislature approved a 2018 supplemental budget on the last day of its regular session. The proposal would allocate approximately $1 billion for K-12 public education staff salaries, $306 million for mental health, and $116 million to assist low-income students with college tuition payments. The budget plan was related to the state Supreme Court's 2012 ruling that the state must fully fund the public school system. The deal was coupled with a Senate bill proposing a one-time state property tax reduction from $2.70 per $1,000 in assessed value to $2.40 in 2019. The budget plan passed 54-44 in the House and 25-24 in the Senate, with Democratic support and Republican opposition. It was sent to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee's desk.[20] Read more here.

Update: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed the bill on March 27, 2018.

March 28, 2018

Gov. Inslee signs ban on youth conversion therapy
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that bans youth conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a type of therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay or transgender individuals. Senate Bill 5722 passed the state Senate by a vote of 32 to 16 on January 19, 2018, and passed the state House by a vote of 66 to 32 on February 28, 2018.

A press release from the Human Rights Campaign said that Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, had similar laws at the time of the bill's passage.[21]

Noteworthy events

Sexual misconduct in the state capitol

  • State Rep. David Sawyer (D-District 29a): On February 21, 2018, the Seattle Times reported that state Rep. David Sawyer (D-District 29a) was being investigated by the state House over a sexual harassment allegation. Sawyer initially did not comment on the investigation.[22] He later denied the allegations and said he would run for re-election.[23]
On May 9, 2018, the Washington House Democratic caucus voted to suspend Sawyer from his position as chair of the Commerce and Gaming committee and said further action would be considered following the conclusion of an independent investigation.[24]
House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D) said that the investigation, while unfinished, confirmed some of the allegations. Democratic leaders released a statement saying that "substantiated allegations of workplace misconduct will result in consequences, no matter one’s political party." Sawyer responded in his own statement, "I support a fair and transparent investigation. This does not reflect that at all. In fact, it reflects poorly on the institution we all have a responsibility to honor."[25]
On June 11, 2018, House Democratic officials released a summary of the independent investigation's findings into Sawyer's conduct. The investigation found that Sawyer behaved inappropriately toward three legislative staffers, mentioning offensive text messages, comments and jokes about an employee's sexual orientation, and use of employee time to discuss an investigation into sexual allegations against him.
In response, Sawyer stepped down from his position as chairman of the Commerce and Gaming Committee and released a statement apologizing for his behavior. "Clearly my actions made people who work with me uncomfortable. I sincerely apologize to those individuals, and I recognize that they felt they could not express their concerns due to my position as an elected official."[26][27]

Public school teachers strike

In August and September 2018, public school teachers across 18 school districts voted to strike, went on strike, or settled a strike. Teachers at the district level demanded higher salaries and education funding.[28][29] The Washington Education Association, the statewide teachers union, supported a 15 percent raise for teachers.[30] According to local news King5.com, the school year began with the most teacher strikes since 1983.[31]

The strikes began while local teachers unions and school boards negotiated new contracts. Negotiations centered on how to spend $1 billion lawmakers approved in 2018 for teacher and school staff salaries.[29] The funds were part of the legislature's response to a 2012 state supreme court ruling that Washington was underfunding its education system.[32]

The strikes ended by September 17. According to U.S. News & World Report, many of the separate district-school board disputes ended in teacher salary raises. Teachers in Tumwater School District, for example, obtained a 16.7 percent pay raise.[33]

Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods by which the Washington Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article XXIII of the Washington State Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Washington

The Washington Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution— a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Washington requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.

Legislature

See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

According to Article XXIII, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide. In Washington, a referred constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber of the Washington State Legislature during one legislative session. That amounts to a minimum of 66 votes in the Washington House of Representatives and 33 votes in the Washington State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According to Article XXIII of the Washington State Constitution, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Washington State Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. If a simple majority of voters approve the question, then the legislature needs to call for a convention during its next session.


See also

Elections Washington State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Stranger, "State House Passes Pay Equity Bill," January 17, 2018
  2. ↑ Federal Way Mirror, "Back in the majority, Senate Democrats moving fast to pass backlogged bills," January 17, 2018
  3. ↑ The Spokesman-Review, "WA Senate bill would ban conversion therapy," January 12, 2018
  4. ↑ Metro Weekly, "Washington State Senate votes to ban conversion therapy," January 19, 2018
  5. ↑ KUOW, "Ban On Bump Stocks Passes Washington Senate," January 25, 2018
  6. ↑ Komo News, "State House passes bill to protect net-neutrality rules," February 9, 2018
  7. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "House Bill Report, SHB 2282," February 9, 2018
  8. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "SB 6052," accessed February 15, 2018
  9. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Washington Senate passes bill to abolish death penalty," February 14, 2018
  10. ↑ Columbia Basin Herald, "State House passes bump stock ban," February 26, 2018
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Washington State Legislature, "HB 2282 - 2017-18," accessed February 28, 2018
  12. ↑ Twitter, "Jay Inslee on February 27, 2018," accessed February 28, 2018
  13. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "SB 6002 - 2017-18," accessed February 28, 2018
  14. ↑ The Stand, "Washington Voting Rights Act passes House," February 28, 2018
  15. ↑ The Spokesman-Review, "Washington Voting Rights Act passes Legislature," February 27, 2018
  16. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "SB 6298 - 2017-18," accessed March 5, 2018
  17. ↑ Governor Jay Inslee, Washington State, "Washington becomes first state to pass net neutrality protections into law," March 5, 2018
  18. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  19. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Stateline, Marauding mute swans, new sanctuary state laws," November 20, 2017
  20. ↑ The Reflector, "State Legislature passes last minute budget deal and property tax cut," March 9, 2018
  21. ↑ Human Rights Campaign, "Washington Governor Signs Legislation Protecting LGBTQ Youth from Dangerous 'Conversion Therapy,'" March 28, 2018
  22. ↑ K5 News, "House investigating allegations against state Rep. David Sawyer," February 21, 2018
  23. ↑ The News Tribune, "Tacoma state lawmaker defies calls to resign following allegations of inappropriate behavior," March 14, 2018
  24. ↑ Washington State Wire, "House Democrats vote to suspend Rep. Sawyer’s chairmanship following evidence of workplace misconduct," May 9, 2018
  25. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Washington state House Democrats suspend Rep. David Sawyer’s chairmanship over allegations of inappropriate behavior," May 9, 2018
  26. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Washington Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma acted inappropriately toward legislative staff, investigation finds," June 11, 2018
  27. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Lawmaker Resigns Chairmanship Following Investigation," June 13, 2018
  28. ↑ CBS News, "Fights over teacher salaries and working conditions escalate along West Coast," September 7, 2018
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Reuters, "Thousands of teachers in Washington state strike over salaries," August 30, 2018
  30. ↑ OPB, "On The Edge Of A Strike, Will Clark County Teachers Get The Raises They Want?" August 28, 2018
  31. ↑ King5.com, "This is the most teacher strikes in Washington state since 1983," September 6, 2018
  32. ↑ NPR, "Thousands Of Southwest Washington Teachers Strike," August 30, 2018
  33. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Strike Ending for Last Washington Teachers Still Picketing," September 17, 2018
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