Ways & Means advances more than two dozen bills in April 8 executive session; due-pass recommendations sent to Rules

The Senate Ways & Means Committee met in executive session on April 8 and voted to send due-pass recommendations to the Rules Committee on more than two dozen bills across health, labor, environment and public safety policy.

Committee staff summarized fiscal impacts and major provisions before senators moved the package forward. Josh Hammond, staff to the committee, described bills ranging from an expansion of the child welfare housing program (Substitute House Bill 1177) to amendments to the state paid family and medical leave program (Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1213). Michael Zans, staff to the committee, briefed members on amendments to the Climate Commitment Act study (Second Substitute House Bill 1975).

Why it matters: The due-pass recommendations send these bills to the Rules Committee for possible floor action. Many measures include fiscal notes or are subject to appropriation; in several cases staff flagged indeterminate fiscal effects pending further information.

Key bills and committee notes

- Substitute House Bill 1177 (child welfare housing program): The bill would expand the child welfare housing program to permit services to families who are no longer receiving DCYF child-welfare services and requires DCYF to serve families on the wait list. Josh Hammond told the committee the bill is subject to appropriation and that a proposed amendment limiting assistance to two years was withdrawn by Senator Gildan after committee discussion. Senator Gildan said, "I originally proposed this because there is no end date... I wanted to provide a backstop, and so we selected 2 years. But I understand that may cause some issues with federal requirements..." The committee gave the bill a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee.

- Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1213 (paid family and medical leave / PFML): Staff summarized projected fiscal impacts from the Employment Security Department, including multi-year administrative costs, small business assistance grants, and changes in benefits and fund revenue. Two amendments were considered: Amendment 2 (Senator Robinson) adjusted employer-size thresholds for job-protection coverage, and Amendment 3 (Senator Gildan) would have removed an expanded health coverage requirement; Amendment 3 failed and Amendment 2 was adopted. The committee rolled Amendment 2 into a striking amendment and gave the bill a due-pass recommendation.

- Substitute House Bill 1272 (children in crisis program): The committee was told the extension would carry an estimated $6 million fiscal impact over four years. The committee approved a due-pass recommendation.

- Substitute House Bill 1509 (Family Reconciliation Services): The bill expands eligibility and requires community-based services to be offered in at least one location in the state. The bill is subject to appropriation; the committee gave it a due-pass recommendation.

- House Bill 1936 (post-retirement work for certain retired school employees): The bill extends an expiration date for limited post-retirement work; the Department of Retirement Systems provided a one-time cost estimate of $37,000. The committee adopted an amendment extending the date further and voted to give the bill a due-pass recommendation.

- Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1971 (prescription hormone therapy): The bill would require health plans to permit up to 12 months of refills for hormone-therapy prescriptions; the Office of the Insurance Commissioner provided a fiscal note of $64,000 and indeterminate impacts to certain public plans. The committee gave it a due-pass recommendation.

- Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1622 (collective bargaining over AI impacts): The bill requires employers to bargain when uses of artificial intelligence affect wages or performance evaluations; staff provided multi-year cost estimates. The committee gave the bill a due-pass recommendation.

- Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1432 and Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1430 (mental health/substance use and APRN/PA reimbursement): Staff summarized fiscal notes and one amendment affecting application to public-employer plans; the committee voted to give both bills due-pass recommendations.

- Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1141 (agricultural cannabis workers collective bargaining), House Bills 1069 and 1068 (collective bargaining / arbitration changes), and other labor & retirement bills: Committee discussion focused on fiscal notes; each received a due-pass recommendation.

- Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2015 (public safety funding and a possible local sales tax option): The bill creates a law-enforcement grant program and would allow a local sales-and-use tax for public safety; members debated striking and substantive amendments. A lengthy striking amendment reorganized the bill and was adopted; the committee gave the amended bill a due-pass recommendation.

- Substitute House Bill 1670 (transparency on sewage-containing spills): Senators said the bill would be narrowed on the floor and that sponsors planned amendments; the committee gave it a due-pass recommendation.

- Second Substitute House Bill 1975 (Climate Commitment Act study and adjustments): Michael Zans told the panel the bill would direct Ecology to analyze compliance-instrument markets and model economic impacts; staff estimated roughly $2.8 million in biennial costs out of CCA accounts. The committee approved a due-pass recommendation.

- Senate Bill 5804 (salmon and steelhead restoration tax and bond authorization): The bill would create a new tax on light-and-power utilities dedicated to salmon and steelhead recovery and authorize a $5 billion special tax revenue bond; staff described a proposed substitute that adjusts the tax rate to maintain overall neutrality and delays the effective date to Jan. 1, 2026. The committee adopted the proposed substitute and recommended the bill to Rules.

- Substitute House Bill 1390 (DSHS community protection program repeal/transition): The striking amendment would eliminate the community protection program effective Jan. 1, 2026, and require transition plans; staff said the striking amendment had no fiscal impact. The committee recommended the bill to Rules.

- Numerous other bills across health, justice, environment and veterans services were also advanced with due-pass recommendations after staff briefings and brief discussion. Several bills included rolling adopted amendments into a striking amendment before the committee vote.

Votes at a glance (committee action: due-pass recommendation to Rules Committee unless noted)

- SHB 1177 — due pass (amendment 1 withdrawn) - ES SHB 1213 — due pass (Amendment 2 adopted; Amendment 3 failed) - SHB 1272 — due pass - SHB 1509 — due pass - HB 1936 — due pass (Amendment 4 adopted) - ES SHB 1971 — due pass - ES SHB 1622 — due pass - ES 1432 / ES 1430 — due pass - ES HB 1141 — due pass - HB 1069 / HB 1068 — due pass - SHB 1715 — due pass - ES SHB 2015 — due pass (striking amendment adopted) - SHB 1670 — due pass - 2SSHB 1975 — due pass - SB 5804 — due pass (proposed substitute adopted) - SHB 1390 — due pass - ES 1102 (veterans) — due pass - 2SHB 1427 (peer support specialists) — due pass - ES 1813 — due pass (amendment adopted and rolled into striking amendment) - 2SSHB 1515 (alcohol regulation in public spaces) — due pass (amendments 15, 16 adopted) - SS SB 5786 (license fee changes) — due pass (Amendment 19 adopted) - ES SHB 1293 (litter/bag provisions) — due pass - SHB 1460 (protection-order hope cards) — due pass (Amendment 21 adopted) - 2SHB 1391 — due pass - HB 1389 — due pass - SHB 1261 — due pass - ES HB 1219 (Interbranch Advisory Committee) — due pass - ES HB 1106 (veterans property tax exemption changes) — due pass (Amendment 22 adopted) - ES 1563 (prescribed fire claims fund pilot) — due pass

What was not done or noted

Committee staff indicated early in the meeting that several bills would not be acted on in the first packet; later in the session the committee reconvened and voted on the remainder of the listed bills. Multiple items were rolled into striking amendments before final committee votes.

Committee process notes and fiscal context

- Several bills were explicitly described as "subject to appropriation," and staff repeatedly noted that fiscal impacts were indeterminate where detailed fiscal notes were not yet available. - For PFML-related changes (ESHB 1213), Employment Security Department projections were read into the record and staff emphasized that expanding job protection and health coverage are the primary cost drivers. - For the Climate Commitment Act amendment (2SSHB 1975), Ecology staff advised that the bill would direct program analysis and modeling and carry biennial costs to CCA accounts.

The committee adjourned after completing votes and thanked staff for their work.