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CityOffice of Intergovernmental Relations briefs council on mid-session developments in Olympia
Summary
The Office of Intergovernmental Relations updated the Seattle City Council on mid-session movement in the Washington Legislature, highlighting bills on public safety, housing, childcare, recycling reform and state budget timing ahead of the March 12 chamber cutoff.
Good afternoon. The Washington state legislature has reached the midpoint of the 2025 session, with members working long hours as they approach the March 12 deadline for bills to pass out of their chambers of origin, Office of Intergovernmental Relations Director Mina Hashemi told the Seattle City Council on Monday.
Hashemi, joined by Anna Johnson (state legislative affairs director) and Sameer Janaijo, summarized items of interest to the city and noted that some Seattle priorities have cleared early procedural hurdles while others remain on house or senate calendars. "As of this week, there have been 1,051 house bills that have been introduced, and 519 have made it to the rules committee for further consideration," Hashemi said.
The briefing listed measures across policy areas that have seen action: vehicle noise camera legislation passed the House, certain child care and early learning bills advanced, recycling reform passed the Senate, and several housing-related bills moved from the House to the Senate. Anna Johnson identified bills already scheduled for hearings in the opposite chambers and those on floor calendars ready for action.
On budget timing, the OIR team said state revenue forecasts are the next significant milestone. "The next date to look forward to would be March 20, which is when the revenue forecast will come out for the state," Sameer Janaijo said; that forecast will inform budget-writing and any revenue proposals.
Councilmembers asked about the possible local impacts of the governor's "all cuts" budget and upcoming revenue proposals. Councilmember Rink pressed for more detail on proposed state spending reductions to health care, human services, higher education and behavioral health; the OIR team said departments are still assessing impacts and that more clarity will come after the March 20 revenue forecast.
The OIR update named a number of individual bills moving in Olympia that the city is tracking, including (as reported to council) vehicle noise camera legislation, bills related to public safety funding, recycling reform, joint use agreements for utility infrastructure, child care siting and early learning facilities funding, housing-related measures including ADU self-certification options, and a bill addressing lot splitting. The presenters said the city remains engaged with sponsors and committees where amendments and reconciliation will occur.
The presentation concluded with readiness to provide more detailed briefings and to coordinate council engagement, including testifying or drafting letters of support or opposition as items move to the opposite chamber.
Looking ahead, the OIR team emphasized the compressed calendar around the March 12 house-of-origin cutoff and the March 20 revenue forecast as the next key decision points for bills and the state budget.
Less-critical details mentioned in the briefing included procedural counts (how many bills introduced and how many reached rules committees) and specific committees expected to hear city-priority bills in the coming week.
