Washington House approves package addressing fire-district hiring, local compliance, DOT property leases, health and education

The Washington House of Representatives on the floor passed a package of bills during a floor session that included measures on fire‑district hiring, local government compliance with planning laws, leasing of certain Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) properties, hospital supply limits and changes to oversight of education for justice‑involved youth.

The measures ranged from broadly supported bills — including one to allow hospitals to provide larger take‑home supplies of medication — to closer votes on bills that revise local government compliance rules and expand leasing authority for certain WSDOT parcels.

Representative Joe Schmidt, speaking for House Bill 1172, said the bill was driven by local fire commissioners and chiefs seeking flexibility in hiring procedures. “Basically, the bill lets them opt out of the civil service system and allows them to, expedite the way that they go through hiring,” Schmidt said on the floor.

House Bill 1135 — an engrossed substitute that drew the lengthiest debate in the session — modifies how local governments respond after a finding of noncompliance with state planning requirements under the Growth Management Act (GMA). Representative Doer moved and supported an amendment that narrows the scope of what must be addressed after a finding of noncompliance to the specific code or ordinance involved; supporters said the change reduced stakeholder concerns about overbroad remedies. Representative Dewar, who spoke in opposition to one amendment, said it risked exempting frontier counties from compliance consequences and urged a no vote on that amendment.

A separate, closely watched measure, House…