Appropriations Committee advances bills on housing, children’s online safety, energy and public safety; dozens reported out with ‘do pass’

The Washington House Appropriations Committee met in executive session and, by recorded votes, sent a large group of bills to the full House with “do pass” recommendations, adopting or incorporating multiple amendments during debate.

The committee reported bills addressing housing near transit, protections for minors online, changes to renewable-energy taxation, behavioral-health crisis services, and a proposal to allow local jurisdictions to adopt a 0.1% sales-and-use tax dedicated to criminal justice grants. Several bills drew extended debate and roll-call votes; others were approved unanimously or with broad support.

Why it matters: Many of the measures the committee moved affect how state and local governments will implement programs and distribute funding. Appropriations review determines which bills carry fiscal endorsements to the floor and can affect implementation timelines, local revenue and the state budget picture.

Representative Macri (Representative Macri, member, House Appropriations Committee) described HB 18-13 — a revised bill on behavioral-health crisis services — as a narrowed but still meaningful step toward improving crisis care and coordination between managed care organizations and behavioral health administrative services organizations. "Our behavioral health crisis care services are kind of like the public utility of community behavioral health... this bill intends to ensure that those services are more readily available to all of our residents across the state," Macri said during debate.

Representative Ryu (Representative Ryu, member) led floor discussion on HB 18-34, the attorney-general-request bill on online protections for minors, which drew…