Committee advances a slate of bills to the rules or other committees; summary of actions

The State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee advanced a group of bills during its Feb. 7, 2025 executive session. The motions were procedural and most were adopted by voice vote; the chair recorded that passage was "subject to signatures." Below is a concise list of each bill acted on in committee and the committee outcome, with the committee’s brief description where available.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Bill 5152 (state employee access to peer-reviewed journals): Moved to give a due-pass recommendation to the rules committee. Staff said the bill requires the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study providing state employees electronic access to peer-reviewed journals; fiscal note available.

- Senate Bill 5049 (Sunshine Committee / Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee): Proposed Substitute E adopted; the substitute modifies quarterly meeting requirements to require four meetings annually. Reported out to rules with due-pass recommendation; proposed substitute removes a fiscal note per sponsor comments.

- Senate Bill 5338 (Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee membership): Amendment F adopted, replacing "Native American tribe recognized in Washington State" with "federally recognized Indian tribe." The amendment was folded into a proposed substitute and the bill received a due-pass recommendation to rules.

- Senate Bill 5106 (recognizing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha): Proposed substitute G adopted clarifying this will not be a paid state holiday but a ceremonial recognition; bill reported with due-pass recommendation.

- Senate Bill 5245 (legislative oaths of office): Proposed substitute H adopted to grant county legislative authorities the power to administer oaths of office to state legislators; bill reported with due-pass recommendation. One senator stated a dissenting vote was intended.

- Senate Bill 5050 (presidential primary party declaration procedure): Committee moved to refer the bill to the Ways and Means Committee (rather than rules). Staff said the bill requires the party declaration required to vote in a presidential primary be placed inside the return ballot envelope and requires a prominent reminder on the envelope.

- Senate Bill 5325 (designating the Columbia Plateau cactus as state cactus): Bill received a due-pass recommendation to be sent to the rules committee.

- Senate Bill 5414 (requiring social equity impact analysis and performance audits): Bill received a due-pass recommendation; staff said the bill adjusts public-hearing deadlines for audit findings and requires performance audits to include social equity analysis.

For procedural clarity: in several instances members discussed order of taking proposed substitutes versus amendments and noted identical amendments were offered both to proposed substitutes and to the underlying bill; some identical amendments were withdrawn by the sponsor and not taken up on the floor. Most actions were voice votes with the chair ruling passage "subject to signatures."