Washington Senate advances and passes package of bills on elections, child-safety reviews, health and technology

The Washington State Senate on Feb. 8 advanced and declared final passage on a wide-ranging package of bills addressing election law, child welfare transparency, public-health initiatives and technology policy.

Election voting clarification (Senate Bill 6,084). Sponsor Senator Cortez urged support for SB 6,084, calling it a “common-sense bill” to address a Division II Court of Appeals ruling that she said had created ambiguity around the term “election.” Cortez told the chamber the bill clarifies that a person may not vote in an election in Washington and another state if the election date is the same for both states. The secretary reported the result as 47 yeas, 1 nay, 1 excused; the President declared SB 6,084 passed.

Child near-fatality reviews (Senate Bill 5,977). Senator Torres described SB 5,977 as a transparency measure “about learning from serious incidents” and protecting children by publishing near-fatality reviews so the public can see what went wrong and how to prevent future harms. The roll call recorded 47 yeas, 0 nays and 2 excused; the bill was declared passed.

Health and research bills. Substitute SB…