Senate trade committee advances appointments and sends multiple bills to rules

The Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee advanced four gubernatorial appointments and issued due-pass recommendations on several bills during an executive-session meeting Feb. 4.

The committee recommended confirmation of Alicia Levy (gubernatorial appointment 9060) and Michael Charles (9169) to the Gambling Commission, advanced Brian Bennett (9265) for the position of Director of the Washington Lottery, and recommended Noah Skartvett (appointment 9266) for the Gambling Commission. Motions to report the appointments out of committee were made from the floor and approved by voice vote; the chair said each confirmation recommendation is subject to signature. (Transcript contains inconsistent spellings for the fourth appointee; the first occurrence is recorded as "Noah Skartvett".)

The committee also moved several bills to the next steps in the process. Key actions included:

- SB 6,248 (travel insurance): The committee moved the proposed substitute to a due-pass recommendation and referred it to the Rules Committee. Committee staff said the Office of the Insurance Commissioner estimated $413,000 in operating expenditures in the current biennium related to implementation. The substitute adopts portions of the Bridal Insurance Model Act and adds provider responsibility language and clarifications on preemption and rate interpretation.

- SB 6,079 (wildfire mitigation grant program): The committee moved a proposed substitute to a due-pass recommendation and sent it to Ways & Means. Staff said the bill creates a grant program for wildfire mitigation for insurable dwellings, adds tribal eligibility, authorizes rebuilding as well as retrofitting, and requires an OIC report on pilot results by 2029; a fiscal note was requested but not yet available.

- SB 6,250 (small loans): The committee advanced a substitute that raises the maximum principal for small loans from $700 to $1,200 (capped at 30% of a borrower’s income) and establishes inflation adjustments (substitute changes the adjustment to biannual). The Department of Financial Institutions estimated no fiscal impacts.

- SB 6,257 (real estate appraiser trainees): The committee advanced proposed substitute E, which creates tolling during the licensing period for illness, clarifies the definition of health-care provider, and extends the effective date to May 1, 2027.

- SB 6,289 (statewide economic development strategy): The committee advanced a proposed substitute F that adds six factors for Commerce to include in its analysis and moved the plan due date from Nov. 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

- SB 6,230 (rounding cash transactions): The committee advanced a bill requiring cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest $0.05 to remove pennies from cash pricing; staff estimated $186,000 in Department of Licensing expenditures and listed local impacts as indeterminate.

- SB 6,147 (and related substitute 6,149 added late): The committee advanced the proposed substitute G for SB 6,147; staff explained a late fiscal note on substitute 6,149 prompted adding that substitute to today's agenda under Senate Rule 45.

Most of the committee's approvals were recorded as voice votes. The transcript prints multiple short "aye" and occasional "no" responses but does not provide a roll-call list of members or an exact numerical tally associated with individual named senators; the chair recorded outcomes as "passed subject to signatures" or "confirmation recommendation subject to signature." Where fiscal notes were available, staff referenced them during the briefing.

Committee Chair (unnamed in the transcript) opened and closed the session, thanked members and staff, and paused the meeting briefly for a caucus mid-morning. John Kim, committee staff, delivered the bill summaries and fiscal estimates on several measures.

The committee adjourned after completing the listed executive-session items and bill actions. Items advanced in this meeting will proceed according to committee rules and signature requirements.