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Bill-signing roundup: Speaker 1 signs a slate of bills including Bull Kelp Forest designation and worker protections
Summary
Speaker 1 signed a package of House bills into law at a public ceremony, designating Bull Kelp Forest as the state marine forest and approving measures on worker safety, technology misuse, health licensing, housing and education; the event included a proclamation declaring 'Bull Kelp Day.'
Speaker 1 signed a package of House bills into law at a public ceremony, designating Bull Kelp Forest as the state marine forest and issuing a proclamation declaring today 'Bull Kelp Day.' The event also included the signing of measures on background checks for care workers, protections for isolated workers, licensing compacts for respiratory therapists, and other policy changes.
The most prominent item was House Bill 16 31, which Speaker 1 described as “a great example of the fact that we can all make a difference no matter our age,” and credited Bainbridge High School student Sebastian Ford and legislative sponsor Representative Greg Nance for raising awareness of bull kelp’s ecological role. Speaker 1 signed the bill and read a proclamation declaring Bull Kelp Day.
Other bills signed included measures to: ensure DSHS can continue background checks for transitional care facility employees (House Bill 14 90); expand enforcement authority for isolated-worker protections (House Bill 15 24); establish the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact (House Bill 11 14) to ease cross‑state practice for respiratory therapists; and allow volunteer firefighters to participate in the state deferred compensation program (House Bill 11 56). Speaker 1 repeatedly thanked prime sponsors and companion bill sponsors and invited photos after each signing.
Several technical and administrative bills were also signed: House Bill 12 81 (corrections and clean‑up to the Revised Code of Washington), House Bill 12 05 (limits on harmful uses of deep‑fake technology while permitting artistic and educational uses), and House Bill 12 81 (code corrections per the code reviser). Education and workforce bills signed included directing the statewide career and technical education task force to recommend ways to reduce barriers to training (House Bill 14 14) and raising procurement thresholds for joint operating authorities (House Bill 14 61).
On education for students involved in the criminal justice system, Speaker 1 signed House Bill 18 27, which clarifies the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s duties and extends the timeline for full service delivery to Sept. 1, 2028. Speaker 1 said OSPI “will work with teachers and students who were formerly incarcerated to develop its standards.”
The ceremony included brief remarks, multiple photo opportunities organized by staff, and acknowledgements of the many legislative and stakeholder partners who helped move the bills. Speaker 1 closed by thanking staff and sponsors and noting the event’s pace: “We had a lot of bills today.”
What happens next: All bills signed at this event were presented as enacted by Speaker 1. Where the text or implementation timeline was specified in remarks (for example, the OSPI timeline to Sept. 1, 2028), that detail is noted above. No formal votes or amendments were recorded in the transcript; the event consisted of ceremonial signings and proclamations.
Sources: Remarks by Speaker 1 at the signing ceremony (transcript segments beginning SEG 006 and continuing through SEG 1775).
