Senate concurs with House and clears slate of bills, including gambling, workers’ comp and tenant cooling protections

The Senate on March 6, 2026, voted to concur in House amendments and gave final passage to a broad package of bills, including a gambling-related measure, changes to the workers’ compensation system, protections allowing tenants to use portable cooling devices during extreme heat, and amendments tied to the state’s Climate Commitment Act.

Senator Richeli moved the Senate concur in House amendments to Senate Bill 6,137 and told colleagues the bill "defines in‑game decision[s] ... and ... makes it a gross misdemeanor to threaten a sports official ... where the threat is related to the wager," urging a yes vote. The chamber proceeded to final passage; the presiding officer noted SB 6,137 is a gambling measure that requires a constitutional 60% vote, and the clerk recorded 43 yays and 6 nays. The President declared the bill passed.

Lawmakers also approved Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5,847, a workers’ compensation package described on the floor as intended "to decrease time loss, to be able to get folks ... to see a provider more quickly," and to authorize additional claims managers and periodic reporting to the advisory board. Senator Saldana urged concurrence, saying the changes should speed care and reduce costs. Senator King registered strong opposition to concurrence on the House amendments, arguing the department estimated "they're going to need to hire ... 150 claims managers at roughly a little less than $16,000,000 a year" and warned that the costs could affect the operating budget and premiums; despite his objections the chamber called division and the motion to concur passed and the bill was declared passed.

On housing and heat safety, Senator Slatter described Gross Substitute Senate Bill 6,200 as a response to deadly heat events, saying the bill "ensures that tenants can use safe portable cooling devices during extreme heat and provides liability protections for landlords" while removing evaporative "swamp coolers" from the portable‑cooling definition. The Senate concurred in the House amendments and passed the bill.

Senator Slatter also led debate on amendments to Senate Bill 6,246 tied to the Climate Commitment Act, saying the changes require an independent third party to report on emissions and potential job‑leakage for trade‑exposed facilities and clarify Ecology's recommendation process for post‑2035 allowance allocations. Senator Behnke said the leakage analysis should be public and cautioned about potential economic impacts; the Senate concurred and passed the measure as amended.

Other bills the chamber handled included measures on asbestos worker protections (SB 6,188), energy and motor‑fuel definitions (SB 6,269), grid and public utility authorities (SB 6,076), and several technical and substantive measures; the President signed a list of previously passed bills in open session. The Senate also confirmed multiple gubernatorial appointments, including Amy Perez to the Big Bend Community College Board of Trustees, Carl Bruner to the Skagit Valley College Board of Trustees, Laura Flores to the Yakima Valley Community College Board of Trustees, and Susan Cain to the State Board of Education.

Votes at a glance: SB 6,137 (final passage as amended) — passed (43 y‑43 yays recorded and 6 nays reported); SB 6,066 — passed (constitutional majority reported); SB 6,162 — passed; SB 5,847 — passed after division (constitutional majority reported); SB 6,188 — passed; SB 6,200 — passed; SB 6,246 — passed; SB 6,269 — passed (49‑0 recorded); SB 6,291 — passed (49‑0 recorded); SB 6,076 — passed. Tallies and roll‑call results are recorded in the Senate minutes.

The Senate adjourned to 10 a.m. March 11, the second‑to‑last legislative day noted on the floor.