Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts revised rules of procedure to clarify conduct, public comment and reporting

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted on March 14, 2026, to adopt edits to its rules of procedure that emphasize commissioner self‑governance, expand health‑related absence language and formalize how public input is handled.

Deputy Director Amy Windrope briefed the commission on the specific edits and said only the underlined and underlying changes would be discussed because most items had tentative agreement from prior meetings. She summarized a revised paragraph stating that "each commissioner commits to managing themselves and to follow the rules of procedure" and that commissioners should "voice their concerns in a respectful manner prior to bringing the concerns to the chair." Windrope said any further action would follow an escalating steps process led by the chair.

The revisions replace the narrower word "illness" with "health considerations" to cover a broader range of circumstances — such as family health needs — and commissioners agreed the chair should exercise discretion in assessing those situations. On public comment, the commission approved language clarifying that "clarifying questions are allowed to be directed to the public at the discretion of the chair," and staff will be asked to "report back on those steps at the next meeting" so the public can see follow‑up work tied to their input.

A motion to approve and adopt the edits was moved and seconded on the record; the Chair called for aye votes and then announced, "Motion carries." The motion will be dated March 14, 2026. The transcript records verbal approval and the Chair's announcement that the motion carried; the transcript does not provide a roll‑call or numeric vote tally.

Commissioners and staff also agreed on several implementation items tied to the procedural changes, including clearer tracking of requests initiated during meetings and an intent to keep public‑input follow‑ups visible to commenters and the public.

What happens next: staff will incorporate the agreed wording into the rules document, add the new sentence about reporting back on requested steps, and the Commission will consider any scheduling impacts from extending public comment windows tied to rulemaking. The Chair closed the item and the meeting proceeded to a debrief on follow‑up items.