Washington Bill Tracking And State Guide
Everything you need to know to engage with the Senate and House
How does a bill become law in Washington?
1. Idea Generation: The process begins with an idea, which can originate from various sources, including the public, state agencies, or legislators.
2. Drafting and Introduction: Interested parties collaborate to draft the bill text, which is then introduced by a member of the state Senate or House of Representatives.
3. Filing: A bill is officially filed once delivered to the Office of the Code Reviser via the "hopper."
4. Committee Referral: The bill receives a number and is referred to an appropriate committee for public hearing consideration.
5. Committee Action: The committee chair decides if a public hearing will happen. The committee can either pass, reject, or take no action on the bill.
6. Fiscal Consideration: If passed, the bill may go to:
- The Senate Ways and Means or House Appropriations committee for a fiscal impact hearing, or
- Directly to the Rules Committee if there’s no fiscal impact.
7. Rules Committee: All bills must pass through the Rules Committee before being eligible for floor debate and will remain there until a member pulls it for the floor calendar.
8. Floor Consideration: The entire chamber debates and may amend the bill, finally moving it to the third reading calendar for final passage.
9. Other Chamber: After passing one chamber, the bill undergoes the same process in the other chamber.
10. Reconciling Amendments: If changes occur in the other chamber, the differing versions must be reconciled to ensure identical approval from both chambers.
11. Finalization: The bill is signed by the leaders of each chamber and sent to the governor.
12. Governor’s Decision: The governor can sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature if no action is taken.
How can a member of the public get involved in the legislative process in Washington?
A member of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Washington by following these steps:
1. Generate an Idea: Start with an idea for a bill. This idea can come from personal experience, community needs, or any relevant issues that require legislative attention.
2. Reach Out to Legislators: Share your idea with a member of the state Senate or House of Representatives. You can contact them via email or phone. Legislators can help draft and introduce the bill.
3. Participate in Public Hearings: If a bill is scheduled for a public hearing, the committee chair will decide whether to hold it. Members of the public can attend these hearings to express their support or opposition, provide testimony, and influence the committee's decision.
4. Stay Informed: Monitor the progress of the bill through the legislative process.
5. Engage with Advocacy Groups: Collaborate with or join advocacy groups that focus on specific issues related to your bill. These groups often have more resources and can amplify your voice in the legislative process.
6. Follow Up: Continue to communicate with legislators and committee members about your bill. Encourage friends, family, and community members to express their opinions as well.
How can FastDemocracy help me with that?
Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Washington every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.
FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.
FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features
- real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
- automated reporting
- team collaboration
- bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
- bill similarity detection
- ...and much more
How do I track bills in Washington?
1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.
2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.
3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.
4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.
5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.
6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.
7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.
How do I find my local Washington Senator and Representative?
You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.
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Most tracked bills in Washington, 2025-2026 Regular Session
Last Action
Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM (Subject to change).
Senate • Feb 25, 2025Latest Version
Feb 25, 2025 01:30pm
Senate Hearing Rm 1 and Virtual
J.A. Cherberg
Olympia, WA
Supporting students who are chronically absent and at risk for not graduating high school.
Last Action
Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM (Subject to change).
Senate • Feb 24, 2025Latest Version
Feb 24, 2025 01:30pm
Senate Hearing Rm 4 and Virtual
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA
Restricting the possession of weapons on the premises of state or local public buildings, parks or playground facilities where children are likely to be present, and county fairs and county fair facilities.
Last Action
Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM (Subject to change).
Senate • Feb 24, 2025Latest Version
Feb 24, 2025 01:30pm
Senate Hearing Rm 1 and Virtual
J.A. Cherberg
Olympia, WA
Providing judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice.
Last Action
Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM (Subject to change).
House • Feb 22, 2025Latest Version
Feb 22, 2025 09:00am
House Hearing Rm A and Virtual
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA
Concerning retroactively applying the requirement to exclude certain juvenile convictions from an offender score regardless of the date of the offense.
Last Action
Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM (Subject to change).
House • Feb 22, 2025Latest Version
Feb 22, 2025 09:00am
House Hearing Rm A and Virtual
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA
Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.
Last Action
Referred to Ways & Means.
Senate • Feb 20, 2025Latest Version
Protecting employees from coercion in the workplace based on immigration status.
Last Action
First reading, referred to Labor & Workplace Standards.
House • Feb 17, 2025Latest Version
Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.
Last Action
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
House • Feb 13, 2025Latest Version
Promoting public safety and deterring unlawful firearm possession by increasing criminal penalties for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Last Action
Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 4:00 PM.
House • Feb 11, 2025Latest Version
Amending the parents rights initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law.
Last Action
First reading, referred to Education.
House • Feb 07, 2025Latest Version
Supporting civic engagement for incarcerated and institutionalized individuals in state custody to promote inclusion and rehabilitation.
Last Action
Referred to Appropriations.
House • Feb 04, 2025Latest Version
Enhancing public safety by establishing secure storage requirements for firearms in vehicles and residences.
Last Action
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
House • Feb 04, 2025Latest Version
Enhancing requirements relating to the purchase, transfer, and possession of firearms.
Last Action
Referred to Appropriations.
House • Feb 04, 2025Latest Version
Enhancing public safety by requiring financial responsibility to purchase or possess a firearm or operate a firearm range.
Last Action
First reading, referred to Civil Rights & Judiciary.
House • Jan 22, 2025Latest Version
Last Action
Public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
House • Jan 21, 2025Latest Version
Last Action
Public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 8:00 AM.
House • Jan 21, 2025Latest Version
Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium second supplemental operating appropriations.
Last Action
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
Senate • Jan 14, 2025Latest Version
Last Action
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
Senate • Jan 14, 2025Latest Version
Last Action
First reading, referred to Law & Justice.
Senate • Jan 13, 2025Latest Version
Last Action
First reading, referred to Ways & Means.
Senate • Jan 13, 2025Latest Version
All Legislators in Washington (Senator and Representative)