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.

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.

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
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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.

You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.