Washington State Legislative Update – Week of  February 17 – 21, 2025

Week of February 17-21

The 2025 legislative session is now one third of the way over. Friday, February 21 was the cutoff for bills to be voted out of policy committees in the House of Origin. Fewer than 20% of bills introduced become law and this was the first of the hurdles bills must jump to stay alive. It is a very quick turnaround until the next cutoff Friday, February 28, where bills with a fiscal impact to the state budgets must be voted out of the main fiscal committees, Finance, Appropriations, Transportation, and Ways & Means. Between now and then, legislators will spend long days and nights in those committees hearing and voting on bills. There is of course a great deal of grey area there, as bills that are deemed by majority leadership to be “necessary to implement the budget” or “NTIB,” are exempt from these cutoffs. This designation is used to prevent majority party legislation from dying, allowing action until the gavel drops on Sine Die. Bills with minimal or no fiscal impact advance directly to the Rules Committee for further consideration.

Here are a few of the bills heard or voted on this week:

Media Literacy & Civics Education

The minority party does not usually have the opportunity to hear or pass many of their bills, but the Senate Early Learning & K12 Education committee did exec SB 5637 (Fortunato, R-31) on Tuesday. This bill mandates that all high schools provide a stand-alone, half-credit course on media literacy and civic education. The bill highlights concerns about youth struggling to distinguish real from fake news, the spread of misinformation through “deepfakes,” and low civic engagement. It expands civics education to include voter registration, media literacy, methods for influencing public policy, and factors affecting political participation. “Media literacy” is defined as the ability to critically analyze and interact with media messages. When it passed the committee, the bill was amended to ensure the information provided is nonpartisan. The bill is now in Rules.

Preparations for FIFA World Cup

According to the industry, tourism in Washington State generates $8,493,150 per day in tax revenue on an average day, but in 2026, Seattle will be one of 11 U.S. cities hosting FIFA World Cup soccer matches, signaling a potential tourism windfall. In January, the local organizing committee announced that it will also partner with nine locations around Washington that will host official local “fan zones” in Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett, Olympia/Lacey, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Yakima, allowing people in every corner of the state to engage with the world’s most popular sport. It is predicted that nearly $1 billion in revenue will be generated and over 21,000 jobs will be created in preparation for the World Cup, making it a major economic event for Washington State.

On Tuesday morning, the House Finance committee heard HB 1882 (Cortes, D-38), a bill that would apply a temporary 2% tax on all lodging statewide April – September of 2026, the months surrounding the World Cup matches in Washington. The revenue would be split between local governments, tourism organizations, and support for victims of human trafficking, but tourism organizations across Washington turned out in force to strongly oppose this bill. Tourism advocacy organizations and the Hospitality Association say imposing a tax on travelers and locals during the World Cup, after the industry has already won a competitive bid to host the event, will permanently damage the state’s destination reputation, hindering Washington’s ability to ever host another global event in the future. Instead, tourism advocates support HB 1437 (Walen, D-48) / SB 5492 (Riccelli, D-3), which they say would lay the foundation for long-term funding for the tourism and hospitality industry in Washington State. HB 1882 (Cortes, D-38) was not exec’d from Finance this week, but may remain part of the fiscal conversation until the end of session.

Banning Flavored Tobacco & Nicotine Products

On Tuesday, the House Consumer Protection & Business exec’d HB 1203 (Reeves, D-30), which aims to protect public health by prohibiting the sale of certain tobacco and nicotine products, including flavored items and those with interactive features. Effective January 1, 2026, retailers are prohibited from selling, offering for sale, displaying, marketing, or advertising flavored tobacco or nicotine products, as well as entertainment vapor products. In addition, the Department of Health is tasked with developing and maintaining a statewide campaign to educate the public about the health risks and addictive nature of flavored tobacco and nicotine products, targeting both youth and adults. The bill is supported by cancer and public health advocates, but is opposed by retailers, who turned out to speak against the bill when it was first heard January 31.

Rent Caps

Housing is one of the top issues for both parties in the 2025 session and will be until the bitter end. On Wednesday, the Senate Housing Committee exec’d SB 5222 (Trudeau, D-27), which aims to provide housing stability for tenants under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act. The House companion is awaiting floor action. Key elements include:

  • Limiting Rent and Fee Increases: Prohibits combined rent and fee increases exceeding 7% within any 12-month period. Additionally, it bans such increases during the first 12 months of a tenancy, regardless of lease length, with certain exemptions.
  • Notice Requirements: Mandates landlords to provide written notice of rent and fee increases at least 60 days before implementation.
  • Fee and Deposit Limitations: Imposes caps on move-in fees, security deposits, and late fees to reduce financial burdens on tenants.
  • Landlord Resource Center: Directs the Department of Commerce to establish an online resource center offering guidance and support services for landlords.
  • Tenant Lease Termination: Introduces provisions allowing tenants to terminate leases under specific conditions, providing greater flexibility and protection.
  • Parity Between Lease Types: Ensures consistent terms and protections across different types of rental agreements, promoting fairness in landlord-tenant relationships.
  • Enforcement Mechanisms: Empowers the Attorney General to enforce these regulations under the Consumer Protection Act and grants tenants the right to pursue private legal action for violations.

Critics of the bill say rent stabilization does not address the housing supply issue and makes Washington less competitive than other neighboring states for critical investment funds. The bill is now in Ways & Means.

Guaranteed College Admission

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce exec’d HB 1557 (Reed, D-36), the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program. The bill aims to increase accessibility to higher education by guaranteeing admission to qualified students from participating institutions starting in 2026. It focuses on streamlining the admissions process, engaging high school students early, and promoting collaboration between schools and higher education institutions. The bill requires schools to provide detailed notifications to students and parents about available opportunities and requirements. The bill now awaits action in Appropriations.

Kids and Social Media

According to a 2024 Gallup poll, teens spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media. On Wednesday, the Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee exec’d SB 5708 (Frame, D-36) an Attorney General request bill. This bill aims to protect children online by regulating how businesses and online platforms interact with minors. Key elements include:

  • Definitions & Scope: Clarifies terms like “addictive feed” and “dark patterns,” applying to services likely used by minors.
  • Age Estimation & Data Protection: Businesses must estimate user ages and protect data if unsure, restricting age verification data use.
  • Restrictions on Data Collection: Personal data from minors under 13 can’t be collected, sold, or shared, except for age verification.
  • Privacy & Safety Measures: High default privacy settings, clear privacy policies, and restricted profiling of minors.
  • Bans on Harmful Practices: Prohibits using minors’ data in harmful ways or with manipulative tactics (e.g., dark patterns) and disallows precise location data collection without disclosure.
  • Regulation of Addictive Feeds: Minors can’t be exposed to addictive feeds unless verified as adults.
  • Notification Restrictions: Notifications to minors are banned between 12 a.m.–6 a.m. and during school hours unless parental consent is given.
  • User Control Options: Platforms must allow users to limit screen time, hide engagement metrics, disable personalized feeds, and set private accounts.
  • Parental Control Limitations: No requirement for platforms to give extra parental access to minors’ data.
  • Legal & Consumer Protection Implications: Violations are deemed unfair trade practices under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, and platforms remain liable for harm to minors’ mental health.

The bill is supported by children’s advocacy groups and the Governor’s office who point to mental health impacts of social media on children. The bill is opposed by the ACLU, the Association of Washington Business, and TechNet, the technology industry group, who say the bill runs afoul of first amendment and commerce clause issues. The bill now awaits action in Ways & Means. A House companion is also moving.

Vaccine Controversy in Franklin County

HB 1531 (Bronoske, D-28) received new life this week after it had been put down by the sponsor. On Wednesday, Franklin County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution aimed at stopping its local health department from providing, funding, and promoting vaccines. This comes shortly after a regional public health department in Idaho voted 4-3 to discontinue providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties. The Bronoske bill requires state and local health officials to implement evidence-based measures to control communicable diseases, including vaccine promotion. It also prohibits local or state laws that would restrict these efforts and includes an emergency clause preventing repeal by referendum. It was exec’d on Friday.

Coming Next Week

On Friday, the House Democrats released a website showing what they suggest a no-revenue budget looks like. More on this discussion next week!

Important Dates:

  • Monday, January 13 – First Day of Session
  • Friday, February 21 – Policy Committee Cutoff, House of Origin
  • Friday, February 28 – Fiscal Committee Cutoff, House of Origin
  • Wednesday, March 12 – House of Origin Floor Cutoff
  • Wednesday, April 2 – Policy Committee Cutoff, Opposite House
  • Tuesday, April 8 – Fiscal Committee Cutoff, Opposite House
  • Wednesday, April 16 – Opposite House Floor Cutoff
  • Sunday, April 27 – Sine Die

—

Brynn Brady

Ceiba Consulting, Inc. | ceibaconsulting.com

Post Views: 35
Share!