March 6 Legislative Update
We’ve entered the final week of the short session, and legislators and advocates are working nonstop ahead of the March 12 deadline.
Monday’s bill cutoff eliminated another round of bills while others advanced. The next cutoff arrives today.
Early next week, we expect to see where budgets are landing.
Call to Action: Tax Millionaires
SB 6346 has already passed the Senate and is now awaiting action in the House. It is critical for the legislation to move forward to help address our state’s embarrassingly regressive tax code. As background, the legislation would:
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Impose a 9.9% tax on annual income above $1 million. This affects fewer than 1% of Washington households.
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Generate an estimated $3.7 billion annually to support services such as public education, early learning, and childcare.
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Decrease and amend certain taxes, including expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit and reductions in some sales and business taxes.
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Direct a portion of revenue to counties and cities to support public defense systems
Bill Updates
Bills still moving:
- HB 2523 – Community Reinvestment Plan: Passed the Senate without amendments and is headed to the Governor’s desk.
- HB 2266 – Housing & Shelter Siting: Cleared the Senate with amendments; now returns to the House for concurrence.
- SB 6346 – Millionaires Tax: Passed House Finance but faces a tough floor vote.
- SB 5906 – Immigration Status Protections: Pulled from Rules; anticipated floor vote Thursday or Friday.
- HB 2105 – Immigrant Worker Protections: Pulled from Senate Rules; amendments expected. If adopted, it will return to the House for concurrence.
- SB 5855 – Face Coverings by Law Enforcement: Passed the House with amendments; heads back to the Senate for concurrence.
- SB 6002 – FLOCK Cameras: Awaiting a House vote, but with 67 amendments pending, the floor debate will be challenging.
Bills that Died:
- SB 5360 – Environmental Penalties: Would have created a new tiered penalty system for environmental violations. Although it passed the Senate on party lines, it failed to advance out of the House committee.
- Child Welfare Bills: Multiple proposals aimed at supporting DCYF, caseworkers, and child‑serving organizations failed due to disagreements both within and across caucuses. While some provisions may appear in the budget, significant interim work will be needed.
- HB 2515 – Data Centers: On our call last Friday, we discussed this issue and I mentioned I was not sure where it would go. In an unexpected turn, Senate Ways & Means declined to act on a bill that paired stronger data‑center regulations with a Spokane County tax exemption (1 of 6 counties in the state that does not have those exemptions). The Chair announced the decision just as the bill came up, surprising both supporters and opponents. The issue is expected to return next session.
Other Updates
Spokane Land in the Transportation Budget
The Transportation budget includes promising news for Spokane: WSDOT plans to sell roughly four acres between S. Freya St. and S. Myrtle St., originally acquired during I-90 construction. The land would be made available to Beloved Kijiji LLC for a housing development.
Budget
Both chambers have passed their budget proposals, and negotiations are underway. Final drafts are expected early next week and will need caucus approval before final votes on March 12.