Dear PSARA Executive Board and Activists,

 

Senator Marcus Riccelli pulled SJM 8002, Level the Playing Field from Senate Rules. It is now ready for a full vote of the Senate. Though we have some time to get it passed out of the Senate, as February 17 is the house of origin cut-off, we are hoping and advocating for a speedy floor vote. SJM 8002 died in the House last year so we need time to ensure it doesn’t stall in the House this year. 

 

HEARINGS WEEK 3 

 

Our lobbyist, Nancy Sapiro will sign in on all bills for PSARA. Click on the bill links below to go directly to the appropriate site to sign in as an individual.  If you are signing in as an individual, you must sign in at least one hour before the hearing begins. You can sign in for all bills at the same time. You do not have to wait until the day of the hearing to sign in. This is not an exhaustive list of hearings you may be interested in. It does reflect our priorities and some priorities of allies. If you would like additional information about the bills you can find it by visiting the legislative website. www.leg.wa.gov 

 

Please note we are con on three bills and pro on three bills. We are thrilled to see SB 5439, the Coal Act scheduled for a hearing this week. Congratulations to the Climate Committee for its advocacy! PSARA will be testifying in support. Best, Pam

 

Monday, Jan. 26

SB 6231 Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers in Senate Ways and Means at 4:00 p.m. pro

 

Tuesday, Jan. 27

HB 2250 Imposing restrictions on charity care. Charity care is a critical part of our safety net, provided largely by institutions with a charitable or public purpose, and it should not place unreasonable and impractical burdens on applicants, which this bill does.  

House Health Care and Wellness at 1:30 con 

HB 2361 Reducing consumer protections by increasing the payday loan lending cap from $700 to $1,200, plus inflation. Statewide Poverty Action Network (SPAN), having worked tirelessly to pass and implement our state’s strong payday lending regulations, is staunchly opposed to this effort

Consumer Protection and Business at 1:30 con

 

Thursday, Jan. 29

SB 5439 - Concerning divestment of funds under management by the state investment board from thermal coal. Senate Ways and Means at 4:00 p.m. pro

SB 6109 - Prohibiting investment of funds under management by the state investment board in private detention facilities Senate Ways and Means at 4:00 p.m. pro

SB 6250  Reducing consumer protections by increasing payday lending thresholds (companion to HB 2361 see above) Business Trade and Economic Development at 8:00 a.m. con

 

The link to the specific bill sign-in page is embedded in the bill numbers.  Just click and the link should open in your browser.  If it does not work follow the directions below the list of Bills:

 

Here is the link for signing in on the above priority bills as an individual without testifying. Leave the organization space blank.https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi If the link doesn’t work, copy and paste in your browser.  

How to State Your Position on a Bill Without Testifying

1. Select the committee and meeting date and time, then select the bill for which you would like to register.

2. Select “I would like my position noted for the legislative record.” Registration will close 1 hour before the start time of the hearing.

3. Ensure your registration information is accurate. Your registered position will be made available to legislative members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record for bill and meeting archival purposes, but will not be used as part of testimony summary materials on the bill report.

Visit PSARA’s website filled with tons of information on PSARA happenings including our 2024 state legislative agenda and Lobby Day information. https://www.psara.org/ 

 

Check out TVW.org to watch both live and archived hearings. I highly recommend the legislative review that you can watch daily for highlights from hearings and floor action. https://tvw.org/shows/legislative-review/