January 25, 2020: Week Two
Analysis by CleanTech Alliance lobbyist Brad Boswell
Week two in Olympia continued week one’s flurry of committee hearings and steady flow of new bills. This is already proving to be a record-breaking year in terms of the sheer amount of legislation introduced, particularly for a short session. These hundreds of bills, along with legislation still alive from the 2019 Session, have just two more weeks to make it out of their initial policy committee, the first cutoff date being Friday, February 7th. Bills with a fiscal impact have until February 11th to move out of their respective fiscal committee. Public hearings will continue next week, however legislator’s attention will be largely on voting bills out of committee.
Of note this week, two robust proposals to improve accessibility and affordability of early childhood care and education programs for families were heard. Legislators have indicated that funding these programs is a priority for the upcoming budget cycle.
Public hearings were held on a number of controversial policy proposals, drawing significant crowds and news coverage, notably a permanent statewide ban on flavored vape and sex education reform policy. Several gun bills will were also heard including proposals related to high capacity magazine restriction, assault rifles, and concealed pistol training.
Hearings were held in both the House and Senate this week on the C-PACER legislation, HB 2405 and SB 6222. A wide array of stakeholders testified in support of the bills, while the County Treasurers remained opposed. The House bill passed out of committee with several amendments on Friday.
Also of note, the Governor’s latest climate bill, SHB 2311, which updates state greenhouse gas emission targets, was voted out of committee on Thursday on party lines with a number of changes.
We have not seen any carbon pricing proposals yet, however Sen. Carlyle and Sen. Hobbs are reportedly working together on a new draft that may be introduced this session, although it is still likely a 2021 bill.
Sen. Carlyle did, however, introduce SB 6628 on Friday. Language is not yet available but it is Governor request legislation related to greenhouse gas emissions. It is scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday. It is reportedly in response to the recent WA Supreme Court ruling on the Clean Air Act and will authorize Ecology to regulate indirect emissions. Rep. Fitzgibbon is expected to introduce a House companion as well.
Upcoming Hearings
Environment & Energy (House) – HHR B, JLOB – 1/27 @ 1:30pm
- HB 2586 – Public Hearing – Concerning the electrification of homes and buildings.
Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources (House) – HHR B, JLOB – 1/31 @ 10:00am
- HB 2652 – Exec Session – Concerning renewable ammonia.
Bill Status
| Bill # | Title | Status | Sponsor | Position |
| SHB 1226 | Encouraging investment in and reducing the costs of transitioning to the clean energy future. | H Finance | DeBolt |
| Bill # | Title | Status | Sponsor | Position |
| E2SHB 1110 | Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels. | H Rules 3C | Fitzgibbon | |
| SHB 1113 | Amending state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent assessment of climate change science and with the United States’ commitment under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. | H Approps | Slatter | |
| HB 1127 | Concerning the electrification of transportation. | H Env & Energy | Morris | |
| HB 1128 | Authorizing an alternative form of regulation of electrical and natural gas companies. | H Env & Energy | Morris | |
| HB 1129 | Concerning customer-sited electricity generation. | H Env & Energy | Morris | |
| 2SHB 1211 | Supporting Washington’s clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future. | H Approps | Tarleton | |
| HB 1397 | Encouraging the use of electric or hybrid-electric aircraft for regional air travel. | H Rules X | Slatter | |
| SHB 1642 | Allowing the energy savings associated with on-bill repayment programs to count toward a qualifying utility’s energy conservation targets under the energy independence act. | H Rules C | Doglio | |
| HB 1664 (2SSB 5336) | Advancing electric transportation. | H Env & Energy | Slatter | |
| SHB 1796 | Concerning commercial property assessed clean energy and resilience. | H Local Govt | Doglio | |
| SHB 1832 | Concerning the electrification of the Washington public vehicle fleet. | H Trans | Macri | |
| HB 1862 (E2SSB 5223) | Concerning net metering. | H Env & Energy | Mead | |
| HB 1984 | Ensuring that attempts to limit greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state do not make Washington’s agricultural products and food processing businesses economically uncompetitive, thereby shifting emissions to jurisdictions without similar greenhouse gas policies. | H Env & Energy | Maycumber | |
|
HB 2079 (SSB 5936) | Concerning use of industrial waste through industrial symbioses. | H Env & Energy | Doglio | |
| SHB 2156 | Investing in quality prekindergarten, K-12, and postsecondary opportunities throughout Washington with excise taxes on sales and extraordinary profits of high valued assets. | H Rules X | Jinkins | |
| 2SHB 2157 | Updating the Washington tax structure to address the needs of Washingtonians. | H Rules X | Tarleton | |
|
HB 2248 (SB 6223) | Expanding equitable access to the benefits of renewable energy through community solar projects. | H Env & Energy | Doglio | |
| SHB 2311 | Amending state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent assessment of climate change science. | H ENVIDPS | Slatter | |
|
HB 2322 (SB 6497) | Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium. | H Trans | Fey | |
|
HB 2324 (SB 6248) | Concerning the capital budget. | H Cap Budget | Tharinger | |
|
HB 2325 (SB 6168) | Making 2019-2021 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations. | H Approps | Ormsby | |
|
HB 2486 (SB 6318) | Extending the electric marine battery incentive. | H Finance | Lekanoff | |
| HB 2495 | Concerning the use of electricity from energy recovery facilities using municipal solid waste under the Washington clean energy transformation act. | H Env & Energy | Shewmake | |
| HB 2515 | Concerning the electrification of transportation. | H Trans | Macri | |
|
HB 2586 (SB 6496) | Concerning the electrification of homes and buildings. | H Env & Energy | ||
| HB 2652 | Concerning renewable ammonia. | H RDev, Ag&NR | Doglio | |
| HB 2756 | Concerning advanced metering infrastructure. | H Env & Energy | Shea | |
|
SB 5108 (HB 1070) | Concerning the tax treatment of renewable natural gas. | S Environment, E | King | |
| 2SSB 5115 | Concerning appliance efficiency standards. | S Rules X | Carlyle | |
| SB 5118 | Concerning the right to consume self-generated electricity. | S Rules X | Palumbo | |
| SSB 5134 | Concerning the capital budget. | S Rules X | Frockt | |
|
SB 5153 (ESHB 1109) | Making 2019-2021 biennium operating appropriations. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes | |
| 2SSB 5293 | Concerning energy efficiency. | S Rules X | Carlyle | |
| 2SSB 5336 | Advancing electric transportation. | S Ways & Means | Palumbo | |
|
SB 5412 (E2SHB 1110) | Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels. | S Environment, E | Salda?a | |
| SB 5629 | Promoting small modular reactors in Washington. | S Environment, E | Brown | |
|
SB 5730 (SHB 1796) | Concerning commercial property assessed clean energy and resilience. | S Environment, E | Palumbo | |
|
SB 5811 (HB 1999) | Reducing emissions by making changes to the clean car standards and clean car program. | H Env & Energy | Nguyen | |
| SSB 5936 | Concerning use of industrial waste through industrial symbioses. | S Rules 3 | Brown | |
| SB 5980 | Relating to greenhouse gas emissions. | S Environment, E | Honeyford | |
| SB 5981 | Implementing a greenhouse gas emissions cap and trade program. | S Environment, E | Carlyle | |
| SB 6000 | Relating to state general obligation bonds and related accounts. | S Ways & Means | Frockt | |
| SB 6001 | Relating to the capital budget. | S Ways & Means | Frockt | |
| SB 6002 | Relating to the capital budget. | S Ways & Means | Frockt | |
| SB 6003 | Relating to state government. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes | |
| SB 6005 | Relating to revenue. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes | |
| SB 6006 | Relating to education. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes | |
| SB 6135 | Concerning system reliability under the clean energy transformation act. | S Environment, E | Sheldon | |
|
SB 6168 (HB 2325) | Making 2019-2021 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes | |
|
SB 6222 (HB 2405) | Concerning commercial property assessed clean energy and resilience. | S Environment, E | Lovelett | |
|
SB 6223 (HB 2248) | Expanding equitable access to the benefits of renewable energy through community solar projects. | S Environment, E | Lovelett | |
|
SB 6248 (HB 2324) | Concerning the capital budget. | S Ways & Means | Frockt | |
|
SB 6272 (SHB 2311) | Amending state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent assessment of climate change science. | S Environment, E | Das | |
|
SB 6318 (HB 2486) | Extending the electric marine battery incentive. | S Transportation | Liias | |
|
SB 6496 (HB 2586) | Concerning the electrification of homes and buildings. | S Environment, E | Lovelett |