Source: Brad Boswell, February 6, 2021
Week Four
The fourth week of the 2021 Legislative Session is now complete. Just one week remains until the first cutoff of February 15th, when all bills that are not necessary to implement the budget must be out of their respective policy committee in order to stay alive this session.
The Democrat’s COVID-19 relief package, HB 1368, continues to move quickly through the process. This week the bill was heard and passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and is now in Rules where it can be pulled to the floor at any time for a vote. The bill appropriates $2.2 billion in federal funding from a combination of the federal Consolidated Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Coronavirus Relief Fund under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and Medicaid for K-12 public schools, public health, healthcare, assistance to individuals and families, housing assistance, and business assistance
Other priority bills moving through the legislative process include HB 1095 sponsored by Rep. Amy Walen which would exempt qualifying grants related to a national or state emergency proclamation from state excise taxes and SB 5272 which waives certain liquor and cannabis board annual licensing fees.
This week in the House Finance Committee there was a hearing on HB 1406 brought forward by Rep. Frame. The bill establishes a 1 percent wealth tax on intangible financial assets of more than $1 billion. The proposal was heard right after HB 1297, the working families tax credit which was originally passed in 2008 but has never been funded by the state. Frame’s proposed new wealth tax is intended to fund, among other things, Washington’s tax-rebate program for low-income working people.
There were several new revenue proposals introduced this week. Representative Gregerson introduced HB 1450, a tax on wireless devices that connect to the internet to support and fund the procurement of learning devices for public schools. Rep Gregerson also introduced, HB 1460, an excise tax on telecommunication services to fund the expansion of the universal service programs in Washington. Also this week the House introduced their own capital gains tax, HB 1496, sponsored by Rep. Senn. This is the highly anticipated bill that creates a funding mechanism for Senn’s proposal, HB 1213, that expands access to childcare and early childhood education.
Important Dates:
Feb 15 – House of Origin Policy Cutoff
Feb 22 – House of Origin Fiscal Cutoff
March 9 – House of Origin Floor Cutoff
March 26 – Opposite House Policy Cutoff
April 2 – Opposite House Fiscal Cutoff April 11 – Opposite House Floor Cutoff April 25 – Sine Die
Representative Fitzgibbon’s low carbon fuel standard legislation, HB 1091, has continued to move through the House. After being voted out of the House Environment committee, it is now scheduled for executive session in the House Appropriations committee on Tuesday, February 9th. We continue to monitor Senator Carlyle’s Cap & Invest bill, SB 5126, as it has yet to move towards executive action.
The Governor’s decarbonization of buildings proposal (HB 1084) is scheduled for executive session next week in the House Environment & Energy committee. Legislation from Senator Saldana, known as the HEAL Act, would implement recommendations of the environmental justice task force. SB 5141 is scheduled to move out of committee on Tuesday, February 9th.
We still have not seen any actual legislation for the transportation packages however both the House and Senate have assumed some sort of carbon-based revenue stream within their tools to pay for the package.
The House Environment and Energy committee took executive action on HB 1280 occurred this Thursday, February 4th in the House Environment & Energy committee. This proposal sets requirements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in public facilities design, and was voted out of committee with a do pass recommendation (8-5).
The House Environment & Energy committee held a public hearing on HB 1393 this Friday, February 5th. This proposal was brought forward by Representative Shewmake, and would delay the stewardship plan and annual report for solar panel manufacturers. It appears that this bill will continue to move through the House.
Clean Tech Alliance Bill Status & Upcoming Events Report
Upcoming Events
Appropriations (House) – Virtual, – 2/8 @ 3:30pm
- SHB 1050 – Public Hearing – Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases. (Remote testimony.)
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 2/9 @ 8:00am
- HB 1084 – Exec Session – Reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions by achieving greater decarbonization of residential and commercial buildings.
- HB 1393 – Exec Session – Delaying certain implementation dates for the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program.
Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – Virtual, – 2/9 @ 10:30am
- SB 5415 – Public Hearing – Concerning the energy facility site evaluation council. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.) (Remote testimony.)
Capital Budget (House) – Virtual, – 2/9 @ 1:30pm
Appropriations (House) – Virtual, – 2/9 @ 3:30pm
- HB 1091 – Exec Session – Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel.
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 2/11 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1084 – Exec Session – Reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions by achieving greater decarbonization of residential and commercial buildings.
- HB 1393 – Exec Session – Delaying certain implementation dates for the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program.
Appropriations (House) – Virtual, – 2/11 @ 3:30pm
- SHB 1050 – Exec Session – Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases.
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 2/12 @ 10:00am
- HB 1084 – Exec Session – Reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions by achieving greater decarbonization of residential and commercial buildings.
- HB 1393 – Exec Session – Delaying certain implementation dates for the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program.
| Bill # | Abbrev. Title | Short Description | Status | Sponsor |
| HB 1036 | Transportation fuel/carbon | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. | H Env & Energy | Fitzgibbon |
| HB 1046 | Community solar programs | Concerning community solar programs. | H Env & Energy | Bateman |
| SHB 1050 | Fluorinated gases | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases. | H Approps | Fitzgibbon |
| HB 1080 (SB 5083) | Capital budget 2021-2023 | Concerning the capital budget. | H Cap Budget | Tharinger |
| HB 1081 (SB 5084) | State gen. obligation bonds | Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts. | H Cap Budget | Tharinger |
| HB 1084 (SB 5093) | Building decarbonization | Reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions by achieving greater decarbonization of residential and commercial buildings. | H Env & Energy | Ramel |
| SHB 1091 (SB 5231) | Transportation fuel/carbon | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. | H Approps | Fitzgibbon |
| HB 1093 (SB 5091) | Operating budget, 2nd supp. | Making 2019-2021 fiscal biennium second supplemental operating appropriations. | H Approps | Ormsby |
| HB 1094 (SB 5092) | Operating budget 2021-2023 | Making 2021-2023 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. | H Approps | Ormsby |
| HB 1103 (SB 5366) | Building materials | Improving environmental and social outcomes with the production of building materials. | H Cap Budget | Duerr |
| HB 1125 | Energy investments | Incentivizing investment in energy conservation and efficiency measures and expanding opportunities for energy rate discounts to, among other objectives, reduce the energy burden of low-income customers and vulnerable populations. | H Env & Energy | Shewmake |
| HB 1130 | Energy supply/consumers | Concerning consumer affordability and reliability in energy supply. | H Env & Energy | Dye |
| HB 1135 (SB 5165) | Transp. budget 2021-2023 | Making transportation appropriations for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium. | H Transportation | Fey |
| HB 1204 (SB 5256) | Transp. electrification | Concerning the electrification of transportation. | H Transportation | Macri |
| HB 1393 | Photovoltaic module program | Delaying certain implementation dates for the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program. | H Env & Energy | Shewmake |
| HB 1406 (SB 5426) | Wealth tax | Improving the equity of Washington state’s tax code by creating the Washington state wealth tax and taxing extraordinary financial intangible assets. | H Finance | Frame |
| SB 5083 (HB 1080) | Capital budget 2021-2023 | Concerning the capital budget. | S Ways & Means | Frockt |
| SB 5084 (HB 1081) | State gen. obligation bonds | Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts. | S Ways & Means | Frockt |
| SB 5091 (HB 1093) | Operating budget, 2nd supp. | Making 2019-2021 fiscal biennium second supplemental operating appropriations. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes |
| SB 5092 (HB 1094) | Operating budget 2021-2023 | Making 2021-2023 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. | S Ways & Means | Rolfes |
| SB 5093 (HB 1084) | Building decarbonization | Reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions by achieving greater decarbonization of residential and commercial buildings. | S Environment, E | Liias |
| SB 5126 | Climate commitment act | Concerning the Washington climate commitment act. | S Environment, E | Carlyle |
| SB 5165 (HB 1135) | Transp. budget 2021-2023 | Making transportation appropriations for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium. | S Transportation | Hobbs |
| SB 5168 | Electric utility advisory | Concerning renewable and nonemitting resources analysis and advisory opinions. | S Environment, E | Short |
| SSB 5174 | Wind turbine blade recycling | Providing for the recycling of wind turbine blades. | S Ways & Means | Wilson |
| SB 5206 | Energy facility evaluation | Eliminating expedited processing of an alternative energy resource facility fueled by solar energy on certain designated lands before the energy facility site evaluation council. | S Environment, E | Warnick |
| SB 5231 (SHB 1091) | Transportation fuel/carbon | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. | S Environment, E | Stanford |
| SB 5244 | Nuclear reactor production | Encouraging the production of advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, and components through the invest in Washington act. | S Environment, E | Brown |
| SB 5256 (HB 1204) | Transp. electrification | Concerning the electrification of transportation. | S Environment, E | Liias |
| SB 5308 | Hybrid vehicle fees | Reducing certain transportation electrification fees on hybrid vehicles. | S Transportation | Short |
| SB 5373 | Carbon pollution | Concerning carbon pollution. | S Environment, E | Lovelett |
| SB 5415 | Energy facil site eval cncl | Concerning the energy facility site evaluation council. | S Environment, E | Lovelett |