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Legislative Session Update: Week 6 – February 17-21, 2025

February 24, 2025

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate

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 is the first of the hurdles bills must jump to stay alive. It is a very quick turnaround until the next cutoff on 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 session ends. Bills with minimal or no fiscal impact advance directly to the Rules Committee for further consideration. Here are some of the issues debated this week:

Media Literacy & Civics

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 act upon SB5637 (Fortunato, R-Auburn) 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 5637 passed the committee, the bill was amended to ensure the information provided is nonpartisan. 5637 is now in the Rules Committee.

Preparations for FIFA World Cup

According to the industry, tourism in Washington State generates nearly $8.5 million per day in tax revenue an average. 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. Fan zones will allow 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 HB1882 (Cortes, D-Everett), a bill that would apply a temporary 2% tax on all lodging statewide from 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-Kirkland) / SB 5492 (Riccelli, D-Spokane), 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 approved by the Finance Committee this week but may remain part of the conversation until the end of the session.

Banning Flavored Tobacco & Nicotine Products

On Tuesday, the House Consumer Protection & Business voted on HB1203 (Reeves, D-Federal Way), 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.

Rent Caps

Housing is one of the top issues for both parties in the 2025 session. On Wednesday, the Senate Housing Committee voted on SB5222 (Trudeau, D-Tacoma), 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 of 5222 include limiting rent and fee increases by prohibiting 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. Landlords are required to provide written notice of rent and fee increases at least 60 days before implementation. The bill imposes caps on move-in fees, security deposits, and late fees to reduce financial burdens on tenants. 5222 would allow tenants to terminate leases under specific conditions, providing greater flexibility and protection and ensuring consistent terms and protections across different types of rental agreements, promoting fairness in landlord-tenant relationships. 5222 also empowers the Attorney General to enforce these regulations under the State 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 voted on HB1557 (Reed, D-Seattle), 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. 1557 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 took action on SB 5708 (Frame, D-Seattle), 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 requiring businesses to estimate user ages and protecting personal data from minors under 13, which can’t be collected, sold, or shared, except for age verification. It also prohibits using minors’ data in harmful ways or with manipulative tactics (e.g., dark patterns) and disallows precise location data collection without disclosure. Minors can’t be exposed to addictive feeds unless verified as adults. Notifications to minors are banned between 12 AM – 6 AM and during school hours unless parental consent is given. Platforms must allow users to limit screen time, hide engagement metrics, disable personalized feeds, and set private accounts. There is no requirement for platforms to give extra parental access to minors’ data. The bill provides violations are deemed unfair trade practices under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, and platforms remain liable for harm to minors’ mental health. 5708 is supported by children’s advocacy groups and Governor Ferguson, who points to the impacts of social media on children’s mental health. However, Bill 5708 is opposed by the ACLU, the Association of Washington Business (AWB), and TechNet. TechNet is the technology industry group, that says 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

HB1531 (Bronoske, D-Lakewood) 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 approved by the House Health Care & Wellness Committee on Friday.

Coming Next Week

On Friday, the House Democrats released a website showing what they suggest a no-revenue budget looks like; even though no one is talking about a no-revenue budget (Gov. Ferguson said he just didn’t want revenue to be the first alternative) House Democrats are trying to create the argument for the need to increase and create new revenue.

About the Author

Jim Hedrick is GSI’s State Lobbyist and Owner of H2 Government Relations. Jim has advocated on behalf of our community for more than 20 years and has 25 years of experience in the Washington State legislative and public policy venue as a fiscal analyst, legislative advocate, and political advisor to the Governor, state agency directors, and legislative officials.

About this Blog

As part of GSI’s year-round work with our community to advance policies that support the success of local businesses, we’re active in Washington State’s current legislative session – tracking bills, advocating on behalf of our community, planning our annual trip to Olympia, communicating our State Agenda, and working with our lobbyist, our Regional Advocacy Committee, and our elected officials, to advance priorities that support local businesses and enhance our community. Learn more about what we do to create a greater voice for the future of our region and view this year’s State Agenda.

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