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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We have passed the halfway mark to the 2025 legislative session. The last 10 days of floor action have seen long days into the wee hours of the morning. While we didn’t debate until the sunrise (a rite of passage for freshman legislators), we did work until 2-3 a.m. several nights and rarely finished before 10 p.m. the rest of the time. It will be good to get home for a restful weekend of peace and quiet as we prepare for next week.
Despite our best efforts, and countless hours offering amendments and making the case for our Southeast Washington principles and priorities, several bad bills passed the House and several good bills have been killed. While going through and listing each one would be a laborious exercise on your part and mine, here are a few highlights:
- Property tax increases—House Bill 1334 could triple property tax rates. It would lift the 1% annual property tax increase limit voters set through Initiative 747 in 2001 and allow yearly tax increases of up to 3%. This would make housing in Washington more unaffordable. This bill did not pass the House, but could be implemented into the state operating budget in a few weeks.
- Early release from prison — House Bill 1125 would allow convicted felons to petition for sentence reductions. The bill would give judges broad discretion to reduce sentences for offenders who claim rehabilitation, potentially allowing those convicted of crimes to be released far earlier than initially intended. We were able to kill this bill for now. However, it will be back next year.
- Parental rights —House Bill 1296 would wipe out parental rights protections supported by 450,000 Washingtonians through Initiative 2081 and passed last year by the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill would shut parents out of information, such as curriculum access, school records, and medical or counseling details. One of its most ardent supporters, Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, recently told reporters:
- “Young women have, if they’re old enough to get pregnant, they’re old enough to make their own decisions about what happens with their bodies. And parents do not have the right to change that, or make a different decision, or be notified in advance.”
- Despite fighting this bill for over 6 hours with nearly 50 amendments, the Democrats passed it with no Republican support. The Senate also passed its version of the measure, Senate Bill 5181. Democrats seem intent on dividing parents from their children.
- Road usage charge — House Bill 1921 would implement a 2.6-cent-per-mile road usage charge for highway maintenance and preservation. This would be on top of the current state gas tax, essentially creating a double tax on drivers. An additional assessment (10% of the road usage charge) would be allocated to rail, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transit projects. Nearly 20,000 people signed in against the bill during a public hearing on Feb. 13. While this bill did NOT pass the House, some form of it could be implemented into the final transportation budget in a few weeks.
- Gun bills — A lengthy list of gun bills has been proposed. One that passed is House Bill 1163, the “permit to purchase” bill. This bill requires gun buyers to apply for a 5-year permit to purchase a firearm, which would require proof of a gun safety course within the last five years, submission of fingerprints, and a lengthy and detailed background check. As we know, criminals don’t obey current laws. The expectation they will obey gun restriction laws is both ludicrous and disingenuous.
- I sent out an urgent email right before the debate, which went into the early hours of the next morning. I know some of you watched the debate because our YouTube livestream went way up shortly after we sent that action alert. Thank you!
- Additional gun bills: House Bill 1132 would limit the number of guns and ammunition you could purchase, and House Bill 1152 would require government-approved locking devices for guns in your home and automobile. House Bill 1504 would require a $25,000 insurance policy on each firearm. These bills have NOT yet passed but I expect they’ll be back next year.
- Rent control — House Bill 1217 includes a 7% cap on yearly rent increases for existing tenants. There’s concern this bill could incentivize landlords to increase rents each year to the maximum limit and reduce available rentals, further driving up costs and making it harder for people to find rental housing. Rent control has never worked anywhere it’s been tried. This bill passed with no Republican support.
We haven’t won every battle this year, but we’ll keep fighting for our district’s values and priorities.
As a reminder, our Virtual Town Hall is next week:
Legislative Page this week
It was great to meet this young man, DJ Presta, a student at Spokane Valley Tech. He wants to be an engineer. From the little time I was able to spend with him, I have no doubt he’ll succeed in this goal and many throughout his life. He is an impressive individual.
Thank you for reading my legislative update. As always, reach out if we can help you with a state government issue or if you have questions or concerns. It is an honor to serve you in Olympia.
Sincerely,
Joe Schmick
