u EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Where We are Now
We have reached the House of Origin Cutoff Date BY BRIAN DANSEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR year before. A good example of this is the attention being generated regarding bills to fix some of the legislation that was enacted last year regarding pursuing criminals, and property thefts and crime in general.
We are nearly halfway through the legislative session as I write this article and, with that, we have reached the “house of origin cutoff date.” This term is exactly as it sounds---every year in each legislative session there is a set date for bills to make it out of the House or Senate (whichever body the bill originated in) to pass a floor vote in whichever body the bill was introduced in. You may ask—what happens to a bill that doesn’t pass in the appropriate amount of time? It depends----this year we are in the second year of what is referred to as a biennium (two-year legislative cycle) and so all bills that don’t pass muster this year will die, and there will be no further action. However, next year—2023—will be the first year in the biennium and that twoyear legislative cycle begins and so any bills introduced in 2023 that don’t pass will still have a chance in 2024. Also, worth noting is that the first year of a biennium is 105 days long. The second year (which we are currently in) is 60 days long. Why is this the case you might wonder? Because Washington State runs on a biennium legislative cycle, technically speaking the budget is supposed to be done in the 105-day session of the first year of the biennium. The 60-day session like we are in now, was originally intended for lawmakers to be able to apply any fixes to legislation from the longer session the 4 | THE FRONT ROW | WSIADA.COM MARCH 2022
Q13 had an excellent exposé on how the Attorney General has asked the legislature for clarity, which is causing law enforcement officers to not be able to pursue certain crimes and this has resulted in an explosion of crime. One such crime is the theft of catalytic converters- as you all know. The reason I mention this is because the bill we supported as an Association (SB 5495 Wilson-R) was aimed at stiffening catalytic converter theft sentencing and regulated who could sell them. The bill got a hearing, which is a step in the right direction, but it didn’t as of yet pass out of the Senate. My initial sense on this bill is that there were enough people opposed to it (the Tow Truck Drivers and Junkyard’s came out against the bill) that it just wasn’t prioritized by lawmakers as a stand-alone bill. However, and this is where I know the legislature gets frustrating and unclear, there is still a chance that the bill could pass. ‘But Brian--how is that possible if we saw the cutoff deadline come and go already?’ Two ways:
it could get thrown into the amended state budget, which is unlikely but possible, as part of a deal between Republicans and Democrats. Any bill that carries a Fiscal Note (a financial impact to the state) can be brought back as part of the budgeting process. The other and more realistic way to get this bill through the legislature is to attach the entire bill as an amendment to another bill (within the same general subject matter) during the reconciliation process between the House and Senate. I want to share a term with you that you may have heard but always wondered what it was. That term is Omnibus. You have likely heard of this as it pertains to government and wondered what it really meant. Omnibus bills are simply bills that contain many smaller bills as part of a larger and broader bill, like the crime bill fix I mentioned above. It is my belief that as an association we should employ this strategy. I believe this is an issue worth fighting for, and so we will continue to work this bill until the very end. Stay tuned as I cover more terms, processes, and timelines for how the legislature works. Understanding how the process works is as important as having the right idea. n Q13 exposé: https://www.q13fox.com/news/ wa-lawmakers-eye-tweaking-police-reformlaws-as-2022-legislative-session-opens
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