By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org
The Washington State Legislature convenes Monday, January 13th for the first year of the 2025-27 biennium and a 105-day session that is scheduled to end April 27, 2025. Legislators must adopt two-year budgets for operating, capital, and transportation, based on updated revenue forecasts and changes to caseloads since they left town in March 2024. At this time, lawmakers are projecting a $10 billion to $12 billion revenue shortfall over the next four fiscal years. And that will be a thorny budget challenge since very few current legislators were in office when they were forced to make significant cuts in the operating budget in the early 2010s.
All House members and about half of the Senators will be sworn in on Monday and the Legislative Building will be filled with new faces: 12 new House Republicans and 8 new House Democrats, along with two new Senate Democrats. In addition, three Republican Representatives and six Democratic Representatives are moving to the Upper Chamber. And with Democrat Senator Joe Nguyen of the 34th (Seattle) legislative district and Democrat Rep. Tana Senn of Mercer Island both accepting spots in Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson’s cabinet, those seats will open up as well. The dominos haven’t finished falling yet, which means lots of education for new lawmakers coming in with their own agendas and ideas.
Also new is the transition in various statewide offices, including a new Governor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Public Lands and Insurance Commissioner. All separately elected officials will be sworn in on Wednesday, January 15, and Governor-elect Bob Ferguson will offer an address in a joint session of the Legislature around noon.
Ferguson plans to hit the ground running. His executive team is comprised mainly of dedicated staff who worked with him in the Attorney General’s Office. He has a new policy team and has been making cabinet-level department head changes since November. Ferguson has said that public safety, affordability, protecting the rights of Washingtonians, housing, and government efficiencies are at the top of his agenda.
Last week the Governor-elect announced a goal of $4 billion in cuts from state agencies (6% across the board cuts) and four-year universities (3%) to help shore up the projected deficit. This would be on top of the $3 billion in one-time savings and deferred expenses identified by outgoing Governor Jay Inslee’s proposed 2025-27 operating budget. “We are not going to tax our way out of this,” said Ferguson at a legislative session preview last week. He also released a 16-page document with budget priorities – pegged at $800 million in new spending – focused on public safety, housing, ferries, and affordability, including $240 million per biennium to guarantee universal school lunches for every Washington student.
Click here for Marie’s comprehensive bill tracker and details report for Week 1 of the 2025 Legislative Session.
Legislative Session Preview
Lawmakers, Governor-elect Ferguson and pollster Stuart Elway gathered January 9th to share a glimpse of what to expect in the 2025 legislative session. Here’s a quick breakdown of the nearly four-hour event:
- Stuart Elway, Cascade PBS – link here
- House and Senate Transportation Budget leaders – link here
- House and Senate Operating Budget leaders – link here
- House and Senate Leadership – link here
- Governor-elect Bob Ferguson – link here
Clearly the budget was at the top of most leaders’ minds, although opinions vary about how to address the shortfalls.
Session will start with about 500 new bills on Monday
Legislators have the opportunity to “pre-file” legislation in advance of the upcoming session. Beginning December 2, House and Senate bills have been placed in the hopper, giving other legislators, stakeholders, lobbyists, and the public the opportunity to preview what’s on lawmakers’ minds. As of January 10, 2025, nearly 500 bills had been pre-filed in the House and Senate; these bills range in topics and will be on the Introduction sheets on Day 1 and will be referred to various policy and fiscal committees for consideration.
There is no specific deadline for bills to be introduced, so expect hundreds more to be filed in the coming weeks. All bills are subject to deadlines, narrowing the number under consideration as the session progresses. Here is the cutoff calendar and dates are below:
- February 21 – bills must pass policy committees;
- February 28 – bills must pass fiscal committees;
- March 12 – last day (5 PM) to consider bills in their chamber of origin;
- April 2 – bills must pass opposite chamber policy committees;
- April 8 – bills must pass opposite chamber fiscal committees;
- April 16 – last day (5 PM) to consider bills from the opposite chamber, except for initiatives to the legislature and alternatives to the initiatives; budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, including revenue matters; and messages between the two chambers, including to resolve differences between the two chambers.
- April 27 – Sine Die – final day of regular legislative session.
Big Three make pre-file list
Education advocates and leading education associations have coalesced around what they are calling the Big Three: underfunding in Special Education; MSOC (Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs); and Transportation. Two bills have been introduced in the Senate dealing with MSOC and transportation. Additional bills are expected to be introduced in the next week on the remaining issues.
SB 5187 would direct OSPI to provide an analysis of school district transportation costs and allocations following the 2026-27 school year to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by June 1, 2028. The analysis must be used to develop a new model, including the transportation needs of students who are homeless, in the foster care system, attending skill centers and students who receive transportation due to special needs or disabilities. The analysis must consider unique issues of urban districts and rural districts with geographical challenges.
For the short-term, OSPI must offer additional transportation allocations for students who are homeless, and funds are equal to $400 for each student who must be transported.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, along with eight other senators.
SB 5192 would increase the MSOC rate, beginning in Fiscal Year 2026 (2025-26 school year) to $1,723.42 per full-time equivalent student. This appears to be an increase of $135 per student FTE, and $28.05 for students in grades 9-12.
The bill changes the allocation calculation, making a school district’s full-time equivalent student enrollment to be the average of the district’s prior three school years’ total annual average full-time equivalent enrollment. The MSOC amount is to be annually adjusted for inflation, based on the IPD (implicit price deflator) for the previous calendar year as of the beginning of the school year. It also sets the starting point for additional MSOC for grades 9-12 to $229, plus annual IPD in FY26, and applies the three-year annual average to career and technical education.
The legislation would also require districts to annually report to OSPI, disaggregated by MSOC category, how the funds were spent.
This bill is sponsored by Senator T’wina Nobles, D-University Place, and Senator Wellman.
Neither of the bills fully closes the funding gaps school districts are experiencing in these two areas. They are, however, a good starting point for discussions over the next 105 days.
Check the bill list for additional information about bills that have been pre-filed.
Committee Changes
With all of the newly elected legislators opening up seats on various policy and fiscal committees, there are some new faces on the education and budget committees in particular. Committee lists will be posted after everyone is officially sworn in, but here is a quick update on the education committees:
House Education
Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos continues to chair the House Education Committee. Rep. Clyde Shavers, Whidbey Island, remains as Vice Chair, and Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla, remains the Ranking Republican.
The committee has several new members, listed in bold: Rep. Steve Bergquist, D-Renton; Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah (returns to the committee); Rep.-elect Rob Chase, R-Spokane Valley; Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn; Rep. Brandy Donaghy, D-Snohomish County; Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan; Rep.-elect Michael Keaton, R-Puyallup; Rep.-elect Matt Marshall, R-Eatonville; Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Wahkiakum; Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo; Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle; Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way; Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Bellingham; Rep.-elect Shaun Scott, D-Seattle; Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan; Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver.
Keaton and Marshall are former school board directors; Keaton was with the Puyallup School Board and Marshall was with the Eatonville School Board.
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, continues at the helm of the Senate education committee, with Senators T’wina Nobles, D-University Place, and Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, remaining as Vice Chairs. The committee has a new ranking Republican – Sen.-elect Paul Harris, R-Vancouver. Harris has previously served on the House Education Committee and as the committee’s Ranking Republican.
Other members of the committee include Senator-elect Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground; Senator Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg; Senator Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island; Senator Deborah Krishnadasan, D-Gig Harbor; and Senator Jim McCune, R-Pierce County.
Krishnadasan is a former Peninsula School Board director, while Cortes is a public school teacher.
The Week Ahead – TVW carries all of the legislative action.
Week 1 kicks off with public hearings on Governor Inslee’s proposed budgets in the House and Senate respective budget committees. Surprisingly, policy committees are also launching into the work quickly, with public hearings and even some executive action scheduled this week.
The House Education Committee has scheduled work sessions to bring new members up to speed on K-12 education, the various state agencies engaged in K-12 education, and the effects of COVID. The committee meets Monday at 1:30 PM, Tuesday at 4 PM, and Thursday at 8 AM.
In addition, on Thursday, January 16, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hear testimony regarding SB 5186 and SJR 8200, which would change to a 55% majority to approve school bonds if approved by Washington voters in the next general election.
To sign up to testify or to state your position on a bill, please use the Committee Sign In link. Using the schedule information below:
- Pick House or Senate
- Pick the Committee
- Pick the Meeting date
- Choose an option of:
- Testify in person
- Testify remotely (using Zoom link)
- State your position (Pro, Con, Other) for the record
- Submit written testimony
- Fill out the form (your street address is NOT required)
- Submit your response
If you have signed up to testify in person or remotely, you will receive official notification. If testifying remotely, you’ll receive a link immediately on that page and will be sent a link to the email you submitted.
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/13 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1198 – Public Hearing – Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual – 1/13 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5195 – Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (If measure is referred to committee.)
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual – 1/14 @ 8:00am
- SB 5098 – Public Hearing – Restricting the possession of weapons on the premises of state or local public buildings, parks or playground facilities where children are likely to be present, and county fairs and county fair facilities. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual – 1/14 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5167 – Public Hearing – Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. (If measure is referred to committee.)
Labor & Workplace Standards (House) – HHR D and Virtual JLOB – 1/15 @ 8:00am
- HB 1128 – Public Hearing – Establishing a child care workforce standards board. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/15 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5003 – Public Hearing – Establishing the school security and preparedness infrastructure grant program. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5004 – Public Hearing – Updating emergency response systems in public schools including panic or alert buttons. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5210 – Public Hearing – Establishing the ninth grade success grant program. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5189 – Public Hearing – Supporting the implementation of competency-based education. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/16 @ 10:30am
- SB 5095 – Public Hearing – Concerning school districts’ authority to contract indebtedness for school construction. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5186 – Public Hearing – Concerning school district elections. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SJR 8200 – Public Hearing – Amending the Constitution to allow 55 percent of voters voting to authorize school district bonds. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual – 1/16 @ 10:30am
- SB 5098 – Exec Session – Restricting the possession of weapons on the premises of state or local public buildings, parks or playground facilities where children are likely to be present, and county fairs and county fair facilities. (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5105 – Public Hearing – Concerning offenses involving fabricated depictions of minors. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 1/16 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1216 – Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Higher Education & Workforce Development (Senate) – SHR 2 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/16 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5164 – Public Hearing – Providing student navigational supports to increase postsecondary enrollment. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
- SB 5115 – Public Hearing – Creating the Washington dream act service incentive program. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Postsecondary Education & Workforce (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 1/17 @ 8:00am
- HB 1136 – Public Hearing – Providing student navigational supports to increase postsecondary enrollment. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Click here for Marie’s comprehensive bill tracker and details report for Week 1 of the 2025 Legislative Session.