Source: Brad Boswell, January 23, 2021
Week Two
The second week of the 105 day 2021 Legislative Session is now complete. This week was full of virtual committee hearings and executive sessions. Many bills directly related to COVID-19 response have been quickly moving through the legislative process including the Governor’s unemployment insurance bill, a bill to amend graduation requirements for this school year, and legislation exempting government relief payments from taxes.
This week there was a work session in the House Appropriations Committee regarding the state operating budget. Transportation Chair Jake Fey held a press conference on his transportation proposal. The package includes 25.8 billion in spending over the next 16 years which is funded by a gas tax increase of 18 cents per gallon (ten cents per gallon in year one and an additional eight cents in year two) and a carbon fee on transportation sector emissions. Investments include 4.6 billion in preservation, 3.5 billion for culverts, and 6.7 billion for projects.
On Monday the Governor announced an updated statewide vaccine distribution and administration plan. The plan includes a partnership with the private sector that will work directly with the state to reach Washington’s daily vaccination goal of 45,000. Also individuals 65 and over were made immediately eligible to receive a vaccine.
On Tuesday, republicans released a COVID-19 recovery plan titled the REAL Recovery for Washington Act. The proposal includes a $4 billion in relief funded by the state’s rainy-day fund and new federal dollars. On Friday, democrats released a $2.2 billion COVID-19 relief package today, SB 5343/HB 1367 and SB 5344/HB 1368, funded largely by federal relief dollars. The package is focused on increasing vaccine distribution, contact tracing, supporting schools, and providing relief for renters and small businesses.
There was a new revenue proposal introduced this week that would create a tax on the sale of personal data. We expect to see additional revenue proposals introduced in the coming weeks including a statewide payroll tax on high earners.
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
Earlier this week a work session was held concerning Buy Clean & Buy Fair in the House Capital Budget committee. I wanted to flag this work session and video link for anyone interested in this subject matter.
The Senate Environment, Energy & Technology committee heard the Cap & Invest bill (SB 5126) on Tuesday, January 19th (hearing linked here). Representative Fitzgibbon’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard bill (HB 1091) was voted out of the House Environment & Energy committee Thursday (VOTE COUNT). The hearing can be heard here. Governor Inslee’s building decarbonization bill (HB 1084) is not on a committee schedule for this coming week, but we will keep you updated if that changes. Here is the link to this past week’s hearing. Senator Liias’s companion bill (SB 5093) has yet to come before the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology committee.
Clean Tech Alliance Bill Status & Upcoming Events Report
Upcoming Events
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 1/26 @ 8:00am
- HB 1050 – Exec Session – Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases.
- HB 1125 – Public Hearing – 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. (Remote testimony.)
Capital Budget (House) – Virtual, – 1/26 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1103 – Public Hearing – Improving environmental and social outcomes with the production of building materials. (Remote testimony.)
Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – Virtual, – 1/27 @ 8:00am
- SB 5168 – Public Hearing – Concerning renewable and nonemitting resources analysis and advisory opinions. (Remote testimony.)
- SB 5174 – Public Hearing – Providing for the recycling of wind turbine blades. (Remote testimony.)
- SB 5206 – Public Hearing – Eliminating expedited processing of an alternative energy resource facility fueled by solar energy on certain designated lands before the energy facility site evaluation council. (Remote testimony.)
Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – Virtual, – 1/28 @ 10:30am
- SB 5244 – Public Hearing – Encouraging the production of advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, and components through the invest in Washington act. (Remote testimony.)
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 1/28 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1050 – Exec Session – Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases.
Environment & Energy (House) – Virtual, – 1/29 @ 10:00am
- HB 1125 – Exec Session – 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.
| 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 |
| HB 1050 | Fluorinated gases | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fluorinated gases. | H Env & Energy | 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 |
| HB 1091 (SB 5231) | Transportation fuel/carbon | Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. | H Exec Action | 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 | 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 |
| 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 |
| SB 5174 | Wind turbine blade recycling | Providing for the recycling of wind turbine blades. | S Environment, E | 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 (HB 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 |