With another cutoff having passed, here are some bills that WA lawmakers are still mulling

Another major deadline of the 2025 legislative session is now in the rear-view mirror.

Wednesday marked the cutoff date for Washington state lawmakers to clear bills out of their respective houses of origin. Subjects ranged from passenger-only ferries to rent stabilization to cacti.

Still-in-play proposals will now head to the opposite chamber for more committee hearings and floor debate. The 105-day regular session is more than halfway over; sine die is coming up on April 27.

So which bills have a shot of reaching the governor’s desk? Here’s a sample of some that might yet become law.

National guard

Sponsored by state Rep. Sharlett Mena, a Tacoma Democrat, House Bill 1321 got a shout-out from Gov. Bob Ferguson during his inaugural address.

The bill would work to restrict other states’ militias from deploying in Washington — unless they have gubernatorial approval or are acting under the president’s authority. Republican governors in December penned a statement offering to direct state law enforcement or the National Guard to help carry out President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration mission.

With no Republican support, HB 1321 passed 58-37 off the House floor on March 10.

State cactus

Senate Bill 5325 by state Sen. Judy Warnick, Republican caucus chair from Moses Lake, would designate the Columbia Plateau cactus as the state cactus. Other common names include the basalt, snowball and hedgehog cactus.

This prickly plant is found throughout Central to Eastern Washington, as well as Central to Northeastern Oregon and Idaho’s dry western regions, per the Senate bill report.

SB 5325 sailed out of the Senate on March 3 with a vote of 48-1. State Sen. Marko Liias, an Edmonds Democrat, was the sole no.

Rent cap

One of this session’s buzziest bills is HB 1217, sponsored by state Rep. Nicole Macri, a Seattle Democrat. The proposal would cap yearly rent hikes at 7%, which proponents say would help prevent homelessness and evictions while opponents contend that it’d drive out new development.

A similar proposal last session cleared the House but stalled in the Senate. This time around, after passing 53-42 on March 10, the chances appear better.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen of Seattle told reporters at a Thursday media availability he thinks there will be enough votes this year to pass rent stabilization out of the upper chamber.

Lot-splitting

Sponsored by state Rep. Andrew Barkis, an Olympia Republican, HB 1096 would peel back unnecessary red tape and boost Washington’s housing supply by letting homeowners build new homes via a streamlined lot-splitting process.

Barkis’ bill passed the lower chamber March 6, with 93 yes votes and four nos — all four of whom were Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader John Braun told reporters Thursday that previous versions of the bill passed the House before hitting a wall in the Senate.

“I think it’s a good bill,” the Centralia Republican said, adding that it would be a key housing focus moving forward.

$100M for law enforcement

Ferguson, during his first day as governor, said he wouldn’t sign a budget that doesn’t include funding to help hire more law-enforcement officers amid the state’s shortage.

House Democrats on March 11 approved HB 2015 by state Rep. Debra Entenman, a Kent Democrat. The plan to give $100 million in grants to local police departments for recruitment efforts passed 54-42. State Rep. Rob Chase of Liberty Lake was the only Republican to give it the green light.

A competing bill by state Sen. Jeff Holy, a Cheney Republican, would also create a $100 million law-enforcement-focused state grant program. But the Democrat version would pave the way for local governments to adopt a 0.1% sales tax, sans voter approval, to cover criminal justice costs, as reported by Washington State Standard.

Passenger-only ferries

As Washington works to get its ferry system back in shape, another bill aims to get more passenger-only vessels in the water.

HB 1923 floated out of the House on March 7. Sponsored by state Rep. Greg Nance, a Kitsap Democrat, the bill would let local transportation districts buy and operate passenger-only ferries.

“Folks have waited six years for new boats and our neighbors across Kitsap and the Puget Sound are hurting,” Nance said in a post-vote statement. “As we work to restore reliable service, we can think outside the box to find ways to get folks to work, to school, and to the doctor.”

The bill, nicknamed the “Mosquito Fleet Act,” passed 87-8. Only Republicans voted nay.

Parental rights

This next bill has deeply split lawmakers along partisan lines.

HB 1296, which deals with the rights that parents and guardians have in the education of their public-school children, saw debate start Wednesday evening and extend into the early-morning hours of March 13. It goes further than another parental-rights-related proposal, Senate Bill 5181, by also setting a statement of student rights. The Senate version has passed its chamber of origin, too.

Republicans claim that the bills aim to “gut” last year’s parental-rights initiative, but Democrats argue that the adjustments are necessary to clear up lingering confusion.

HB 1296 passed 56-37, with no Republicans voting in favor.