Tell Legislators Your Budget Priorities

by | Apr 7, 2025 | Advocacy, Dispatch From Olympia

Image of the capitol building in Olympia on a green background with a blue fade overlay. Text reads "Dispatch from Olympia: Your guide to the Washington State Legislative Session"

Dear friends,

There are just three more weeks in the Washington State Legislative Session if all goes as planned. In that time, legislators will be working to finalize priority bills and come to an agreement on the operating, capital, and transportation budgets. Here are a few key dates:

  • Tomorrow, April 8th, is the opposite chamber fiscal committee cutoff, meaning bills that are in fiscal committees like transportation, that originated in the opposite chamber, must pass out of those committees to stay alive.
  • Next Wednesday, April 16th, is the opposite chamber cutoff, meaning bills that have passed one chamber must also pass the other chamber. Bills that pass both chambers will move to the Governor to sign.
  • Sunday, April 27th, is the final day of the legislative session, assuming legislators don’t extend into a special session. Both the operating and transportation budgets must be finalized by this date.

Both the House and Senate’s transportation budgets passed out of their chambers of origin, and now legislators must hammer out the differences between them in conference. We shared a roundup of what we liked and disliked in each budget (as well as some changes we’ve already helped win) in last week’s Dispatch.

Act Now to Influence the Transportation Budget

Now is the time to speak up for the kind of transportation budget you want. We’re voicing our support for key investments in safe transit, walking, and biking, and speaking out against taxes on e-bikes and buses that would encourage more people to drive alone. Will you join us? Send a letter today!

Photo of the Capitol Building in Olympia with a bus in the foreground and text:

Updates on Bills We’re Supporting

Here are a couple bills we’re excited about that have continued to move forward:

  • A bill to remove driver’s license requirements from certain job postings (SB 5501) passed the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards and is now in the House Rules Committee. We hope to see it pass the House soon!
  • A bill to encourage transit-oriented housing development (HB 1491) was heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Friday, and is scheduled for executive session today at 1:30 PM.

Check out our Bill Tracker for the status of all the bills we’re tracking, and, as always, keep an eye on your email for updates and opportunities to take action.

Ride on!

– Transportation Choices

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