Courthouse Journal

With over 1,000 new bills introduced in 2024, and only 340 passed (of which included 2023 bills), the 2024 legislative session may be remembered by its swift cutoff calendar, and cramped hearing schedule just to get through the number of bills. This is not uncommon for a large election year – but this year proved to be difficult for many bills to move through the steps needed for passage. Just as a matter of illustration the Clerks dependency bill introduced in 2023 required 24 legislative actions (steps) to find passage. 
 
This year we started off with six priority bills, and one additional subject area of interest:

• Statewide Aerial Imagery Program (HB 1990)
• Addressing Harassment of Elections Officials (HB 1241)
• Simplifying In-state Change of Addresses (HB 1962) 
• Better Alignment of Duties in Dependency Cases (HB 1205)
• Unclaimed Remains Holding Period (HB 1974) 
• PTSD as an Occupational Disease Designation for Coroners/ME and Staff (HB 2031)
• Support Services for DV Victims Filing Protection Orders

   
We know going into session that the Aerial imagery program bill would be a heavy lift – as it had a hefty fiscal implication on a tight supplemental budget cycle. We were told by leadership going into session not many “new spending” bills with large budget implications would move forward. But we made great headway on the bill – and the interim talks with stakeholders and legislators will be a valuable asset when approaching this bill again in 2025. 

Similarly, we were informed by Senate leadership going into session that the PTSD bill would likely die in committee do to concerns not related to the Coroners or added cost. The bill received wide support and media coverage providing a good platform to explore in 2025.
 
We saw four of our 2024 priority bills passed:

• Addressing Harassment of Elections Officials (HB 1241)
• Simplifying In-state Change of Addresses (HB 1962) 
• Better Alignment of Duties in Dependency Cases (HB 1205)
• Unclaimed Remains Holding Period (HB 1974) 

  Additionally, the 2023 WACO priority bill regarding voters pamphlets (HB 1272) passed this session.
 
Once again, this session, Assessors have dealt with multiple bills proposing property tax exemptions to meet policy goals. Still progressing is a bill which Assessors still strongly oppose, SB 6030, which exempts ADUs rented to low-income tenants. Agreement was reached last session to pilot this exemption in King County and conduct a JLARC study on its implementation, but the legislature is choosing to expand the program statewide now.
 
There were a great many election-related bills for the Auditors to weigh-in on this session. Among those of greatest interest / concern that are still alive include ESB 5856, strongly supported by Auditors for enabling greater administrative efficiency in addressing voter challenges; ESHB 1932, strong opposed by Auditors and the Secretary of State as they do not believe it will achieve its intended policy goal of enhance voter participation and will also have a detrimental effect on ability for elections operations to maintain skilled staffing.
 
Treasurers pushed for the passage of HB 1637 or SB 6162, either of which would have fixed an unintentional repeal of an important provision in unclaimed property statute that restricts the percentage of “finders fee” charged by sometimes predatory agencies offering to assist in location of unclaimed property. Neither of these bills are still progressing.
 
Clerks and Prosecutors alike spent time providing ample education on the impacts on staff time and county resources on a number of resentencing bills. These bills ranged simply from changes in how a crime is scored moving forward all the way to recalculating existing offender scores for both juveniles and adults.
 
The Prosecutors and Sheriffs provided testimony on their concerns regarding, which would establish an independent prosecutor for law enforcement related uses HB 1579 of force. The bill brought up questions of erosion of prosecutorial discretion, as well as potential constitutional questions.

In addition to policy bills, we saw some positive budget news with the inclusion of the second half funding for the Clerks LFO collection grant. This will provide a roadmap for future discussion on a more sustainable manner to work through old orders for restitution and other legal financial obligations.
 
The budget also provided funding for a legal internship program for prosecutor and public defense offices across the state that was presented in SB 5780. This is the first step to help address the shortage of prosecutors in our state. We are optimistic that further talks will prove fruitful in 2025. 
 
The Sheriffs saw the vehicular pursuit initiative pass the legislature. This has been a legislative priority for WSSA for three plus years, and will give law enforcement more tools for apprehending those suspected of committing a larger number of crimes than current statute allows. 
 
The six initiatives loomed large over session and took time for the legislature to consider. This took time away from other bills on the floor. In the end two additional initiatives were debated and passed (a ban on a state income tax and providing parents with the rights to see their child’s school records). This leaves the remaining three to be on the November ballot.
 
The Legislature has decided not to act upon the remaining three which:

• Repeal the Climate Commitment Act;
• Repeal the capital gains tax; and
• Allow Washingtonians to opt-out of the state long-term care insurance program.

 WACO has already begun working on discussions for interim work and will report back to you as the legislative committee makes progress in this work.