These bills were identified by Crosscut as important to follow, but don't fit in the other categories.
These bills were identified by Crosscut as important to follow, but don't fit in the other categories.
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5615
Description of the bill: SB 5615 would designate pickleball as Washington’s official state sport. It points to the game’s regional roots — pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965, by eventual lieutenant governor and congressman, Joel McFee, and two of his friends. The men had been looking for a way to entertain their rambunctious children and came up with the rules still used today by the USA Pickleball Association. The bill recognizes how the popularity of pickleball has since expanded, becoming a “nationally and internationally beloved game.”
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 28, 2022.
Senate Bill 5615 - Making pickleball the official state sport
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5615
Description of the bill: SB 5615 would designate pickleball as Washington’s official state sport. It points to the game’s regional roots — pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965, by eventual lieutenant governor and congressman, Joel McFee, and two of his friends. The men had been looking for a way to entertain their rambunctious children and came up with the rules still used today by the USA Pickleball Association. The bill recognizes how the popularity of pickleball has since expanded, becoming a “nationally and internationally beloved game.”
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 28, 2022.
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5761
Description of the bill: This bill would require that employers disclose a wage scale or salary range online job postings, as well as general information about the job’s benefits and other compensation. Sponsor Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, argues that the bill would improve pay transparency.
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 30, 2022.
Senate Bill 5761 - Requiring salary info in job postings
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5761
Description of the bill: This bill would require that employers disclose a wage scale or salary range online job postings, as well as general information about the job’s benefits and other compensation. Sponsor Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, argues that the bill would improve pay transparency.
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 30, 2022.
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5078
Description of the bill: This bill would ban the sale, manufacturing and distribution of ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds in Washington state. It follows in the footsteps of nine other states and Washington, D.C., which have imposed similar bans. Proponents argue that restricting magazine capacity cuts down on mass shooting incidents because they force a shooter to pause and reload — they cite a 2019 American Public Health Association study that found states without bans on high-capacity magazines experience twice the rate of high-fatality mass shootings. Although several attempts to pass the ban failed to gain traction in the legislature in past years, this one made it through both the House and the Senate and is on track to be signed into law.
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 23, 2022.
Senate Bill 5078 - Banning high-capacity firearm magazines
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5078
Description of the bill: This bill would ban the sale, manufacturing and distribution of ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds in Washington state. It follows in the footsteps of nine other states and Washington, D.C., which have imposed similar bans. Proponents argue that restricting magazine capacity cuts down on mass shooting incidents because they force a shooter to pause and reload — they cite a 2019 American Public Health Association study that found states without bans on high-capacity magazines experience twice the rate of high-fatality mass shootings. Although several attempts to pass the ban failed to gain traction in the legislature in past years, this one made it through both the House and the Senate and is on track to be signed into law.
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 23, 2022.
Official bill information: SB 5703
Description of the bill: This bill would ban the sale and distribution of cosmetics that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, starting in 2025. The chemicals — linked to pregnancy complications, increased cancer risks, increased cholesterol levels and suppressed immune responses — are used to make cosmetics waterproof and longer lasting. PFAS are already restricted in food packaging and banned in firefighting foam. The bill would also limit the lead levels permitted in makeup and ban any products that contain formaldehyde and mercury.
Status: Stalled in the Senate Rules Committee.
Senate Bill 5703 - Banning toxic chemicals in cosmetics
Official bill information: SB 5703
Description of the bill: This bill would ban the sale and distribution of cosmetics that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, starting in 2025. The chemicals — linked to pregnancy complications, increased cancer risks, increased cholesterol levels and suppressed immune responses — are used to make cosmetics waterproof and longer lasting. PFAS are already restricted in food packaging and banned in firefighting foam. The bill would also limit the lead levels permitted in makeup and ban any products that contain formaldehyde and mercury.
Status: Stalled in the Senate Rules Committee.
Official bill information: House Bill 2022
Description of the bill: This bill would allow the state to issue 38 additional cannabis retailer licenses and 25 additional marijuana producer licenses per year for “social equity applicants,” or those disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Criteria will be determined by the state’s new Office of Equity, which was established last year. It’s part of a broader push from lawmakers this session to ensure communities of color and other marginalized groups have access to profits of the legal marijuana industry. However, HB 2022 has faced pushback from lawmakers worried about increasing the number of marijuana shops in their districts, as well as owners of existing cannabis businesses, and the bill's primary sponsor has said she doesn't see a path forward.
Status: Stalled in the House Rules Committee.
House Bill 2022 - Designating cannabis licenses for marginalized applicants
Official bill information: House Bill 2022
Description of the bill: This bill would allow the state to issue 38 additional cannabis retailer licenses and 25 additional marijuana producer licenses per year for “social equity applicants,” or those disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Criteria will be determined by the state’s new Office of Equity, which was established last year. It’s part of a broader push from lawmakers this session to ensure communities of color and other marginalized groups have access to profits of the legal marijuana industry. However, HB 2022 has faced pushback from lawmakers worried about increasing the number of marijuana shops in their districts, as well as owners of existing cannabis businesses, and the bill's primary sponsor has said she doesn't see a path forward.
Status: Stalled in the House Rules Committee.
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5622
Description of the bill: This bill lets motorcyclists split lanes when they’re traveling slower than 35 miles per hour and no faster than 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. The speed restrictions mean that this bill would mainly apply to motorcyclists trying to untangle themselves from stop-and-go traffic. The bill also forbids drivers from intentionally preventing motorcycles from lane-splitting. It cites a study from the University of California Berkeley, which found that lane-splitting motorcycle operators were less likely to suffer serious injuries in collisions. According to the text of the bill, the practice gives drivers a legal way to avoid being rear-ended by other vehicles.
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation.
Senate Bill 5622 - Permitting lane-splitting for motorcyclists
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5622
Description of the bill: This bill lets motorcyclists split lanes when they’re traveling slower than 35 miles per hour and no faster than 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. The speed restrictions mean that this bill would mainly apply to motorcyclists trying to untangle themselves from stop-and-go traffic. The bill also forbids drivers from intentionally preventing motorcycles from lane-splitting. It cites a study from the University of California Berkeley, which found that lane-splitting motorcycle operators were less likely to suffer serious injuries in collisions. According to the text of the bill, the practice gives drivers a legal way to avoid being rear-ended by other vehicles.
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation.
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5881
Description of the bill: This bill would create a legal definition for “doxxing,” or maliciously posting someone’s personal information online without their consent. It would also make doxxing a gross misdemeanor. Under this bill, a post would count as doxxing if the perpetrator knows that the information is “reasonably likely” to cause the target harassment, injury, or death and if the post results in “substantial life disruption.” It’s a delicate topic — supporters of the bill say criminalizing doxxing could reduce threats against public figures and members of marginalized communities, but critics argue that it could be used to curb First Amendment rights.
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Law & Justice. No hearing scheduled.
Senate Bill 5881 - Defining and criminalizing doxxing
Official bill information: Senate Bill 5881
Description of the bill: This bill would create a legal definition for “doxxing,” or maliciously posting someone’s personal information online without their consent. It would also make doxxing a gross misdemeanor. Under this bill, a post would count as doxxing if the perpetrator knows that the information is “reasonably likely” to cause the target harassment, injury, or death and if the post results in “substantial life disruption.” It’s a delicate topic — supporters of the bill say criminalizing doxxing could reduce threats against public figures and members of marginalized communities, but critics argue that it could be used to curb First Amendment rights.
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Law & Justice. No hearing scheduled.