Washington State legislators will convene virtually next week for Committee Assembly Days for both the House and Senate. Legislators will use the virtual hearings to hold work sessions and plan for the 2021 legislative session, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 11.
Typically, Assembly Days also provide the opportunity for stakeholders to meet with committee members ahead of session and lay the groundwork for their legislative priorities. As the proceedings will be conducted virtually this year, the week ahead could serve as a logistical test run for the looming 105 day session.
All hearings will be streamed live on TVW. Below is a rundown of the agenda on each day.
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Monday, November 30
8:00 AM – Senate Labor & Commerce: Work Session on Recreational cannabis, medical cannabis, and social equity within the cannabis industry.
8:30 AM – Senate Law & Justice: Court operations presentation from Law & Justice Committee Counsel Tim Ford
10:30 AM – Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education: Work session on promoting equity in education. Topics to be covered included culturally responsive teaching practices and social justice instruction, mastery-based learning and culturally relevant education, regional focus on equity in education, and focus on equity during COVID-19.
1:30 PM – House Commerce & Gaming: Work session with an update from the Problem Gambling Task Force and an update from the Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force. The committee will also review reports by state agencies on the implementation of previously-enacted legislation, significant regulatory issues, and legislative priorities for 2021.
1:30 PM – House Education: Work session on teaching and learning impacts, well as K-12 policy lessons, of the Coronavirus pandemic.
1:30 PM – House Environment and Energy: Work session on the impacts to air quality related to COVID-19 and wildfires. There will also be an update on the Growth Management Act update. Remote testimony will be available.
1:30 PM – House Labor and Workplace Standards: Work session on Unemployment insurance rate-setting, the Comprehensive Catastrophic Care Management Project, and health and safety in food processing facilities during the pandemic.
1:30 PM – House Public Safety: The Policing Policy Leadership Team, composed of House Public Safety Committee Chair Rep. Roger Goodman; Black Member Caucus members Reps. Debra Entenman, Jesse Johnson, and John Lovick; and Members of Color Caucus members Reps. My-Linh Thai, Debra Lekanoff, and Bill Ramos, will join the Public Safety Committee to preview police reform proposals for the 2021 legislative session.
2:30 PM – Senate Transportation: Work session will feature a 2021 transportation budget overview. The impacts of the pandemic on the Department of Licensing, state toll facilities, and Washington State ferries will also be discussed.
2:30 PM – Senate Ways & Means: Operating budget update, Capital budget update. COVID-19 impacts on K-12 funding, higher ed funding, and school reopening.
3:30 PM – House Appropriations: Impacts of COVID-19 on the operating budget. Update on housing and homelessness appropriations in the 2020 Supplemental Operating Budget. Update on wildfire related activities and costs. 2021 session preview.
3:30 PM – House Transportation: Updates on local and state ferry systems, fish passage barrier correction, and passenger train equipment procurement: An update.
Tuesday, December 1st
8:00 AM – House Capital Budget: School Construction Assistance Program. COVID-19 impacts to K-12 buildings. School seismic safety. Broadband connectivity for K-12 access.
8:00 AM – Senate Financial Institutions, Economic Development & Trade: Private investment in residential housing. Perspectives on licensing and regulating cryptocurrency in Washington state. Washington state representation in key international trade markets. Update from the Washington Tourism Alliance. Department of Commerce economic recovery dashboard.
8:00 AM – House Finance: Tax Structure Work Group. Economic and revenue issues.
8:00 AM – Senate Local Government: Growth Management Act and updating Washington’s growth policy framework. Local perspectives on COVID-19 Challenges.
10:00 AM – House Civil Rights & Judiciary: Briefing on the Keep Washington Working Act and related model policies. Update on the implementation of the Uniform Guardianship Act. Briefing on the Involuntary Treatment Act, including relevant updates from the Involuntary Treatment Act Workgroup on upcoming changes to initial detention periods, and the impacts of Covid-19 on involuntary treatment services. Update on establishing a single point of contact firearms background check system.
10:00 AM – House Housing, Community Development & Veterans: Work session on disaster resiliency, emergency preparedness, and farmworker housing.
10:00 AM – House Innovation, Technology & Economic Development: Post-pandemic economic development. 2021 legislative agenda.
10:00 AM – House Local Government: Special Purpose Districts Reporting Update. OPMA and Emergencies. Local Government Procurement Panel. JLARC Sunset Review of Alternative Public Works Contracting Procedures. Local Government Public Works Report and Review of Related Items Impacting Local Government Follow-up to the Report. JLARC Report on Public Records Training Programs.
10:00 AM – House Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources: COVID-19 impacts to agriculture. Water policy update. Fish passage barrier removal on state, local, and forest lands.
10:30 AM – Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care: Children & Youth Behavioral Health Work Group recommendations. Public Safety Review Panel report on forensic civil commitment. Use of CARES and Safe Station models by fire stations to abate harms from substance use disorders. Mental health advance directive stakeholder discussion group recommendations.
10:30 AM – Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology: Washington State Energy Strategy update. Environmental Justice Task Force update. Siting clean energy facilities case study. Broadband update. 2020 Cybersecurity overview. Data privacy update.
1:30 PM – House Consumer Protection & Business: Update from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner on previously enacted legislation, significant regulatory issues, legislative priorities for 2021, and COVID-19-related updates.
1:30 PM – House College & Workforce Development: Higher Education COVID-19 Operations and Finance Update.
1:30 PM – House Health Care and Wellness: Farewell to the Secretary of Health. Update from the Office of Financial Management on uninsured rates and the impacts of the Affordable Care Act. Update from the Health Benefit Exchange on current activities. Update from the Health Care Authority on the Medicaid Transformation Project extension request.
1:30 PM – Senate Health and Long Term Care: Farewell to Secretary Wiesman. The COVID-19 outbreak and response. Update on the Universal Health Care Work Group. Update on the Insurance Premium Subsidies Study.
1:30 PM – Senate Housing Stability and Affordability: Impact of COVID-19 on residential landlords and tenants. Department of Commerce rental assistance programming and tenant/economic recovery data. Rent stabilization policies overview. Impact of COVID-19 on congregate care homeless shelters.
1:30 PM – House Human Services and Early Learning: COVID-19 and the crisis of child care, which will include: A description of the CARES Act funding related to child care, parent voices, and the perspective of child-care providers. A presentation of the Child Care Industry Assessment Report from the Child Care Collaborative Task Force. Public comment. Remote testimony will be available.
1:30 PM – House State Government and Tribal Relations: Online political advertising. Regulation of contributions to SuperPACs.
Wednesday, December 2
10:30 AM – Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks: Columbia River salmon management policy. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 25-year strategic plan. Impacts and costs of 2020 wildfires. Whale watching rulemaking.
10:30 AM – Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation: Discussion of reports on COVID-19 impact on persons incarcerated in corrections facilities and mental health issues, particularly suicides in facilities. Examining research regarding juvenile sex offender registration including short and long-term consequences for children, and how to craft developmentally appropriate responses to problematic sexual behavior that foster community safety.
1:30 PM – Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development: Building degree pathways to align workforce opportunities and career advancement.
1:30 PM – Senate State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections: Online political advertising. Regulation of contributions to SuperPACs.
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