Clergy reporting, stripper safety and fake images ban. Here’s what passed in the WA Legislature this week

With the next major cutoff for bills around the corner next week, lawmakers spent a majority of the fifth week of the legislative session passing bills from their house of origin.

Tuesday marks the next cutoff date. Bills will then go to the opposite chamber for consideration in committee before they can be brought to the floor there.

There were a couple of surprises to close out the week.

On Friday, Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said that a controversial property tax bill would not advance this year, according to reporting from the Washington State Standard.

Under Senate Bill 5770, cities and counties would have had authority to raise the 1% voter-backed levy limit on annual property taxes up to 3%.

“We need to do the work and the reality is that given the voter mood and the initiatives we were not ready to fix that policy,” Pedersen was quoted as saying by the news outlet.

Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson from Vancouver said in a news release Friday that she was glad to see the measure would not move forward.

“The supporters of this bill didn’t highlight how the 1% cap set by voters nearly 20 years ago and confirmed by the Legislature in 2007 applies to annual property-tax increases approved at the council level,” said Wilson, who is a Senate budget leader. “Local governments have always had the option to go above 1% if they get voter approval. More than anything this bill was about making it easier to raise property taxes without asking voters.”

Another key bill will also not advance this year, according to the bill sponsor.

In a brief meeting with reporters Friday, Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, said that his bill on lot splitting for single residential lots will not get a committee hearing in the Senate.

HB 1245 was revived from 2023 and passed the House on the first day of the 2024 legislative session with a 94-4 vote. The bill was referred to the Senate Local Government, Land Use and Tribal Affairs Committee on Jan. 10, but Barkis said that the committee chair, Sen. Liz Lovelett, D-Anacortes, won’t give the bill a hearing because it doesn’t “fit within her arrangement.”

Combined with a bill to allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and a bill to increase middle housing, both passed last year, Barkis described the lot splitting bill during House passage this year as the “sweet spot” for increasing the housing supply.

Here are some of the bills that passed this week.

Financial literacy for students

HB 1915 – Sponsored by Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla, and a multitude of Democratic and other Republican lawmakers, this legislation passed unanimously from the House floor on Thursday. If passed, the bill would require school districts to start providing at least one-half credit for financial education starting in or before the 2027 school year. By 2031, students would be required to take financial literacy courses to graduate.

Even-numbered election years

HB 1932 – As of now, local elections are held in odd-numbered years, while federal and state elections are conducted in even years. Under this bill sponsored by Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, local elections would shift to even-numbered years, when more voters participate. The bill passed from the debate floor Thursday with a 52-45 vote, as some Democrats voted against the measure and some Republicans supported it.

Support for domestic violence survivors

HB 2048 – Unanimously passed by House lawmakers Tuesday, this bipartisan bill is sponsored by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, and would provide more support for domestic violence survivors by removing the words “pleaded and proven” as a requirement from state statute before domestic violence perpetrators can be supervised. The Washington State Department of Corrections would also be required to conduct audits of supervisory obligations in regards to domestic violence offenses.

Fake intimate images

HB 1999 – Sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, this legislation passed the House unanimously Thursday. The bill does several things including creating the offense of “Disclosing Fabricated Intimate Images,” committed when a person “discloses a fabricated intimate image of another person and knows or should know that the depicted person has not consented to disclosure, and that disclosure would cause harm to the depicted person.” The bill would also expand existing criminal penalties under the current law on similar types of real images so that all prohibitions would be aligned. The definition of “digitization” was also modified under the proposed substitute bill to include the “creation or alteration of visual or printed matter by using artificial intelligence.” In addition, the bill also codifies a civil course of action for victims under the Uniform Civil Remedies for the Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act.

Early registration for military students

HB 2004 – Sponsored by Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, this legislation passed the House unanimously on Wednesday. The bill would make permanent a law that expired in 2022 allowing veterans, National Guard members, active duty military members, and their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents to register early for courses at higher education institutions.

Reporting lost or stolen firearms

HB 1903 – Under this proposed legislation, a lost or stolen firearm must be reported to authorities within 24 hours after the owner realizes the weapon is missing. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry, D-Queen Anne, and passed the House late Friday evening with a 57-40 vote.

Protection for adult entertainment workers

SB 6105 – This legislation, dubbed the “Strippers Bill of Rights,” aims to protect the safety of dancers at strip clubs by doing several things. Under the bill, staff at adult entertainment establishments would be required to take comprehensive training within 30 days of hire that includes de-escalation training, preventing sexual harassment, recognizing trafficking, and first aid. The bill would also require security personnel to be on-site during certain hours, clear contracts for dancers, and would make liquor licenses for establishments contingent on following safety protocols. Sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, the bill passed Wednesday on party lines with a 29-20 vote.

Human trafficking training

SB 6056 – Sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, this bill passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday, and would require annual training on identifying human trafficking for staff at hotels, motels and resorts starting in February 2025. Additionally, employees would be required to take the training within 90 days of hire, and establishments would be required to post signs regarding human trafficking awareness and reporting.

Mandatory reporting for clergy

SB 6298 – As the law currently stands, clergy are not considered mandated reporters of abuse or neglect. Under this legislation sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, clergy would be added to the long list of mandated reporters including teachers, psychologists, and law enforcement officers, with a narrowly defined exemption for penitential communication such as confession.