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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Reminder – Town Hall

Be sure to join me and my seatmates, Sen. Mark Schoesler and Rep. Joe Schmick, for a 9th District virtual town hall meeting tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. We will provide an update on the 2025 legislative session and answer your questions. Preregistration is required at https://tinyurl.com/9thTownHall2025. For more details, visit this webpage.

Today’s newsletter is 834 words, a four-minute read.

Bills – The good, the bad and the ugly

We are now on Day 67 of the scheduled 105-day session. March 12 was the House of Origin cutoff. Except for legislation necessary to implement the budget, bills that did not pass out of the chamber in which they originated are considered “dead” for the year.

The Good

Several good bills were approved, including:

  • House Bill 1293 (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Klicker, co-sponsored by Rep. Mary Dye): More than 38 million pounds of litter was dumped in Washington, and only a fraction was cleaned up. It has become a significant problem along our highways and interstates, endangering animals and the environment. This bill would increase the base penalty for littering from $50 to $125
  • House Bill 1715 (Sponsored by Rep. Mary Dye): Not long after the Legislature expanded the Washington Clean Buildings Act, which mandated state energy performance standards for large buildings, Central Washington University told the Legislature it would need an additional $450,000 to complete a building energy audit to comply with the new law. That was then followed by other universities asking for money to complete their building audits, including the University of Washington, which is seeking $293 million this year. That’s more than what the Legislature paid for entire buildings on the UW campus. HB 1715 directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to report to the Legislature on the costs of implementing the state energy performance standards for state agencies and provide related building information by June 2027. The report would give us a bigger picture of the costs we can expect from the mandates.
  • House Bill 1857 (Sponsored by Rep. John Ley, co-sponsored by Rep. Mary Dye): This bill would help businesses and labor groups reduce the cost of construction by exempting commercial aggregates or asphalt and concrete materials from labeling restrictions and the use of naturally occurring asbestos-containing building materials.

The Bad

My House Republican colleagues and I fought hard against Democrat-sponsored bills that would increase taxes, infringe on parental and constitutional rights, and drive the cost of living even higher as Washingtonians struggle with a statewide affordability crisis—nevertheless, some bad bills passed through the House.

  • House Bill 1296 would gut the Parents’ Bill of Rights the Legislature passed last year under Initiative 2081, which nearly 450,000 Washington voters supported.
  • House Bill 1409 would expand the Clean Fuels Program, further driving fuel prices higher and penalizing companies for factors beyond their control. This bill would harm job creation, small businesses, and low-income families while removing essential accountability measures.
  • House Bill 1163 and House Bill 1386 are two additional steps against our constitutional gun rights. HB 1163 would force law-abiding citizens to purchase a state permit to buy a firearm, and HB 1386 would impose an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Neither of these bills, however, does anything to address the root causes of crime.

The Ugly

Likely the ugliest and worst bill to be pushed through the House Environment and Energy Committee this year, after passing the Senate, is Senate Bill 5360. This is a measure that would create criminal penalties for violations of environmental law. The penalties are harsh, and they would target many productive businesses that provide jobs and contribute to our state’s economy. It is hard to understand why the majority party has spent time and energy on legislation this session that would reduce sentences for violent criminals but criminalize the state’s most productive job creators. The measure was heard in committee on March 13. It could be voted out any day now. Listen to more about this ugly bill in my Capitol Report radio program.

Stop Bad Bills

A new interactive website, https://stopbadbills.houserepublicans.wa.gov/, offers information about these and other bad bills and how you can stop them. From this website, you can share a personal story, take a survey, submit written testimony, and more.

Become informed and engaged!

I hope you are following what is happening in Olympia. Many important issues are before us. Here are some websites to help keep you informed.

Contact my office for more information.

Sincerely,


Mary Dye

State Representative Mary Dye, 9th Legislative District
RepresentativeMaryDye.com
432 John L. O'Brien Building | P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
mary.dye@leg.wa.gov
(360) 786-7942 | Toll-free: (800) 562-6000