Rep. Mary Dye: Stopping harmful policy is a victory for Washington families, farms and communities
With adjournment of the 60-day session on March 13, the 2026 legislative session is now in the history books. As we reflect on the session, success for Republicans in the minority is not measured by how many bills we passed and sent to the governor. It is measured by how many harmful proposals we stopped.
This year on the House Environment and Energy Committee, we had a session of triumphs.
As ranking Republican, I worked with a disciplined Republican team to protect families, ratepayers, farmers, manufacturers and small businesses across the 9th District and Washington. Much of that work never makes headlines. It happens in hearing rooms, late-night amendment drafting sessions, conversations with constituents, and coalition meetings with labor leaders, business owners and utilities.
One of the most troubling proposals was Senate Bill 5360, which would have created new Class B and C felony crimes tied to complex environmental statutes. Everyday Washington workers operating under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and hazardous waste laws could have faced criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison for violations of technical regulations. That bill died in the House Environment and Energy Committee after strong, coordinated opposition from Republicans and a broad coalition.
We also helped stop the so-called “billion-dollar grocery tax,” House Bill 1607. This bottle deposit and producer fee scheme would have imposed hundreds of millions of dollars in direct and indirect costs on Washington families. Republicans stood united in opposition, preparing 31 floor amendments to ensure a full debate. The bill ultimately died before reaching the House floor.
Families would have felt the impact in other ways. House Bill 2233 would have raised paper bag costs to 20 cents and banned certain reusable plastic bags. It died after a public hearing. I offered an alternative, House Bill 2284, addressing litter collection without increasing fees. That practical alternative, supported by the business community, helped stop the original proposal.
We blocked new electric bill surcharges, including House Bill 2373, which would have required ratepayers to fund low-income utility subsidies. That bill died in our committee. We also fought off a proposed California-style wildfire utility surcharge (House Bill 2275) that would have increased power bills while enriching civil litigation attorneys.
In other cases, we improved legislation through targeted amendments. On House Bill 2515, we removed a proposed half-cent per kilowatt-hour energy tax on data centers that would have cost an estimated $114 million over four years had the bill passed. Thankfully, this bill died in the Senate.
On Senate Bill 5982, I offered a floor amendment removing new Clean Energy Transformation Act compliance burdens from pulp, paper and lumber mills with on-site generation, protecting family-wage manufacturing jobs.
These victories required steady leadership, message discipline and a focus on affordability and reliability. They required listening to employers, workers and others worried about compliance mandates, and families stretched by inflation and rising utility bills.
In the minority, you must know when to fight, when to amend and when to build coalitions. You must be prepared with facts, alternatives and procedural tools, and remember who you serve.
During this session, we protected families from higher grocery costs, stopped new electric bill surcharges, prevented the criminalization of regulated employers, defended manufacturing jobs and advanced practical energy innovation.
But the work is far from over. Many of these proposals were one vote or one deadline away from advancing. Some were paused, not abandoned. We expect versions of these bills to be returned in future sessions. And when they do, we will be ready.
That is what success looks like in the minority. And that is a fight worth continuing.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, serves as ranking Republican on the House Environment and Energy Committee. She represents the 9th Legislative District.
