Legislative Update: We’re halfway there!

You might not have known it, but yesterday was the Washington State Legislature’s “crossover” deadline. What does that mean? 

A crossover date is the deadline in which a bill needs to pass out of the chamber it was introduced in, in order to move forward for consideration in the opposite chamber. 

Given that Washington’s crossover date just passed, let’s do a pulse check on Environment Washington’s top priorities this session: 

Alive & Moving

• 100% Clean School Buses in Washington. HB 1368 will put Washington on a defined pathway towards zero-emission buses, and was voted off the House Floor last week. Next, the bill will be considered by the Senate Early Environment Committee. Ask your legislator to support HB 1368 today. 
• Farewell to Fluorescents. All fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, and when they break, whether in our homes or after disposal, mercury can present a potential health and environmental hazard. Fortunately, LED light bulbs come in all shapes and sizes and provide a cost-effective and energy efficient replacement to fluorescent light bulbs.  HB 1185 will phase out mercury-containing light bulbs,  while extending and modernizing Washington’s existing product stewardship program for mercury-containing lights.

No longer with us

• The Washington Recycling & Packaging Act. The ReWRAP Act (HB 2049) would have reduced waste and improved recycling outcomes through establishing recycled content standards and a producer responsibility for packaging and paper products.  While there was an abundance of support for the ReWRAP Act, there was not enough time for the House to vote on the issue before the deadline.
• Creating a bottle deposit return system. The bottle deposit return bill (HB 2144) would have established a bottle return and deposit system in Washington, which is a proven mechanism that results in dramatically higher recycling rates for beverage containers.  Unfortunately, the bill was never pulled from the Rules committee for consideration by the full House of Representatives.
• Giving Washingtonians the Right to repair devices, consumer electronics, home appliances, agricultural equipment, and electronic wheelchairs. Right to Repair (HB 1933) did not make it out of the House Consumer Protection & Business Committee and onto the house floor. 

Although some of our top environmental policies will not be moving forward, we know that Washingtonians across the state are passionate about improved recycling outcomes and the right to repair. We look forward to advancing these policies in future sessions. Let’s keep up the strong support for 100% Clean School Buses in Washington and phasing out mercury-containing lights!