Maddy summarySB 5246 sets strict timelines and procedural requirements for Washington's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to review energy project applications. It mandates a public hearing within 60 days of application receipt, requires the council to issue recommendations to the governor within 12 months (or 180 days for certain clean energy projects), and adds steps for applicants to revise proposals based on environmental concerns. The bill directly affects energy project developers, the council, and local governments reviewing land use compliance. Key mechanisms include standardized public hearing schedules, written explanations for environmental significance determinations, and structured review processes to reduce delays in project approvals.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Washington counties, cities, and towns with authority to approve new home construction to permit enough housing to cover their portion of the state's estimated 1 million+ housing shortage by 2035. The Department of Commerce will calculate each local government's specific housing target by April 2026 and publish it online. Local governments must review their zoning and permitting rules to remove barriers to construction, and if over 33% of building permits are denied, they must address the causes. The bill also establishes a process for local governments to report state laws hindering housing, prompting the legislature to consider amendments.
Maddy summarySB 5618 requires all Washington state universities, regional universities, and the state college to clearly display specific admissions data on their websites. The bill mandates posting scoring criteria (like rubrics and weights for GPA, tests, and essays), demographic data of applicants and acceptees (including race, income, and residency), and GPA statistics for both groups. This applies to both general college admissions and program-specific admissions. The goal is to make admissions processes more transparent for prospective students and the public. The bill is currently in its first reading stage.
Maddy summarySB 5564 modifies Washington state's basic education goals to emphasize preparing students to become "globally competitive citizens" while adding specific requirements about understanding the state's constitutional republic foundations. It mandates the state superintendent to identify and post ethnic studies materials for K-12 schools by September 1, 2025, and encourages schools to incorporate these materials into curricula (with K-6 focusing on integration and 7-12 offering dedicated courses). The bill also requires updating state learning standards to include "appreciating and admiring differing cultures" and ensuring academic accuracy in core subjects like math and science. These changes directly affect all public K-12 schools and students across Washington state.
Maddy summarySB 5054 exempts Washington wineries selling fewer than 20,000 gallons of table wine or cider annually from the standard wine tax on those initial sales. This change modifies existing tax code (RCW 66.24.210) to remove the $0.0528-per-liter tax for the first 20,000 gallons of wine/cider sold each year, directly benefiting small wineries. The bill aims to reduce financial barriers for small producers who lack economies of scale and face challenges like economic downturns and climate impacts. This policy change takes effect upon passage, altering how wineries calculate and pay state wine excise taxes.
Maddy summarySB 5526 raises the minimum age for purchasing tobacco, e-cigarettes, and related products to 21 in Washington State, directly affecting retailers and underage buyers. It requires retailers to verify age using valid ID (like driver’s licenses or tribal cards) and clarifies definitions for "vapor products" and "alternative nicotine products." The bill increases penalties for violations, including fines up to $15,000 and license suspension/revocation for repeated offenses. These changes amend existing laws to strengthen enforcement of age restrictions and product safety regulations.
Maddy summarySB 5670 creates a state grant program to help rural school districts with large geographic areas (450 square miles or more) offset rising transportation costs from increased fuel prices. The program, administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, provides direct financial assistance for fuel-related expenses in school transportation. It specifically targets districts facing higher costs due to their extensive service areas. The grant is funded through appropriations and focuses solely on mitigating fuel cost impacts for eligible rural schools.
Maddy summarySB 5465 allows Washington electrical companies to recover certain wildfire-related costs by selling bonds backed by future customer payments, instead of raising rates immediately. This would lower overall customer costs compared to traditional rate increases, as the bonds would be repaid through future utility bills. The Utilities and Transportation Commission must approve the use of this method for costs tied to declared disasters like wildfires, excluding fines or penalties. The bill creates clear rules for how these "rate recovery bonds" are structured and managed, ensuring they don’t count as state debt. It directly affects electrical companies and their customers by changing how wildfire costs are paid for.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 5014 enhances election security for Washington state's county election offices and their vendors. It requires county election offices to use the ".gov" domain for official communications and to partition their election-related IT networks from other county systems. The bill also mandates that counties implement 24/7 intrusion detection systems to monitor for malicious activity. Additionally, it expands the types of election equipment requiring state approval and strengthens requirements for counties and their vendors to immediately report security breaches or malicious activity to the Secretary of State and Attorney General. These new security measures are intended to be adopted by county election offices by July 1, 2027.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 5543 aims to provide equity in eligibility for the College Bound Scholarship program in Washington state. The bill standardizes how eligible students can meet the high school graduation requirement by confirming that receiving a high school equivalency certificate is a valid pathway for all scholarship recipients. It removes a previous specific provision that separately allowed certain dependent or adopted students to use this certificate, thereby streamlining the requirements. This