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Just how does a bill become Washington state law?

Here's a simple explanation of how a bill becomes law in Washington state.


Just a few weeks into the 2019 legislative session, there are a lot of proposed bills on the docket that tackle everything from gun control to vaccines, homelessness to independent contractors. But just how does a bill become a law? And how can we keep track of all of them?

There's a breakout on the Washington State Legislature website on how a bill becomes a law. You can look up any bill and see where it is in the process.

Here's the process timeline:

  1. A state congress member introduces a bill to the chamber (Senate or House) they work in.
  2. Leadership refers it to a committee that most closely matches the subject matter of the bill. The committee studies it, possibly holds public hearings on it, and then chooses to pass, reject, or take no action at all on it.
  3. The committee’s report is read in the open session of the chamber (Senate or House) it originated in. The bill is then referred on to the Rules Committee.
  4. The Rules Committee can decide to take no action at all; or put it on the calendar for a second reading.
  5. The second reading is where it’s up for debate and amendment. It goes up for debate and amendment first in the chamber that introduced it. After passing, it goes through the same procedure in the other chamber.
  6. When both chambers accept the bill, it is signed by the leaders of the Senate and the House, and sent to the governor.
  7. The governor signs the bill into law (or can veto all or part of it).

 

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