OLYMPIA — This year’s session of the Washington State Legislature is already a month old, and crucial deadlines are set in the weeks ahead that will determine which bills proposed by 19th District legislators still have a chance of becoming law.

The 19th District’s three legislators — state Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview) and state Reps. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) and Joel McEntire (R-Cathlamet) — have combined to introduce 33 bills in the 2025 legislative session thus far. One bill has already passed its respective chamber, while many others have not yet received a public committee hearing.

One such bill that has not received a hearing is Senate Bill 5247, sponsored by Wilson, that would transfer ownership of the since-closed Naselle Youth Camp property to the Chinook Indian Nation. The bill received its first cosponsor last month, state Sen. Mike Chapman (D-Port Angeles), but has otherwise remained idle and has not been scheduled to receive a hearing in the senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee.

The most pertinent deadline for legislation is Feb. 21, the cutoff date for non-fiscal committees in the legislature to read in reports for bills from their original chamber. Any bill that has not been taken up by a committee by that date is no longer eligible to be passed and signed into law during this year’s session.

Bills must then pass their chamber of origin by 5 p.m. on March 12 to keep their prospects alive of being passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor.

Senate update

Of the 22 bills sponsored by Wilson, 13 have received a committee hearing and four have either received a positive committee recommendation or been referred to another committee. One of his bills has already passed the senate, even.

SB 5000 would designate “The Evergreen State” as Washington’s official nickname, after it was first dubbed so in 1889 by C.T. Conover, a pioneer Seattle realtor, newspaper columnist and historian, and was used by Gov. John H. McGraw in his 1893 inaugural address — and by Gov. Bob Ferguson in his address last month.

The bill received a public hearing in the senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee on Jan. 14, and the committee unanimously recommended the bill be passed. It passed unanimously in the senate on Feb. 5, and now moves to the lower chamber for consideration.

Another bill sponsored by Wilson, SB 5001, would implement year-round Pacific Standard Time in Washington and has been cosponsored by eight of his colleagues in the senate — five Democrats and three Republicans.

The legislature previously passed a bill in 2019 that authorized the state to observe daylight saving time year-round if approved by the U.S. Congress, but federal lawmakers have not amended the law to authorize states to permanently observe daylight savings. Under this bill, however, Washington would reject daylight saving time under the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 and elect to continue observing standard time year-round, an action that does not need congressional approval.

While the bill has support from some Democrats and Republicans in the senate, it has not yet received or been scheduled for a public hearing in the senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee.

SB 5011, sponsored by Wilson, would require two messages to be prominently displayed on ballot drop boxes: 1) the box is the property of the county that purchased and placed the box; and 2) tampering with the box may be a crime under state and federal laws. The legislation, proposed in the aftermath of the destruction of a ballot box in Vancouver during the 2024 general election, is cosponsored by two Democrats and two Republicans.

The bill received a public hearing in the senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee on Jan. 17, and the committee unanimously recommended its passage on Jan. 24. The bill was also referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and it received a public hearing on Feb. 3.

House update

There’s been less action in the lower chamber among 19th District legislators. Of the 11 bills sponsored by Walsh and McEntire combined, five have received or are scheduled to receive a committee hearing, and none have yet received a positive committee recommendation.

House Bill 1309, sponsored by McEntire and cosponsored by five Democrats and four Republicans, would create an ongoing research program within the Washington State Department of Agriculture that funds research “into new and innovative control methods for burrowing shrimp infestations.” The legislation would set aside $2 million for each two-year budget cycle to support the research program.

A hearing for the bill was held Jan. 31 in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and a recommendation could be made by the committee as early as late last week — after the Observer’s print deadline.

Another bill of McEntire’s, HB 1393, is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 13 in the House Education Committee. The bill has been cosponsored by 12 Democrats and calls for public, charter and tribal schools to permit graduating high school students to wear one item or object “of cultural significance” with, or attached to, their gown at commencement and other official graduation events — as long as the item adheres to any applicable decorum requirements.

HB 1065, sponsored by Walsh and cosponsored by one other Republican, would allow for family burial grounds on private property. The bill cleared the house in 2024 but was not taken up by the senate. A hearing was held Jan. 29 in the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, with a recommendation possible as soon as late last week.

One other bill sponsored by Walsh, HB 1051, received a hearing in the House Education Committee on Feb. 3. That bill would give parents or guardians of students with disabilities the right to record the audio of their student’s individualized education program (IEP) team meetings. IEPs are a written plan for each student that is eligible for special education services.

The committee had not yet scheduled to take action on the bill as of Feb. 7.

Walsh on Feb. 1 was reelected to a second one-year term as state chairman of the Republican Party.

Rep. Joel McEntire R-Cathlamet

Sen. Jeff Wilson R-Longview