General government bills covered everything from voting rights, elections, fireworks, and firearms. Although legislators can limit their scope of legislation during short sessions, that didn’t seem to be the case in 2022.
After a rollercoaster ride of changes, a bill that was poised to make significant changes to the Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA) failed to pass. Washington cities support voting rights and worked on several amendments to address city concerns related
to the implementation (but not the policy goals) of SB 5597. However, the legislation failed to advance out of House Appropriations Committee before the February 28 deadline.
While SB 5597 didn’t pass this session, we expect that similar legislation will be introduced in 2023. AWC looks forward to working with legislators to ensure that everyone has access to free and fair elections in our state.
Another bill that proposed changes to local elections, HB 1727 also failed to advance this session. The bill would have overhauled the state election schedule by eliminating general elections held in odd-numbered years. While AWC had
concerns about the bill due to crowded ballots, there were benefits as well for cities, including increased voter participation and lower costs. The bill made it out of committee but never received a floor vote.
Another general government bill that AWC supported, but that did not pass, relates to fireworks and local control. HB 1638 would have allowed cities, after consulting with a local fire marshal or other fire official, to immediately prohibit
the use of consumer fireworks during periods of high fire risk. This broader authority would have been welcomed as cities around the state grapple with the legality of temporarily banning fireworks and the long wait period for a banning ordinance
to go into effect. The bill did make it out of committee, but never received a vote on the House floor. AWC supported HB 1638 and expects the issue to return in 2023.
Another bill to be aware of is HB 1630, which prohibits the open display of weapons during local government hearings. Specifically, the legislation provides it is unlawful for a person to knowingly open-carry a weapon while knowingly
being in city, town, county, or other municipality buildings used in connection with meetings of the governing body of the jurisdiction or any location of a public meeting or hearing of the governing body—during the meeting or hearing.
As for liability bills, cities had a successful year defending against efforts to increase our liability.
A bill that has been considered multiple times and is sure to return in the future relates to pre-judgment interest. SB 5155 would have allowed interest on judgments for tortious conduct to begin accruing from the date on which a person
suffers an injury or loss. This means interest would have started to accrue before a claim was filed and before a city was made aware of the injury or loss. However, the bill failed to make it off the House floor before cutoff. AWC appreciates the
hard work and efforts of our partners to oppose this legislation.
Additionally, HB 1202 regarding law enforcement liability from 2021 came back this session, but didn’t move any further than a policy committee hearing. We are pleased that legislators listened to cities’ concerns about the
unnecessary litigation and costs HB 1202 would have created. However, we won’t be surprised if a similar proposal comes back in 2023.
Bill # | Description | Status |
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HB 1825 | Creates a stopgap measure for jurisdictions operating single-judge courts. | Law; effective June 9, 2022. |
HB 1832 | Streamlines the process for cities to change to a council-manager form of government. | Law; effective June 9, 2022. |
HB 1202 | Increases employers’ liability for injuries caused by law enforcement officers. | Did not pass. |
HB 1620 | Creates a grant program for jurisdictions to be reimbursed for costs associated with providing relief during extreme weather events. | Did not pass. |
HB 1638 | Allows cities to prohibit the use of consumer fireworks during periods of high fire risk. | Did not pass. |
HB 1727 | Overhauls state election schedule by eliminating general elections held in odd-numbered years. | Did not pass. |
HB 1754 | Allows interest on judgments for tortious conduct to begin accruing from the date on which a person suffers an injury or loss. | Did not pass. |
HB 2052 | Expands how cities can work with local community partners to carry out projects. | Did not pass. |
SB 5116 | Creates new requirements for public agencies using automated decision systems. | Did not pass. |
SB 5155 | Allows interest on judgments for tortious conduct to begin accruing from the date on which a person suffers an injury or loss. | Did not pass. |
SB 5597 | Updates the WVRA to create a new pre-clearance requirement impacting certain city activities. | Did not pass. |