THREE BRANCHES OF WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNMENT

ExecutiveGov. Mansion

JudicialSupreme Court

The Legislative (House and Senate)

Capitol Bldg.

The Legislative Branch

The Legislative House of Representatives and Senate

How a Bill Becomes

a LawFortunately

it’s not simple

There are many points in the

process where the public can be

involved.

Bills must be sponsored by a legislator

A Legislator works with constituents, citizen groups, lobbyists, government agencies, and staff to move from an “idea” to a bill.

Yes, even young people can be involved!

Be careful what you wish for, kid... At age 11, a Seattle little boy named Alex

Jonlin, wanting to give his peers a voice in state government, gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition to create a youth board to advise state lawmakers. He lobbied for his bill, which local Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, agreed to sponsor.

After a year and the usual hearings, lawmakers said OK. But the House of Representatives made one key change: membership on this board was limited to those 14 and older.

Alex was 12.

SB 5254

In 2005 a bill was introduced, because of youth effort, and

the Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) became a reality. In 2009 it became

permanent and was allowed to solicit funding.

Legal Language Bills are typically

researched and written by legislative staff.

Code Reviser’s Office puts the bill into final legal language.

Sponsors seek support from other members

“Co-sponsors” also sign the bill.

Sponsor drops the bill in a box called the “hopper” and the bill gets a number.

Every bill must have three READINGS in each

chamber.

First READINGS Begins the Process and bills are assigned to committee.

105 days in odd years; 60 days in

even years

How many days in a session?

Cut-off calendars

Even Numbered Year

Odd Numbered Year

House bills start with HB & are numbered 1000s - 3000s.

Senate bills start with SB and are numbered 5000s & 6000s.

How do you distinguish

Senate bills from House bills?

Legislators usually sit on three committees

House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Business & Financial Services Capital Budget Community Dev., Housing & Tribal

Affairs Early Learning & Human Services Education Education Appropriations & Oversight Environment Finance Gov. Accountability & Oversight Gov. Operations & Elections Health Care & Wellness Higher Education Judiciary Labor & Workforce Dev. Local Government Public Safety Technology & Economic Dev. Transportation RULES

Agriculture Water & Rural Economic Dev.

Commerce & Labor Early Learning & K-12 Ed Energy, Environment, &

Telecommunications Financial Institutions, Housing &

Insurance Gov. Operations Health Care Higher Education Human Services & Corrections Law and Justice Natural Resources & Parks Trade and Economic Dev. Transportation Ways & Means RULES

Senate

Committees 2013-14

Committees Reflect the Issues of the Time

Post War Planning 1945

Public Morals1909 - 1954

Community Security 2002

Can you guess when these committees

existed?

Standing Committees

Hold public hearings. Study & debate bills. Recommend bills be amended and/or

passed.

Public Hearings

Bill Report

Bill Reports are often easier for the general public to

read and understand than the actual bill. But they are

a summary with background information

and not the actual and legal wording of the bill.

Actual Bill

Fiscal Committees

Bills appropriating money (e.g. budget bills)

Bills affecting revenue (e.g. tax bills)

Policy bills costing state or local governments money

Governor Proposes a budget based on the Revenue Forecast.

Mission Statement

To promote state government financial stability by producing an accurate forecast of

economic activity and General Fund revenue for the legislature and the governor to be used

as the basis of the state budget.

FISCAL.WA.GOV

In odd numbered year it will be the Biennial Budget.

In an even number year, the Supplemental Budget

What budget will be considered in an

odd numbered year?

Rules Committee

Determine bills that move to consideration by full House or Senate

No testimony No amendments

Who presides over the

Rules Committee

s?Lt. Governor, President of the Senate

Speaker of the House

Back to the Floor for Second Reading

Amendments are voted on during 2nd reading.

Third Reading

Final Debate

Final Passage

Opposite Chamber-Repeat the Process

Standing committee, Fiscal Committee, Rules Committee

Floor Action

Post – Committee ActionAmend. By Opposite House

Concurrence Conference

Committees

There are many points in the process where bills may “die.”

Many bills are reintroduced for several years before they are refined enough to make it through the entire process. This is how the process was designed to work.

Progress of 2011-2012 Bills

Introduced Passed Legislature Vetoed/Partially Vetoed0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1836

40434

1641

312 22

3477

716

56

HouseSenateTOTAL

About 20 % of the bills introduced passed the

Legislature the 2011-12 biennium.

Bill goes to the Governor

Governor’s signature

Governor’s full or partial veto

No Action

Governor Inslee

2011-2012 Gubernatorial Vetos

716 Bills Passed

3477 Bills In-troduced

56 Bills Vetoed or partially vetoed

• About 20 % of bills passed• About 8% of those passed were vetoed or partially vetoed

True or False: The governor may veto a bill by failing to take

action within 20 days.False

No pocket veto. If bill passes during session, Governor has 5 days to sign or it becomes law. At the end of session the Governor has 20 days (excluding Sundays).

Idea Bill Intro-1st Reading

Committee Fiscal Comm.

Rules Comm.2nd Reading &

Amd

Opposite chamber- repeat process

3rd Reading - passage

Conference

Governor State Law (RCW)

2013-14 Legislative Youth Advisory Council

You are here as students to learn this process. Please think about this quote.

Senator Alan Simpson [R-WY], Congressional Record, September 1996.

“Cynicism is a cop-out. It takes no virtue – or brains – to be a critic.

Anyone can qualify. … Skepticism, on the other hand, is essential to the

functioning of a representative democracy. “

As citizen have COURAGE: Take Pride in your LEGISLATURE