With the end of the WA State legislative 105-day session just a few days away, I guess we should not be surprised that Democrat lawmakers keep changing longstanding legislative rules to further their leftist agenda.
Another one of the previously established rules to go? The 24-hour signature hold.
Usually, when a Senate committee votes to move a bill forward, the decision has to be reviewed for 24 hours; this is a built-in grace period meant to allow lawmakers time to make last-minute changes, voice objections, weigh all options, and finalize signatures. But not anymore…
Last week, SR 8654 passed on a voice vote, with nearly all Democrats voting “yes” and ALL Republicans voting “no” - Voila, the 24-hour hold is now officially null and void for the final stretch of the painful 2025 WA State legislative session.
Now, if a bill gets the go-ahead from a Democrat-controlled committee and collects enough signatures on its majority report, it can head straight to the Senate workroom without pause or delay.
This new Democrat “fast-tracking” move opens the floodgates for final waves of non-transparent legislation. Dem lawmakers now have a chance to push through proposals with little or no opposition and quickly pass their far-leftist agenda before the session’s scheduled end on April 27.
Worse yet, smaller policy bills are not the only ones getting the express treatment. Budget bills (operating, transportation, and capital) were already exempt from the 24-hour rule. But now, ALL bills and appointments have the same privilege.
After the Dem rule change, the Senate Ways and Means Committee was forced to hear several multi-billion-dollar tax proposals just hours after the rule change took effect, forcing Republicans to scramble…
Bypassing the 24-hour window eliminates essential time for transparency and collaboration. It limits the time committee members and the public have to weigh in before controversial bills move forward.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Drew MacEwen voiced his opposition, noting that lawmakers are near the end of a grueling 105-day session and that “Democrats had plenty of time to introduce new tax proposals earlier. Frankly, it would give the public more time to hear the proposals. To make the rule change now, because it’s been jammed, is inappropriate and a misuse of the rule,” he said.
More Democrat shenanigans occurred last week in the WA State House of Representatives with ESSB 5014: Concerning Election Security. On April 2, the bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee but did not make it out of the committee by the April 8 bill cut-off date deadline. That is supposed to mean a bill is “dead” until the following year’s legislative session.
The April 8 fiscal committee deadline “cut off” in the opposite house is understood to mean that bills MUST be voted out of fiscal committees (e.g., Senate Ways & Means or House Appropriations) in the chamber opposite their origin to remain under consideration.
However, according to the WA State Legislature website - Bill History: on Apr 15 it appears that Democrat leadership deemed ESSB 5014 to be “Relieved of Further Consideration” and it was then Referred to the Democrat Controlled Rules Committee for “Review” - the Rules Committee deemed the bill to be “Relieved of Further Consideration” and it was put on the House Floor Calendar on Apr 15. Then, on Apr 16, House Democrats “Suspended the Rules” - amended the bill and put it up for a vote, it passed. Now the bill goes back to the Senate…
In January, House Democrats ended a long-standing rule that required two-thirds of legislators to end floor debate. Now, it only takes a simple majority. The 132-year-old House rule guaranteed a free and open discussion on the floor. Now Democrats have total control to stop debate before Republicans can even speak.
Last week, the controversial rule change played out in the House during a 5 1/2 hour floor debate over ESSB 5181, in which Democrats were changing the Parent Bill of Rights…
That new rule was invoked twice to end debate on an amendment and again to close discussion on the final passage of ESSB 5181.
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