The Current

2025 legislative session • April 12, 2025

Today: State representatives are on the House floor right now voting on bills. You can follow the action on TVW.

Transportation budget: The House passed its transportation budget with a 66-30 vote on April 2. The proposal would spend $15.5 billion and delay $2 billion in transportation projects. District-specific project lists can be found on this webpage.

• Floor speech: Rep. Andrew Barkis on the House Democrats’ 2025-27 transportation budget proposal
• WA House passes $15B transportation budget backed by gas tax hike | Washington State Standard

Washington House Democrats are also pushing for $4.4 billion in new transportation taxes and fees, including a 9-cent gas tax increase and a 15-cent diesel tax increase. The new revenue is included in legislation that has yet to reach the House floor.

Details on the Senate transportation budget, which passed with a 34-15 vote on March 29, can be found here. It relies on new transportation taxes and fees contained in another bill that advanced out of the Senate on the same day. Transportation leaders from both chambers are now negotiating a final plan.

• Senate passes transportation budget that increases gas tax, funds major projects | The Spokesman-Review

Capital budget: The House released a capital budget proposal on March 31 and voted it out of committee unanimously on April 4. The plan would make $7.6 billion in investments in infrastructure and communities across the state. Project lists can be viewed on this webpage.

The Senate passed a capital budget proposal with unanimous support on April 5. Budget writers from the House and Senate are now meeting to develop a final version that will be voted on by the Legislature.

• Rep. Mike Steele applauds $7.63 billion bipartisan capital budget proposal focused on statewide needs
• WA Senate unanimously passes $7.3B capital budget ‘for the entire state’ | The Center Square

Groceries: A bill that could increase the prices of packaged food items and exacerbate food insecurity in our state may reach the House floor. Senate Bill 5284 would require producers of food packaging and beverage containers to participate in and fund the operations of a producer responsibility organization related to the reuse and recycling of packaging and containers. Republicans oppose the measure. Learn more in this video and chart.

Headlines: Below are headlines from this week. If you want headlines and stories from across our state delivered to your inbox each weekday, sign up for the Capitol Buzz.

• As Ferguson details budget concerns, Washington legislators see mixed signals | Washington State Standard
• Property taxes could rise under Washington state budget plans | Axios – Seattle
• Senate Republicans: WA property taxes will skyrocket under bill to remove annual cap | The Center Square
• WA rent cap bill closer to becoming law, despite lingering divisions among Democrats | NW News Network
• Editorial: More taxes wrong way to rectify Wash. budget | The Columbian

Podcasts:

• The Fix Washington Podcast: Season 2, Episode 11 | Caucus Chair Peter Abbarno and Rep. Deb Manjarrez | Watch | Listen
• The Deputies Podcast: Deputy Leader Chris Corry and Deputy Leader Drew MacEwen | Watch | Listen

Media avail: House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary and Floor Leader April Connors hosted our media avail with Senate Republican Leader John Braun and Whip Keith Wagoner on Tuesday. Watch the Q&A with reporters in this video.

Deadlines: The 2025 legislative session ends on April 27. The next deadline is opposite house cutoff on April 16. With the focus on floor action and budget negotiations over the next 16 days, House committee activity will be limited. Therefore, we have concluded publishing The Week Ahead for 2025.

-Washington House Republicans