2025 Biennial State Legislative Session Just 30 Weeks Away
Saturday, June 15, 2024
by Jeff Noedel
What does San Juan County need from the Washington State Legislature in the next session?
In Washington State government, each legislative session is two years long. The legislature convenes in early- to mid-January each year, but one of the two annual sessions is more consequential than the other. The odd-numbered years are the more important of the two. The odd-numbered sessions are the beginning of the two-year session, they are longer, and they pass laws that set the budgets, policies, and priorities for the coming two years. The biennenial session also happens to be timed right after the elections, so the work of the legislature reflects the priorities expressed by the voters just months before.
This year, primary elections will be held on Tuesday, August 6. General elections will be held on Tuesday, November 5.
From the Washington State Legislature’s website (parentheses and bold type added by CNL2):
“The legislative cycle is two years long. Within that two-year cycle, there are two kinds of legislative sessions: regular sessions and extraordinary, or special, sessions. Regular sessions are mandated by the State Constitution and begin the second Monday in January each year (Monday, January 13, 2025). In the odd-numbered year, for example, 2005, the regular session is 105 days; in the even-numbered year, for example, 2006, it is 60 days.
“Members can prefile bills for introduction in the month before the session begins (starts Monday, December 16, 2024). Prefiled bills are officially introduced on the first day of the session.”
As of today, the beginning of the 2025 biennial session is 212 days (30 weeks, or seven months) away.
The date when bills drafted by Senators and Representatives can be prefiled is 181 days (26 weeks, or six months) away.
The “bicameral” legislature is made up of 49 State Senators, who serve four-year terms, and 98 State Representatives, who serve two-year terms. There are 49 legislative districts, each with one Senator and two Representatives. The San Juans are in the 40th Legislative District, which also includes all of San Juan County and parts of Skagit County and Whatcom County.
The incumbent State Senator for the 40th District is The Honorable Liz Lovelett, a Democrat, of Anacortes. She has filed as a candidate for reelection this year. She is opposed by Republican Charles “Chuck” Carrell, of Sedro Woolley. That election is a rematch in which the two faced off in 2020. Lovelett defeated Carrell in 2020 with 69.5 percent to Carrell’s 30.4 percent.
Our incumbent State Representatives are The Honorable Debra Lekanoff, Democrat, and The Honorable Alex Ramel, also a Democrat. Both Lekanoff and Ramel are running unopposed.
Important issues awaiting legislators in seven months include:
- Improvements needed in the Washington State Ferry system
- Affordable housing
- Reproductive freedom
- Environmental protection
- Crime & Safety
- Many more issues, too many to list here
Plus the potential passage of Initiative 2117 on November 5 (which would repeal the 2021 Climate Commitment Act which collects billions of dollars in the sale of carbon offsets) would throw the current and future state budgets out of balance and would require a great deal of attention in the upcoming biennial session.
To read more about the nuts and bolts of the Washington State Legislature, click here.
