Today, House and Senate policy committees continued to work bills from the opposite chamber through the legislative process.

The Legislature will experience a small break from the usual weekend work that has dominated their Saturdays and Sundays for the last couple of weeks. Most legislators are planning to travel to their districts and connect with their constituents.

Then Monday it will be back to the hard work of moving bills as policy committees in the House prepare for the deadline to consider policy bills from the Senate on February 23 and the Senate does the same by February 26.

Several bills of interest to Evergreen were heard by committees in both chambers. None of the bills listed below were moved out of committee today.

Washington House

This morning the  House Higher Education Committee held a public hearing  on Senate Bill 6467. SB 6467 allows institutions of higher educationo to award honorary degrees to individuals who were students at those institutions in 1942 but did not graduate because they were ordered into an internment camp.

In the afternoon, the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6401. SB 6401 establishes an alternative selection process for selecting mechanical or electrical subcontractors for general contractor/construction manager projects. Evergreen has supported the development of an alternative process throughout the session.

Washington Senate

On the other side, the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee took up House Bill 2930 in the afternoon. HB 2930 directs the Higher Education Coordinating Board to give priority to selecting Future Teachers Scholarship recipients to those individuals who are seeking specialty endorsements in math as well as individuals who are uniquely qualified to help schools address the achievement gap. Evergreen has supported the legislation since its introduction and continues to encourage policymakers, through testimony, to keep in mind students seeking endorsements in English Language Learners and special education.