A message from Rep. Brad Hawkins | March 7, 2013

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Hello from Olympia during the eighth week of the legislative session.

Click to watch my video update.

It’s been a busy couple weeks since I last spoke to you, and we recently passed important cutoff dates of the 2013 legislative process.

The 2013 legislative calendar

As you may know, our work at the Washington State Legislature is driven by a series of cutoff dates by which bills must be advanced in the legislative process, or they are unable to become law.

February 22: all bills must be out of their policy committees in either the House or Senate, wherever the legislation originated.
March 1: bills which have a fiscal note and must be considered by fiscal committees before moving on.
March 13: the halfway point of the session and the “house of origin” cutoff after any bill introduced and heard in the House policy committees must have been approved by the full House of Representatives to still be eligible to move on in the process.

We are quickly moving through the 2013 legislative process, and these cutoff dates are meant to hold us as legislators accountable to making sure we complete our business in a timely manner.

All bills still alive in both the House and Senate will have to complete the same process in the opposite chamber. If any of my pieces of legislation move forward in the process, I may be called upon to testify in the Senate policy committee to which the bill has been assigned.

April 3: the date for bills to be out of the opposite body’s policy committees.
April 9: bills with fiscal notes must be out of fiscal committees in the House or Senate.
April 17: Bills must be approved by either the full Senate or House of Representatives.
April 28: The last day of the 2013 regular legislative session.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to consider bills for the Transportation, Capital and Operating Budgets. The drafting of the Operating Budget is often dependent on the latest revenue forecast, which is scheduled for March 20. Having the most current revenue forecast available when crafting the operating budget is important so we can be the best stewards of your dollars. When considering the budget this year, I will work hard to maintain our priorities of funding education first, protecting our most vulnerable and preserving public safety.

It’s an honor to represent you here in Olympia as your State Representative. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.