OLYMPIA — The 2017 Regular Session of the Washington Legislature is scheduled for 105 days, beginning on Monday, January 9th and ending on Sunday, April 23rd. This will be the long session of the two-year legislative cycle that includes a 60 day session in even years. Although a number of new members were elected in November, control of the House remains with a slim Democratic majority (50-48), and control of the Senate remains with a Republican-led  majority (25-24) coalition.

Basic education funding continues to be the top issue for the new legislature, under a court mandate to come up with a solution by 2018. Governor Inslee has proposed $4.4 billion in new taxes, along with state worker and teacher salary increases. More than 3,700 bills and some 2,200 amendments were introduced during the 2015-16 legislative cycle, and that number may likely increase for the upcoming cycle.

To keep track of all the legislative action, WashingtonVotes.Org, as it has since 2001, will once again provide timely, thorough coverage of every bill and amendment, and all recorded votes taken by lawmakers. The website features essential legislative tracking and look-up tools, including:

• A searchable database of all current bills, resolutions, and amendments, and the votes taken by legislators, along with searchable archives going back to the 2001 Session.
• Timely status updates of legislation on the move, including plain language descriptions.
• Free daily customizable e-mail updates to subscribers.
• Free, weekly Roll Call service to news outlets on key legislation, matched to the legislative districts they cover.
• Comment section linked to users’ social media.
• The “Missed Votes Report,” a popular feature that tabulates the total number of votes taken and missed by individual legislators. The report is distributed to news outlets after session ends, along with any comments by legislators on their voting record.

WashingtonVotes.org also posts updates on key legislation on Facebook and Twitter and distributes the “WashingtonVotes News” twice a week. This feature provides subscribers with more in-depth information and insights on evolving legislative issues and actions. To become a subscriber, visit https://washingtonvotes.org/Account.aspx. 

WashingtonVotes.org is a free public service of the Washington Policy Center, a non-partisan, non-profit research and educational organization with four offices across Washington. The site’s director is Franz Wiechers-Gregory, a former Chief Clerk and Director of non-partisan committee staff services in the Washington State House of Representatives.

For more information, please contact franz@wavotes.org or visit www.washingtonvotes.org.