2024 Session Recap: House Republican Priorities
▪ State Democrats made little progress fixing the six major crises facing average Washingtonians:
.
- No funding for more police despite ranking dead last in the nation in officers per capita
- No effort to reduce fentanyl trafficking in our state despite leading the nation in overdose deaths.
- No progress on rampant homeless encampments.
- No action to reduce the price of gas or reduce tax burdens on lower and middle-class families.
- No attention paid to the fact that 60% of all students are failing math and 50% are failing reading.
- No attempt to reduce the cost of child care or make it more accessible for working families.
▪ Democrat leaders began session claiming they wanted to “grow the number of officers in Washington state,”
but ultimately did nothing to attract or retain them. Instead they prioritized a bill that would make it easier
to sue police officers in their personal capacity when they are doing their jobs protecting our communities.
▪ Despite spending billions, the state’s homeless population has doubled. But Democrats continue to invest in
failed strategies like the governor’s encampment response program that has spent over $143 million to
move 1,100 people into mostly temporary shelters and housing, equating to about $130,000 per person.
▪ Washingtonians pay some of the highest prices in the nation for basic necessities like housing, groceries and
gas. Instead of fixing this, Democrats made things worse by passing a ban on natural gas that will increase
energy rates around Puget Sound and cost gas homeowners thousands to convert to electricity.
▪ Half of all Washington students are failing math and reading, yet zero attention was paid to improving
academic achievement. Instead, Dems were laser focused on passing legislation incorporating DEI into
learning standards for every subject in every grade level.
▪ Republicans defeated several bills that would have made Washington even less affordable, including: SB
5770 which would have tripled local property taxes; HB 2276 which would have increased the real estate
excise tax making it more expensive to buy and sell a home; HB 2114 which would have artificially capped
rent increases ultimately reducing supply and increasing prices; and HB 2409 which would have increased
the costs of many household consumer goods and groceries.
▪ Democrats initially refused to hold hearings on any of the six initiatives despite the state constitution’s clear
mandate that initiatives to the Legislature, “shall take precedence over all other measures.” But after
relentless pressure from House Republicans, including a series of floor motions demanding immediate
consideration, Democrats agreed to consider and pass three of the six initiatives.
▪ The other three initiatives will be sent to the November ballot. Democrat leaders spent the session trying to
sway public opinion with false claims about catastrophic cuts to education and transportation projects, but
you can get the real facts at our Initiative Fact Check here: houserepublicans.wa.gov/fact-check
House Republican Caucus | 2024 Session Recap |houserepublicans.wa.gov/our-priorities/
Fix the public safety crisis.
Criminal activity has exploded in Washington earning us the spot of #8 most dangerous state. Homicide is
up 96% since 2019. Our state ranks #1 for retail theft, #1 for burglary, #2 for property crime and #3 for
motor vehicle theft. Our state also ranks dead last in police officers per capita, which helps explain why 61%
of violent crimes go unsolved. Find more Crime Facts here: houserepublicans.wa.gov/crime-in-wa
Republican Solutions:
✓ I-2113 reinstates vehicular pursuit laws so officers can chase individuals committing motor vehicle
theft and property crime. Passed House 77-20 and Senate 36-13, takes effect June 6, 2024.
✓ HB 1989 empowers WSDOT to pursue a graffiti abatement program to stop the perpetrators and
clean-up public rights of way. Passed House 96-1 and Senate 38-11, takes effect June 6, 2024.
x HB 1380 provides recruitment and retention bonuses for police officers to improve both manpower
and morale. No action taken.
▪ Democrats voted down a budget amendment (42-53) that would have provided $150 million per
year in grants to local police departments to increase the number of officers in our communities.
x HB 2358 increases penalties for illegal highway blockades to prevent protestors from shutting down
critical transportation routes. No action taken.
x HB 2202 offers funding to counties for police but in return requires counties to meet officer staffing
ratios designed to take our state from last in the nation to middle of the pack. No action taken.
x HB 1456 modifies the definition of theft so that security officers can actually stop shoplifters when
they conceal merchandise rather than only when they leave the store. No action taken.
Fix the drug crisis.
Washington is at the epicenter of the fentanyl crisis. The amount of fentanyl seized by the federal DEA in
our state has increased 1670% since 2019. Opioid deaths have more than doubled since 2019, and
Washington also experienced the #1 largest increase in drug overdose deaths of any state this past year.
Republican Solutions:
x HB 1520 enhances penalties for fentanyl distribution to reduce the flow of illegal drugs throughout
our state. No action taken.
House Republican Caucus | 2024 Session Recap |houserepublicans.wa.gov/our-priorities/
x HB 2324 establishes a new Bureau of Narcotics within the WSP to fight sophisticated drug trafficking
rings that operate across local government jurisdictional boundaries. No action taken.
HB 1162 makes it a crime to expose children and vulnerable adults to fentanyl and other controlled
substances. No action taken.
HB 2233 requires children to be removed from homes when caregivers are abusing fentanyl. No
action taken.
▪ Democrats voted down an amendment (46-49) that would have required children to be removed
from homes where illicit fentanyl is present unless the parent can prove the home is safe.
Fix the affordability crisis.
Housing and transportation cost 30% more in Washington compared to the national average. Our state has
the 4th highest combined sales tax rate in the country and is the 4th most expensive state for groceries. And
thanks to the Democrats’ carbon tax, Washington drivers now pay the 3rd highest gas prices in the nation.
Learn more about all the taxes & fees passed by Democrats here: houserepublicans.wa.gov/tax-increases
Republican Solutions:
x I-2111 prohibits the state, counties, cities and towns from imposing or collecting income taxes. Passed
House 76-21 and Senate 38-11, takes effect June 6, 2024.
x I-2117 repeals the Climate Commitment Act and the associated carbon tax and prohibits state
agencies from imposing a future carbon trading program. No action taken, headed to November ballot.
x HB 2040 provides a $200 gas rebate to Washington drivers funded by surplus carbon tax revenue to
help offset high gas prices caused by the Climate Commitment Act. No action taken.
▪ Democrats voted down a budget amendment (41-53) that would have provided a $150 gas rebate
to 5.9 million registered vehicle owners.
x HB 1704 reduces the state sales tax rate by 0.5% which will help reduce burdens on families during
high inflation and make our state tax system more fair. No action taken.
x HB 1011 repeals the unpopular long-term care insurance program and payroll tax. No action taken.
x I-2124 gives employees and self-employed individuals the ability to opt out of the state’s mandatory
long-term care insurance program to ensure that workers aren’t forced to pay for benefits they don’t
want or need. No action taken, headed to November ballot.
x I-2109 repeals the capital gains tax on the sale or exchange of capital assets over $250,000. No action
taken, headed to November ballot.\
House Republican Caucus | 2024 Session Recap |houserepublicans.wa.gov/our-priorities/
Fix the housing & homelessness crisis.
Thanks to years of irrational land use policy and costly building regulations, Washington has the fewest
number of housing units per household of any state which has caused housing costs to surge. As a result,
88% of families can no longer afford a median priced home and 46% of all renters are cost burdened paying
more than 30% of their income toward rent. State spending on preventing and addressing homelessness
grew by 883% over the past decade yet our homeless population has more than doubled. Washington now
has the 4th largest homeless population in the country. Find more Housing & Homelessness Facts here:
houserepublicans.wa.gov/housing-crisis
Republican Solutions:
✓ HB 2003 establishes a leasehold tax exemption to incentive development of affordable housing on
state public lands. Passed House 95-2 and Senate 46-0, takes effect June 6, 2024.
x HB 2033 provides a new tax credit to encourage landlords to voluntarily lower or freeze rents
creating more stable and affordable housing. No action taken.
x HB 1245 authorizes lot splitting to create more parcels of land to build starter homes and other forms
of affordable housing. Passed House 94-4, no further action.
x HB 1401 creates a low-cost, expedited permit process for single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and
ADUs that target low and moderate-income households. No action taken.
x HB 1373 provides funding to cities and counties to clean up encampments and provide services if
they enforce camping bans near schools, parks and child care centers. No action taken.
▪ Democrats voted down a budget amendment (42-53) that would have provided $320 million to
clean up encampments and $28 million to transit agencies to prevent drug use in their facilities and
to decontaminate facilities from methamphetamines and fentanyl.
Fix the education crisis.
Despite record investments in our public schools, academic performance has plummeted. Right now, 60%
of students are failing math and 50% are failing reading. Scores are even worse for minority and low-income
children who fell further behind their peers during the school closures. And public schools have lost over
60,000 students suggesting that families are not satisfied with the education they are receiving. Find more
K-12 Education Facts here: houserepublicans.wa.gov/k-12-education-facts
House Republican Caucus | 2024 Session Recap |houserepublicans.wa.gov/our-priorities/
Republican Solutions:
✓ I-2081 enacts a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” that guarantees parents and guardians of public school
children the right to review instructional materials, inspect records, receive notifications and opt out
of particular activities. Passed House 82-15 and Senate 49-0, takes effect June 6, 2024.
x HB 2387 puts tutors in schools and more paraeducators in classrooms to deliver high-dosage tutoring
which is the most effective way to get students back on track in math and reading. No action taken.
▪ Democrats voted down a budget amendment (45-50) that would have provided $50 million to
increase paraeducator staff and salaries before ultimately agreeing to the Republican-proposed level
of funding in the conference budget.
x HB 2142 funds reading literacy coaches in elementary schools with prioritization for low-income
children and students who have fallen furthest behind their peers. No action taken.
x HB 1615 funds education savings accounts for students who are low-income, eligible for special
education or in persistently failing schools, so that all children can exercise the privilege of attending
private school or homeschool, not just those who can afford it. No action taken.
x HB 1044 creates a grant program to help school districts in economically disadvantaged areas build
schools. Passed House 93-0 and Senate 46-2 with differences that were not resolved, bill will not take effect.
Fix the child care crisis.
After a decade of excessive regulations, Washington’s child care system is broken. There are massive child
care deserts across our state and 63% of children under five don’t have access to nearby child care which
reduces the state workforce by around 133,000. Our state also has the 9th most expensive infant care in the
nation and the average family spends over 35% of their income to send two children to child care.
Republican Solutions:
x HB 1716 provides a B&O tax credit to employers that voluntarily provide child care assistance to
employees to help parents remain in the workforce. Public hearing, no action taken.
x HB 2179 relaxes licensing and regulatory requirements for providers in child care deserts so children
can get care and parents can get to work, no matter where they live. Public hearing, no action taken.
x HB 2300 tackles child care workforce shortages by creating a pathway for child care workers to
become certified based on prior work experience. No action taken.
