Abortion access, police pursuits among hundreds of bills proposed for Washington legislative session

State lawmakers in the House and Senate have proposed more than 200 bills for the 2023 Washington legislative session touching on a wide range of issues, from education to healthcare and more. Some bills are in response to national issues but mostly address issues within Washington. 

Abortion

SJR 8202 - Senate Joint resolution would protect and codify access to abortion and contraception by amending the Washington State Constitution. SJR comes at the request of Governor Jay Inslee.

SB 5098 - This bill would prohibit abortion on the basis of down syndrome. It would also want the Washington Medical Commission to revoke the license of any physician or healthcare worker who provides abortions to women carrying a fetus with down syndrome.

Law Enforcement

SB 5086  addresses training for tribal police officers and employees, while SB 5108 seeks a regional training model for basic law enforcement training.

HB 1025 - This bill seeks to give victims of police violence more options to seek compensation.

HB 1053 and SB 5034 both seek to amend laws surrounding police pursuits by allowing officers to pursue based on reasonable suspicion.

Climate Change

HB 1012 - The Extreme Weather Protection Act would create a grant program to help groups and federally recognized tribes during periods of extreme heat, extreme cold, and severe poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. This grant could be used for warming/cooling centers, transportation for people and pets during extreme weather, as well as provide emergency temporary housing and retrofit buildings to better prepare for climate change.

A full list of prefiled bills for the upcoming legislative session can be found here