State House drops vaccination requirement for lawmakers at floor votes
Mar 1, 2022, 10:09 AM
The Washington state House will no longer require vaccine and booster dose verification from lawmakers in order to attend floor votes in the chamber.
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More lawmakers will also be allowed on the House floor, increasing the total from 27 to 45. The current chamber has 98 members, so the remainder will continue to vote remotely.
Starting Tuesday, the north gallery in the House will also reopen to a limited number of members of the public. Those attending must wear a mask and follow social distancing rules.
The committee voted to ban concealed weapons in the gallery. As people return, there is now a metal detector outside both the House and Senate galleries to ensure no one enters with a weapon. Openly carried weapons have been banned in both chambers for several years.
The state Senate welcomed back members of the public to one gallery last week, but is requiring people to take a free, on-site COVID test to gain access.
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The Senate and House will continue to test staff and lawmakers regularly.
The 60-day legislative session ends March 10.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
