Will Washington move to a full-time legislature?
Feb 13, 2025, 1:39 PM | Updated: Feb 18, 2025, 2:25 pm
The Washington State Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia, Washington. (Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
(Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
New Senate Bill 5744, (SB 5744) could have Washington State move to a full-time legislature.
The bill would require a review committee to examine the structure, effectiveness and representation of the legislature before making that decision.
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s (JLARC) main goal would be to determine whether Washington should shift to a full-time legislature to improve governance, accessibility and efficiency.
The committee would review the Washington State Legislature’s structure, demographics and operations while comparing them to other state legislatures.
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Sponsors of the bill say this often leads to hasty solutions. Senator Bob Hasegawa, (D-Seattle) introduced the bill which has few preliminary goals.
The first priority is to compare Washington’s legislature to other states with the focus on session lengths, staffing and productivity.
A second goal is to evaluate whether race, gender, income and education levels in the legislature reflect the general population being represented while identifying factors that limit diversity. This would also include assessing how often lawmakers engage with executive agencies, stakeholders and their constituents throughout the year.
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Hasegawa says this would all help identify possible reforms if disparities do exist. The JLARC would be required to submit its findings by December 1, 2027.
If the bill is passed by committee it will move onto the Senate floor.
