The 2024 Legislative Session in Review

The 2024 legislative session is in the books and most of the laws passed are already in effect! Despite this session being the shorter of the two sessions that made up the 2023–2024 legislative biennium (just 60 calendar days), the legislature got a lot of work done.

Governor Inslee signs the “Nothing About Us Without Us Act” in the State Reception Room on March 25, 2024. Photo by Washington State Office of the Governor / CC BY-ND 2.0

If last year was considered the “year of housing,” the 2024 session definitely fell short in that area. Many housing bills were introduced, but very few made it to the governor’s desk. One of the bills that did pass is intended to create more options for affordable and denser housing. HB 1998 removes barriers and restrictions to co-living housing. The bill defines “co-living housing” as “a residential development with sleeping units that are independently rented and lockable and provide living and sleeping space, and residents share kitchen facilities with other sleeping units in the building.”

This year’s legislature was also faced with six initiatives to consider. Three of these were approved. I-2081 concerns a parental bill of rights relating to public school education. The new law is being challenged in King County Superior Court by the ACLU and other groups who say the law violates the Washington State Constitution. I-2113 rolled back police pursuit restrictions that were passed in 2021 and I-2111 forbids a state or local income tax. The other three initiatives will be put to the voters in the November general election.

You can learn more about Washington’s initiative and referendum process in the Washington Secretary of State’s Initiative & Referenda Handbook here

Here is a review of just some of the other bills that passed this year. Most of them took effect on June 6th.

Crimes, Sentencing, and Juvenile Justice

HB 1618 eliminates the statute of limitations for civil actions based on childhood sexual abuse. The law applies to instances of abuse that occur after June 6, 2024.

HB 1999 establishes criminal offenses and a civil cause of action relating to fabricated intimate or sexually explicit images and depictions.

HB 2217 is a juvenile justice bill that expands juvenile court jurisdiction over crimes committed by minors.

SB 5427 directs the State Attorney General’s Office to establish a hate crimes and bias incidents hotline and provides requirements and duties associated with the hotline. This law takes effect on 1/1/25.

SB 5780 encourages participation in public defense and prosecution professions by establishing programs for rural public defense and prosecution and provides for training as well.

SB 5917 closes a loophole in the hate crime laws to make bias-motivated defacement of public property a crime. Previously, the defacement provision only applied to private property.

Firearms

HB 2118 changes and expands a number of requirements for the business operations of licensed firearms dealers, including requiring certain security measures and tightening background check and age requirements for employees. This law takes effect on 7/1/25.

HB 1903 requires persons lawfully in possession of a firearm to report loss or theft of the firearm to local law enforcement within 24 hours of discovery of the loss or theft. It also sets out related requirements for law enforcement, firearms dealer licensing authorities, and firearms dealers and creates a civil infraction for failure to report a lost or stolen firearm within 24 hours.

You can find out what bills have been signed and vetoed by the governor back to 2013 at the governor’s bill actions website here

SB 5444 restricts the possession of weapons, excluding carrying a pistol by a person licensed to carry a concealed pistol, at libraries, zoos, aquariums, and transit facilities.

Education

HB 1879 changes the name of the state social studies curriculum used to inform students about tribal history, culture, and government to the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State curriculum. John McCoy, whose traditional name in Lushootseed is lulilaš, was a state representative and state senator who sponsored the original legislation that encouraged adoption of tribal curriculum in schools. Tribal curriculum is now required for all public school students. For more information see our Native American Heritage Month: Embracing Indigenous Knowledge and Educating Washington’s Students With Indian Law Research Guide blog post.

HB 2331 addresses the banning of books and instructional materials in public schools, including charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools.

SB 5462 sets out requirements for inclusive curricula in public schools, including charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools. Curricula must include “the histories, contributions, and perspectives of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups including, but not limited to, people from various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, people with differing learning needs, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people as the term is defined in RCW 43.114.010, and people with various socioeconomic and immigration backgrounds.” Some of the language that landed in the bill was written by high school students.

Other Legislation that Reached the Governor’s Desk

HB 1541 is known as the Nothing About Us Without Us Act. It ensures that individuals from underrepresented populations are included in task forces, work groups, and advisory committees making policy on issues that affect those populations. Parts of this law take effect on 1/1/25.

HB 1929 establishes a program for transitional housing and behavioral health supports for persons aged 18–24 upon leaving inpatient behavioral health treatment.

SB 5589 modifies provisions in the probate law relating to the family support award governed by RCW 11.54. This law takes effect 8/1/24.

SB 5824 changes the laws concerning dissolving libraries and library districts. It increases the signature threshold for filing petitions of dissolution of libraries and library districts and expands voter eligibility for voting on library district dissolution. The bill was introduced in response to a 2023 attempt to close Columbia County’s only public library in Dayton following challenges to some of the books in their collection.

School curriculum and libraries were the subject of several bills that passed the legislature this session

SB 5838 establishes an Artificial Intelligence Task Force. According to the Washington State Attorney General, the task force will “convene technology experts, industry representatives, labor organizations, civil liberty groups and other stakeholders to discuss AI benefits and challenges. The Task Force will issue findings, guiding principles, and submit reports with policy recommendations.” The law included an emergency clause and took effect once it was signed by the governor on 3/18/24.

Additional Resources

Several media outlets produced additional recaps of legislation passed during the 2024 legislative session. Click the links below to find out more about Washington’s newest laws:

2024 WA Legislature Passes Bills on Guns, Environment, Education (Crosscut)

We Paid Attention to WA’s Legislative Session So You Didn’t Have To (KUOW’s Seattle Now podcast)

2024 Legislative Year in Review (TVW)

Bills, Bills, Bills: What Passed and Failed in the 2024 Legislative Session (Washington State Standard)

In Session: Democrats, Republicans Say There’s Reason to Celebrate 2024 Session (King5 News)

Here Are the Big Takeaways from WA’s 2024 Legislative Session (KNKX) (SC)