Tuesday, Feb. 13 marked the final day for bills in Washington State to be considered and passed in their house of origin — house bills from the House and senate bills from the Senate. Moving forward, any legislation not related to the budget will be considered “dead” if it hasn’t transitioned from one chamber to the next by the deadline.
ISRI’s Pacific Northwest (PNW) Chapter has been tracking several bills on behalf of the industry, ensuring that members stay informed on important legislative developments. Monitoring these bills allows the chapter to provide timely updates to the broader membership and engage efficiently with policy makers who draft the legislation.
What Didn’t Pass
Several bills the chapter has been monitoring did not meet the Feb. 13 deadline. These included HB 2049 / SB 6005, HB 1900, HB 2144, and HB 2070 / SB 5990.
If passed, HB 2049 / SB 6005 would have created a packaging and paper products EPR program. These bills were an updated version the legislation that failed to pass in 2023.
HB 1900 was introduced with labeling and recyclability requirements, recycled content mandates, and a needs assessment and waste characterization study, while HB 2144 would have created a bottle deposit program.
HB 2070 / SB 5990 would have created New Jersey-like environmental justice permitting requirements for new, expanding, or renewal permits for a “potentially impactful project”, including air permits and “a scrap metal facility or other solid waste facility required to obtain a solid waste handling permit” under the Waste Reduction and Recycling statutes.
What Moved Forward
One bill that the chapter supported, HB2153, did pass the Feb. 13 deadline and PNW Chapter Lobbyist Holly Chisa testified in support of the bill.
This bill removes the regulation of catalytic converter transactions from the metal property statute and establishes regulations in both the Vehicle Wreckers statute and the Hulk Haulers and Scrap Processors statute. It also establishes new felony and gross misdemeanor crimes for trafficking in, possessing, selling, or offering to sell catalytic converters.
SB 5931, another bill on PNW’s radar, also passed the deadline. This bill adds tires containing 6PPD, a chemical that helps prevent tires from degrading, to the Safer Products for Washington regulatory process. Included is an amendment that the Department of Ecology must consider the effect of regulatory actions on driver and passenger safety before restricting its use.
This legislation would impact the manufacture of new tires, but further regulation of 6PPD chemicals could impact markets for recycled tires in Washington.
As Washington advances through its legislative session, ISRI’s PNW chapter is committed to tracking a range of bills that could affect the recycled materials industry.
The last day to pass opposite house bills is March 1. The chapter will continue conducting its weekly government affairs call until the conclusion of the state session on March 7.
For more information, ISRI’s State Resources and Tracking webpages have details on all the bills that the association tracks in each state. These pages help users stay well-informed about legislation and provide updates categorized by state or specific issue areas. Members can also access the latest bi-weekly ISRI State Update on Region and Chapter Policy Activities sent to ISRI’s Lobbyist Network. The update is compiled from submissions from our members and member-affiliated lobbyists.
Photo Caption: The Washington State Capitol building in Olympia. Courtesy of User: Cacophony, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
