Friday, February 24 was the cutoff for the bills to be voted out of the House Appropriations and Senate Ways & Means committees. All the bills that are still alive now move to their full house of origin for consideration and possible amendment, and the deadline for bills to pass through their house of origin is Wednesday, March 8.
In other words, in order to be alive after March 8, a bill that started in the House committees must pass a floor vote of the House and vice versa in the Senate. Bills that are necessary to implement the budget do not have these timelines and are alive until the legislature adjourns. (You can see the full cutoff calendar here.)
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will release its next budget forecast on March 16, followed by budget proposals by the Senate and House. Click here to read more in the latest Inside Olympia. (Chelene Whiteaker)
