This is taken directly from the League of Education Voters website. It may be helpful to those who have forgotten much of what they learned in their high school civics class, or for those of us who learned about state government in a different state, or in a different country. There is a movement afoot to reemphasize civics and retool it to be more relevant to the digital age, and the age of "fake news." Sounds like a good idea to me.
How does your government work?
The Washington State Legislature has two chambers—a Senate with 49 members and a House of Representatives with 98 members.
Who represents me?
You live in a legislative district and are
represented in the Legislature by one state senator and two state
representatives. Senators are elected to four-year terms and
representatives are elected to two-year terms. Find your legislative
district on the
Washington State Legislature website.
How are legislative districts created?
Districts are divided by an equal population.
Now that the 2010 census is complete, districts have been redrawn to
reflect the latest population shifts. There are 49 legislative
districts. For more information on redistricting, visit the
Secretary of State’s website.
When does the Legislature meet?
The Legislature meets annually on the second
Monday in January. In odd-numbered years, such as 2015, the Legislature
meets for 105 days to write a two-year state budget and pass laws. In
even-numbered years, they meet for 60 days to make adjustments to the
two-year budget and pass laws.
How does the Washington state budget get finalized?
Washington state operates on a two-year
budget. In December of even-numbered years, the governor releases a
proposed budget. When the Legislature convenes in January, they begin
work on formulating their own budget plans. After the Senate and House
pass their respective plans, leaders in each chamber come together to
negotiate and come up with one budget that can pass the full
Legislature. The final budget is then submitted to the governor, who may
veto some or all of the budget. Once the governor signs the budget, it
takes effect on July 1 of each odd-numbered year.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
The Speaker of the House is the top leadership
position in the state house. The Speaker of the House shapes the agenda
and determines what legislation will pass the floor of the House and be
sent to the Senate.
In the House,
Frank Chopp
(D-Seattle) was re-elected as Speaker of the House. He has served as
the speaker since January 1999. However, he shared the gavel with a
Republican co-speaker from 1999–2002 when there was a tie in the number
of seats held by Democrats and Republicans in the House.
Who is the majority leader?
In the Senate, the majority leader is the top leadership position similar to Speaker of the House. As of December 1, 2014,
Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville)
is Senate Majority Leader. In the House, the majority leader is the
second highest leadership post under the Speaker.
Pat Sullivan
(D-Covington) is House Majority Leader. The majority leader makes sure
that members’ votes are in line with the party. The minority party is
led by the minority leader.
What does the Ways and Means Committee do?
The
Senate Ways and Means Committee writes
the state operating budget, which determines how state revenue is spent
on the public’s priorities such as education, health care and public
safety. This committee also determines if a bill will move forward based
upon the monetary amount attached to it and its impact on the budget as
a whole.
How many seats do Democrats and Republicans hold?
Currently the Democratic Caucus controls the House of Representatives (50–47) and the
Majority Coalition Caucus (made up of 25 Republicans and 1 independent Democrat) controls the Senate (26–23).
How do I find my legislators?
How do I get a bill passed?
Have an idea for a new law? Talk to one of
your state legislators to get them to sponsor a bill. They and their
staff will work with you and the Code Reviser’s Office, who are
non-partisan attorneys, to take your idea and draft the legislation.
Once you have a bill, it must go through the
legislative process before it becomes law.
How do I track a bill?
Visit the
bill information website and
type in the four-digit bill number (e.g., HB 1000). A history of the
bill will be displayed including when it received a public hearing and
how members of the House and/or Senate voted on it. At the bottom of the
page, you can read the Bill Reports for a simple summary of the bill
and what it would do.
The League of Education Voters also maintains a
bill tracker during the legislative session of education-related bills.
What is a caucus?
A caucus is a group of House or Senate members
of a political party. In the Legislature, there are four caucuses:
Senate Democratic Caucus, Senate Republican Caucus, House Democratic
Caucus, and House Republican Caucus.
Between votes on the floor, legislators will
hold caucus meetings with their colleagues from the same political
party. For example, a democratic state representative will caucus with
the House Democrats. During this meeting, members will discuss the
merits of a bill and how they should vote on legislation. Should a
member of the Legislature choose, they may caucus with a political party
other than their own.
Although the public is not allowed to observe
caucus meetings, it is possible to send a note to your legislator in
support or opposition of a bill. You may give campus security, who are
stationed by the doors to the House and Senate floors, the note to your
legislator.
What’s a whip?
A whip is one of several leadership positions
in the Democratic and Republican caucus who assist the majority or
minority leader in both the
House of Representatives and the
Senate.
The whip has several important duties such as counting votes, checking
attendance, and maintaining caucus discipline on partisan issues and
procedural questions.
What’s a companion bill?
If the same bill is proposed in both the House
and Senate, it’s known as a companion bill. Having two versions of the
same bill working through the legislative process increases the chance
that it will become law. However, it also makes the process more complex
since supporters/opponents of the bill need to follow the changes to
each bill closely and decide which one is the best to send to the
governor’s desk.
How do I get to the state capitol and where can I park?
Visit the
state’s website for directions to the state capitol in Olympia from Interstate 5.
For parking, we recommend using one of the nine visitor parking lots on the capitol campus. View the
capitol campus map for the parking lot locations and fees.
The House has two K–12 committees: K–12 and Appropriations. Why is that?
In 2006, state Democrats built up large
majorities in the Legislature. To provide more leadership roles for
legislators, several new committees were created. As a result, the
House Education Appropriations Committee was created as a sub-committee to the Appropriations Committee.
The Senate, on the other hand, has Early Learning and K–12 combined, while the House has Early Learning and Social Services combined.
The party in control in each chamber decides
how to arrange legislative committees. Since there are more members in
the House (98) compare to the Senate (49), there is more flexibility in
arranging committee structures in the House. It would be difficult to
schedule and fill three separate education committees in the Senate.
What happens during the opening week of the Legislature?
Opening day is largely ceremonial, but
legislators do meet in caucus. New members get sworn in, and some work
will take place in committee work sessions later in the afternoon. For
many freshman legislators, opening day is more than just being sworn in
and settling into their offices. Many have family come from around the
country to be supportive and be part of the ceremony.
The first week covers a lot of basics and
logistics. Committee chairs tell members how the committee is run and go
through proper procedures. There will be a number of committee
meetings, and there might be some floor sessions on bills.
On Tuesday, the Governor will give his
State of the State address. The House will hear testimony on the governor’s proposed supplemental budget, and the Senate may as well.
What is a floor session?
A floor session is where all members of a
chamber (House or Senate) vote on bills. This is when a bill is either
introduced and referred to a committee, or when a committee has passed a
bill and the bill has returned to the chamber for final passage.
Do my legislators pay attention to my emails and letters?
If you send a postcard or email to your
legislators, make sure that you include your address. They take more
notice if they know you are a constituent of their district. Remember,
you want them to remember you. While they can’t read all of the emails
they receive, they will begin to learn your name.
Lastly, if you send an email asking for
something and you get it, make sure to send a thank-you email. You are
building a relationship with your legislators with a goal that they will
“want” to talk to you.
What is a “striker” in a bill?
A striker is an amendment to a bill that is
offered when a legislator wants to make substantial changes to
legislation. Often, a striker begins with “strike everything after the
enacting clause and insert the following.”
How many bills are introduced on average during a session?
What are the procedures for giving testimony?
Before you arrive at the public hearing, you
should prepare your remarks. It’s best to prepare your notes in outline
form since reading from prepared text is frowned upon. In your notes,
include what legislation you are supporting or opposing and the top
reasons why. Practice your remarks using your outlined notes and make
sure not to exceed three minutes.
At the public hearing, sign up to testify on
the clipboards by the door and indicate whether you are pro or con. If
you wrote out your remarks, you can give copies of your testimony to the
committee clerk. When testifying, speak into the microphone slowly and
clearly. Begin by stating your name and group or organization you
represent.
What are work sessions?
No public testimony is given during work
sessions. Instead, legislators call upon experts to talk about a
specific topic, such as K–12 funding. Legislators use this time to ask
questions and learn more about legislative issues.
What is a “null and void” clause?
A “null and void” clause means the legislation will not be enacted if it does not receive funding.
What is a fiscal note?
A fiscal note is a cost or savings estimate of the bill’s impact on the Washington state budget.
What is a substitute bill?
A substitute bill is a new bill that replaces the original one.
