Freshman lawmaker Rep. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, passed her first piece of sponsored legislation off the House floor on Wednesday.
The measure, House Bill 1819, would require additional identification, a phone number and photo, from those who want to audit a political candidate’s finances.
It passed 67 to 31, sailing through right before the Legislature’s cutoff deadline. Bills that didn’t make it through their chamber of origin on Wednesday are considered dead for the session.
Legislators about to pass their first measure often get some good-natured ribbing on the chamber floor and Wilson was no different.
Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, jokingly chided Wilson before voting in favor of the bill.
“I started out saying I was surprised the other half of the dynamic duo would introduce such a bill, but then transitioned into supporting the bill,” Pike wrote in an email.
Wilson and Pike had advertisements declaring them a “dynamic duo” while campaigning.
“I was one of those candidates who had a stranger request to come into my home to inspect my campaign books,” Pike said. “Several of us Republicans had the same person inspect our books, yet they refused to give us their ID so we could verify who they were. It’s a good bill.”
Because of the deadline, both the Senate and House ran through a long list of legislation Wednesday.
The House overwhelmingly passed House Bill 2055, which would include fiscal impact statements on ballot measures. The bill, which passed 97 to 1, is in response to the passage of Initiative 1351, which voters approved in November to decrease class sizes.
“There is br oad agreement that many ballot measures do not have complete fiscal information,” said Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver. “This bill provides for more complete information and provides more time to get it done. Most of us have heard at least a few people say … ‘it costs what?’ ”
The state Senate passed a measure to decrease tuition at state universities and community colleges. Under Senate Bill 5954, tuition would be tied to the amount the average Washington worker is paid. Proponents argued higher education costs have become untenable, while opponents questioned how the state could afford the proposal.
On Wednesday evening, the House approved a measure modifying the Equal Pay Act to prohibit paying women less money and to block retaliation from employers if employees discuss their wages. The measure, which passed 55-43, now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Also on Wednesday evening, the Senate passed Senate Bill 5748 in a 26 to 23 vote. It would use test scores when evaluating teachers and principals. In a previous legislative session, lawmakers failed to approve changes in evaluations and lost the federal No Child Left Behind waiver. The measure now goes to the House.
The last day of the regular session is April 26.
