Another Washington state legislative session is now underway in Olympia.
For just 60 days, lawmakers will sift through hundreds of bills on issues ranging from housing and transportation to climate change and the opioid crisis. Nestled amongst those issues are bills about technology, innovation, and at least two relating to electrical vehicles catching on fire.
Here’s a rundown of the tech-related bills.
Senate Bill 5849: Computer Science Graduation Requirement
Look out, kids, it’s time to finally learn to code. SB 5849 will establish a computer science competency graduation requirement for Washington high school students. If the bill passes, starting with the 2029 graduating class, students must demonstrate they have adequate computer science skills as aligned with state computer science standards in order to graduate. To do this, the students can show they completed a computer science class; or they can take a class that includes foundational computer science skills; or students can complete a competency exam. The passage of this bill will prompt Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction to create computer science learning standards across K-12 grade levels, update them periodically, and create student assessments.
Sponsors: Sen. Lisa Wellman – D, Sen. T’wina Nobles – D, Sen. Matt Boehnke – R, Sen. Noel Frame – D, Sen. Bob Hasegawa – D, Sen. Sam Hunt – D, Sen. Patty Kuderer – D, Sen. Joe Nguyen – D, Sen. Sharon Shewmake – D, Sen. Yasmin Trudeau – D, Sen. Claire Wilson – D
Senate Bill 5838: AI Taskforce
Late last year, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he’d like to create an AI taskforce to report and assess risks around the technology. At his request, the legislature is attempting to assemble a bipartisan task force with SB 5838. According to the bill, the task force will consist of one member from each of the two largest caucuses as appointed by the president of the Senate. Together they’ll form the taskforce alongside two appointees from the House of Representatives “and at least 38 specified experts, agency representatives, or interested parties appointed by the Attorney General’s Office.” The size of the task force was a focus of a committee hearing Wednesday morning discussing the proposal.
Sponsors: Sen. Joe Nguyen – D, Sen. Steve Conway – D, Manka Dhingra – D, Sen. Bob Hasegawa – D, Sen. Sam Hunt – D, Sen. Karen Keiser – D, Sen. Patty Kuderer – D, Sen. Marko Liias – D, Sen. Liz Lovelett – D, Sen. Ron Muzzall – R, Sen. T’wina Nobles – D, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña – D, Sen. Jesse Salomon – D, Sen. Derek Stanford – D, Sen. Nikki Torres – R, Sen. Javier Valdez – D, Sen. Lisa Wellman – D
House Bill 1982: Broadband for Tribes
This bill aims to boost high-speed internet connectivity for federally recognized Native American tribes by establishing a grant and loan program. According to the bill, bolstering broadband access for rurally-located and underserved tribal communities will boost job creation and innovation, expand local business markets, and support education, health, and public safety systems. The grants and loans will go toward infrastructure costs.
Sponsors: Rep. Kevin Waters – R, Rep. Clyde Shavers – D, Rep. Cindy Ryu – D, Rep. Travis Couture – R, Rep. Bill Ramos – R, Rep. Stephanie McClintock – R, Rep. Lisa Callan – D, Rep. Greg Cheney – R, Rep. Beth Doglio – D, Rep. Bryan Sandlin – R, Rep. Dave Paul, Rep. Paul Harris – R, Rep. April Berg – D, Rep. Steve Tharinger – D, Rep. Marcus Riccelli – D, Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos – D
Senate Bill 5872: Rule for Autonomous Vehicles
The arrival of self-driving car companies in Washington means we might need some legislation. SB5872 spells out owner and operator requirements for self-driving cars. In the bill, a self-driving car must meet federal standards for motor vehicles and cannot operate on a highway unless a “human safety operator” is physically present to intervene if anything goes haywire with the self-driving car’s performance. Whoever is doing the self-driving car testing must notify local governments and law enforcement entities in the areas where they’ll be testing. Additionally, any collisions where police are called or any moving violations which result in tickets or citations must be logged. On top of those infractions, all self-reported collisions or accidents must be reported annually and will be public information. The Seattle Department of Transportation already has its own Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit program.
Sponsors: Sen. John Lovick – D, Sen. Manka Dhingra – D, Sen. Bob Hasegawa – D, Sen. Liz Lovelett – D, Sen. Javier Valdez – D, Sen. Claire Wilson – D
Senate Bill 5866: Telehealth
Have you ever had your remote therapy sessions upended because your therapist was booted off the software? Well, maybe that won’t ever happen with SB 5866, which will try to keep some of the teletherapy headaches at bay by mandating software vendors providing telehealth platforms to notify their clients, either therapists or therapy practices using the digital platform, six months before stopping services.
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Fortunato – R
House Bill 1947: Washington Technology Solutions
This bill will change the name and some of the duties of the Consolidated Technology Services Agency, the government agency currently in charge of all statewide and governmental tech-related policies, projects, and strategies. The director of the CTSA is the state chief information officer. Under this bill, the new agency would be called Washington Technology Solutions, or WaTech for short. The bill will also eliminate the Office of the State Chief Information Officer since WaTech will absorb all of that office’s duties. The bill also prompts WaTech to “establish additional standards and policies for technology, including funding of major information technology projects, for state agencies.”
Sponsors: Rep. Chapalo Street – D, Rep. Travis Couture – R, Rep. Cindy Ryu – D, Rep. Mia Gregerson – D, Rep. Julia Reed – D, Rep. Timm Ormsby – D, Rep. Kristine Reeves – D
State Bill 5909: Towing and Storing EVs
Not all cars are the same, it turns out. Towing and storing an electric vehicle the same way as a regular gas-powered vehicle could be dangerous both for the EV and for society. When a tow truck driver tows an EV the same way they would tow a gas-powered vehicle, the back wheels left on the road generate unused battery power in the EV. This can damage the battery and the motor. Similarly, EVs present a threat of battery fire. Storing EVs in facilities not retrofitted for potential combustion could be dangerous. SB 5909 seeks to provide tow truck drivers with funds to tow EVs on flatbeds and to retrofit storage facilities which will store EVs. If passed, individual tow truck drivers will need to request reimbursement for the extra costs involved in towing and storing EVs. Those costs cannot exceed more than $10,000 per EV.
Sponsors: Sen. Jeff Wilson – R, Sen. John Lovick – D, Sen. Jim McCune – R
Senate Bill 5812: EV Fires
When electric vehicles burn, the fire — usually a battery fire — burns differently. With more EVs on the streets, learning how to adequately respond to those fires could be crucial for public safety. SB 5812 directs the Washington State Patrol together with the Department of Ecology and local fire protection districts to study the impacts of EV fires on the environment and on firefighters’ health, what the best practices are for responding to an EV fire, and how to clean up and dispose of refuse in the wake of an EV fire. If passed, WSP will need to produce a report by January 2025 on its findings and any suggested legislation.
Sponsors: Sen. Jeff Wilson – R, Sen. Joe Nguyen – D, Sen. John Lovick – D, Sen. Jim McCune – R
House Bill 1924: Fusion
Washington’s State Energy Strategy, updated in 2021, requires the state to fosters a clean energy economy, works to keep energy prices low, and focuses on lowering greenhouse gasses. To do that, HB 1924 requires the state to explore fusion, the energy which emerges from the merging of atomic nuclei, as a clean energy option. There are several fusion companies based in the Pacific Northwest.
Sponsors: Rep. Clyde Shavers – D, Rep. Cindy Ryu – D, Rep. Stephanie Barnard – R, Rep. Chris Stearns – D, Rep. Sharon Wylie – D
Senate Bill 6074: Rideshare Death Benefit
In an amendment to last year’s bill which gave rideshare drivers the right to family and medical leave, SB 6074 will give drivers death benefits if they die from an injury incurred while logged onto work with a rideshare app. A Uber and Lyft driver was recently killed in a shooting this month in Edmonds, Wash., while he was reportedly working.
Sponsors: Sen. Rebecca Saldaña – D, Sen. Bob Hasegawa – D, Sen. Javier Valdez – D, Sen. Claire Wilson – D
