Examples of ‘Emergency’ Legislation

Published July 1, 2005

Washington State legislators this spring attached emergency clauses to nearly 200 bills and enacted 98 of them. Here are samples of “emergency” legislation, in addition to SB 6078:

 

  • HB 1003 Allowing off-road vehicles (ORVs) to be used on non-highway roads when authorized and exempting ORVs operating on non-highway roads from vehicle licensing, equipment, and lighting requirements.

 

 

  • HB 2221 Exempting canning, preserving, freezing, processing, or dehydrating fresh fruits and vegetables from the business and occupation tax.

 

 

  • SB 5274 Implementing a state-registered real estate appraiser trainee classification.

 

 

  • SB 5581 Creating the Life Science Discovery Fund Authority. The authority can enter into an agreement with the state to receive tobacco settlement funding starting in 2008.

 

 

  • SB 5951 Exempting certain information held by the Horse Racing Commission from public records disclosure.

 

 

  • SB 5952 Exempting trams used for transporting people to and from parking lots to horse race facilities from vehicle licensing.

 

 

  • HB 1397 Adopting California vehicle emissions standards. The new standards do not go into effect until the 2009 car model year.

 

 

  • HB 2255 Rolling back some unemployment insurance reforms adopted two years ago.

 

 

  • SB 5034 Amending Initiative 134 to allow unions and corporations to make campaign contributions in excess of original limits.

 

Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) vetoed emergency clauses in four bills, including HB 1117 (increasing highway weight limit for transport of dairy nutrients), HB 1270 (concerning retirement benefits for public employees), HB 1441 (concerning access to health insurance for children), and HB 1463 (requiring schools to provide information on meningococcal immunization).

— Jason Mercier