Dear Tom,

Last week marked the House of Origin cutoff for bills to make it out of committee. Several bike safety priorities moved forward, but #WrongOnRed, the bill to make our streets safer by banning right turns on red at busy intersections, didn’t move past fiscal cutoff. 

Thanks to the hundreds of you who advocated for #WrongOnRed. Despite this setback, we’re confident that we educated leaders and the public on the safety impacts of eliminating right turns on red at intersections, and think we’re closer to local-led action because of this push. 

After an initial period of intense committee hearings, we’ll see a flurry of floor action over the next few weeks, where bill are voted on by the full House or Senate. After that, bills will head to the opposite chamber for committee consideration – and we’ll need your help demonstrating support for active transportation and safety. 

Highlights for week 8 (Feb 27 - March 3):

• Yesterday, Monday, Feb. 27, WA Bikes priority bill, HB 1319 - legislation uniting the vehicular assault and Cooper Jones act, triggering driver’s license re-examination after a crash - sailed through its third and final reading on the House floor, with unanimous support, 96 votes for and 0 against!

• Check the updated status of our priority bills in the 2023 WA Bill Tracker.

Background information:

• WA Bikes 2023 Legislative Agenda

• Washington State Legislature general information. Find your legislators and learn more about the process

We’re thrilled to have you with us, and we’re looking forward to making our communities safer for people biking, walking, and rolling around the state.