Learn About State Funding

The WA State Legislature convenes each January for the purpose of creating and revising state laws, reaching consensus on a wide range of issues, and to establish and revise the state budget. 

While we have chosen representatives to carry out the task of determining which Washington laws and policies will best serve our interests, to do their job well, legislators rely on input from many sources  - including you!

As with voting, participating in the state’s legislative process is a way that individuals can have a voice in the policies and funding established by the state legislature. State legislators welcome your involvement in the process and hope you'll take the opportunity to participate. 

Involvement can take many forms as outlined in the Washington State Legislature Citizen’s Guide to Effective Participation and may include: 

• Making yourself an expert in the legislative topic that interests you.
• Getting to know your legislators. To make a difference you must develop a relationship with your legislators. The best way to get to know your legislators is to spend time with them. There are a number of ways to contact and build a relationship with your legislators, including: 
  • A personal visit. Call your legislator’s office, introduce yourself, and make an appointment for your visit. Use the Member Rosters to find the associated phone numbers and emails.
  • Attend a town hall. Most legislators conduct town hall meetings at various locations in their district. 
  • Write a letter. Make sure to include your mailing address and phone number so the legislator knows how to respond. Use the Member Rosters to find the associated address. 
  • Send an e-mail message. Use the Member E-mail Address list to find the email addresses for legislators. 
• Get to know Legislative Staff. Legislators rely on professional staff for information gathering and analysis. Staff appreciate new sources of information and can provide you with the most current information they have. 
• Network with other citizens. Find out if there are other groups that share your concerns and get involved. A group of concerned citizens can be much more effective working together, rather than as separate individuals. 

• TVW Website
  TVW provides unfiltered, unbiased, gavel-to-gavel coverage of Washington state government, along with complementary programming, to promote a healthy and robust public discourse, increase civic access and engagement, and foster an informed citizenry
• Teach With TVW 
  Teach With TVW Modules are short explainer videos designed to teach key aspects of Washington state civics and government.
• Teach With TVW - The Legislative Navigator
• Teach With TVW - Civics 101 in 120 Seconds(ish)

Each Thursday, the committee schedule for the next week is established. You can track what bills are being heard by visiting the Committee Schedules, Agendas, and Documents page on the legislature website.

Use the Committee Sign-in page to sign up to provide verbal testimony, written testimony, or simply record your position on various bills. NOTE: positions and in-person/remote testimony sign-ins can be submitted up to 1 hour before the hearing; written testimony can be submitted up to 24 hours after the hearing.

• A quick video tutorial of how to do the sign-up process
• Guidance from the legislature on how to testify in committee

Send Comments on a Specific Bill to the Bill Sponsor(s)

Send bill comments by searching for bills by number, then use the “Comment on this Bill” button to use the online comment form. This will go to the people sponsoring the bill. 

Additional Resources

• How a bill becomes a law
• Glossary of legislative terms