View source for Washington State Legislature

{{short description|Bicameral legislature of Washington State}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
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{{more citations needed|date=May 2019}}
{{more footnotes|date=May 2019}}
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{{Infobox legislature
| name              = Washington State Legislature
| coa_pic           = Seal_of_Washington.svg
| coa-pic           = 
| session_room      = WACapitolLegislativeBldg.jpg
| house_type        = Bicameral
| houses            = [[Washington State Senate|Senate]]<br />[[Washington House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| leader1_type       = [[Lieutenant Governor of Washington|Senate President]]
| leader1           = [[Denny Heck]]
| party1            = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election1         = January 13, 2021
| leader2_type      = Senate President pro tempore
| leader2           = [[Steve Conway (politician)|Steve Conway]]
| party2            = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election2         = January 13, 2025
| leader3_type      = House Speaker
| leader3           = [[Laurie Jinkins]]
| party3            = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election3         = January 13, 2020
| members           = '''147''' <br /> 49 senators <br /> 98 representatives
| house1            = Senate
| structure1        = WashingtonStateSenate69.svg
| structure1_res = 250px
| political_groups1 =
'''Majority Caucus'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} [[Washington State Democratic Party|Democratic]] (30)}}
'''Minority Caucus'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} [[Washington State Republican Party|Republican]] (19)}}
| house2            = House of Representatives
| structure2        = Washington State House 2025.svg
| structure2_res    = 278px
| political_groups2 = 
'''Majority'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} [[Washington State Democratic Party|Democratic]] (59)}}
'''Minority'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} [[Washington State Republican Party|Republican]] (39)}} 
| last_election1    = [[2024 Washington State Senate election|November 5, 2024]]<br />(24 seats)
| last_election2    = [[2024 Washington House of Representatives election|November 5, 2024]]<br />(98 seats)
| next_election1    = [[2026 Washington State Senate election|November 3, 2026]]<br />(25 seats)
| next_election2    = [[2026 Washington House of Representatives election|November 3, 2026]]<br />(98 seats)
| meeting_place     = [[Washington State Capitol]]<br />[[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]]
| website           = {{Official URL}}
}}
The '''Washington State Legislature''' is the [[state legislature (United States)|state legislature]] of the State of [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. It is a [[bicameral]] body, composed of the [[lower house|lower]] [[Washington House of Representatives]], composed of 98 representatives, and the [[upper house|upper]] [[Washington State Senate]], with 49 senators plus the [[lieutenant governor]] acting as president.<ref name="Haider-Markel">{{cite journal |last1=Haider-Markel |first1=Donald |title=Washington |journal=Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions |date=2009 |volume=2 |doi=10.4135/9781452240152 |isbn=9780872893771 |access-date=December 16, 2022 |url=https://sk.sagepub.com/cqpress/political-encyclopedia-of-us-states-and-regions/n42.xml|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The state is divided into 49 legislative districts, each of which elect one senator and two representatives.

The state legislature meets in the Legislative Building at the [[Washington State Capitol]] in [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]].

As of January 2025, Democrats control both houses of the Washington State Legislature. Democrats hold a 59–39 majority in the House of Representatives<ref name="Ballotpedia House">{{cite web |title=Washington House of Representatives |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_House_of_Representatives |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=December 16, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> and a 30–19 majority in the Senate.<ref name="Ballotpedia Senate">{{cite web |title=Washington State Senate |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_State_Senate |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=December 16, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=November 2023}}

==History==
The Washington State Legislature traces its ancestry to the creation of the [[Washington Territory]] in 1853, following successful arguments from settlers north of the [[Columbia River]] to the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] to legally separate from the [[Oregon Territory]]. The Washington Territorial Assembly, as the newly created area's bicameral legislature, convened the following year. The legislature represented settlers from the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] to modern [[Montana]].

===The Female Voting Franchise===
From nearly the start of the territory, arguments over giving [[women's suffrage|women the right to vote]] dogged legislative proceedings. While some legislators carried genuine concerns over women deserving the right to vote, most legislators pragmatically believed that giving women suffrage would entice more [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern]] women to immigrate to the remote and sparsely populated territory. In 1854, only six years after the [[Seneca Falls Convention]], the issue was brought to a vote by the legislature. Women's suffrage was defeated in a tied vote of 9 to 9 (an absolute majority, or 10 votes, was needed to pass laws). This was due to one legislator voting against this bill because he had an American Indian wife and only white women would have been able to vote.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://leg.wa.gov/History/Legislative/Documents/HistoryOfTheLeg.pdf | access-date=2023-12-01 | title=HISTORY of the WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE 1854 - 1963}}</ref>

A decade later, the [[Wyoming Legislature]] would become the first body in the [[United States]] to grant women's suffrage in 1869.

The issue over female suffrage did not diminish. In 1871 [[Susan B. Anthony]] and Thurston County Representative [[Daniel Bigelow]] addressed the legislature on the issue.  In 1883, the issue returned to the floor, this time with the Territorial Assembly successfully passing universal suffrage for women.<ref name="LWVWA">{{cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.lwvwa.org/our-history |website=www.lwvwa.org |publisher=League of Women Voters of Washington |access-date=December 16, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> It quickly became one of the most liberal voting laws in the nation, giving female [[African-American]] voters the voting franchise for the first time in the United States. However, in 1887, the territorial [[Washington Supreme Court]] ruled the 1883 universal suffrage act as unconstitutional in ''[[Harland v. Washington]]''. Another attempt by the legislature to regrant universal female suffrage was again overturned in 1888.

After two failed voter referendums in 1889 and 1897, activism led by [[Emma Smith DeVoe]] and [[May Arkwright Hutton]], among others, led the state legislature to approve the state constitutional amendment granting full female voting rights, which Washington's (male) voters ratified in 1910 by a vote of 52,299 to 29,676.<ref name="LWVWA" /><ref name="Ballot for the Ladies">{{cite web |title=A Ballot for the Ladies: Washington Women's Struggle for the Vote (1850-1910) |url=https://content.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/suffrage/ |website=content.lib.washington.edu |access-date=December 16, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Elected members of Washington's first legislature, November 1889.jpg|left|thumb|Members of Washington's first legislature, November 1889]]

===Statehood===
With more than two decades of pressure on federal authorities to authorize statehood, on February 22, 1889, the [[U.S. Congress]] passed the [[Enabling Act of 1889|Enabling Act]], signed into law by outgoing [[Grover Cleveland|President Grover Cleveland]], authorizing the territories of [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], and [[Montana]] to form state governments. The Territorial Assembly set out to convene a constitutional convention to write a [[Washington State Constitution|state constitution]].

Following its successful passage by the legislature, Washington voters approved the new document on October 1. On November 11, 1889, [[Benjamin Harrison|President Benjamin Harrison]] authorized Washington to become the [[List of U.S. states by date of statehood|42nd state of United States]]. It was the last [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] state of the [[Continental U.S.]] to achieve statehood. The modern Washington State Legislature was created.

==Meetings==
The bicameral body is composed of legislators, beginning the legislative session annually on the second Monday in January. In odd-numbered years, when the state budget is debated upon, the State Legislature meets for 105 days, and in even-numbered years for 60 days.<ref name="Haider-Markel" /> The [[Governor of Washington]] can call legislators in for a special 30-day session at any time. Legislators also can call themselves into special session by a two-thirds vote by both the House of Representatives and the State Senate.

===Television coverage===
Debates within both the House and Senate, as well as committee meetings and other special events within or relating to the legislature are broadcast throughout Washington on [[TVW (Washington)|TVW]], the state public affairs network.<ref name="TVW">{{cite web |title=About - TVW |url=https://tvw.org/about/ |website=tvw.org |access-date=December 16, 2022 |date=May 11, 2021}}</ref>  Debates can also be found on the web at TVW.org.

==Vacancies==
Unlike some state legislatures, the Washington State Legislature does not hold a [[special election]] between general elections if a seat becomes vacant in the middle of a term. Instead, the county central committee of the political party that last held the seat in the county that contains the district nominates three candidates and the board of county [[commissioner]]s chooses among them. A special election is then held alongside November general elections.  Where a district spans counties, the state central committee of the party selects the candidates and the boards of county commissioners of all the counties jointly choose one.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://leg.wa.gov/lawsandagencyrules/documents/12-2010-wastateconstitution.pdf |title=Constitution of the State of Washington, Article II, section 15 |access-date=January 7, 2020 |archive-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325051502/https://leg.wa.gov/LawsAndAgencyRules/Documents/12-2010-WAStateConstitution.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Compensation==
As of July 2025, legislators receive an annual salary of [[United States dollar|$]]67,688. The Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader receive salaries of $75,688; the House and Senate minority leaders receive salaries of $71,688.<ref name="salary">{{Cite web|url=https://salaries.wa.gov/salary|title=Salary Information|publisher=Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials|access-date=July 4, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=43.03.013|title=Salaries of members of the legislature|publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date=July 4, 2025}}</ref> 

==See also==
*[[Washington State Capitol]]
*[[Washington House of Representatives]]
*[[Washington State Senate]]
* [[List of Washington state legislatures]]

==Further reading==

* Don Brazier, [http://leg.wa.gov/Help/Documents/HistoryOfTheLeg.pdf ''History of the Washington Legislature, 1854-1963.''] Olympia, WA: Washington State Senate, 2000.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx Washington State Legislature]
* {{citation |title= Guide to Law Online: U.S. Washington: Legislative |url= https://guides.loc.gov/law-us-washington/legislative |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |location=Washington DC |work= guides.loc.gov }}

{{Washington State Senators}}
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{{Washington House of Representatives}}
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{{United States legislatures}}
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[[Category:Washington State Legislature| ]]
[[Category:Government of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Bicameral legislatures]]