Washington legislative history is available from the mid-1970s to the present. The materials in this library provide a good starting point for your research within this timeframe. Outside this timeframe, ask at the reference desk for help or consult with the Washington State Archives in Olympia (see below).

Where to begin:  

The key to locating legislative history is the bill number. To find the bill number, start with the section of the RCW that you wish to research. At the end of the section, there is bracketed statutory history. This citation should include a year, session or special session, chapter, and a section. Multiple citations indicate that there have been later amendments (and therefore separate bills). You will need to research the original legislation as well as any amendments that affect the language you are tracking.

Armed with the year, special session (if any), chapter, and section of the original law and any amendments, proceed to the Laws of Washington. This set is organized by year and session. Locate the appropriate volume for each citation you are tracking. Within each volume, look for the law by its chapter number. The House or Senate bill number is listed directly under the chapter number.

Once you know the bill number:  

There are a variety of sources to check for legislative history. Not all bills are in all the materials, so you will need to consult more than one source.

First look your bill number up in the Final Legislative Report dated the year your bill passed. The Law Library has this series from 1981 onwards. For each bill, this official publication, written by committee staff and based on committee bill reports, will provide background, summary, votes on final passage, effective date, and any veto message.

Next look at both the House Journal and the Senate Journal from the year and session your bill passed. The bill table at the back of the final volume for each session lists pages where each bill is mentioned. These journals contain points of inquiry, texts of amendments and substitutions, and dates of floor action. Be aware that transcription of any floor debate on the bill is omitted from these sources.

You can then check either the House Bills or Senate Bills for any additions or deletions made to the bill during the legislative process. These sets are organized by year and bill number.

Lastly, look for your bill in The State of Washington Legislative Record. This publication contains the Legislative Digest and History of Bills. It will give you a brief history and summary of every bill it covers from 1970 onward.

If you need more information:  

The Washington State Archives in Olympia has more information than you can find here. In addition to files on bills introduced (not just enacted), their resources include some bill files pre-dating the mid-1970s, and more current bill files that include the full bill report and any material complied by the reporting committee. The archives also have committee meeting tapes from the mid-1970s onward. For a fee, the Archives will send copies of bill files and committee tapes. If you are looking for legislation enacted within the last two years, you may be able to obtain a copy of the bill file from the appropriate reporting committee. Call the House and Senate numbers listed below to find the reporting committee phone numbers.

Telephone Numbers:

State Archives (360) 586-1492
House Information (360) 786-7750
Senate Information (360) 786-7750
House Journal Clerk (360) 786-7790
Senate Journal Clerk (360) 786-7590

Internet Sources:

Legislative history for bills introduced from 1997 to the present can be researched on the Washington state Legislative web site. Pending legislation can be also be tracked at www1.leg.wa.gov/legislature.

TV Washington contains video and audio transcripts of Committee hearings, House and Senate floor debates and more, in its Archived Audio or Video section. Access it at: http://www.tvw.org/index.cfm

The University of Washington Gallagher Law Library contains a guide to doing Legislative History research, at the following web site address: http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/washleghis.html

The State Law Library also has a guide on its web site. It is titled Washington Legislative History and Legislative Intent.

The Washington State Bar Association has a guide about Using the Internet to Watch a Bill Become a Law.