SB 5994 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Preserving timber tax distributions for school districts with recent school district levy failures.

This bill preserves timber tax funding for Washington school districts that recently failed to pass local levies. It requires counties to use the highest previous year's levy rate (from the last two years) when calculating distributions if a district doesn't impose a current levy. The key mechanism ensures school districts continue receiving timber tax funds for non-debt purposes, even after levy failure, by basing calculations on historical rates. This directly affects school districts that have experienced levy failures within the last two years. The policy change modifies existing distribution rules under RCW 84.33.081 to maintain stable funding for school operations.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 6, 2026 Signed Mar 16, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Passed Legislature · 1 edit
MINOR
The document added is a formal certification of enrollment confirming that Senate Bill 5994 passed both the Senate and House of Representatives in the 2026 Regular Session. It includes the vote counts and official signatures required to finalize the bill into law, rather than changing the bill's actual policy content.
TECHNICAL

Added a formal certification page with vote tallies (Senate: 47-2, House: 96-0), dates of passage, and signature lines for the Secretary of the Senate and Speaker of the House.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

492
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 11, 2026
D Democratic31
30 Yea 1 Nay
96% Yea
R Republican20
19 Yea 1 Nay
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
12
Committee
8
Mar 16, 2026
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 4, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (98-0-2)
house
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
FIN - Majority; do pass.
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Finance at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 1:30 PM.
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (49-2)
senate
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
WM - Majority; do pass.
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
Jan 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors