Concerning public transportation benefit area governing bodies.
SB 6253 requires public transportation benefit area governing bodies in Washington to grant full participation rights to labor representatives who currently serve in nonvoting roles. It adds two new voting members to each governing board: one who regularly uses public transit for transportation, and one representing a community-based organization that uses transit. The bill also mandates that governing body meetings be scheduled at times and locations accessible by public transit to support these new members' participation. These changes apply to all public transportation benefit areas with governing boards, affecting how local transit decisions are made and ensuring broader community input.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 21, 2026
Last action Feb 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Substitute Bill
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to clarify that the labor representative on public transportation governing bodies is a 'nonvoting' member who participates in all discussions but does not have the right to vote on final decisions. The original version incorrectly stated the representative would become a 'voting member,' while the substitute version corrects this to ensure the role remains nonvoting but fully participatory in debates and planning.
Scope change
The scope of the labor representative's role was narrowed regarding voting authority; they retain full participation in meetings but lose the ability to cast votes on final actions.
ELIGIBILITY
The status of the labor representative was changed from a 'voting member' to a 'nonvoting member' who is fully participating in discussions but cannot vote on final decisions.
REQUIREMENT
The specific exclusion of the labor representative from executive sessions regarding labor negotiations was removed from the text.
The requirement for the labor representative to be excluded from other executive sessions was removed.
TECHNICAL
Formatting and layout were updated to match standard legislative substitute bill conventions, including page numbers and line numbering.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
8
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.
upper
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Deb Krishnadasan
DDemocratic
Co
Bob Hasegawa
DDemocratic
Co
Claire Wilson
DDemocratic
Co
Derek Stanford
DDemocratic
Co
Javier Valdez
DDemocratic
Co
Liz Lovelett
DDemocratic
Co
Manka Dhingra
DDemocratic
Co
Marko Liias
DDemocratic
Co
RS
Rebecca Saldaña
DDemocratic
Co
Steve Conway
DDemocratic
Co
T'wina Nobles
DDemocratic
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