The mission of the Washington Association for Substance Misuse And Violence Prevention (WASAVP) is to unite prevention advocates in Washington State to create safe and healthy communities through prevention of substance misuse and violence.
Prevention First! for Safe and Healthy Communities.
Washington State Capitol Building, Olympia, WA
Understanding the Legislative Process
Creating or changing a state law – regardless of the topic of the law – requires successfully navigating as many as five related processes. Prevention can – and should - be involved in providing education during all these processes.
1. Getting the idea for a bill
A legislative bill is a proposed new law or a change to an existing law introduced in a legislature by a member, such as a representative or senator. It outlines a specific topic and is drafted with the intention of being debated, amended, and eventually voted on by the legislative body. If a bill is approved by both houses of the legislature and signed by the executive, it becomes a new law.
Ideas for bills come from a variety of sources. Sometimes, a state agency will request a bill to address a particular problem they are experiencing. Sometimes, a state political party or other partisan interest group will suggest an idea for a bill to a legislator. Mostly though, ideas for bills come from people who live in an individual legislator’s district.
Educating legislators about substance-related problems and factors that increase risk of substance misuse by youth is part of community-based prevention work. But preventionists can also suggest possible solutions to the problems and sometimes those suggestions wind up as bills introduced in the legislature.
2. Drafting and introducing a bill
Early drafts of bills vary significantly in complexity from a list of ideas written on a napkin at a restaurant by a legislator or another party to submission by a legislator or another party of a complete draft of a proposed bill.
The language contained in the bill is the suggested solution to a problem. Prevention providers can provide rough drafts of bills or ideas for bills to legislators, especially if the legislator requests their ideas.
3. Managing the legislative process
The Washington State Legislature is a bicameral (two-chamber) body responsible for making laws in Washington State, composed of a 49-member Senate and a 98-member House of Representatives.
Senators serve four-year terms, while Representatives serve two-year terms.
The Legislature's main functions include enacting public policy, writing and modifying the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), and adopting a state budget by setting taxes and allocating funds. Bills are introduced, debated in standing and fiscal committees, and voted on by both chambers before potentially becoming law.
This 13-minute video – Session Flow - explains the operations of Washington
State’s legislature including descriptions of how bills become law, committee
hearing structure, voting, and amendments.
Most of the legislature’s work is focused on considering “bills” introduced by legislators. A “bill” is a proposed new law or a change to an existing law introduced in the legislature by a representative or senator. Bills vary in length. Some are a few lines while some – like the state budget bills – can be hundreds of pages long. You can find out more about how a bill is constructed by clicking on the following link and reading this document, “Elements of a Bill.”
This 10-minute video – Reading a Bill – identifies the elements of a bill and
explains how to identify proposed changes to existing state law.
People who are interested in bills can sign in to committee meetings orally or by writing to communicate their support or opposition to a bill, or to provide guidance about how a bill could be improved. Testimony can either be in person in a committee meeting at the Capitol Building in Olympia, WA or remotely using Zoom.
This 16-minute video – Crafting a Message - explains how to communicate
with your legislator, including step-by-step guides to writing your pitch,
avoiding pitfalls, and crafting your message.
4. Governor’s signature
Once both the House and Senate have passed a bill, it is delivered to the Governor's office. Governor Bob Ferguson, the current governor, has specific deadlines and options for acting on legislation. The Governor has three choices for bills passed by both houses of the legislature and sent for signature:
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Sign the bill into law.
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Veto the entire bill or veto specific sections of it (a partial veto).
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Allow the bill to become law without a signature by taking no action within the time limit.
Prevention providers, coalition members, and community partners can request specific actions from the Governor with respect to actions to be taken regarding bills.
5. Establishing rules for implementing the change in law.
In Washington State, laws are enacted by the Legislature (e.g., statutes) or the Constitution, while rules (also called regulations) are created by state agencies under the authority granted by those laws.
Laws set broad principles, whereas rules provide the specific details and procedures for how a law will be implemented, interpreted, and enforced in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC), respectively.
Rules explain how laws are to be followed and carry penalties for violations.
Other videos that explain elements of the legislative process are available at: Prevention Voices Washington Webinar Series.
What do all these terms mean - Bills, Laws, and Rules?
Whether it's the state legislature or the smallest town in the state...the process is essentially the same:
A proposed change in law is introduced by the legislative body for that jurisdiction. In the state legislature, a new proposal is called a bill; at the local level it is usually referred to as a proposed ordinance. The state legislature has jurisdiction for the entire state. The Concrete Town Council has jurisdiction just for the town limits of the Town of Concrete.
When the state legislature passes a bill, and the Governor signs it, it becomes a law. When a local government passes a proposed ordinance it is then referred to as an ordinance.
At both the state and local levels, laws provide overall guidance. But adopted rules at either the state or local level direct how the new law or ordinance is actually implemented. For example, the 2025 legislature passed a bill into law that allows local jurisdictions to regulate the trade name signs for cannabis retailers. The law applies across the state, but each jurisdiction will set up its own rules about how it will implement the law. You can learn more by reading this document - The Difference Between Bills, Laws, and Rules.
