Legislature committees working on fiscal matters must take final votes by Friday of this week now that the 2021 session is more than three-fourths complete.

Adjournment for the 105-day session is scheduled for April 25.

Washington Retail continues to monitor key retail-related bills as the Legislature begins its final stretch of meetings. WR opposes several proposed new taxes because state revenues are recovering from the pandemic and are coming in at amounts above expectations. Please note that legislative actions can be spontaneous and difficult to anticipate. Therefore, this account was accurate at the time of writing.

Among the bills WR is monitoring are:

• Senate bill 5062, Washington Privacy Act. It would determine online security responsibilities for retailers and information processors regarding personal consumer information. Washington Retail opposes the bill as it came out of the Civil Rights and Judiciary as it now contains a private right of action. The bill is now before the House Appropriations Committee with a $4 million fiscal note for Attorney General Enforcement.
• SB 5096, capital gains tax. The bill narrowly passed the Senate and is in the House for further consideration. Washington Retail opposes the bill that would tax the sale of personal assets that would include businesses. WR expects the bill to be signed into law and challenged in court as an unconstitutional income tax.
• House bill 1539, bad debt sales tax credit. The bill WR opposes would eliminate the sales tax credit retailers now take when a customer defaults on paying when they make a purchase on credit. The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of keeping this credit in place. The Department of Revenue is wrongfully trying to overturn this ruling.
• HB 1303 would impose a business and occupation tax on the sale of personal data. WR opposes the bill.
• SB 5355 would enable liens on property during complaints of alleged wage violations by businesses. WR opposes the bill.
• WR supports SB 5203 that authorizes the Health Care Authority to enter into partnerships with other states to purchase generic prescription drugs.

WR will continue weekly updates on key bills until adjournment. Then, in the weeks following adjournment, WR will present members with a much more comprehensive summary of the outcome of all the bills WR has monitored during the session.