Next legislative session Washington lawmakers hope to pass a new budget, rewrite the state’s sunsetting drug possession law and address the state’s housing crisis.
Possessing drugs resulted in a felony in most cases in Washington until February of last year. That’s when Washington’s Supreme Court overturned the state drug law. The legislature passed a temporary fix that expires next summer that made possessing drugs a misdemeanor.
Spokane Public Radio’s Rebecca White spoke to Washington Senate Majority leader Andy Billig, a Democrat from Spokane, to discuss the upcoming session.
This is the first of several conversations with Eastern Washington lawmakers about the upcoming legislative session. Stay tuned this week to hear more updates.
The new legislative session kicks off on January 9.