House approves bills on noxious weeds, legal counsel for youth in court

Lawmakers in the Washington House of Representatives passed bills Tuesday, including one that would make changes to the state Noxious Weed Control Board.

House Bill 1355, which passed in a 97-0 vote, would revamp the member composition and priorities of the state Noxious Weed Control Board, as well as the noxious weed control boards for every county, according to the bill’s text.

Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, is HB 1355’s primary sponsor. Both Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, and Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, are co-sponsoring the bill.

Dent said HB 1355 would, among other things, help county assessors use centerline miles — a more convenient measurement — to determine what land would be under the state’s jurisdiction.

Centerline miles would be defined as “the length of any given road right-of-way corridor in miles along the center line of the overall roadway alignment,” according to the bill’s text.

“Probably the biggest change (the bill) makes is it requires forest landowners to control and prevent the spread of Class C noxious weeds along the roads and various other areas in the forest,” Dent said.

Noxious weeds cause major issues in cropland and highways because they are poisonous, Dent said. The weeds are harmful especially for livestock.

The House passed another bill, HB 1219, in an 85-12 vote. The bill would make it mandatory for children 8 years old and older to have an attorney during dependency proceedings starting July 2022.

Rep. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, is HB 1219’s primary sponsor. Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, is a co-sponsor on the bill.

“The state has an attorney (and) the parents have an attorney,” Frame said. “With this bill, the children, whose very lives are the center of the proceedings, will have their own attorney to indicate what their wishes and interests are.”

Frame said during the virtual floor debate young people have been advocating for the appointment of counsel since 2008, and HB 1219 would help children in the foster care system, especially children of color.

Depending on available funds appropriated, attorneys would be appointed on a county-by-county basis, according to the bill’s text. Children in all counties would have access to an attorney by Jan. 1, 2027.

“We know that unfortunately our young, black and brown children are overrepresented in our foster care system,” Frame said. “This legislation prioritizes those counties with racial disproportionality.”

Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, said during the virtual floor debate having an attorney to advocate for a child’s wishes is “not necessarily a bad thing,” and HB 1219 is a good step the state should take.

“I want to continue the conversation and see what we can do to make it better for some of our young people that end up in foster (care) and need this kind of support,” Dent said.

He voted in favor of HB 1219.

During the afternoon session, the House also approved HB 1041 (in a 97-0 vote), HB 1115 (95-2), HB 1269 (93-4), HB 1322 (97-0), HB 1382 (95-2), HB 1117 (58-38), HB 1437 (96-0), HB 1529 (97-0), HB 1443 (60-37) and HB 1140 (56-41).

The bills will move to Senate committees.