State dinosaur passes House chamber

OLYMPIA – A bill, designating the Suciasaurus Rex as the official state dinosaur, passed the Washington House of Representatives Monday.

“This is a DINO-mite piece of legislation,” said Representative Melanie Morgan (D-Parkland) on the House floor.

Introduced in late 2019, the bill passed the House floor and committees in 2020 and 2021 but failed to get a hearing in the Senate, the release by the Washington House Democrats stated. She has introduced the bill every year since in hopes of it becoming law.

Designating the Suciasaurus rex as the official state dinosaur was an idea brought to Morgan by fourth-grade students in the Franklin Pierce School District. The students researched the dinosaur and how a bill becomes a law before bringing the idea to Morgan.

“This is really about civic engagement from our youth with their state legislature,” Morgan said. “I ask you for the third time to bring the Suciasaurus Rex out of extinction, and vote yes especially for our guests today, the children.”

The bill passed off the floor by a vote of 88-5 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Along with the District of Columbia, 14 states have official dinosaurs.