WashPIRG’s 2024 legislative agenda

WashPIRG is an advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and the quality of our lives.

Every year, we outline our major program priorities, and the state legislative session provides an opportunity to come together around common sense solutions that will help make that future a reality. Here are our top priorities for 2024:

Right to Repair

When something breaks, you fix it. That’s just common sense. But manufacturers of everything from phones to appliances to tractors intentionally make things difficult to repair. For example, Americans dispose of 416,000 cell phones per day, and only 15 to 20 percent of electronic waste is recycled. We are working to tackle planned obsolescence, and make sure consumers and small businesses have access to the parts, tools and service information they need to repair products so we can keep things in use and reduce waste. That’s why we’re supporting Rep. Gregorson’s House Bill 1933 during the 2024 legislative session.

Beyond Plastic

Every day, people throw away tons of plastic “stuff” — packaging, bags, takeout containers, and more. All of this waste clogs our landfills and incinerators, trashes our parks, litters our streets, and washes into our rivers and oceans, where it can harm wildlife. It’s time to move beyond single-use plastic, by getting rid of the most harmful waste, and stopping the use of things we truly don’t need. 

WashPIRG supports the ReWRAP Act, House Bill 2049, which would hold companies responsible for the waste their products create and incentivize less and better packaging design.

Transform transportation

Getting to school or commuting to work shouldn’t include a daily dose of toxic pollution, or increase the chances that people will get sick. The good news is that all-electric buses are here, and they’re cleaner, healthier and often cheaper to run in the long-term. That’s why we’re supporting House Bill 1368, which would require all new school buses to be zero-emission by 2027 and all school buses on the road to be fossil-fuel free by 2035. We also support using funds raised from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act to electrify our bus fleets and reduce the number of carbon emitting buses on the road. 

Clean air, healthy communities

Gas-powered lawn mowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws and other garden equipment generate a large amount of pollution and noise. All this unnecessary pollution imposes a significant health cost including asthma attacks, reproductive ailments, mental health challenges, cancer and even premature deaths. Because they burn fossil fuels, gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers also emit carbon dioxide, the leading contributor to climate change. Fortunately, electric lawn equipment has evolved into an attractive alternative to highly polluting gas-powered tools. We support House Bill 2051, which will provide tax relief and other incentives for local governments, consumers and businesses to shift to clean, electric lawn & garden equipment.

Consumer Protection

In some ways it has never been easier to be a consumer. Virtually any product can be viewed online, and is just a few clicks from arriving at our doors. But today’s marketplace is also full of hidden dangers that can threaten our health, safety and financial security. WashPIRG supports policies to get dangerous products off store shelves, end exploitative practices and ensure a level playing field in the marketplace. 

For more information about WashPIRG’s 2024 Legislative Agenda, to request our support for a bill, or to ask questions about our position on a specific issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to working with you.