From ‘Evergreen State’ to ‘Kimchi Day’: Here are some fun bills filed ahead of ’25 session
Washington state lawmakers started prefiling bills in December ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
Certain proposals — like a push to consecrate the state’s unofficial nickname — could be reasonably described as “fun.”
The 2025 session begins Jan. 13. In the month leading up to the starting gun, lawmakers can prefile bills that will be officially introduced on the first day.
Now that prefiled bills have begun trickling in, here are some of the most colorful highlights.
Evergreen State
The “Evergreen State” would be cemented as Washington’s official nickname under Senate Bill 5000.
State Sens. Jeff Wilson, a Longview Republican, and Mike Chapman, a Port Angeles Democrat, note that Washington has long been referred to as the Evergreen State via storytelling, word of mouth and license plate displays.
This isn’t the first time that Senate lawmakers have attempted to get the “evergreen” nickname enshrined in state law. The proposal passed the upper chamber for the past couple years but was not voted on by the House, according to the Washington State Standard.
Election Day
Election Day in Washington would become a recognized legislative holiday under House Bill 1116, sponsored by state Rep. Sharlett Mena, a Tacoma Democrat. It would be honored the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.
Fair and free elections serve as the foundation of democracy in the U.S., and voting rights are among the greatest privileges of being a citizen, the bill states. Washington takes such freedoms seriously, and the state ranks relatively high in the nation in terms of voter participation.
HB 1116 seeks to further boost voter mobilization and election awareness.
Mena touched on the importance of elections in a Dec. 12 news release announcing her as chair of the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee.
“Our committee directly shapes policies that influence how we serve communities across Washington,” she said in the release. “From ensuring fair and accessible elections to strengthening relationships with tribes and responsibly managing gaming policies, our work is foundational to fostering equity, transparency, and representation in state government.”
Pacific Standard Time
Wilson, the Longview Republican, and fellow state Senate lawmaker Manka Dhingra, a Redmond Democrat, are behind Senate Bill 5001: the latest push to make Pacific Standard Time permanent in the Evergreen State.
Doing so would eliminate Washingtonians’ need to adjust their clocks twice annually.
State lawmakers have unsuccessfully tried for years to secure permanent PST — or year-round Daylight Saving Time. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, recently voiced support for the latter.
“I’ll work with anyone to make DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME permanent,” Murray said in a Dec. 13 post on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s time to stop changing our clocks for no reason at all.”
In 2019, the Washington state Legislature passed a similar bill to adopt Daylight Saving Time permanently, but it could not take effect unless the U.S. Congress acted on it too, The Olympian previously reported. This latest proposal for year-round standard time would not need federal approval.
If perennial Pacific Standard Time got the green light, that would mean the sun during June would ascend at about 4 a.m. in Western Washington and wane at about 8 p.m., according to the Washington State Standard.
U.S. Naval Academy
Washington drivers could order a new special license plate under House Bill 1050 by state Rep. Clyde Shavers, a Clinton Democrat. The bill aims to create special plates to honor the U.S. Naval Academy.
Examples of current designs include license plates commemorating the Armed Forces and breast cancer awareness.
The proceeds from the U.S. Naval Academy plates, costing $40 initially and $30 to renew, would help benefit veterans and their families.
Shavers graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served eight years in the Navy, according to his biography on the state House Democrats’ website.
Kimchi Day
Kimchi, the classic fermented-cabbage Korean dish, has boomed in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. Now Washington state lawmakers in both chambers — and on either side of the aisle — want to recognize its significance.
Senate Bill 5046 and House Bill 1017 seek to recognize Nov. 22 of each year as “Kimchi Day.”
In South Korea, Nov. 22 represents “national kimchi day,” the legislation states. The date itself holds meaning: Kimchi, composed of 11 major ingredients, is said to offer 22 health benefits.
The legislation’s state Senate sponsors include Wilson, the Longview Republican, plus Sens. Keith Wagoner, a Sedro Woolley Republican; Bob Hasegawa, a Seattle Democrat; Claudia Kauffman, a Kent Democrat; Perry Dozier, a Waitsburg Republican; Javier Valdez, a Seattle Democrat; and Jim McCune, a Graham Republican.
It was sponsored in the House by state Reps. Cindy Ryu of Shoreline; Mena, the Tacoma lawmaker; and Mari Leavitt of University Place — all Democrats.
The legislation notes that kimchi is tied to a rich cultural history and serves as a solid source of probiotics, calcium, potassium and other vitamins. Washington would join Virginia, Hawaii and California in recognizing Kimchi Day on Nov. 22.
3D-printed homes
The United States has started seeing 3D-printed buildings crop up in the housing sector. Habitat for Humanity, for instance, reportedly unveiled its first 3D-printed home three years ago, which shaved about four weeks off the usual construction time.
Now the technology is being acknowledged in Washington by Shavers, the Democratic representative from Clinton. House Bill 1029 would act to incorporate 3D-printed building construction into the state’s residential code over time.
This story was originally published December 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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