Are WA lawmakers who text and talk in hearings really listening? Some say ‘Not a good look’

This month, a social media user wrote that she’d delivered testimony against a bill in the Washington state Legislature. None of the lawmakers in the committee seemed to be listening, she said.

The user posted an edited clip from the hearing to X (formerly Twitter), which was then widely shared.

“They whisper to each other or are on their phone,” X user EricaPNW wrote in part on Feb. 11. “They don’t care what we have to say.”

She wrote that the experience made her feel irrelevant and ignored.

Another X user, Outrage PNW, reposted the video along with the caption: “Dear #waleg — this is not a good look, but we already knew your MODUS without having to see it.”

As a member of the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee, state Rep. Jim Walsh was one of the lawmakers in the clip. The Aberdeen Republican is shown looking at his cellphone during testimony on House Bill 1916, which would amend the process for challenging someone’s voter registration.

Walsh, who also chairs the Washington State Republican Party, told McClatchy via text that many lawmakers use their laptops or phones while listening to testimony during hearings. They’ll read staff analysis, public comments, bill language or other pertinent information. Typically, Walsh said, he’ll use his phone to do so.

“The assumption by certain outrage merchants that legislators are ‘ignoring’ testifiers is false,” he added. “Ask anyone who knows what they’re talking about in Olympia: I and other legislators read, listen and then ask questions that some testifiers would rather we didn’t.”

The author of the original post, Erica Engelhart, told McClatchy via phone that she would hope lawmakers would’ve already reviewed such materials ahead of committee hearings — that they’d show up prepared.

“That way they could at least acknowledge the people who do come take the time out of their day to testify, because that’s often the public’s only opportunity to come and weigh in on things,” Engelhart said. “It would be nice if they would show that they’re paying attention.”

Engelhart said she previously signed up to testify on a similar bill this session, but that she was skipped over. It’s why she thought it especially important to speak out on HB 1916.

She said she didn’t direct her post toward any one representative, and she doesn’t want her remarks to read as an attack on Walsh. He was just the only committee member who replied to her on X, she said. “I appreciate that he responded, because no one else did.”

‘Not enough hours in the day’

McClatchy asked leadership from the Democratic and Republican caucuses for their perspectives during media availabilities on Feb. 18.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat, replied with a smile: “I want you to mark on the calendar that this is a day when I agree with Jim Walsh.”

Pedersen said that lawmakers might consult their devices to review bill reports or see who signed in to testify. They could also be examining bills’ fiscal notes or accompanying PowerPoints.

“All of that is part of hearing from the public and trying to digest the information about whether we’re going to vote yes or no on a particular bill that’s in front of us,” Pedersen said. “So, you know, that’s part of active listening — not just sort of staring at the person, but actually taking in what they’re saying.”

Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mankra Dhingra of Redmond said she’ll take lots of notes during public hearings. If a section of a bill gets mentioned, she’ll go back to look at it again.

“There are times they’ll say something where I’m just so intrigued that I will look it up to see what they’re referencing,” Dhingra said. “So to me, this is about doing that work and taking that testimony seriously, and really making sure that we are following up on what they’re saying.”

Such notes could later turn into amendments or pieces of a substitute bill, Pedersen added.

Republican House Leader Drew Stokesbary of Auburn views the matter similarly.

Several thousand bills get introduced during the legislative session, meaning lawmakers have much to juggle, Stokesbary said. Representatives field hundreds of emails each day. Many have meetings scheduled in 10- or 15-minute increments.

Stokesbary said he’ll read the bill report alongside the briefing because he absorbs information better that way.

“Oftentimes we’re looking up more information about the bill during testimony, but we might also need to be multitasking and replying to emails,” he said. “... We represent 150,000 people. There’s not enough hours in the day to only be able to do one thing at a time around here.”

Senate Minority Leader John Braun, a Centralia Republican, noted that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are trying to do their best, but they also have lots on their plates. At the same time, he’s sympathetic to those who come to testify and don’t feel fully heard.

“I don’t think we should make excuses on this; I think we should just redouble our efforts to really listen to everybody that’s in front of us and also respond to everybody else,” Braun said. “We’re going to fall short sometimes, but we should do so while trying earnestly to get all the input we can get.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 5:15 AM.

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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