---
type: "Bill"
title: "Closing the digital equity divide by increasing the accessibility and affordability of telecommunications services, devices, and training."
description: "Closing the digital equity divide by increasing the accessibility and affordability of telecommunications services, devices, and training."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "HB 1723"
citation: "Washington HB 1723 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["COMMERCE", "DEPARTMENT", "COMPUTERS", "EQUITY", "WASHINGTON STATE OFFICE", "GOVERNOR", "LOW-INCOME PERSONS", "MINORITIES", "NAMED ACTS", "PUBLIC FUNDS AND ACCOUNTS", "SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES", "DEPARTMENT", "TELECOMMUNICATIONS", "UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Gregerson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 52
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2022-01-10T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2022-12-30T05:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1b79004c-3b3d-41ed-a6b3-e5f00c6705be"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1723&year=2021"
source_hash: "37be284ce30b77acc6c78cf6755344daddb6e0d33be87da94b98c4eeee92127c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington HB 1723 (2021-2022) — Closing the digital equity divide by increasing the accessibility and affordability of telecommunications services, devices, and training.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2021-22/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1723.htm)
2. **Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2021-22/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1723-S2.E.htm)
3. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2021-22/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1723-S2.htm)
4. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2021-22/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1723-S.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#10) — **27–20** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#22) — **70–28** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#4) — **68–30** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Gregerson — primary (person)
- Bergquist — cosponsor (person)
- Berry — cosponsor (person)
- Dolan — cosponsor (person)
- Frame — cosponsor (person)
- Goodman — cosponsor (person)
- Hackney — cosponsor (person)
- Harris-Talley — cosponsor (person)
- J. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- Kloba — cosponsor (person)
- Macri — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Ortiz-Self — cosponsor (person)
- Peterson — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)
- Ramel — cosponsor (person)
- Riccelli — cosponsor (person)
- Ryu — cosponsor (person)
- Simmons — cosponsor (person)
- Slatter — cosponsor (person)
- Stonier — cosponsor (person)
- Taylor — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)
- Wylie — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2022-12-30T05:00:00+00:00** Prefiled for introduction. `filing`
- **2022-01-10T05:00:00+00:00** First reading, referred to Community & Economic Development. `reading-1`
- **2022-01-11T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the House Committee on Community & Economic Development at 10:00 AM.
- **2022-01-14T05:00:00+00:00** Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Community & Economic Development at 8:00 AM.
- **2022-01-18T05:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community & Economic Development at 10:00 AM.
- **2022-01-19T05:00:00+00:00** CED - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2022-01-19T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-01-19T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2022-01-27T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 3:30 PM.
- **2022-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 3:30 PM.
- **2022-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2022-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-10T05:00:00+00:00** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2022-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd substitute bill substituted (APP 22). `substitution`
- **2022-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2022-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2022-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** Third reading, passed; yeas, 68; nays, 30; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2022-02-15T05:00:00+00:00** First reading, referred to Environment, Energy & Technology. `reading-1`
- **2022-02-23T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing scheduled, but not heard in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 8:00 AM.
- **2022-02-24T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing and executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM.
- **2022-02-24T05:00:00+00:00** ENET - Majority; without recommendation.
- **2022-02-24T05:00:00+00:00** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-24T05:00:00+00:00** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-26T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 9:00 AM.
- **2022-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:00 AM.
- **2022-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** WM - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2022-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2022-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2022-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
- **2022-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2022-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** Third reading, passed; yeas, 27; nays, 20; absent, 0; excused, 2. `reading-3`
- **2022-03-07T05:00:00+00:00** House concurred in Senate amendments.
- **2022-03-07T05:00:00+00:00** Passed final passage; yeas, 70; nays, 28; absent, 0; excused, 0. `passage`
- **2022-03-08T05:00:00+00:00** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2022-03-10T05:00:00+00:00** President signed. `passage`
- **2022-03-10T05:00:00+00:00** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2022-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2022-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Chapter 265, 2022 Laws. `became-law`
- **2022-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Effective date 6/9/2022*. `became-law`
- **2022-01-11T15:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Community & Economic Development at 10:00 AM
- **2022-01-18T15:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Community & Economic Development at 10:00 AM
- **2022-01-27T20:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 03:30 PM
- **2022-02-01T20:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 03:30 PM
- **2022-02-24T15:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM
- **2022-02-24T15:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM
- **2022-02-26T14:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 09:00 AM
- **2022-02-28T15:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:00 AM

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1b79004c-3b3d-41ed-a6b3-e5f00c6705be`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).