---
type: "Bill"
title: "Streamlining and enhancing program access for persons eligible for food assistance."
description: "Streamlining and enhancing program access for persons eligible for food assistance."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "HB 1945"
citation: "Washington HB 1945 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Alvarado"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 33
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-12-14"
last_action: "2024-03-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2031778c-69fd-4ddf-84ca-41b917887b0a"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1945&year=2023"
source_hash: "3af6dc28a9a2f4e085c73497cbaa36876165bd760eab9e95bc249127ac5a8623"
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 1945 (2023-2024) — Streamlining and enhancing program access for persons eligible for food assistance.

## 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/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1945.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1945-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1945-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#7) — **95–1** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#17) — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#16) — **94–3** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Alvarado — primary (person)
- Bergquist — cosponsor (person)
- Berry — cosponsor (person)
- Callan — cosponsor (person)
- Chopp — cosponsor (person)
- Cortes — cosponsor (person)
- Doglio — cosponsor (person)
- Fosse — cosponsor (person)
- Goodman — cosponsor (person)
- Gregerson — cosponsor (person)
- Hackney — cosponsor (person)
- Kloba — cosponsor (person)
- Leavitt — cosponsor (person)
- Macri — cosponsor (person)
- Mena — cosponsor (person)
- Morgan — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Ortiz-Self — cosponsor (person)
- Peterson — cosponsor (person)
- Ramel — cosponsor (person)
- Reed — cosponsor (person)
- Riccelli — cosponsor (person)
- Rule — cosponsor (person)
- Ryu — cosponsor (person)
- Senn — cosponsor (person)
- Simmons — cosponsor (person)
- Slatter — cosponsor (person)
- Street — cosponsor (person)
- Thai — cosponsor (person)
- Tharinger — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-12-14** Prefiled for introduction. `filing`
- **2024-01-08** First reading, referred to Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning. `reading-1`
- **2024-01-09** Public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-01-26** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-01-26** HSEL - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2024-01-26** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-01-26** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-01-29** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-02** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-02-05** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-02-05** APP - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-05** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-08** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2024-02-09** 1st substitute bill substituted (HSEL 24). `substitution`
- **2024-02-09** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-09** Third reading, passed; yeas, 94; nays, 3; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-13** First reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education. `reading-1`
- **2024-02-19** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-02-21** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-02-21** EDU - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-21** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2024-02-23** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2024-02-27** Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
- **2024-02-27** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-27** Third reading, passed; yeas, 49; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2024-03-05** House concurred in Senate amendments.
- **2024-03-05** Passed final passage; yeas, 95; nays, 1; absent, 0; excused, 1. `passage`
- **2024-03-06** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-07** President signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-25** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-25** Chapter 225, 2024 Laws. `became-law`
- **2024-03-25** Effective date 6/6/2024*. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2031778c-69fd-4ddf-84ca-41b917887b0a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).