Each week of the legislative session, Legislative Pages research, and bring questions to Democrat and Republican leadership, getting you both sides of the issues in this 5-7 min video shorts series.
Stay tuned for fresh content each Friday when we’ll be posting new episodes throughout the 2025 Legislative Session. Perfect for kick starting discussion in the classroom, and providing insight into the current policymaking process.
THE SERIES
House Environment & Energy Committee
The House Environment & Energy Committee considers issues relating to air quality; aquatic lands; oil spill prevention; solid waste; hazardous waste; toxics; climate change; energy; Puget Sound; the State Environmental Policy Act and the Shoreline Management Act; state parks; and outdoor recreation.
Overview:
During the 2025 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity to interview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest. In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, and the Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on three important policies regarding the environment and energy.
Essential Questions:
- How do the beliefs of those in the majority party differ from those in the minority party?
- To what extent is there bipartisanship in the Washington State Legislature?
- What is Washington State doing to protect our environment and access to energy?
20 min Lesson Plan: House Environment & Energy Committee
Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs, and Elections Committee
The 2024 Election was historic with Washington surpassing 5 million registered voters for the first time. In order for this to happen, there needed to be a lot of organization at the state level. The Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs, and Elections Committee is in charge of passing laws to ensure that the state government runs smoothly, ethically, and efficiently.
Overview:
During the 2025 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity to interview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest. In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, and the Minority Party, currently the Republicans stand on two important policies regarding partisanship and elections.
Essential Questions:
- How do the beliefs of those in the majority party differ from those in the minority party?
- To what extent is there bipartisanship in the Washington State Legislature?
- What is Washington State doing to improve our electoral system?
20 min Lesson Plan: Elections & Governance
TOPICS FOR 2025
| Week | Issue | Committee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Friday 1/17 | Election | Senate Government and Elections |
| 2 – Friday 1/24 | Environment | House Environment and Energy |
| 3 – Friday 1/31 | Education | Senate Early Leaning and K-12 Education |
| 4 – Friday 2/7 | Community Safety | House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry |
| 5 – Friday 2/14 | Natural Resources | Senate AG, Water, Natural Resources and Parks |
| 6 – Friday 2/21 | Health Care | House Health Care ad Wellness |
| 7 – Friday 2/28 | Tribes and Tribal Members | Senate Local Government, Land Use, and Tribal Affairs |
| 8 – Friday 3/7 | Housing | House Housing |
| 9 – Friday 3/14 | Green Technology | Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology |
| 10 – Friday 3/21 | Civil Rights | House Civil Rights and Judiciary |
| 11 – Friday 3/28 | Transportation | Senate Transportation |
| 12 – Friday 4/4 | Care for Youth | House Human Services, Youth,, and Early Learning |
| 13 – Friday 4/11 | Higher Education | Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development |
| 14 – Friday 4/18 | Education | House Education |
| 15 – Friday 4/25 | TBD | TBD |
Last year’s On The Issues 2024 Series:
20 min lesson plans linked in the slider below:
Have a full class period? Give your students a deeper understanding of the legislative committee process with the Legislative Committees Lesson Plan.