The legislative process includes various deadlines throughout the session to winnow the hundreds of proposed bills.

Committee chairmen and chairwomen wield considerable power to grant a public hearing to a bill or keep it tied up in a committee until after a certain date.

If a bill is declared "necessary to implement the budget," it can remain alive until the session ends.

Powerful legislators also can bring a bill back from the dead, even at the last minute.

Generally, legislators will follow this schedule during the 105-day session.

Wednesday, Feb. 25: The final day to get bills out of committee in their house of origin. The exceptions will be fiscal bills from the state House and Senate Ways and Means committees, the House and Senate Transportation committees, and the House Finance and House Budget

committees.

Monday, March 2: Final day to get fiscal bills out of committee in the House and Senate Ways and Means committees, the House and Senate Transportation committees, and the House Finance and House Budget committees.

Thursday, March 12 at 5 p.m.: Final time to consider bills in their house of origin.

Monday, March 30: Final day to get bills from the opposite house out of committee. The exceptions are fiscal bills from the House and Senate Ways and Means committees, the House and Senate Transportation committees, and the House Finance and House Budget committees.

Monday, April 6: Final day to get fiscal bills out of committee in the in the House and Senate Ways and Means committees, the House and Senate Transportation committees, and the House Finance and House Budget committees.

Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m.: The deadline to consider any bills, memorials or joint resolutions. The exceptions are initiatives to the Legislature, budgets, matters necessary to implement budgets, bill amendments and differing House and Senate versions of bills that must be reconciled.

Reach Brian Gawley

at briangawley@sequim

gazette.com.