Rep. Drew MacEwen has introduced House Bill 1321, the companion to Senate Bill 5114, which would immediately move the entire state to Phase 2 of the governor’s “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” plan. Both versions of the bill have bipartisan support.

Currently, every region in Washington is under Phase 1 restrictions. Fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues are operating at extremely limited capacity, and restaurants are prohibited from offering indoor dining to patrons.

Under Phase 2, fitness centers, indoor entertainment venues and restaurants could return to 25% indoor capacity if following the proper protocols to protect Washingtonians and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

“This bill is about giving our small business owners a fighting chance,” said MacEwen, R-Union, who serves as assistant House Republican budget lead. “They have done everything that has been asked of them, and somehow still find themselves in Phase 1 ten months later. That’s unacceptable. Many of these businesses are barely hanging on and will not make it under the governor’s plan. We need to send this bill to his desk and he needs to sign it into law.”

Earlier Wednesday, dozens of individuals testified before the Senate State Government and Elections Committee in support of Senate Bill 5114. In total, more than 1,000 Washingtonians signed in to support the bill.