Two bills proposing significant new work under the Growth Management Act (GMA)—HB 1099 on climate change and HB 1117 for salmon recovery – have passed the House of Representatives. AWC supports both measures as passed the House and have worked hard with the sponsors and proponents to get the policy to a place that cities can support, provided the state pays for new costs associated with the new responsibilities.

We are still working towards the funding commitment goal and refining some of the policies. The general rule in the Legislature is that if a chamber—House or Senate—passes a measure that costs state resources (such as these two bills), that chamber’s budget will fund the obligation. So, when the House budget comes out, we will see what level of funding support they intend to offer for the new planning responsibilities. We have provided detailed cost estimates for the workload associated with these measures and hope to see them reflected in the budget.