In the run-up to January, few knew what to expect from the first-ever virtual legislative session. Ultimately, this year’s session was one of the more ambitious in recent memory. Prior to 2021, the Legislature had done little beyond piloting remote testimony for some committee hearings. Then, with the Capitol Campus closed to the public due to COVID-19, legislators had to make the virtual session work for everyone.

AWC would like to acknowledge and express our thanks for the work of the legislators and, in particular, the legislative staff who made the best of the situation and provided the necessary support to make the virtual session go as smoothly as possible.

Many people had low expectations for the virtual session last fall as legislative leaders asked for fewer bills and more focus on critical issues, such as pandemic response. The one thing they needed to accomplish was adopting biennial operating, capital, and transportation budgets for 2021-2023.

Ultimately, this year’s session was one of the more ambitious in recent memory. While indeed fewer bills were introduced overall, the Legislature considered many weighty issues and passed some significant new policy changes, like a capital gains tax and several police reforms (often along party-line votes). Other policy changes had more bipartisan support, such as funding the working families tax credit and expanding broadband access.

For Washington’s 281 cities and towns, it was a busy, productive, and successful session. We saw good progress on our five legislative priorities and fared well in the new 2021-2023 biennial budgets. To learn about the Legislature’s action on our priorities, read AWC’s legislative outcomes summary that points to both the pros and cons for our cities.

We are pleased that the positives most definitely outweigh the negatives. Overall, this was a good year for partnerships with the Legislature, which included authentic recognition of the role and importance of cities as legislators considered policy changes. For example, in the housing and land use arena, we saw more focus on incentives than preemption of local authority. And on the police reform front, cities were regarded as an integral stakeholder. Additionally, cities fared well in the budget process and legislators genuinely considered cities’ funding priorities.

To get a recap of the legislative session, check out our recent Session wrap-up webinar recording. Make sure to seek out our more detailed accounts of what happened under the various issue areas in the “Need to Know” section of this recap edition of the Legislative Bulletin.

While we certainly want to take time to celebrate cities’ successes in the 2021 session, it is never too early to start thinking about the 2022 legislative session! As we always say, Advocacy is a year-round job!

Make sure to reach out to your local legislators and thank them for their service and support of city issues, then keep the conversation going about what is important for your city that needs to be addressed next session. One big item left undone this year is adopting a statewide transportation package – be sure to talk to them about your city’s transportation needs as well.

Finally, on behalf of your AWC Government Relations team, thank you for all your support and work as strong city advocates. We wouldn’t have seen these successes without the engagement of city officials from across the state. Keep up the great work!