We hope you are enjoying the season and making plans for a wonderful holiday. Like all of you, we are busy with the end of year wrap up and preparing for the 2023 Legislative Session beginning on January 9.

Election recap

We wrote last month about some of the early results of the general election. Now with the election certified we have a final tally.

Now that all the dust has settled, it looks like the numbers in the Legislature stayed relatively static. The Democrats picked up a seat in both the House and the Senate (from Districts 10 and 42, respectively), adding to their majorities. The split is 29-20 in the Senate and 58-40 in the House. Not quite in super-majority range, so there will still be the need for bipartisan work.

While the numbers didn’t change much, there will be a number of new faces in the Legislature due to nearly two dozen incumbent legislators stepping down. Altogether, there are about 40 legislators between the House and the Senate with a city or county government background. While five of them stepped aside in 2022, there are five newly elected legislators who come from either a city or county government background, so we maintain a robust group who understand the local perspective and will often advocate for local government needs.

The election results will have a variety of implications for the upcoming session. One is reshuffling committees. The House and Senate have both announced some shakeups in committee structures, with both creating new housing-focused committees. Previously, housing was grouped with other topics in other committees—this certainly foreshadows the importance that housing will take as a priority during the upcoming session. The caucuses are also in the process of making committee assignments for their members and those should all be available this week with updates being posted to the legislative website soon.

Preparing for the legislative session

With the 2023 session back to in-person, we hope many of you plan to make a trip to Olympia at some point during the 105-days of session. If you do, please know that AWC welcomes city officials who are in town during the legislative session. We want you to consider AWC your home base. You are welcome to drop in for coffee, Wi-Fi, and a space to work if you need it, or just to say hi. Visitors should use the main entrance (1076 Franklin Street SE) and check in with the receptionist.

Hopefully you have already been meeting with your legislators and adopted your city’s legislative agenda. If you’re looking for some additional tips and ideas for engaging during the session, check out AWC’s website for ideas and tools. Be sure to talk with your legislators about connecting during session—set up meetings in advance and make sure you have their cell phone number. It is especially important to connect with individual legislative assistants and get to know them, since they are often the key to reaching legislators during the hustle and bustle of session.

As always, if you need any help or have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team. We are happy to assist!

Plan now to take advantage of these AWC 2023 session engagement opportunities

City action calls
Every Friday at 12:30 pm | Zoom (beginning January 13)
This is your chance to join the AWC lobbyists for quick updates about hot issues every week. Watch for registration information coming out in the January 9 edition of the Legislative Bulletin.

City Action Days
February 15-16 | Olympia
There’s no better way to engage in the legislative process than at City Action Days! Held annually during the legislative session, this popular event provides the opportunity to interact with colleagues as you educate statewide decision-makers about city legislative priorities. Register now!

City Lobby Day
March 16 in-person in Olympia
This one-day event focuses on updates on the latest legislative actions as well as meetings with legislators as the session enters its final stage. The morning program will be held at the Olympia Hilton Garden Inn, then attendees will head to the Capitol campus to engage with their legislators. Watch for more information as we get closer to the event.

Happy holidays

Finally, the AWC Government Relations team wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year.