by
<a href="mailto:carls@awcnet.org">Carl Schroeder</a>, <a href="mailto:shannonm@awcnet.org">Shannon McClelland</a> | Mar 11, 2019
A substitute version of <a target="_blank" href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5946&Initiative=false&Year=2019"><strong>SB 5946</strong></a> passed the Senate.
A substitute version of SB 5946 passed the Senate. The bill would provide an exemption from State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review for permit actions to site temporary shelters or transitional encampments.
The bill applies the SEPA exemption to facilities:
- That are used by people experiencing homelessness;
- With less than two hundred beds;
- That do not require permanent structures; and
- That are not to be used for more than three years.
Three floor amendments added the following requirements to qualify for the SEPA exemption:
- A local jurisdiction must have declared a state of emergency on homelessness.
- A temporary shelter or transitional encampment may not be sited within 1,000 feet of a public or private school or early learning facility unless approved by the school or early learning facility or its affiliate organization.
- A facility must not allow the use of drugs or alcohol on its premises, except for medicines a sheltered individual has been prescribed by a licensed prescriber.
We have not heard any concerns from cities on this bill. If you have concerns, please let us know.