
January 16, 2023
*The Legislative Bulletin* is produced weekly during the legislative session.**	One click to view all Legislative Bulletin headlines and articles.
Early action supports AWC’s Housing Solutions Group proposal elements The Legislature is showing early support for the multi-prong policy package recommended by AWC’s Housing Solutions Group (HSG). Eight bills include six policy proposals so far. We know of other bills in support that will be introduced in the coming weeks. It is important to note that the proposal is a package with interdependent components. We can make progress on our housing crisis only by pursuing a holistic approach that truly results in affordable housing. We look forward to working with legislators to increase the number of bills that are listed on the proposal each week. Producer responsibility for packaging—will Washington be next? AWC has been working with stakeholders over the legislative interim to rework a bill that has been years in the making – extending producer responsibility to recover and recycle the packaging they send into our state to sell their consumer products. Companion bills on the proposal will be heard on Tuesday. Share the linked fact sheets with your legislators! More Clean energy siting coordinating council established in new bill A Governor’s request bill would establish an interagency clean energy siting coordinating council to facilitate and require better-coordinated, faster environmental review and permitting decisions on energy projects across the state. The bill includes new compliance requirements for cities. AWC seeks your input on the proposal. Please review the bill and contact AWC staff with your feedback. More Has your city received BIL funding? AWC would love to hear about it It’s been one year since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) was passed and notices of funding opportunities for federal infrastructure dollars began to open. Several Washington cities have applied to BIL-funded programs, and some have even won. If your city or town has been awarded BIL funding, or is in the process of applying for it, AWC would like to learn about the project and share your story. Please contact Brianna Morin by February 1. Attend a local Broadband Action Plan workshop January 20 \| Online The Washington State Broadband Office and WSU Extension invite you to an online workshop on the process for developing local Broadband Action Plans (BATs) and Digital Equity Plans. Learn about the critical role of BATs, how to develop a BAT and digital equity plan, and how to align local efforts with the statewide planning for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Act programs. Register now. Have you registered for City Action Days? February 15-16 \| Olympia It’s our first in-person City Action Days in three years and is already on track to sell out. If you haven’t been to one before, or can’t remember what it’s like to attend, check out this video to catch those vibes and then register now before it’s too late! We can’t wait to see you there! Meet your AWC lobbyists! Check out this brief video to hear from your AWC lobbyists and get a preview of the city issues they’re working on this session. Be sure to note these three key ways to stay connected: Legislative Bulletin – Coming to your inbox every Monday afternoon during session City action calls – Every Friday at 12:30 pm during session City Action Days – In person in Olympia, February 15-16! 11 hot advocacy tips and info for legislative session from the Mayors Exchange We welcomed 40 mayors at AWC headquarters in Olympia on January 12 to connect, share stories, and learn together. Read some of the hot advocacy tips and information we learned. From major policy focuses, to revenue forecasts, to tips on how to tell your city story, find quick ideas to help you stay in the loop and make the most of this legislative session.	Great energy as session starts and legislators get down to work The first in-person legislative session since 2020 kicked off last week with a lot of great energy as people enjoy being back in person at the Capitol. New and returning legislators were getting back into the swing of things and, while they are back in person, there are still opportunities to participate virtually this session. You can testify remotely or in person by using this sign-up link, then choose the option you prefer. Make sure to sign up at least an hour in advance. As we begin the second week of this long session, legislative committees are really digging in with many bills up for hearings and even a few up for committee votes. You can check out which bills are hot this week with our first Bill Hot Sheet of the session. AWC city action calls Fridays at 12:30 pm \| Online Back by popular demand: Join our Friday lunchtime city action calls where you can get timely updates on the legislative session directly from our team of lobbyists. Each Friday at 12:30 pm, call in via Zoom to hear your AWC lobbyists provide updates on the latest action on the hill and progress on bills of importance to cities. Make sure to sign up in advance each week. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link for that week’s call. Register now. The second call is on January 20. Affordable housing Middle housing bill scheduled for a hearing in the House. HB 1110 will be heard Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Senate version was initially sent to the wrong committee, so it’s off to a slower start. More ADU proposals are back! Unfortunately, they look very similar to the prescriptive, preemptive bills from last year. More Housing grab bag bill contains mostly positive provisions for cities. HB 1167 contains a bit of a grab bag of policies and programs to facilitate housing development and address various regulatory arenas—including several concepts that match the proposal of the AWC Housing Solutions Group. More Bill proposes a housing benefit district grant pilot program. This bill is a far cry from a bill of a similar name from years past which created an optional local authority to generate revenue for affordable housing. More Budget & finance Tax structure and transparency discussions in Senate Ways & Means. SB 5158 would require cities and other local tax districts to report rate information to the Department of Revenue to create an online database of taxes. More COVID-19 In year-end move, Feds okay additional allowable uses of ARPA funds. New rules set to be released in February will allow cities to use ARPA funds for roads and bridges, disaster relief, and federal matching. More General government State looks to increase contract limits between cities and community service organizations for the first time in over 30 years. In an effort to address inflation and other budget pressures, new legislation would increase contract limits from $25,000 to $75,000. More HR & labor relations “Union-member” privilege scheduled for action in the House. HB 1187 creates a new legal privilege for communication between a union representative and a union member. It’s scheduled for a public hearing and committee vote in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee this week. AWC is concerned about impacts to city liability, managing city staff, and the ability of cities to defend themselves in court. More Bill on fixing PFML premiums gets a hearing in the Senate. SB 5286 is intended to fix the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program’s persistent solvency issues by changing the way premiums are calculated, raising the premiums cap, and creating a reserve fund. The bill is up for a hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee this week. More Open government JLARC releases 2021 public records data. The Washington Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC) has published 2021 public agency public records data, which includes data from 78% of Washington cities and towns. More Pensions Several pension bills scheduled for hearings in week two. Bills impacting city pensions are scheduled for hearings this week in the House Appropriations Committee. They include expanding military service credits, moving 911 operators to PSERS, expanding post-retirement rehiring, and a plan to sunset the Plan 2/3 unfunded liability surcharge. More Public safety & criminal justice Jury diversity bill amended to add $125 pay for low-income jurors. SB 5128 contains proposals to promote more diverse juries and has been making its way through the Senate this week. More Office of Independent Investigations (OII) launches webpage. OII is not yet conducting investigations, but recently activated its hotline for law enforcement agencies to report incidents of deadly use-of-force cases. More Bill would allow cities to charge impact fees for law enforcement facilities. SB 5289 adds law enforcement facilities to the list of public facilities needed to serve new growth and development and is scheduled for public hearing this week. More House to consider new ban on fentanyl manufacturing equipment. A bill restricting the possession, purchase, delivery, and sale of the kinds of equipment used to process fentanyl is set for a hearing in the House. More Public works & infrastructure Prevailing wage proposal picks up its pace, will be heard this week in committee. Contact AWC with your feedback. More Workforce development a top priority for the Legislature. New requirements would expand apprentice utilization in public works contracting. More Transportation A potential new use for transportation impact fees emerges. Cities would see increased spending flexibility for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. More A new proposal would modify the FMSIB’s size, purpose, and duties. Bill relating to the Freight Mobility and Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB) to be heard this week in committee. More Municipal airport commission authority could expand to include operations, management, and enlargement. Criteria for adding members and authority to the governing body also updated. More
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