
January 27, 2025 Session is flying by – don’t miss out We always say that things move fast during session, and this year is no exception. The Legislature is moving quickly with bill hearings and executive action. In legislative speak, “executive action” is when a committee votes on whether or not to pass a bill. Even though committees have until February 21 to vote on the bills before them, many committees are taking action already. This seems like a new trend to avoid a backlog right before the deadline. For AWC, it means we must be extra vigilant and engaged to ensure cities share feedback on bills before the committees vote. A good way to stay up to date is to check our weekly AWC Bill Hot Sheet and tune in to our Friday City Action Calls. The legislative website has made it easier to provide written comment on bills through this portal. We want to welcome two more new legislators who come from a city background: Representative Janice Zahn (D–41), Bellevue Councilmember Representative Brianna Thomas (D–34), Seattle staff member We are always happy to see city officials join the Legislature. I also want to thank the nearly 50 mayors who joined us at AWC’s office in Olympia last week to hear about the legislative session and advocate for cities with their legislators at the Capitol. Your city voices are critical to the legislative process. As always, if we can help you navigate the session, please let us know. We are happy to help. Candice Bock Government Relations Director $100 million for law enforcement bill gets amended The bill introducing a law enforcement hiring grant program was amended to both broaden it and add more restrictions. As amended, the grants would expand to cover behavioral health co-responders, but would see added requirements for a city to qualify for the funding. While we appreciate the commitment to providing funding for hiring public safety and behavioral health needs, AWC believes cities would benefit from lower-barrier funding models. Please contact your senator and ask them to support $100 million for law enforcement needs, but encourage them to support direct, ongoing funding instead of one-time grants with significant restrictions. More Could the 2026 World Cup bring libation zones to Washington? World Cup fever is heating up in Washington! Just a few weeks ago, the Seattle FIFA World Cup Local Organizing Committee unveiled fan zones in 12 cities across the state, offering exciting venues for soccer (or, as the rest of the world insists, football) fans to watch and celebrate every match. Now, the state Legislature is joining the excitement by considering HB 1515, a bill aimed at updating and modernizing regulations around serving and consuming alcohol in public spaces. More Bill expanding AG investigations of city police departments scheduled this week The Senate version of a bill to expand the Attorney General’s (AG) authority to investigate and bring actions against local police departments is scheduled for a hearing this week. It is a similar concept to a bill proposed in 2023 and could increase liability and costs for city police departments if passed. More Don’t miss City Action Days – Register now February 19-20 \| Lacey Held annually during the legislative session, this popular event for city officials includes updates on city legislative priorities, insider panels, and intel on the latest legislative hot topics. The conference involves a “hill climb,” where attendees are encouraged to meet with legislators to discuss city priorities at the state Capitol. Register now! Learn about proposed changes to jurisdiction transfers between city and state roadways February 28 \| Online The Washington State Transportation Commission is conducting a Route Jurisdiction Study to assess the current process and criteria for considering proposed transfers of roadway jurisdiction between the state, county, and city road systems. The Commission will submit a final report of findings and recommendations to the Legislature in July 2025. Join the Commission for a public work session to discuss the study’s findings and provide your input on Friday, February 28, at 11 am. Register here. CityVoice Podcast: A look at city finances with Sheila Gall AWC first released a State of the Cities report in 2005, with the goal of providing a view of the conditions and issues cities face in Washington. In early 2025, AWC published the most recent edition of the report. In this episode, we sit down with Sheila Gall, AWC’s General Counsel, to discuss the state of city finances in Washington. We discuss the 1% property tax cap, the fiscal tools available to cities to fund government services, and how cities have weathered the past few years. Listen here. Visit AWC’s bill tracker for easy access to the bills you’re most interested in and to filter by the information you’re looking for, whether it’s a brief description of a bill, the status of bills you’re tracking, or AWC’s comprehensive coverage. Tip: Don't forget to bookmark the tracker and check it regularly for the latest updates. This week’s bill highlights: Affordable housing Mobile dwellings bill is on the move (HB 1443/SB 5332) More Transit-oriented development bill is back despite TOD study (HB 1491) More Condo reform bill focuses on construction defects issue (HB 1403) More Budget & finance Sales of goods and services at youth athletic sports facilities would be exempt from sales tax under a proposed bill (SB 1148) More Local tax rate notification companion bills get early action by committees (HB 1126/SB 5315) More Cannabis Authorizing home cannabis cultivation is under consideration in the House (HB 1449) More Economic development 2026 to bring World Cup soccer—and libation zones—to Washington (HB 1515) More Emergency management Emergency preparedness plans may require accommodating pets (HB 1201) More Energy Cities may see new authority to require energy labels on homes for sale (HB 1015) More Environmental & natural resources A new idea emerges to incentivize tree-banking ordinances (HB 1153) More Senate is also focused on producer responsibility for packaging (SB 5284) More General government Expanding voting access in jails is a focus of Secretary of State bill (HB 1146) More Ranked choice voting bill to be considered this week (HB 1448) More HR & labor relations AWC seeks broader discussion on PTSD & workers’ comp as bill for corrections workers scheduled (HB 1070/SB 5043) More Surety issue for self-insured employers is on the schedule this week (HB 1275/SB 5381) More Personnel records bill returns to the House (HB 1308/SB 5345) More Two new state legal holidays being considered (HB 1434/SB 5106) More Bill tidying up collective bargaining statutes getting committee action (SB 5435) More Pensions Bill on “Month of death” benefits payments to be heard this week (HB 1312/SB 5114) More Public safety & criminal justice Senate to set speed threshold on reckless driving (SB 5238) More A bill authorizing use of private labs to address the backlog of DUI tests is set for hearing (HB 1228) More A unique bill is targeted at preventing impaired driving (HB 1426) More Eligibility requirements for law enforcement leadership are proposed (HB 1399) More A sales tax proposal for hiring new police officers comes with caveats for cities (SB 5285) More Public works & infrastructure Federal BABA requirements may be coming to state-funded projects in Washington (HB 1256) More Transportation City transportation planning to include tribal impact assessment under new proposal (SB 5374) More Bill authorizes motorcycles to travel on highway shoulders. (HB 1367) More The JLARC public records reporting system is open for cities to report 2024 data. Cities with over $100,000 in costs associated with public records in 2024 are required to report. Cities that do not meet the threshold can voluntarily report or log in to the system and confirm they are not required to report. The deadline is July 1. Questions can be sent to JLARCPublicRecStudy@leg.wa.gov. Access the reporting system here. Register for Friday City Action Calls (city members only) During the legislative session, AWC hosts Friday City Actions Calls at 12:30 pm. In these meetings, AWC lobbyists provide legislative updates and city officials have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The calls occur every Friday during the legislative session. You’ll need to register each week. Exploring Washington Cities & Towns Looking for some basic information on what cities and towns do and how they benefit the state? Check out the updated version of this popular AWC publication: Exploring Washington Cities & Towns. Share it with your local legislators as a tool for talking about the value of our 281 cities and towns.
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