April 3, 2023

The Legislative Bulletin is produced weekly during the legislative session.

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Legislative Bulletin headlines and articles.

Senate and House Transportation budgets ain’t half bad, acknowledge city priorities
Facing a mixed transportation revenue forecast, both bills assume slightly reduced revenues while also relying on millions from projected carbon emissions auction earnings. Many city priorities are funded through traditional programs such as TIB, Safe Routes to Schools, and bicycle and pedestrian safety, with added support for alternative fuel and zero emissions infrastructure. Learn what the budgets have in store for culvert removal, truck parking and freight mobility, and state-local partnerships. More

New budget summary highlights best versions of budgets for cities
Check out AWC’s comparison of preferred funding options impacting cities in the House and Senate budget proposals. Find out which proposals get the green check mark and which need some work. Take the time to share city budget priorities with your legislators as budget leaders work towards a deal before adjourning on April 23. More

Legislators hear from cities that passing pursuits bill is a priority this session
AWC sent legislative leadership a letter signed by over 160 city leaders from nearly 100 cities urging the passage of SB 5352, revising the police pursuits statute to include a “reasonable suspicion” standard for certain crimes. Thank you to everyone who signed the letter. If you missed the chance to add your name, contact your House Representatives now and urge them to support SB 5352. Your Representatives will play a key role in whether the Legislature revises the restrictions of police vehicle pursuits. More

City perspective interview with Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig

Last week Senator Andy Billig (D–Spokane) sat down with AWC to share his perspective on some key city issues, including housing affordability, funding resources, infrastructure, and how to work toward finding bipartisan solutions. He also offered advice on how city officials can get engaged in the legislative process. Watch the five-minute video. More

Save the date for the 2023 Legislative Session recap webinar
May 18 | Online | 1:30 – 3 pm
Curious how the legislative session will turn out for cities? Save the date for the 2023 Legislative Session recap webinar where your AWC advocacy team will provide an informative recap of city-related issues. Watch here for registration information soon. More

Schedule post-session legislator meetings—it’s not too early
Now is an ideal time to schedule meetings with your legislators during interim for a debrief on all that happened during session. This is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from your legislators and share feedback on how your city was impacted. AWC materials and fact sheets are always available for your use.

Capitol cherry blossoms are peaking
Washington state is fortunate to have such a beautiful capital. One of the best features this time of year is the gorgeous collection of cherry blossom trees that are reaching peak bloom. The legislative session is also approaching its peak, with final action on key policy bills nearing. Bills have until April 12 to pass out of the opposite house, and negotiations on the final biennial budgets are now under way. Find out more about which bills are still in the works with this week’s Hot Sheet.

Cherry blossoms also come to mind following the trip we took to Washington, D.C. last week with nearly 100 Washington city officials for the National League of Cities City Congressional Conference (NLC CCC). It was well timed with the D.C. cherry blossom trees also in full bloom. NLC CCC was a great opportunity to connect with our congressional delegation and share the good work cities are doing with ARPA and BIL funds.

Attend AWC city action calls – Members only
Fridays at 12:30 pm | Online
Join our city action calls for AWC members each Friday to hear updates directly from your team of lobbyists 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 for this Friday's call.

Affordable housing
Two ADU bills positioned for floor vote. Prescriptive ADU bills have two hurdles to go: floor vote, then consensus from their house of origin. More

Transit-oriented density bill restructured. The House Housing Committee passed amendments to restructure and clarify the exceptionally complex and convoluted transit-oriented development bill. More

Budget & finance
2023-25 House budgets use bond and climate dollars to fund programs for cities. The House operating, capital, and transportation budget proposals for 2023-25 were released on March 27. Check out the updated matrix of city impacts. More

Lodging tax expenditure reporting due April 20. If you are one of the 148 cities and counties that have not yet filed, log on to JLARC’s lodging tax reporting system to submit the report. More

HR & labor relations
Continued saga of “good faith” for self-insured cities. HB 1521, creating a vague “good faith” standard for cities that self-insure for workers’ comp, continues through the Senate. AWC opposes this costly bill and is working on amendments to improve it. More

AWC works on improving union privilege bill. The bill to create a new legal privilege between unions and union members advanced last week. Hope remains that final amendments will be included to address AWC’s concerns. More

Human services
Legislature prioritizes investments and policy changes to state’s behavioral health system. Both House and Senate proposed budgets make substantial investments in community behavioral health supports and forensic competency restoration. SB 5440, addressing Trueblood, received a major revision. More

Open government
Bill adding requirements to public comment periods receives amendments. HB 1105 requires public agencies that solicit public comment for statutorily specified periods of time to provide notice of specific dates and times in which public comment will be accepted. Agencies that fail to do so would be subject to civil penalties. More

Pensions
Senate plan gaining lift for “glide path” from unfunded liability surcharge. SB 5294 aims to reduce the added-on costs to city pension contributions. The Senate Budget incorporates the changes to the unfunded liability surcharge and lowers the public employer pension contribution rates effective later this year. More

Public safety & criminal justice
Blake bill passes out of House committee with significant changes. SB 5536, passed out of the House Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee with changes that fundamentally shifted the intent of the bill. More

Public works & infrastructure
Procurement standards bill amended to include policy review by CPARB. In response to criticism that the proposal lacked CPARB involvement, legislators updated HB 1621, delaying its implementation until the Board formally reviews the legislation. More

Cities permitted to phase in apprenticeship utilization through 2028. Recent changes to HB 1050 direct L&I and MRSC to support municipalities in complying with the bill and commission a study of public works outcomes related to the new requirements. More

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