April 10, 2023

The Legislative Bulletin is produced weekly during the legislative session.

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Legislative Bulletin headlines and articles.

Act now: Tell legislators to move the REET bill forward!
The Affordable Homes Act, HB 1628, creating new REET options for affordable housing, has stalled in its House committee, but with your support it can still advance! Opponents misunderstand how REET works. Learn how HB 1628 expands the availability of affordable housing, then tell your representatives that cities support the Affordable Homes Act. Adjourning this housing-focused session without addressing the related funding needs would be shortsighted and ineffective. More

AWC moves to “support” on middle housing bill
After countless hours working with the sponsor and advocates on the proposed middle housing legislation, the bill has arrived at a place closely aligned with AWC’s Housing Solutions Group (HSG) proposal. Based on these changes, AWC now supports the bill. A major change to HB 1110 was adopted in the Senate Ways & Means Committee, restructuring the provisions related to “contiguous UGAs” that captured many smaller cities and applied the highest standards to them regardless of their population. Multiple compliance options have been added, including one that closely matches the HSG proposal. More

Blake bill faces another round of amendments as final deadlines near
The newest version of HB 5536 makes knowingly possessing a drug or using a drug in a public space a simple misdemeanor with many opportunities for treatment and services. However, AWC has significant concerns with the version of the bill as passed out of the House Appropriations Committee; we do not believe it will encourage people to pursue necessary substance use disorder treatment. Instead, it will be more burdensome, costly, and ineffective than the prior version. More

Legislative housing renovation: An update from the hill with Carl Schroeder
We are in the final inning of the 2023 Legislative Session. CityVoice Podcast sat down again with Deputy Government Relations Director Carl Schroeder to get the latest on the array of housing bills still moving through the Legislature. Carl talks HB 1110 (middle housing), SB 5466 (transit-oriented development), HB 1337 and SB 5235 (ADUs), and HB 1628 (REET). He shares the latest updates and expectations for where housing is headed as the session sprints to a conclusion. Listen now.

City leaders hold press conference to counter Realtors’ attack ad
Several Washington city leaders recently joined housing advocates on a call with local news outlets to share their stories about the need for revenue options to help address the housing affordability crisis at the local level. This was in response to an expensive and aggressive ad campaign by the Washington Association of REALTORS®, aired heavily during the NCAA basketball tournament, claiming that HB 1628 would increase housing costs. Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, Redmond Mayor Angela Birney, and Spokane Council President Breean Beggs spoke to the urgent need for a variety of housing options that are affordable for their residents. They named specific local housing priorities and reiterated that HB 1628 and its REET 3 local option are essential tools to holistically address the problem and help fund affordable rentals, homeownership, and housing infrastructure. Learn more about the call in this NPR article.

Register for AWC's 2023 Legislative Session recap
May 18 | Online | 1:30 – 3 pm
The end of the 2023 legislative session is approaching. Join the AWC Advocacy team for an informative recap of city-related issues. Catch up on key outcomes of the 2023 session, hear how city priorities have fared, and learn how you can make the most impact during the legislative interim to prepare for 2024. More

Public Works Board to open funding cycle in May – Prepare to apply now
The Washington State Public Works Board is opening for business for the 2023-2025 biennium: it plans to launch a new funding cycle at its May 5 meeting. If you are an infrastructure manager with a project in need of funding for a road or bridge; domestic water, wastewater, or stormwater infrastructure; or solid waste, recycling, and organics, get ready to apply. Read this fact sheet to find out what to know, what to do, and important upcoming dates.

Legislative finish line fast approaching
With just two weeks to go, the finish line is near for the 2023 legislative session. April 12 is the deadline for bills to pass out of the opposite house and is the final cutoff before sine die. Prior to sine die, a bill that was amended in the opposite house must go back to its house of origin for concurrence on the changes, or it can be referred to the dispute resolution process known as the “conference committee” to work out the differences. If no agreement is reached, the bill will die for lack of concurrence.

AWC has many priority bills still in play that address police pursuits, drug possession related to the Blake decision, affordable housing, and key programs we would like to see funded in the final budgets. This week’s Bill Hot Sheet highlights the policy bills we’re focused on, and the Budget Hot Sheet calls out funding needs and priorities.

Attend AWC city action calls – Members only
Fridays at 12:30 pm | Online
Only two more Fridays left for AWC members 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 for the city action call. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link for that week’s call. Register now for this Friday's call.

Broadband & telecommunications
Broadband mapping proposal takes another turn, narrows intent and definitional language. The broadband mapping bill has shape-shifted substantially, moving from a proposal to create a statewide broadband map to a plan to support a more accurate federal broadband map. More

Budget & finance
Rumors abound that property tax fix may still be an endgame option. We’re hearing that HB 1670, a property tax cap fix, could still make it across the finish line. Contact your legislators to remind them of the need for action on this local option to assist with your city’s growing costs. More

State Auditor resources for May 30 annual reporting deadline. Local governments must submit their annual financial reports to the State Auditor by May 30, 2023. Check out their resources for one-on-one technical assistance, online trainings, and to see who has already filed. More

Economic development
Rural county development sales tax ready to move to Senate vote. The bill extending the rural county sales tax (.09 sales tax) passed the Senate Ways & Means Committee on April 4. It is now in the Rules Committee. More

Energy
Clean energy siting bill aligned with EFSEC expedited process under new amendments. This year’s clean energy siting legislation was recently updated to fine-tune land use and permitting process requirements. More

Federal
Five things to remember about ARPA reports due April 30, 2023. Check out these tips to help you successfully submit your report on time. More

Photos from NLC’s Congressional City Conference are here. Check out these fun photos from the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference held in Washington D.C., which welcomed nearly 100 Washington city officials.

General government
Voting rights bill passes Senate; other bills face uncertain futures. Read up on the latest actions regarding voting rights, extreme weather grants, and public comment notices. More

HR & labor relations
HR bills on the move as session heads down the home stretch. Several HR and labor relations bills are still kicking as we enter the final weeks of session. More

Pensions
Bill to scale back unfunded liability surcharge passes House. The bill to scale down and eventually end the unfunded liability surcharge that impacts city pension costs passed the House with amendments. It now goes back to the Senate for concurrence. More

Public safety & criminal justice
Contact your legislators to urge support for vehicle pursuits bill. AWC sent legislative leadership a letter signed by over 150 city leaders urging the passage of SB 5352. The House only has until Wednesday, April 12 to vote. Your representatives need to continue hearing that cities need revisions to the police pursuits legislation. More

Transportation
Freight mobility, transportation revenue forecast, and bond authority still in action. While Legislators negotiate the biennial transportation budgets before this week’s final cutoff deadline, we bring you updates on other transportation-related legislation under consideration. More

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