
April 14, 2025 Session’s final countdown With less than two weeks to go, we are in the final countdown for the Legislature to wrap up its work. This Wednesday is the opposite house cutoff, when bills must have passed the opposite chamber to stay in play. Bills that picked up amendments will need to return to their house of origin for concurrence on those changes before heading to the Governor’s desk for approval. The Governor has five days to act on bills that come to him before the last week of session and 20 days after that. In these final days, here are key points to touch on with your legislators: Revise the outdated property tax cap and replace it with a local option tied to inflation and population growth to help communities better keep up with critical service costs. Preserve the Public Works Assistance Account to continue to fund vital infrastructure investments and help keep costs down for residents. Invest in public safety with meaningful state funding for public safety and criminal justice programs and authorize additional local revenue options to provide more tools for funding public safety needs. Partner to fund state and local transportation needs by maintaining the traditional sharing of revenues as in other gas tax proposals (at least 6%) and continuing to fund critical local programs like the Transportation Improvement Board. Fund the Municipal Research and Services Center’s (MRSC) ongoing operational needs. MRSC is primarily funded out of the city and county share of liquor revenues and not the state’s general fund. Cities support MRSC’s funding request to provide ongoing technical assistance. Avoid passing legislation that will drive up costs for cities without additional funding. A variety of bills are still working their way through the legislative process. Some of these have negative impacts and costly price tags. Cities and towns are facing some of the same budget challenges as the state and can’t afford new unfunded mandates. For a look at some of the bills that benefit cities and those that add new challenges, check out AWC’s Bill Hot Sheet to see which bills have our support and which create concerns. Now is also a good time to schedule a post-session briefing with your legislators to hear their take on what happened during session. Get on their calendars now, before they take a well-deserved break after session wraps up. If you have questions about any of the legislative action, feel free to contact the Government Relations team. We are here to help. Candice Bock Government Relations Director Now is our moment: The 1% property tax cap revision bill is up for a committee vote In very exciting news, a city-priority property tax cap revision bill is moving forward in the Legislature with a committee vote this Friday, April 18. HB 2049 allows for an increase to the annual property tax cap to match population growth plus inflation, up to 3%. We need cities to speak up now in support, as we expect this topic to get loud with misinformation and opposition again. If you haven’t already, please contact your representatives now to ask for their support on the bill. Share your city’s story and read to find talking points, more information, and three common myths to bust. More Cities still oppose Senate’s plan to divert PWAA revenues indefinitely for culvert projects Last week, the Senate amended and approved SB 5804, which redirects three of the Public Works Assistance Account’s four funding streams to back $5 billion in bonds to help the state meet its court-ordered obligation to address fish-blocking culverts. The substitute allows culvert-removal funds to be used for local projects, in addition to state projects, if mediation or a settlement between the state and Tribes identifies those projects as necessary to maximize impacts to salmon and steelhead populations. However, it still contains no guarantee of funding for local projects and no end date to the diversions from the PWAA. Cities continue to strongly oppose the bill. More Time is short to impact budget negotiations Continue to share city budget priorities with your legislators as they negotiate a final budget compromise. Lots of issues remain uncertain in the House and Senate proposals to fund services and fill the state’s budget gap. More Oppose diversions from the Public Works Assistance Account Both the House and Senate budgets plan to sweep the Public Works Assistance Account (PWAA). The House operating budget diverts $288 million from the account in FY 2026; while the Senate operating budget takes $165 million in FY 2026 (which it would transfer back to the PWAA in FY 2027). Cities strongly oppose both proposed sweeps. While both chambers provide bond resources to “backfill” the account (in the capital budgets), that option is a short-sighted, unsustainable solution. Time is running out—find talking points and contact your legislators now to urge them to oppose the diversions. Act now to protect MRSC’s services for local governments Funding for the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) is not fully provided in the state’s proposed operating budgets, putting their technical assistance and training services for local governments at risk. Take a moment to ask your legislators to fully fund MRSC's services, ensuring much-needed technical assistance that helps cities learn and conduct best practices and procedures, implement new policies and regulations, and comply with state law. More Correcting misconceptions about lifting Washington's property tax cap Candice Bock, AWC Director of Government Relations, addresses some common questions about Washington state's proposal to lift the property tax cap from 1% to 3%, including whether the adjustment will automatically raise taxes across the state, and how much the average property owner can actually expect to pay as a result of the proposed change. Watch now! 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: Budget & finance Bill on local tax change notice requirements set for floor action (SB 5315) More Emergency management New requirements to house pets during emergencies pass the Senate (HB 1201) More HR & labor relations Bill undermining grievance settlements awaits House floor vote (SB 5503) More UI benefits for striking workers voted out of the House with amendments (SB 5041) More Amendment adopted to phase in PFML job protections for small employers (HB 1213) More AI decision bargaining bill fails to advance ahead of cutoff deadline (HB 1622) More Land use & planning Amended permit streamlining bill passes Legislature (SB 5611) More Historic landmark bill passes Senate with helpful amendments (HB 1576) More Childcare siting bill passes Legislature (SB 5509) More Open government PRA exemption for investigation records sent back to the House with amendments (HB 1934) More Public safety & criminal justice Priority public safety funding bill amended as it heads for consideration by full Senate (HB 2015) More Public works & infrastructure More “dig law” amendments adopted as bill nears its final form in time for sine die (SB 5627) More Requirement for testing of PFAS in biosolids passes the House in amended form (SB 5033) More Transportation House adds local governments back in to EV charger labor standards bill (SB 5528) More Technical amendments refine vehicle debris bill as it attempts to clear the House (SB 5215) More Ecology starting its triennial review of Chapter 173-201A WAC, Water Quality Standards for Surface Waters. Learn more about the triennial review process in Ecology’s focus sheet and on their water quality standards webpage. A public hearing is scheduled for April 15 at 5:30 pm and comments are accepted through April 22. Ecology hosting Organics Regional Summits to discuss the Organics Management Law. The agency is looking for local government feedback on the Organics Recovery Collection Areas waiver and guidelines. The meetings are in person at four locations and dates starting April 29. More Commerce seeks feedback on guidance for setting residential development fees. Comments are due by April 30. More NLC asks cities to email your congressional delegation to urge them to support infrastructure rebuilding in America's communities. More Municipal infrastructure survey: Help NLC show Congress what needs to be prioritized by sharing your top infrastructure project in this quick survey. More Curious about the impacts of federal executive orders on cities? NLC maintains a list of executive orders, with links to the orders, and a summary of the impacts to cities. More Take action to preserve tax-exempt municipal bonds. Use NLC’s advocacy tool to encourage your congressional member to support the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. More Want the latest on all the legislative action? Join AWC’s City Action Call this Friday (city members only) During the legislative session, AWC hosts City Actions Calls every Friday 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 can register once for all sessions. 2025 Legislative session recap May 22 \| Online Join the AWC Advocacy Team for a full recap of city-related issues from the 2025 legislative session. AWC’s team of advocates will provide an overview of the outcomes on AWC’s legislative priorities, summarize the impacts of passed legislation on cities, and talk through the adopted state budget. Register now.
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