April 24, 2023

The Legislative Bulletin will resume a monthly publication during the interim.

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Legislative Bulletin headlines and articles.

Blake fix fails to pass before end of session
A last-minute compromise failed to secure enough Democratic votes in the House to pass, and no Republicans voted for it. The reasons were mixed – a number of House Democrats wouldn’t vote in favor of a bill that criminalized drug possession, and Republicans wouldn’t vote in favor due to concerns about its construct that they feared would make it ineffective. With the House failing to get enough votes to pass a fix late on sine die, there wasn’t time to regroup before the legislative session adjourned. Now we are likely facing a special session sometime before the current statute expires on July 1. Register now to join us Thursday, April 27, from 8:30 – 9:15 am for a members-only briefing on what we know and what might happen next. More

Taking stock of the AWC Housing Solutions Group proposal
The 2023 Legislative Session has seen an incredible amount of action in the housing and land use arena. With the four legislative caucuses prioritizing affordable housing, it was hard to keep up with all proposals at times. One guiding light AWC used to advocate collectively on these bills was the AWC Housing Solutions Group proposal that was introduced prior to session. As the session concludes, we revisit the proposal and offer updates on elements that were enacted, and a few that unfortunately were not. More

2023-25 budget deal passes before Legislature adjourns with funding for significant programs for cities
The final operating, capital, and transportation budget proposals for 2023-25 were passed by the Legislature on April 22 and 23, just before the Legislature adjourned the 2023 session. Check out AWC’s updated budget matrix with city impacts. More

AWC’s Blake debrief – Members only
April 27 | Online | 8:30 am
Join the AWC Advocacy team for a 45-minute debrief on the status of the Blake fix. With the Legislature’s inaction before sine die, a special session may occur between now and July 1. Hear more about what this means for cities and what we expect to come. Register now.

Register for AWC’s Legislative Session recap
May 18 | Online | 1:30 pm
The end of the 2023 Legislative Session is here. Join the AWC Advocacy team for an informative recap of the city-related issues addressed by the Legislature this year. Catch up on key outcomes of the session, hear how city priorities fared, and learn how you can make the most impact during the legislative interim to prepare for 2024. Register now.

2023 AWC Annual Conference: 90 years of building bridges
June 20-23 | Spokane
Registration is live for AWC’s 90th Annual Conference! Since 1933, city officials have been gathering from all corners of the state to learn, grow, network, and build bridges and connections. The bridges we’ve built between our communities create a strong network of cities that can count on each other. Come together once again for our conference general sessions, concurrent sessions, mobile tours, networking opportunities, and social events – all designed to educate, inspire, and strengthen those bridges. Register today!

Infrastructure Week is coming! Get up to speed with the newest research
AWC’s State of the Cities: Washington’s interconnected infrastructure report looks at city infrastructure across Washington. The report examines the current condition of our infrastructure systems, how cities are overcoming barriers to improvement, and what more can be done to support the statewide network. Read the report and share the findings with your legislators—and get ready to share your city stories during Infrastructure Week, May 15-19.

Advocacy is a year-round job
Session may be over, but city advocacy is not! If you want some tips for year-round advocacy, check out this advocacy wheel. For even more ideas and inspiration, our online strong cities advocacy guide was specially developed to give you ideas and resources to advocate for strong cities.

Happy sine die! Now, back to work...
Let’s celebrate a successful session and reflect on all the hard work of the past 105 days! This has been a strong session for cities, with positive action on our highest priorities and funding for the most important programs. Take a moment to reflect on the significance of seeing the Public Works Assistance Account fully funded for the first time in a decade. This would not be possible without the strong advocacy of city leaders from around the state. Thank you for engaging with your legislators, keeping current with information AWC has provided, and joining our weekly city action calls. We especially thank you for responding to our calls for action.

Now, back to work. As we often say at AWC, advocacy is a year-round job. It doesn’t start and stop with the legislative session. It is now time to contact your legislators to thank them for their service and acknowledge the time spent away from their homes, family, and jobs. Express your appreciation for the good work they’ve done for your community. Consider inviting them to a city council meeting to debrief on what took place this session. It’s a great opportunity to start the conversation on what you want to work on together next year.

How can you continue to engage with AWC? Register now for our 2023 Legislative Session recap webinar on May 18 and watch for the Session Recap edition of AWC’s Legislative Bulletin on May 22. These are timed to fall just after the Governor’s 20-day (minus Sundays) deadline to act on bills sent to his desk. The AWC Legislative Priorities Committee will meet in June to begin identifying our 2024 legislative agenda.

Budget & finance
Property tax cap fix doesn’t make the final plan. Despite the buzz created by SB 5770, introduced in the last days of the session, the Legislature ultimately did not act to revise the 1% cap for state and local property tax to inflation and population, up to 3%. More

Economic development
TIF fixes make it across the finish line. Despite only being a couple years old, the legislature passed a few critical fixes to TIF before sine die. More

Federal
Support rail safety legislation moving through Congress and tell us your city’s rail story. Last week, the National League of Cities (NLC) hosted Sen. Maria Cantwell and two bill sponsors of the Railway Safety Act of 2023 on a call to update cities on the movement of this important legislation. More

HR & labor relations
“Good faith” standard for self-insured cities bounced back and forth in final days. The House and Senate worked to find agreement on the final version of HB 1521 that is on its way to the Governor’s desk. More

Human services
Two behavioral health bills head to the Governor’s desk. Read up on the latest actions regarding behavioral health systems in Washington. More

Pensions
Legislature passes bills impacting PERS costs. Bills that impact city pension costs are headed to the Governor’s desk, including a one-time, ad hoc cost-of-living adjustment for PERS 1 retirees and a schedule to reduce and end the unfunded liability surcharge. More

Public safety & criminal justice
Doxing bill on Governor’s desk. HB 1335 would establish a civil cause of action for the publication of an individual’s personal identifying information without consent when published with the intent or knowledge that the information will be used to harm the individual. More

Public works & infrastructure
Cities to see higher contract bid limits and other positive changes to procurement standards thanks to passage of public works bill. With last week’s passage of HB 1621, city procurement standards will be extended and standardized in important ways beginning FY 2025. More

Apprenticeship utilization study provision shaped up to get bill shipped out by sine die. This year’s proposal to expand apprenticeship utilization requirements has had an eventful run and is still going full steam ahead. More

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