Week of January 20 Legislative Update

We did it– we made it through the first week of the legislative session! The first week is all about brushing off the dust and getting back into the swing of things with opening ceremonies and first hearings for bills.  As we move into the second week we can expect things to pick up a bit more with new bills dropping, more hearings scheduled, and committees starting to vote on bills.

That means we’ve got a new slate of actions for you! Most bills have “companion bills,” bills that are similar or identical in the opposite chamber. These bills help introduce the issue to both chambers at the same time and improves the chances the bill will progress untouched by opposition’s amendments.  So even if you’ve signed in for a bill, you will have to sign in several more times as it and its companion moves through committees.  But your consistent support all the way through the end of April is what has made us successful in years past, so make sure to tune in each week. Don’t worry, we’ll make it easy to follow along and take the most important actions.

Another flag for you, this is the last week to sign up for lobby day! The deadline to register is this Wednesday, Jan. 22.  You can read more below and on the RSVP page here, but don’t miss out on this big day.

Lastly, brace yourself for incoming garden puns for the rest of session… they’re sprouting from a combination of January being the time of year I start planning my garden to help combat the gloom of a Seattle winter, and Ava, the campaign intern, saying that the bills we’re working on are the “seeds to our future.” What better way to embrace the spirit of Growing Together than with a few healthy plant jokes?

Rent Stabilization – HB 1217 & SB 5222

Rent Stabilization, which would put a 7% cap on rent increases each year, is one of Futurewise’s top priorities this year.  You can check out our op-ed in Seattle’s The Stranger last year on why we want this bill to flourish, in addition to supporting bills focused on increasing housing supply.

Last week, HB 1217 had a hearing in the House Housing Committee,and a huge shoutout to everyone that signed in pro. We plowed through the hearing with almost 4000 pro sign ins, the most I’ve seen on a bill.  However, the con sign ins were close behind, and it’s important that we are consistently turning out to show legislators that the majority of Washingtonians are fired up about rent stabilization.

The good news is we already have our next opportunity! SB 5222, the senate companion bill, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing on Jan 20 at 1:30 PM.  Make sure you sign in PRO and send it to your friends!

HB 1217 is also scheduled for a vote in the House Committee on Housing on Jan 20, but our focus is on getting thousands more pro sign ins for the senate hearing.  Sign in pro below!

Rural Housing Solutions – HB 1254

Our first rural housing bill has dropped!  Of course, we can expect more bills to be dropped in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned.

In response to the devastating LA fires and the increase in wildfires and smoke we’ve experienced here in the northwest, HB 1254 would implement guidelines, like specific building materials and vegetation setbacks, to help protect our rural communities from wildfires.  While we support rural housing solutions that allow for more home options in the right areas, we also want to protect the homes we already have and ensure insurance companies feel confident in continuing to protect homeowners.

HB 1254 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Local Government on Jan 22 at 8 AM.  Let’s show legislators that we care about protecting our homes from fires and sign in PRO!

GMA Compliance – HB 1135

This bill closes a legal loophole that could prevent our legal team from making sure cities and counties are in compliance with new updates to the Growth Management Act. The takeaway, if you don’t want to get into the weeds, is that this bill would allow for proper implementation of new GMA requirements for housing and climate updates we’ve passed recently.

It had its first hearing on Jan 17 in the House Local Government committee, and shoutout to everyone that signed in pro!  It’s scheduled for a vote on Jan 24, but no action is needed right now. We want to focus our efforts on other top line priorities (speaking of which, have you signed in pro for rent stabilization yet?).

Transit-Oriented Development

No current updates for this policy! You can expect the bill to drop soon, and once it does we’ll have a flurry of actions for upcoming hearings and votes. It’s not unusual for bills to be dropped the first few weeks of the long session. Growing takes time!

Every year hundreds of bills sprout up during session, but unfortunately we can’t dig into every bill that we’d love to support.  However, we still want to highlight the great work that our partners are cultivating and introduce you to some other bills that could use your support each week.

Parking Reform and Modernization Act – SB 5184 & HB 1299

The Parking Reform and Modernization Act is brought to you by our friends at Sightline Institute and Senator Jessica Bateman. This bill would cap how many parking spots local governments can require for new homes and commercial buildings, and give full parking flexibility to a set of building types that need it the most. It would allow more homes to be built in cities without restricting parking.  You can read more about the bill here.

SB 5184 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing on Jan 24 at 10:30 AM, and needs your support! You can sign in PRO by hitting the button below.

Join the Growing Together Lobby Day

This is your last week to sign up to meet with your legislators and to advocate in person on these critical issues!  Join us for our February 5 lobby day in Olympia.  This is one of the best ways to make your voice heard, meet volunteers, and help democracy bloom!  Click the big red button below for more information and how to sign up.  Deadline to register is January 22, but the sooner you register, the more likely we’ll be able to schedule a meeting with your legislator.

First week down, 14 more to go! I appreciate you being a part of the team and planting the seeds for our future, and glad we can grow together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions at [email protected].