Bill Tracker: 2022 WA Can’t Wait Campaign
Climate Change: HB 1099
Pass HB1099 to ensure Washington cities and counties are planning for climate-resilient communities while reducing our contributions to the climate crisis. Check out the one-pager.
We don’t have any time to waste. Another summer of heatwaves, smoke, and wildfires makes it clear that climate change is already at our doorstep. While the WA State Legislature took good steps to address climate change last year, it is a moral imperative that we continue to take decisive and bold action to create resilient communities that protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. HB1099 will help get us there.
HB1099 will add a climate change goal and element to our state’s Growth Management Act that;
- Requires the largest and fastest-growing counties and cities to choose from a list of actions developed by the Department of Commerce to reduce their vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions to meet state goals for reduction,
- Requires all counties and cities planning under the Growth Management Act to plan to address the impact of climate hazards on people, property and ecological systems,
- Includes a definition of environmental justice in the GMA and stipulates that our land-use planning should work to achieve environmental justice and not worsen existing environmental health disparities.
Bill Sponsors: Representatives Duerr, Fitzgibbon, Dolan, Bateman, Ramel, Gregerson, Goodman, Ryu, Kloba, Chopp, Ormsby, Pollet, Fey, Santos, Davis
How did your legislator vote? Find out here.
Where is it in the legislative process?
- Passed the House of Representatives on January 21st with a party-line vote of 57-41.
- Referred to the Senate Housing and Local Government Committee.
- Had its first hearing in the Senate House and Local Government Committee on Tuesday, Feb 1st at 8AM.
- Passed out of the Senate House and Local Government Committee on Thursday, Feb 17th. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
- Passed out of the Ways and Means Committee on Feb 28th. Referred to Senate Rules Committee.
- Passed the Senate Floor on March 3rd, with a vote of 31 to 16. It will now go to final negotiations where select House and Senate members will reconcile the differences between the versions of the bill passed through each chamber. This is our chance to ensure that critical GHG and VMT reduction requirements are reincorporated.
- Conference Committee passed an ammended version of the bill that reincoporated critival VMT/GHG reduction requirements on Match 9th.
- On March 10th, the Senate voted 28-21 to pass HB10999 after Lt Gov Heck ruled against an objection brough up by Senator Short that the bill was out of scope.
- Later that evening, the House failed to bring HB1099 up for a vote before the end of the 2022 legislative session, which arrived at midnight.
- For a play-by-play of what wen down, check out this article in The Wasington Observer: https://bit.ly/3KKWnIS
Housing Equity: HB 1220
Fully fund the implementation of HB1220, which was signed into law in 2021, to ensure that the state legislature does not short-change housing equity. Check out the one-pager.
In 2021, we worked successfully with constituents, partners, and legislators to pass HB1220, a bill that will take strides to end income and race-based discrimination in Washington’s housing policy that have caused harm and displacement in our communities for too long. We cannot short-change housing equity. To implement this work, and to do it well with the voices of impacted communities centered, we have to give financial support to our local jurisdictions and community organizations to implement these new requirements.
HB 1220 is a game-changing update to the GMA housing element that will ensure that cities;
- Are planning for housing affordable to people at all income levels,
- Redress the impacts from historic racist housing policies,
- Adequately plan for and allow homeless housing and shelters in a majority of zones,
- Identify communities at high risk of displacement and implement anti-displacement policies, programs and regulations to prevent people from being priced out of the neighborhoods that they call home.
Bill Sponsors: Representatives Peterson, Macri, Bateman, Ryu, Lekanoff, Fitzgibbon, Kloba, Davis, Lovick, Santos, Ortiz-Self, Simmons, Berg, Hackney, Chopp, Tharinger, Frame
How did your legislator vote? Find out here.
Where is it in the legislative process?
- We successfully passed this bill in 2021.
- Our work to fund its implementation will happen in the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means Committees
- Funding was not secured this year. We are already laying the groudnwork to ensure this does come to pass in 2023.
Close the Sprawl Loophole: SB 5042
Close the GMA’s ‘sprawl loophole’ to protect farmland, forests, and critical habitats from unnecessary sprawl by passing SB5042. Check out the one-pager.
For the last 12 years, Futurewise has worked to close a crucial loophole in the GMA known as the ‘illegal growth loophole’. This loophole undermines the intent of the GMA by allowing counties to subvert the Growth Management Hearing Board appeals process to illegally build sprawling developments that gobble up farmlands, forests, and critical habitats, put a financial strain on jurisdictions to provide adequate facilities and services to new developments and can impact a local government’s ability to secure state grants if they are found to be out of compliance with the GMA. Growth will continue to occur in Washington, and so long as this loophole exists, there will be people who exploit it for irresponsible development on lands that we desperately need to protect.
- SB 5042 would close the ‘illegal growth loophole’ by:
- Setting a new effective date for actions relating to urban growth areas; agricultural, forest, or mineral resource lands; limited areas of more intensive rural development; new fully contained communities; or master planned resorts.
Bill Sponsors: Senators Salomon, Billig, Kuderer, Liias, Wilson, C.
How did your legislator vote? Find out here.
Where is it in the legislative process?
- Was pulled from the Senate Rules Committee on January 21st, waiting to be brought up for a vote on the the Senate Floor.
- Passed the WA Senate with a vote of 27-20.
- Referred to the House Environment and Energy Committee.
- Public hearing in the Environment and Energy Committee is scheduled for February 17th at 1:30 PM.
- Passed out of the Environment and Energy Committee on February 17th, referred to House Rules Committee where it awaits to be pulled for a vote on the House Floor.
- Passed the House Floor with a vote of 55 to 43. It is now off to the Governor’s desk!
Calls to action:
1) Thank your Representatives for voting YES on SB5042!
