Legislative Update Week 6: We’re halfway there
Good morning and happy Sunday! Legislators had a full day of floor action yesterday, so I’ll dive right into the updates. I was hoping this email was going to start with “ALL our priorities have passed the House!” But HB 2266, supporting more STEP housing, is still waiting for a vote.
Lawmakers have until the end of the day Tuesday to pass it out of the House. So without wasting any more time, will you take the most important action for this week and email your House Reps telling them to vote YES on HB 2266 and send it to the Senate?
Our biggest obstacle right now is the clock ⏰ so make sure lawmakers know that we can’t wait another year to bring housing relief to our neighbors who need it the most!
STEP Housing – HB 2266
I already previewed that it needs your support – but a quick recap of why this bill matters: STEP housing refers to critical housing types like Shelters, Transitional housing, Emergency housing, and Permanent supportive housing; and Washington needs a lot more of it. A lot of our cities have added costly but unnecessary regulations to these housing types. HB 2266 is a follow-up from our successful passage of HB 1220 a few years back, and will remove barriers to getting more of this housing built as outlined by state law.
Encouraging Middle Housing
Now this is where I get to say –all of our middle housing priorities are now moving through the Senate! 🎉 Incredible advocacy from hundreds of you signing in PRO, emailing your reps, going to town halls, and getting engaged even on bills that might seem small. But this suite of bills strengthens existing frameworks by addressing specific but very real barriers to building more housing and doing it faster, more affordably, without compromising our environment.
These bills are already on the move with hearings and votes scheduled this week!
Condo Liability, HB 2304 – This got a unanimous vote off the floor and is already scheduled for a hearing this week in the Senate Committee on Housing. Start it out strong on the Senate side with a Sign in PRO before Wednesday morning.
Scissor Stairs – HB2228 – Also passed unanimously in the House, and is already scheduled for a vote on Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Housing!
Balancing Needs in Rural Areas
It’s never too late for a new bill drop! (That’s not true, there are deadlines). But we’re adding a priority and supporting SB 5802 – a bill to help protect rural areas from further sprawl. There is currently a law on the books from about ten years ago that allows for more development in rural areas around designated freight rail. SB 5802wants to repeal that law to better protect farmlands.
There are other opportunities for managed, thoughtful development in rural communities to increase housing supply without without further risking our farmlands, forests, and working lands. You can trust that Futurewise is working deep in communities to thread this needle.
This is moving quick, with a public hearing Wednesday then committee members taking a vote on Friday.
Join your district Town Hall
Legislators are hosting town halls in-person in districts all over Washington. Town halls are THE place for you to hear directly from your elected representatives, but importantly it’s also a key way that they can hear from you. Getting to meet your neighbors and advocates involved locally in your neighborhood are a bonus, too.
Ask a friend to join you, and check out our handy-dandy toolkit to organize a post-town hall meet-up or host a town hall screening!
Find the next Town Hall near you!
(Or check the website of your local representative)
Now that most of our bills are starting the second half of their journey towards the Governor’s desk, there’s a lot of opportunities to get involved. Thank you for sticking with me to the end here, and for taking action on things that help all of our communities grow together.
Onward,
Marcella