Week of February 11 Legislative Update

We’re over halfway through the 2024 legislative session!  It always catches me by surprise just how short the short session is.  But halfway means we have a big cutoff coming up– the floor vote cut off this Tuesday the 13th by 5pm.  All bills need to be voted out of their original chamber or they’re dead for the year.  We have a lot of work to do if we want Connect our Communities and get transit-oriented development (HB 2160).  Folks have been working hard all week with our Bill Bonanza; we’ve tagged elected officials on social media, and over 500 emails have been sent to legislators.

However, we’re down the wire.  Neither transit-oriented development nor rent stabilization have been voted off the floor, and the rural development bills are still gaining traction.  It’s going to take all hands on deck if we’re going to move or hold bills before the cutoff.  The good news is we just released a report about how much more housing TOD would allow, which will help get more attention on the bill Read more for the results from the research and how you can help increase pressure before the cutoff.

Transit-Oriented Development Mapping Report

I’m thrilled to share with you the early findings from a report that our very own Director of Research, Tiernan Martin, has put together about the TOD bill (HB 2160).  We’ve heard from opponents that the TOD wouldn’t allow for significantly denser housing than already is allowed in the Central Puget Sound Region, but our early findings have shown that is not true!  The findings indicate a substantial increase in density within walking distance from transit hubs, greatly improving people’s ability to be connected to their work, play, and school.  We’ll share a blog post later this week, but read on for the results of the study. Read the full report.

Rural Lands Protection (HB 2126/SB 6029)

HB 2126 and SB 6029, which would allow second homes to be built in rural areas that don’t have the resources to support the development, are still gaining traction.  Even though we have successfully gotten legislators to see this bill as controversial, we haven’t put enough pressure on them to guarantee they’ll kill them before the cutoff.  If these bills pass floor votes, it will significantly harder to kill them in the next chamber.  We need to keep up the pressure and make it crystal clear these bills would threaten the future of our farmers, rural communities, and green spaces.  That’s why you should join our call in day tomorrow and call your legislators to support Connecting Communities and vote no on HB 2126 and SB 6029.

Even if you live in an urban area, we need you to call your legislator.  Every legislator will get a chance to vote on these bills on the floor, and we need all of them to hear from their constituents.  Use the toolkit here to call your legislator today and tomorrow.

Transit-Oriented Development (HB 2160) & Rent Stabilization (HB 2114)

Neither HB 2160 and HB 2114 have been scheduled for votes yet.  Both transit-oriented development and rent stabilization are critical pieces in tackling our housing crisis, making sure we have enough homes and that people can afford the homes they’re already living in.  But if these bills don’t pass out of their chambers by the 13th at 5pm, we’ll have to wait until next year to try again, and these issues are too urgent for any delay.  That’s why it’s key that not only are we calling legislators, but emailing them, and asking everyone and anyone we know to email them too.  Click here to send an email.

Weekly Volunteer Campaign Meeting

Thanks to everyone who’s been joining!  This week’s volunteer meeting on Feb 14 is cancelled for Valentine’s Day.  We’ll resume meetings on Feb 21.  These are a great way to meet other volunteer, helps make plans for the upcoming session, and get the most up-to-date info on the campaign.