During the 2023-2024 there were nearly 4000 bills introduced into the Washington State Legislature by the 147 legislators that represent the citizens of Washington State. Some bills were recommended by government agencies, some encouraged by the Governor, but most were filed by legislators to satisfy a need.
For a bill to become a law is a daunting process. There are committees, hearings, caucus meetings and then floor votes. Once it is through one chamber it starts all over again and finally signed by the governor. Of the nearly 4000 bills introduced, less than 1000 ran the gauntlet and made it to the finish line. The 12 legislators in the Tri-City region managed to get a combined 41 bills through during the two-year biennium. Here are a few examples:
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The 2024 Tri-Cities Legislative Council achieved success on four out of their six legislative priorities. These accomplishments encompassed several key initiatives:
The first was the Energy Northwest Advanced Small Nuclear Reactor Project: Funding was secured, resulting in a $25 million fund. This is a big win for the region. A pilot project, a Circular Industrial Symbiosis Park in Pasco, received funding for a feasibility study. Additionally, a green fertilizer work group was funded to explore the creation of a manufacturing facility in the Tri-Cities. Columbian Basin College was awarded funds to create the Hospitality Center of Excellence. The center will convene partners to develop relevant credentials, promote paid work experience and provide the opportunity to collaborate with others within the industry. Regrettably, two priorities did not reach fruition House Bill 1981 and House Bill 2120, both sponsored by Representative Barnard were unable to pass both the House and the Senate this session. House bill 1981 would have supported growth in the nuclear and manufacturing industry while furthering the state’s decarbonization initiatives. House Bill 2120 would have extended the Targeted Urban Property Tax exemption which would encourage additional manufacturing investment in Richland. As previously stated in our February 20th update, three initiatives were going to be heard in public hearings before the Washington State legislator. That left three initiatives unsettled.
Those first three initiatives were heard and both the House and the Senate subsequently passed all three initiatives. This action automatically passes the initiatives into law. What’s next for the other three initiatives? Initiative 2117, known as the “Prohibit Carbon Tax Credit Trading and Repeal Carbon Cap-and-Invest Program Measure” would prohibit state agencies from implementing any cap and trade or cap and tax programs. Additionally, it seeks to repeal the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which established a cap and invest program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050. The CCA's program incentivized businesses to lower emissions by allowing them to sell remaining carbon emission allowances to other companies. Initiative 2124, pertains to state long-term care insurance. The measure proposes that employees and self-employed individuals must actively choose to retain coverage under RCW 50B.04, with the option to opt out at any time. Additionally, it seeks to repeal an existing law related to exemptions for employees. The initiative aims to provide consumer choice regarding long-term care insurance and addresses concerns about affordability, adequacy, and solvency of the current program. Initiative 2109, a citizens’ initiative, seeks to safeguard economic freedom by repealing the controversial capital gains income tax imposed by lawmakers in 2021. This tax, which disproportionately affects individuals with annual capital gains exceeding $250,000, has been widely criticized as unconstitutional and burdensome. By voting in favor of I-2109, Washington residents can encourage investment, protect small businesses, and ensure that hardworking taxpayers retain more of their earnings. Each of these three initiatives will appear on the November general ballot. If these initiatives are passed the initiatives become law. TOD, an answer for affordable housing?Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business, and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. In Washington State, TOD is seen as a key solution to the state's massive housing shortage.
Recent bills introduced into the Washington State legislature would limit a city or county’s ability to enact or enforce new development regulations within certain transit hub parameters. They would also require a certain percentage of new units be set aside as affordable housing. Counties and cities would also face additional restrictions on parking requirements. As for affordable housing, TOD can indeed contribute to it. However, it's important to note that while TOD can drive up property prices and accelerate gentrification, this can be offset by allocating a significant portion of the new development to affordable housing. When low-income households are priced out of TOD areas, the cost savings of living in a more affordable area can be offset by higher transportation expenses associated with automobile dependency. Therefore, the inclusion of affordable housing in TOD is crucial to ensure that the benefits of such developments are accessible to residents of all income levels. The most recent bill before the Washinton State legislature (E2SHB 2160) is currently in the Senate Ways & Means Committee waiting for a chance at the Senate floor. There is only about a week for the bill to proceed. On February 22nd, a group of nearly 40 representatives from the Tri-Cities traveled to Olympia to champion our local priorities. We engaged with legislators not only from the Tri-Cities region but also from other corners of the state. They were all eager to hear about our top issues.
First on our agenda was the advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Research and Development. We focused on securing additional funding for this state-of-the-art technology. Additionally, we actively sought support for expanding manufacturing jobs and Target Urban Areas (TUA). State Representative Barnard has worked tirelessly to help us advance these goals. Furthermore, we emphasized the development of an agricultural symbiosis industrial park and the production of green fertilizers. Our session priorities were further complemented by our efforts to garner support for establishing a Hospitality Center of Excellence at Columbia Basin College. During our visit, we were fortunate to receive insights from Derek Sanderson, the Washington State Director of Agriculture, and Chris Green, the Assistant Director for the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness at the Department of Commerce. Both speakers shared valuable messages with us. In the end, our visit was a resounding success. We had the opportunity to make our voices heard and pave the way for positive change. Throughout 2023, the people of Washington State were presented with six opportunities to weigh in on important issues facing the state. These six issues included:
Legislators from the 8th and 9th Legislative Districts will be holding virtual townhall meetings coming up in the next two weeks.
Sen. Matt Boehnke, Rep. Stephanie Barnard, and Rep. April Connors invite the public to attend the virtual event. Residents in the 8th Legislative District will have an opportunity to engage with their state lawmakers. The 8th Legislative District lawmakers will hold their town hall on
These townhall meetings are great opportunities to learn about what is happening in Olympia during this legislative session. Lawmakers are eager to hear from their constituents and rely on them in order to make decisions that relevant to our area. If you aren't sure what Legislative District you are in check out the District Finder. Senators from the Tri-City Region have been busy during the 2024 Legislative Session. We’ve already highlighted a few bills that may emerge from the House of Representative, now we’ll look at a few from the Senate side. The 8th Legislative District is represented by Senator Matt Boehnke. Senator Boehnke recognizes that tourism is a huge part of the Tri-Cities Regional economy. Sen. Boehnke and Sen Dozier have teamed up to put forth SB 6080 that would make it easier for State tourism funds to automatically be deposited into the State Tourism account. Senator Mark Schoesler, from the 9th, has been working for the last two years to get a bill passed out of the Senate. SB 5344 would establish a Public-School Revolving fund to issue low-interest or interest-free loans to qualifying school districts for capital projects. Organized Retail theft is the target of a bill sponsored by Senator Nikki Torres of the 15th Legislative District. Sen. Boehnke and Schoesler have also joined the fight. After two years SB 5160 has made it through the committee gauntlet and is on the Floor Calendar. The bill adds an additional way to commit organized retail theft in the 2nd degree. Rounding out the Tri-City Regional delegation is Senator Perry Dozier from the 16th Legislative District introduced SB 6238 which would increase assistance amounts for the property tax assistance program for widows and widowers of veterans. Each of these bills have made it out of their committees and are waiting to get placed on the Senate Floor Calendar.
Local lawmaker bills are making progress. Tri-City Regional lawmakers have introduced bills into the 2024 Legislative Session that began on January 8, 2024. Each year hundreds of bills get introduced and many fail to make it past the first gate. The first half of the legislative session is almost over, and local Legislative Representatives are making progress. Here are a few examples. Representative Stephanie Barnard from the 8th Legislative District recently had success moving HB 2120 out of the House Finance Committee. Her bill would make it possible to allow cities to extend certain tax exemptions for nuclear facilities, to continue research and development in Clean Energy. Another 8th Legislative District Representative, April Connors, has managed to usher HB 2464 out of the House Committee on Housing. The bill would open additional land within an Urban Growth Area for new manufactured home communities. This bill could assist in alleviating the housing crunch across the state. Expanding training programs at our state corrections center was the target of Representative Mary Dye, from the 9th Legislative District. A feasibility study authorized by HB 2210 would help determine if a wild horse training, holding and farrier program would fit into the Washington State Correction system. Representative Mark Klicker from the 16th Legislative District has HB 2428 a bill that would alter the way Cities and Counties can share certain tax revenues. The bill would allow interlocal agreements between local governments or other public agencies to cooperatively conduct government activities. Fifty five representatives signed on to support Representative Skyler Rude’s HB 1915. Representative Rude’s bill was passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Education. The bill would make financial education instruction a graduation requirement. The bill has strong bipartisan support. Each of these bills will still needs to be passed on the floor of the House before February 13th and go through the Senate process before they will become law. We're headed into the 4th week of the Washington State Legislative Session. Here are the pieces of legislation we're tracking that could impact the business community: Free up 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in CTE on the job trainingThe legislation: House Bill (HB) 2035 Why it matters: Currently youth are not allowed to participate in any work during school hours. Current regulations prevent a high school student from participating in a bona fide career and technical education (CTE) program if it includes work-based learning during the school day. Students can work in these programs if the work falls outside of school hours. This legislation would allow students to work in a bona fide CTE program during the school year and during normal school hours. It also allows students enrolled in a bona fide college program to work the “extended” hours also. What you can do: Send a comment or your position to your legislators. Mandatory payroll deductions for personal retirement accounts The legislation: House Bill (HB) 2244 and Senate Bill (SB) 6069 Why it matters: Studies have shown that many Americans are not preparing for retirement and are relying on Social Security as their retirement plan. The process of setting up a personal IRA account may also be daunting. The House bill and the Senate companion bill would create a mandatory payroll deduction for employees who work for a company that does not currently have some kind of retirement account. The employer must enroll in the program, but the employee must opt out if they don’t want to participate. What you can do: Send a comment on the House bill or comment on the Senate bill. You can also just state your position. Allowing more time clean energy manufacturers to get up and running The legislation: House Bill (HB) 2120 Why it matters: The development of clean energy facilities is a long process. There is currently legislation in place that allows a property tax exemption for up to 5 years on the development of new facilities. That may not be long enough to complete the design and construction. This bill would allow local governments the option to extend the property tax exemption for up to four additional years. This change would allow existing project to be completed and may encourage new projects in clean energy. What you can do: Send a comment or your position to your legislators. New real estate transfer tax could affect affordable housing The legislation: House Bill (HB) 2276 and Senate Bill (SB) 6191 Why it matters: Real estate excise taxes are paid to both the state and local jurisdictions. The state rate is based on a sliding scale depending on the sales price. It goes from 1.1% for sales less that $525,00 up to 3% for sales above $3,025,000. This new law would raise the 1.1% rate up to $750,000 and impose an additional real estate transfer tax (in addition to real estate excise tax) on all sales above the $3,025,000 amount. The new tax could adversely affect the development of new residential housing and multi family dwelling units. The additional tax on multifamily housing would have a negative impact on affordable housing. It could also stymy new commercial construction. What you can do: Send a comment on the House Bill or comment on the Senate Hill. You can also just state your position. Update on last week's bills:House Bill 2114 Rent Control Passed out of Committee and is in House Appropriations Committee Senate Bill 6188 Wind Farm Siting Passed out of Committee and is Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Read last week's Advocacy Update Do you know of legislation that you'd like to see us address? Contact Matt Murphy, Government and Regional Affairs Director, at matt.murphy@tricityregionalchamber.com.
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