WA joins antitrust suit against rent-setting software firm RealPage
Washington is joining the Department of Justice and a handful of other states in suing a software company that scores of landlords use to help set rents in Seattle and across the country. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in North Carolina, accuses the firm of violating federal antitrust law. The company, RealPage, offers landlords a platform to enter information about the apartments they have for rent, and the software uses an algorithm based on details from other local rentals to suggest a monthly rent price. Tenants have also sued the company in recent years, claiming the software allows landlords to trade otherwise private information to effectively fix rents. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)
Rebates on the way for farmers who paid fuel surcharges under WA climate law
Farmers who believe they paid unfair fuel surcharges under the state’s cap-and-trade program can soon apply for a rebate from the state. The Legislature set aside $30 million this year for farm fuel users and haulers of agricultural goods to receive rebates. The funding comes from revenue the state received in its quarterly pollution allowance auctions under the Climate Commitment Act. Continue reading at The WA State Standard. (Bill Lucia)
WSDOT Head Millar Wants $150 Million Annually to Fix Washington’s ‘Stroads’
Washington transportation secretary Roger Millar is pushing the state legislature to find a way to fund urgently needed improvements to the hundreds of miles of state highways that run through the state’s population centers. The request comes as the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is preparing for the upcoming legislative session, and lawmakers get to work on the state’s budget. Continue reading at The Urbanist. (WSDOT)
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