OLYMPIA—As the end of the legislative session draws closer, five bills introduced by Representative Davina Duerr (D-Bothell) are becoming law.
“I’m exceedingly happy that all these bills passed,” Duerr said. “It’s good legislation that will make a real difference in so many people’s lives.”
House Bill 1183
This legislation is the first in the nation to make allowances so that passive house construction are more viable and affordable.
“What I love about this bill is that it incentivizes building cheaper housing and utilizes emerging technologies to build homes for the 21st century,” Duerr said. “This bill eliminates parking minimums for affordable housing, modular, mass timber, and passive houses. It will incentivize these types of buildings because of the cost savings. I worked with architects and builders to accomplish that.”
House Bill 1135
“This bill closes a loophole in the Growth Management Act, ensuring that all the great pro-housing legislation we’ve passed this session will be implemented by local governments,” Duerr said.
HB 1135 was signed into law by Governor Ferguson on April 7 and takes effect on the 27th of July.
House Bill 1154
Leniency and a lack of penalties in law have allowed landfill owners to evade punishment for breaking the law, leading to a lack of compliance at several facilities. One landfill has been out of compliance for 20 years.
“It’s not just about landfills but all solid waste facilities,” Duerr said.
HB 1154 allows Ecology to backstop local jurisdictions that don’t hold entities out of compliance accountable to protect our environment.
House Bill 1935
A discrepancy in the 2023 law surrounding building permits has created confusion regarding permitting definitions. This legislation fixes the glitch.
House Bill 1462
Industrial refrigerants have thousands of times higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide. HB 1462 is policy developed over two years alongside the refrigeration industry to smooth the transition to less harmful refrigerants as the worst are taken off the market.
“The Natural Resources Defense Council and I partnered closely on this bill,” Duerr said. “They hope this legislation can serve as a model for other states, creating markets for reclaimed refrigerant and extending the life of existing equipment.”
Click here to read the NRDC press release about the new law.