Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2019 legislative session ended recently, marking the first time in a decade that legislators were able to finish our business for the year writing policy and passing a “Putting People First” budget without going into an overtime special session.
That was just one of our successes this year.
We passed major housing affordability policy, enacted a college affordability plan that will provide free education for many Washingtonians, continued investing in public K-12 education including special education, strengthened wage transparency protections, passed the strongest clean energy plan in the nation, created the first state-based long term care program, and much more.
In this e-newsletter I’ll share a summary of the legislation that I introduced and passed this year. Stay tuned for an update from my 32nd District seatmates on me about additional policy and budget priorities that will benefit our area.
Thank you,
Cindy
Short term rentals
HB 1798 started out as a leveling of the field for the 32nd Legislative District’s hotels & motels with short term rentals such as those offered through Expedia, Air BnB, VRBO and other internet platforms. The final bill was significantly narrowed and clearly defines what is, and is NOT a short term rental. The amended bill as passed, is good for consumers and good for small business owners.
Like more and more people, I am a consumer of both vacation rentals and hotels, so I am used to paying all the same taxes when I’m in other states. It is only fair to pay the same type of taxes whether we stay at a hotel or a short term rental.
As a former insurance agent, I’m glad short term rental owners in Washington State will be informed of the need for them to look into their liability insurance coverages before they incur any potential business liabilities.” The bill reiterates that currently existing taxes must be paid, but it does not increase rates or enact any new taxes. Read more about the bill here.
Manufactured and mobile home tenant support
Manufactured homes are one of the most affordable forms of housing, both as rentals and for homeownership. While rising buildable land prices put pressures on existing communities to be sold for higher use, no new manufactured home communities are being built west of the Cascades. While my Dad worked for a trailer manufacturer in the early 1970’s, there are no longer any manufacturers of traditional mobile or manufactured homes in Washington State. As other off-site constructed modular housing units become more viable as alternative and permanent housing options, I am also hopeful that we can increase affordable homeownership opportunities.
In the meantime, we have more than 60,000 manufactured homes in Manufactured Home Communities in Washington State and we must update our laws to keep them as viable forms of housing.
We took a giant step forward with the passage of SB 5183 in the 2019 Session. It incorporates five House Bills drafted from many stakeholder meetings over a period of more than 2 years. The legislation will help preserve manufactured homes as an ongoing form of housing and foster replacement of aging units with newer units in existing communities.
With closures of manufactured home communities, seniors and immigrant families face losing their homes, and at the same time, encounter challenges with finding alternate affordable housing. Our bill will also help ease their way to finding new housing or new home locations once that decision to close and sell or repurpose Manufactured Home Communities is made by the property owner, with proper notice.
Service members’ notice for termination of tenancy
Finding and keeping affordable housing is an ongoing challenge for many of our constituents. Military service members and their families have an added layer of challenges: Reassignments and Deployment Orders. In this tight housing market, both landlords and service members need clarity and certainty in our statutes.
HB 1138, as passed unanimously by both the House and Senate, will increase housing flexibility for service members, and especially for junior enlisted men, women and their families with limited resources by removing restrictions on providing less than twenty days notice for terminating their tenancy. It will also reduce the number of lengthy legal interactions between landlords and service members by making it really clear what types of documents are required with respect to providing notice for termination of tenancy.
Soju serving endorsement
HB 1034 adds an endorsement to the restaurant liquor license to allow soju to be served by the bottle. Soju is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage, and although I personally do not drink alcohol, I believe state liquor laws should honor cultural traditions. It also increases public safety with easier enforcement of over-service and underage drinking laws, so I was happy to sponsor this legislation. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Read about the traditional way to enjoy soju here.