Dear friends and neighbors,
The 2024 Legislative Session got underway yesterday! This is a short session year lasting just 60 days, with our work here wrapping up on March 7. I am proud to continue my work as Chair of the Consumer Protection and Business Committee. I also remain a member of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and Finance Committee.
Listening to Your Concerns
In my last note to you in early December, I sent out a survey, as I was hoping to hear your top concerns as I was gearing up to head back to Olympia. I’m so glad that many of you took part, and the top three items you told me about are community safety, preventable gun violence and affordable housing. Full survey results are depicted in the graph below.
How I’m Responding to Your Concerns
Public Safety
As a result of hearing from you, I have a few bills that will cycle through the legislative process this session that address your concerns.
I will be introducing two bills for peace officers—one is diverting 1/10 of state sales tax for locals to recruit, retain and support public safety personnel due to huge vacancies in the profession. I’ll also be introducing a bill to incentivize recently retired officers to return to work rather than seek work in the private sector. This will allow them to mentor newer recruits as we ramp up staffing and rebuild community trust.
There will also be provisions in both bills for peace officers to work in tandem with behavioral health specialists. Modern-day policing means community-oriented policing, which pairs law enforcement with mental health professionals.
Gun Safety
I have introduced a bill that establishes additional requirements for firearm dealer licensing (House Bill 2118). The bill advocates for firearms dealers being trained in how to recognize folks in distress who perhaps shouldn’t be purchasing firearms and what signs to look for to prevent the sale of a gun to a vulnerable person.
Housing
A plethora of housing bills were passed in the 2023 Legislative Session and the 2024 Legislative Session will build upon that work. I will be introducing a bill in the House that will incentivize the conversion of existing market-rate residential and commercial buildings into affordable housing. There will be a companion bill in the Senate. Many cities and states around the nation are already doing this, and it’s time Washington gets on board.
There are areas in the state—especially in King County—where community centers are currently built out with market-rate housing, but the ability to convert market-rate residential buildings to mixed-income residential buildings will provide increased affordability into these communities. The passing of such legislation would ultimately mean more equitable neighborhoods and brings affordability to areas with the most job opportunities. There is also the added bonus that utilizing existing buildings is less wasteful and more environmentally friendly.
Additionally, I’ll be introducing a bill to freeze property taxes for seniors. Our district is particularly challenged in that seniors can’t afford to age with the right supports in place in the communities that they know and love—we simply haven’t built enough retirement communities for our elders to downsize and put their homes on the market and make them available for growing families.
I promise to keep you updated as these bills are introduced and make their way through committee hearings.
How to Participate in the 2024 Session
- Watch — TVW.org broadcasts all debates and votes that happen in the House or Senate, as well as all committee meetings in both chambers.
- Testify — Go here for an overview of the process, here for instructions on how to testify remotely, and here to sign in for hearings in the House or Senate.
- Research —Look up any bill by number, lawmaker, or topic here. To learn about the entire legislative process, click here.
- Stay Informed — Visit our websites and official social media pages:
- Get in Touch — You can always reach our offices by email or phone; all our contact information is listed at the bottom of this newsletter.
Stay in Touch!
I’d love to hear from you on issues that are important to you. Please reach out to my office at any time. My legislative assistant is Phoebe Greening and it is her friendly voice you first hear when you call my office. She is also normally your first point of contact when you try to reach me by email. You can also stay up to date with my activities during session through my regular e-newsletter updates.
In service,
Rep. Amy Walen
48th Legislative District