| Dear Friends and Neighbors,
With the beginning of March, the legislature is now convening on the House floor to vote on bills until March 8th, before resuming committee hearings on Senate legislation. In this issue, I’ll provide an update on bills that have passed from the House, discuss funding requests that will directly help our community, and invite you to an upcoming town hall. I hope you will find it useful!
Legislative Update
The last few weeks have seen the passage of numerous legislative deadlines. February 17th was the last day for the House to consider legislation without a fiscal impact, followed by February 24th, which was the last day to pass all bills from fiscal committees. Below are some bills that I am proud to share have passed the House:
House Bill 1033 will reduce confusion among consumers on composting products and reduce food waste by convening an advisory committee to develop standards for composting organic materials in management facilities. Cross contamination has been a significant operational issue facing organic material facilities. By updating what is compostable with today’s technology and what is problematic, we can effectively deal with this type of waste and reduce operational costs for facilities. I’m proud to share this bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support this Tuesday. To watch my speech on the House floor, click here or on the image below.
House Bill 1042 helps developers build new housing within existing vacant buildings. The conversion of vacant buildings into residential housing has been difficult for developers due to onerous red tape. By streamlining this process, we can help address the housing crisis, create affordable housing in our communities and save resources by preserving existing structures. This bill passed the House unanimously.
House Bill 1046 expands financing of affordable housing by increasing the benchmark for area median income. By opening resources to low-income households, opportunities for partnerships between public housing authorities and private developers are improved, and more families can get into homes. This bill passed the House Committee on Housing, House floor, and Senate Committee on Housing unanimously.
House Bill 1054 addresses barriers to housing for owners in common interest communities. Currently, unit owners in an association can limit the number of people who occupy a unit for another owner. Yet, the reality is many Washingtonians are increasingly turning to multi-generational living and unit sharing arrangements to address housing unaffordability. HB 1054 would prevent arbitrary occupancy limits being imposed on property owners by homeowner’s associations. Earlier this month, the bill passed the House and heads to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 1088 adopts the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act to provide parties with an avenue to resolve nonfinancial matters without having to go to court. This provides increased flexibility in meeting the needs of all parties in a quicker and less formal process. I believe this will also ease the burden family courts already experience. HB 1088 passed unanimously on Monday from the House.
For more information on all 22 bills I have sponsored this session and to track their progress, click here.
Funding For Our Community
In Washington, the legislature funds key programs and services that families rely on through the Operating Budget, Capital Budget, and Transportation budget. Below are some requests I have worked on with our community partners to help support the health and wellbeing of our families and businesses, and the arts in our community:
- Long overdue equipment modernization for the Kirkland Performance Center
- Boys & Girls Club – Academic Innovation and Mentoring (AIM) Program
- Boys and Girls Club – Mental health supports for kids (pilot program)
- Andy Hill CARE Fund – Funding critical cancer research
- Northwest Kidney Centers (NWKC) – Increasing the Medicaid Base Rate to make care more accessible
I am also in support of fully funding the Trust Land Transfer Program included in the Governor’s budget, and the Salmon Recovery Council. I believe both programs will help create economic resiliency for our forestry and fishing industries.
As proposed budgets are finalized, I look forward to helping the legislature reaffirm its commitment to invest in families, businesses, infrastructure, and economic resiliency to ensure the shared prosperity of all in our community.
You’re invited to my first town hall of 2023!
Join your 48th District legislators for a telephone town hall on Wednesday, March 23rd at 6:30 PM. Senator Kuderer, Rep. Slatter, and I will share our legislative priorities and answer questions on the issues important to you. Questions can be submitted ahead of time by clicking here.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Let Me Know What Is Important To You
If you come down to Olympia, please schedule a time for us to meet so you can share your concerns with me. I am also happy to meet remotely if you are not quite comfortable in a public setting or simply don’t have time to make it to Olympia. My priority is hearing from you however you are most comfortable, whether remotely or in person.
If you have comments, questions, or ideas, please contact my office. I hope to hear from you soon!
In service,
State Representative Amy Walen
48th Legislative District |
