Dear friends and neighbors,

We’re one third of the way through this year’s legislative session, so here’s an update on what’s happening in the state House. Right now, most of our work is focused on committee hearings, the first stop for almost every bill.

Hearings give legislators a chance to ask questions and propose amendments, but what’s most important in a hearing is for us to listen to your testimony! Your thoughts on the bills we are considering give us insight and help us see the policy from a different viewpoint.

Once a bill is voted on and passed by a committee, it either heads to the Rules Committee to then be assigned to the floor for a vote or, if it has a fiscal note, it will go to one of the fiscal committees (Appropriations, Finance, Capital Budget or Transportation) first. To organize our time, we set deadlines for bills to pass out of committee. For policy committees, that deadline is this coming Friday, February 21^st. Fiscal committees get one extra week to hear bills.

WHERE ARE MY BILLS?

Below is a quick update on three of my bills:

HB 1042 – The county treasurer provides billing, collection, and disbursement of property taxes for all public taxing entities in the county. But approximately 60 percent of that workload ends up being free to entities other than the county. As a result, not only is there inequity in who is paying for and receiving services, but there are also inadequate funds for the treasurer’s office functions and staffing. To support and ensure continuity in services, county treasurers are seeking collaboration to be more self-sustaining. My legislation, which was heard in the Finance Committee last Thursday, authorizes a county treasurer to charge local taxing districts a cost recovery fee for administrative costs associated with billing, collecting, and distributing property taxes. HB 1043 – The Commute Trip Reduction program is set to expire this summer, so I introduced this bill to extend it and improve it so that more businesses can participate. The program gives employers incentives to help their employees get to work in a sustainable, affordable way. It’s a small investment that benefits both, employers and workers, in a partnership for a greener, safer, less polluted Washington. This legislation was heard in the Finance Committee on February 11 and is scheduled for executive session this Tuesday. HB 1044 – Collecting and distributing property taxes is a constitutional duty, and fees to fund the cost of providing these services have not been raised in about 15 years. Naturally, counties are struggling to keep up. This legislation will enhance the efficiency of property tax valuation and real estate excise tax processing. My bill will establish a sustainable funding mechanism for county assessors and treasurers, addressing the growing administrative demands on these offices. This measure passed the Local Government Committee on January 31 and has been referred to the Finance Committee.

RENT STABILIZATION

The urgency for rent stabilization in Washington state cannot be overstated. Skyrocketing rents continue to inflict a devastating impact on our communities, forcing many to make impossible choices between essential needs like food, healthcare, and maintaining stable housing. I am cosponsoring House Bill 1217, because we need solutions sooner than later.

In my latest video update, I discuss key components of this bill to bring renters relief as soon as possible. Click here or on the image below to watch it.

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The Crisis

On the heels of inflation, the state’s budget will be tight, and we must address the underlying problem of price gouging to make our state’s investments as cost-effective as possible. Increased housing supply will take years, or even decades, to bring significant relief to renters. We need to stabilize rent to help tenants now. Residential and manufactured home renters alike deserve rental predictability, stability, and protection from price gouging.

We’ve heard from many people across the state who’ve shared experiences of staggering rent increases, with some facing 50 percent hikes, while others are being displaced due to the sale and consolidation of manufactured home parks. If the legislature fails to act, more people will face homelessness, and more families will struggle to make ends meet.

A Vital Step Toward Fairness

Rent stabilization is not intended to punish landlords, but rather to establish fairness and shared responsibility. It aims to provide predictability and stability to renters, addressing the core of the affordability crisis, rather than applying a temporary solution. Our legislation includes several key protections:

• A 7 percent cap on rent increases.
• Similar limits on fee increases and new fees.
• Predictable 12-month leases.
• 180-day notices for annual rent increases.
• The ability to terminate rental agreements if an increase exceeds 3 percent.
• Reasonable exemptions for new construction and nonprofit buildings.

These measures are designed to offer a reasonable balance to ensure that renters are protected while also encouraging new housing to be built.

We need immediate relief, and I believe rent stabilization can help level the playing field for small property owners and make the market fairer.

WORK ZONE SPEED CAMERAS COMING SOON

We’ve all heard it many times: SLOW DOWN IN WORK ZONES but, apparently, it’s just not sinking in. According to WSDOT, there was a 20 percent increase in work zone accidents in a period of three years, from 2020 to 2023. Workers on our state highways should not have to be on edge all the time fearing they’ll get run over by careless drivers who don’t slow down.

The Legislature passed SB 5272 in 2023, authorizing the use of speed safety cameras in state highway work zones to help increase worker safety.

WSDOT recently announced that it will start rolling out the program very soon. The cameras will be mounted on trailers in active work zones across the state.

Before driving through a work zone with camera enforcement, signs will tell drivers the posted speed limit and that work zone speed cameras are activated.

When a vehicle is traveling over the posted speed limit, the system will take images of the vehicle and its license plate, and will record the speed limit, location, date and time.

The Work Zone Speed Camera Program penalty is $0 for the first infraction, $248 for the second and each infraction thereafter.

Learn more about the program here.

TVW LEGISLATOR PROFILES

As in previous biennia, I was invited to participate in this TVW series aimed at giving Washingtonians a quick (2 minutes) snapshot of their state lawmakers. Click here or on the image below to watch it.

STAY IN TOUCH

Thank you so much for reading my newsletter. If you need more information on any legislative issue, please be sure to contact my office. And drop me a line or give me a call to share your thoughts and feedback.

Sincerely,