As far as new environmental legislation goes, the Washington State Legislature’s session this year ended with excitement as troubled ideas like killing ghost shrimp breezed through committees in the last weeks and made it to the Governor’s desk.
Futurewise activists did a remarkable job of getting Transit Oriented Development passed. And, while the Rent Stabilization bill was compromised, but for now it is a start in the right direction.
A few days before the session ended, legislators had their last chance to vote on bills on the floor before the opposite chamber cutoff on Wednesday. Legislation went to a process called concurrence, where the chamber of origin voted to ‘concur’ on the amendments made in the second chamber. At that point, the bill was in its final form, then continued to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
This year’s longer three-month session created a chance for getting difficult legislation passed, as it provided time for multiple trips to committees.
Rent Stabilization — HB 1217
“Despite overwhelming public support for rent stabilization, some very bad, no-good amendments were made to HB 1217 in the Senate,” said Marcella Buser. “The rent cap was increased from 7% annually to 10% plus Consumer Price Index (CPI); and single-family homes were exempted from the rent cap entirely. These amendments significantly weaken the bill, and undermine its very purpose of protecting renters.”
Marcella Buser is Futurewise’s legislative coordinator who sends weekly updates on bills on the organization’s list of priorities. ” To put this in real terms: for me, a 10% + CPI increase in my rent in 2022 would have meant over $300 a month- that’s too much for me to afford, and would have pushed me out of my apartment.”
A big group of supporters rallied in Olympia on the last Friday of the session to demand that legislators fix this bill. “We kept up that pressure to restore the rent stabilization bill to one that would actually protect our communities,” said Marcella Buser the State Organizer for Futurewise.
Transit-Oriented Development — HB 1491
It has taken three years of dedicated advocacy, careful negotiations with all stakeholders, and overcoming the odds fighting an uphill battle, but HB 1491, creating standards for more transit-oriented development, passed the Senate in the last weeks of the session. “This is a major victory,” said Buser.
Because the Senate made amendments that Futurewise supported, the bill went into concurrence, where the House voted to concur with the Senate’s version. At that point, it was off to Governor Ferguson for his signature!
Meanwhile in Pierce County, where Transit Oriented Development is being considered for Spanaway, the future of our neighborhoods has the chance to be more walkable, affordable, and climate-friendly.
Learn more about what Transit Oriented Development will look like in Spanaway and Pierce County by reading this related story: