Here we go again: legislative session preview

Here we go again: legislative session preview

by Jan Himebaugh, Government Affairs Director

The Legislature convened on Jan. 10, 2022 for the start of the 60-day legislative session.

Because this is the second year of the biennium, bills introduced last year will be reintroduced and retained in their present state. With the Omicron variant wreaking havoc across the state, the Legislature has once again decided to dramatically limit access.

The Senate plans to hold virtual committee meetings and floor action. They will allow in-person meetings with members in their offices with up to three visitors.

The House plans to hold virtual committee meetings and floor action as well. They will not allow any inperson meetings in member offices. Both claim they will reevaluate throughout session.

New political faces

You’ll see some new members of the state Senate when the Legislature convenes in January. Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens) was recently appointed Secretary of State, Sen. Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma) left for a job with the Department of Corrections and sadly, Sen. Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) passed away in mid-December.

Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), the former legislative liaison for Attorney General Ferguson, was selected as Darneille’s replacement earlier this month. Hobbs’ replacement is John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), who moved up from his house seat to the Senate. His seat was then filled by Brandy Donaghy (D-Everett). Ericksen’s death has shocked the legislative community and his replacement has yet to be appointed.

The appointment of Sen. Hobbs as Secretary of State promises to shake up the political dynamics in the Senate. Last year, he was part of a coalition of four Democrats and the Republican Caucus who helped block a number of bad bills. Business groups may no longer have this potential backstop.

Budget and taxes

State budget revenues and surpluses continue to climb to all-time highs thanks to a combination of expectation-beating retail sales and an influx of federal dollars. Republican budget writers want to use the influx of dollars for property tax relief. Democratic budget writers have expressed concerns with reducing taxes or locking in new spending programs and would prefer instead to make one-time investments.

Overall, projected revenues have increased by $3.6 billion for the current biennium and $4.1 billion for the next over what was forecasted in March 2021.

Environmental and land use issues

The 2022 session will see another round of aggressive environmental proposals.

Inslee has rolled out his carbon and environmental agenda that will directly target home affordability. This includes banning natural gas in new construction, allowing local governments to adopt a “stretch” energy code, and requiring all new construction be net-zero ready by 2034.

Multiple proposals last year to revise the Growth Management Act appeared set to pass only to falter late in the Senate. The departure of Sen. Hobbs could see the passage of proposals to require tribal consultation, include climate change mitigation as part of local governments’ comprehensive plans and include salmon recovery as an element as well.

In addition, Inslee has request-legislation to increase funding to address homelessness and to increase “middle housing” by eliminating single-family zoning. All this, while continuing to do nothing to reduce the costs of construction or timelines around permitting, allowing more families to be priced out of home ownership.

Homeownership priorities

Once again, BIAW will focus on legislation to ensure Washington residents have access to homes they can afford by reducing timelines and costs in construction.

Permit timeline reform

Local governments need to start saying yes to permits in a reasonable time and without the constant back and forth of permit corrections. No matter what the underlying zoning says, if a builder can’t get a permit approved, nothing gets built.

Eliminate repeat planning

Let’s get housing built where we’ve planned for housing. It’s time to stop repeating planning when a project already meets pre-approved environmental requirements. This only adds costs and delays to the final construction of a housing unit.

Invest in the future workforce

Builders have long been suffering with a shortage of workers to fill good family wage jobs. One way to address this is to make sure high school students know all the high school diploma pathways available, including residential construction.

Fee reform

The amount of fees paid for new home construction continues to make housing more unaffordable. You can’t make housing more affordable by making it more expensive. It’s time to limit the fees assessed on new construction to the cost of processing the permit. Again you can't make housing more affordable by making it more expensive.