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FEBRUARY 21, 2024
www.QueenAnneNews.com
VOL. 105, NO. 8
Washington House passes bill limiting rent hikes to 7%
By Carleen Johnson The Center Square
STATE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS During the winter, high school students from around the city come to the Queen Anne Aquatic Center to practice their diving skills. Led by coaches Stephanie Hunt and Ed Harris, the divers from Bishop Blanchet, Seattle Prep, Ingraham, and West Seattle High Schools have been practicing together for three months. Here they are at a swim meet in Queen Anne earlier in the season. And this last weekend, they went out to the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way to compete in the Washington State 3A Diving Championship. Giovanni Photos by Manuela Slye Slye is a senior at West Seattle High School and placed tenth in the competition. “Going to the state competition three years in a row is very exciting and a great honor,” Slye said. And Ingraham High School’s Charles Cady placed third. “As someone who only trains diving a few months out of the year, I never expected to be on the podium at state. Especially not top three,” said Cady. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SEATTLE, WA PERMIT 1271
Minutes before a 5 p.m. legislative deadline and after a lengthy floor debate, the Washington State House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that limits rent increases statewide to 7% annually. House Bill 2114 passed on a near-party-line vote with 54 yeas, 43 nays, with one excused absence. HB 2114 now moves to the Senate where its future is uncertain. A version of the bill died there last month. Other provisions of the bill include longer notification periods for a rent increase, no increases during the first rental year, and a cap on late fees. Rep. Emily Alvarado, D-Seattle, is the prime sponsor of the legislation. “The momentum is building because people are hurting," she said. Alvarado said HB 2114 can help provide predictability for renters. But several landlords and developers say capping rents will discourage construction and worsen the state’s housing shortage. During public hearings on the bill last month, Morgan Shook with ECOnorthwest, specializing in land use and redevelopment policy, told lawmakers years of experience and many economic studies have proven rent control policies fail. “Many academics and housing professionals know price controls result in unintended consequences, namely that many of the shortterm benefits are outweighed by the long-term damage to the housing market," he said. The bill passed by the House on Tuesday would cap late fees for rent payments at $10 per month and all move-in fees at no more than one month’s rent. It also prohibits landlords from having different rent prices and fees for monthto-month leases compared to fixed-term leases, though new construction would be exempt from the rules for the first 10 years of RENT Page 3Æ