Lawmakers have considered a record number of bills this session, but the projected budget deficit is creating a difficult environment for policies with a financial impact. We know that the state needs to invest more, not less, in affordable homes and homelessness if we are to ensure that everyone in Washington has a safe, affordable home. These three bills would make great strides toward that goal, but their financial impact – however reasonable - is endangering their passage.

• HB 1453/Macri reforms our state’s eviction laws to give tenants extra time (more than the current 3 days!) to address late rent before eviction proceedings can begin. Through productive negotiations with landlords, we added a $1M mitigation fund that will ensure landlords receive prompt payment while giving tenants more time to pay and to stay in their homes.
   
• HB 1406/Robinson will allow local communities to retain a portion of the state sales tax they already collect to invest in local affordable housing. Because communities will keep the funds instead of passing them through to the state, this bill must be funded in the state budget.
   
• HB 1923/Fitzgibbon will remove impediments to building affordable housing, such as not requiring parking in developments where residents are less likely to drive such as housing for seniors and people with disabilities. These common-sense adjustments will control costs and allow communities to build affordable housing that makes sense locally. The bill also provides funding for planning grants so local governments can adequately plan for the affordable housing needs of their residents.

All three of these bills will die unless they are voted out of the Senate’s Ways & Means committee on Tuesday.

Right now, lawmakers are in difficult negotiations about the best way to invest every state dollar for the next two years. In this pressured atmosphere, it’s easy for them to forget about the real, human impact of the decisions they make. Your voice cuts through the pressure in a way nothing else can. Your story brings them a dose of reality and reminds them of the costs of not taking action.

Click here to email your senator today.

The legislative session ends in three weeks. Against long odds, your advocacy has kept the housing justice agenda alive so far.

Thank you for your action and passion,
~rachael

Rachael Myers
Executive Director