Feb 19 fiscal forecast: Tomorrow is a big day for another reason. It’s the day the fiscal forecast comes out. This forecast really matters. It tells budget writers what they have to spend based on projected state revenue. After that, we expect to see the first legislative budget roll out on Feb. 24, and the opposite chamber quickly following suit. That means budget advocacy will ramp up quickly because there will only be a few weeks to reach agreement on a final budget before the legislative session ends. We’ll let you know when specific actions will have the most impact. For now – you can contact your lawmakers and tell them to support all of our budget priorities. Updates on key priorities: (Note that things are changing rapidly. By the time you read this, other bills may have passed!) HB 1694/ Morgan: Require landlords to accept a 3-month payment plan for move-in costs when a tenant requests it. Passed the House 54 to 44! HB 2797/ Robinson: Improvements to last year’s HB 1406 so that that local jurisdictions can take full advantage of the state sales tax credit for affordable housing. Passed the House 63 to 33! HB 2634/ Walen: Creates a real estate excise tax exemption for selling property to a nonprofit or public housing authority who acquires it for affordable housing. Passed the House 94 to 4! HB 2384/ Doglio: Fixes the property tax exemption for affordable rental housing for very low-income households. Passed the House 96 to 2! HB 2343/ Fitzgibbon: Makes improvements to last year’s HB 1923 that created incentives for reducing the cost of building homes. Passed the House 93 to 2! Another advocacy opportunity: Attend a Town Hall. Many are coming up this weekend! Also this week, many legislators are hosting mid-session town halls. Attending is a great way to advocate! Share your experiences with housing instability, evictions, or homelessness, or simply ask your lawmakers what they’re doing to address homelessness and the affordable housing crisis. Find a Town Hall close to you – The League of Women Voters of Washington (a Housing Alliance member!) has compiled a list of local Town Halls for you to attend, and many are taking place this weekend! Find your town hall here. Here are a few tips: Bring a few copies of our legislative agenda – download it here so you can use it as a reference and give it to your lawmaker if they want more information. Invite others – Numbers matter! Lawmakers will notice if there are multiple people speaking up about affordable housing and homelessness. Think about who you can invite to share a unique story. It’s especially powerful for people who have personal experience with housing instability or homelessness to share their experiences. Board members and other community leaders also bring a unique voice that can get lawmakers’ attention. Invite your networks! Prepare your question – Be as simple and succinct as possible. Ask a “yes or no” question tied to your own experience or the experience of your community. Follow up – Send an email to the lawmakers at your Town Hall to remind them that you were there (or tell them if you didn’t get to ask a question!) You can thank them for holding the event and remind them of what you want them to do. You can also share more information or stories that you didn’t have the opportunity to share at the event. Then, keep in touch with them regularly throughout the session and beyond. Legislators remember constituents, especially those they’ve met in person. For more information and tips – All in Together, a national women’s civic and leadership organization, has some good tips on participating in a Town Hall. We’re not affiliated with this organization, but like we the resource. Don’t forget about our bi-weekly member updates live from Olympia. Register here to join us on Friday Feb. 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 and finally on March 13 for an overview of the session which ends on March 12! Thank you for your advocacy! | 
