Read on for a review of Week 14, and other highlights. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Dear Rob, This is the final week of the 2023 legislative session, with everything scheduled to come to an end on April 23. Lawmakers will be busy reconciling differences between bills that have passed each chamber, finishing and passing the state budgets, and debating revenue bills – including HB 1628.   HB 1628, the Affordable Housing Act, was moved out of the House Finance Committee last Friday. It still has a viable path to final passage before the end of session, but advocacy is really needed. Please take action today using the action below to help it move forward! If you’ve already taken action – please do it again! Tax policy bills are hotly contested and all lawmakers need a push, especially when there is organized opposition by deep-pocketed groups like the Washington Realtors, who are running ads and lobbying lawmakers to prevent HB 1628 from moving forward. Time and time again, our housing justice movement has defied the odds and won hard bills even with such strong opposition! We can do it again, but lawmakers need to hear from us all week long.   Michele commented on the prospects of passing HB 1628 in an advisory the Housing Alliance sent to the media last week:  “Advocates for affordable housing have worked tirelessly for action to address Washington’s housing crisis. Lawmakers started the session saying it was ‘the year for housing,’ and they have passed many bills aimed at for-profit supply, but they haven't yet passed policy to address the state's affordable housing crisis. It appears that lawmakers are poised to make good on their promise to make significant progress towards addressing our state's growing affordable housing crisis by passing a bill that will create a permanent fund source for the state and a new local option for affordable homes. If passed, HB 1628, the Affordable Homes Act, would be the most significant piece of progressive revenue and affordable housing legislation passed this year.”  TAKE ACTION TODAY! HB 1628/Chopp, the Affordable Homes Act, will create a new Real Estate Excise Tax on transactions of $3.025 million or more to permanently fund affordable housing and provide housing for those with developmental disabilities. This bill also creates a new local option that cities and counties can use for affordable housing. The bill is still alive because it is deemed necessary to implement the budget, but we want to see it move forward soon. Take action right now and send a message to your lawmakers to tell them to move this bill forward today! TAKE ACTION on HB 1628 CALL FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES Please join us and advocates across the state on Tuesday to “Call for Affordable Homes”. We need to raise our voices to make sure we are being heard, and that requires some good old-fashioned phone calling! We want to cause a stir at the capital, even though most of us can’t make it there in person, and we can do that by calling lawmakers together on Tuesday! Stay tuned for instructions. Some of you will be asked to call your lawmaker’s office directly, because your lawmaker may be on the fence on HB 1628 or have more power to get it passed because of a leadership position they hold. Mark your calendar now and set aside 5 – 10 minutes to make a call or two for housing justice!   Bills that passed last week! HB 1260/Alvarado, which will end the repayment requirement for low-income recipients of Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) cash benefits, was passed last week on Senate floor before the April 12 cutoff! Thank you to everyone who took action last week to ask lawmakers to pass this bill to finally end the payback requirement! This will make a big positive difference for people with low incomes and disabilities, to add more stability for their financial situations and their lives going forward! The bill passed the Senate with only 5 no votes and make no mistake, the passage of this bill is an amazing feat! The ABD program has been a target for conservatives for years and the fiscal note on this bill was over $50 million dollars in a year with a tight budget. Good bills that cost a lot less have died this session because of their fiscal impact. The passage of this bill shows the strength of our movement and the power of electing dedicated and skilled housing champions like new Representative Alvarado from the 34th Legislative District!     HB 1074/Thai, the bill that will prevent tenants from being charged for false or exaggerated damages when they move, passed in the Senate last week as well! This important bill was no doubt helped by the pressure lawmakers received by tenants and allies across the state to pass rent stabilization and the increased notice bill. Although those did not pass, they helped to galvanize lawmakers on HB 1074 with many saying that this one must pass since the harder bills had already been lost! Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing: Rachael Myers, Housing Alliance Executive Director, offered a final reminder that organizations and individuals have until April 24 to submit comments on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rulemaking.  The Fair Housing Act of 1968 outlawed housing discrimination and requires jurisdictions (including Public Housing Authorities) to take steps to undo historic patterns of discrimination and segregation, but the act provides very limited guidance on how to do that.  In 2015, HUD finalized a rule providing guidance and required actions to affirmatively further fair housing, but with slow implementation. Then, the Trump administration gutted the rule.  The Biden administration now has a proposed rule that builds on the 2015 rule and advocates have an opportunity to comment on it until April 24th.   Learn more:  The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) advocates guide: https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/2023AG8-04_AFFH.pdf  Alliance for Housing Justice: https://www.allianceforhousingjustice.org/understanding-affh   Policy Link's AFFH Public Comment Guide: https://www.policylink.org/our-work/community/housing/affh/comment   How to take action:  Submit your comment here (upload a letter or type your comments into the website): https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/HUD-2023-0009-0001  Sample letter from NLIHC Sign a petition from the Alliance for Housing Justice: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/AFFH/  Please watch your email for Tuesday’s “Call for Affordable Homes” and for additional emails this week for timely action alerts and updates as the session comes to an end. Be sure to join us for our last advocates call on Friday at 2pm for a rundown of the final budgets and updates on HB 1628, and more. And thank you for continuing to advocate for affordable housing and an end to homelessness!  In solidarity, Rob Huff Communications Specialist Follow Us WASHINGTON LOW INCOME HOUSING ALLIANCE 304 Alaskan Way S., Suite 302 Seattle, Washington 98104 (206) 442-9455 info@wliha.org View this email in your web browser Unsubscribe or Manage Your Preferences