2023 Session – General Legislative Recap and Look Ahead: Week of March 20, 2023

Friday, March 17, 2023 

Today marks the 68th day of the 105-day 2023 Legislative session in Olympia.  Our next cutoff comes on Wednesday, March 29 which is the last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from opposite house, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees or those that are “Necessary to Implement the Budget (NTIB).” 

The legislators adopt new two-year operating, capital and transportation budgets, in odd-numbered years.  Senator Mark Mullet (D-5) and Senator Yasmin Trudeau (D-27) have announced that Senate Democrats will release their capital budget proposal, on Monday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m.  This is the budget to watch for how legislators will be addressing the need for more housing.  In Governor Inslee’s proposal he included a $4 billion housing referendum to speed up housing construction.  The Democratic Capital Budget, SB 5200, will be having a hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Monday, March 20 at 4:00 p.m. in the JA Cherberg Building Room 4 

The Economic Revenue Forecast will be released on the afternoon of Monday, March 20 and will be aired on TVW at 2:00 p.m.   The Senate leaders will likely release the operating and transportation budgets later in the week, and House leaders will release their proposal sometime after the Senate.  We will be following these budgets to see how they affect our industry. 

We have 43 days left until the session concludes on Sunday, April 23. 

Week of March 20 

Below is the weekly schedule of legislative committee hearings we are tracking for the week of Monday, March 20 to Friday, March 25. 

If anyone is interested in watching any of these hearings, they can do so on TVW at www.tvw.org and select the appropriate committee hearing to view. 

To take action on any of the bills you can do the following: 

• To Sign up to Submit written testimony,
• Testify virtually or in-person, or
• To Provide position to be noted for the legislative record, click here. 

• Select either House or Senate (Whether the bills is being heard in a House or Senate Committee)
• Select the Committee name the bill is scheduled for a hearing.
• Select the date of the hearing to the corresponding bill.
• Click on the bill number of interest.
• Then you select one of the options you would like to take
• I would like to testify in person during the hearing.
• I would like to testify remotely.
• I would like my position noted for the legislative record.
• I would like to submit written testimony. 

Please let us know if you would like to take Action on any of these bills or update/change our position(s). 

Environment & Energy (House) - HHR C and Virtual JLOB - 3/20 @ 1:30pm

• SSB 5094- Public Hearing - Adding a climate resilience element to water system plans. (Remote Testimony Available). (Concerns/Low) 

Housing (House) - HHR B and Virtual JLOB - 3/20 @ 1:30pm

• ESSB 5197- Exec Session - Addressing landlord-tenant relations by providing technical changes to eviction notice forms and modifying certain eviction processes. (Oppose/High) 

Capital Budget (House) - HHR B and Virtual JLOB - 3/21 @ 8:00am

• ESSB 5301- Public Hearing - Concerning housing programs administered by the department of commerce. (Hearing is on the Proposed Striking Amendment.) (Support/Monitor) 

Finance (House) - HHR A and Virtual JLOB - 3/21 @ 9:00am 

Local Government (House) - HHR E and Virtual JLOB - 3/21 @ 10:30am

• 2SSB 5290- Public Hearing - Concerning consolidating local permit review processes. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High)
• ESSB 5334- Public Hearing - Providing a local government option for the funding of essential affordable housing programs. (Remote Testimony Available). (Oppose/Monitor)
• 2SSB 5412- Public Hearing - Reducing local governments' land use permitting workloads. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High) 

Consumer Protection & Business (House) - HHR C and Virtual JLOB - 3/21 @ 1:30pm

• SSB 5191- Exec Session - Reforming the real estate agency law. (Support/Monitor) 

Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) - SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg - 3/21 @ 1:30pm

• ESHB 1282- Exec Session - Requiring environmental and labor reporting for public building construction and renovation material. (Concerns/Medium) 

Housing (House) - HHR B and Virtual JLOB - 3/21 @ 4:00pm

• ESSB 5466- Exec Session - Promoting transit-oriented development. (Support/High) 

Ways & Means (Senate) - SHR 4 and Virtual JACB - 3/21 @ 4:00pm

• HB 1527- Exec Session - Making technical corrections to the local tax increment financing program. (Support/Medium) 

Civil Rights & Judiciary (House) - HHR A and Virtual JLOB - 3/22 @ 8:00am

• SB 5058- Public Hearing - Exempting buildings with 12 or fewer units that are no more than two stories from the definition of multiunit residential building. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High) 

Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) - SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg - 3/22 @ 8:00am

• 2SHB 1390- Public Hearing - Concerning district energy systems. (Remote Testimony Available). (Oppose/High)
• 2SHB 1391- Public Hearing - Concerning energy in buildings. (Remote Testimony Available). (Oppose/High)
• 2SHB 1433- Public Hearing - Concerning energy labeling of residential buildings. (Remote Testimony Available). (Oppose/High) 

Housing (Senate) - SHR 4 and Virtual JACB - 3/22 @ 1:30pm

• ESHB 1042- Exec Session - Concerning the use of existing buildings for residential purposes. (Support/High)
• SHB 1074- Exec Session - Addressing documentation and processes governing landlords' claims for damage to residential premises. (Oppose/High)
• E2SHB 1110- Exec Session - Increasing middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing. (Support/High)
• SHB 1250- Exec Session - Modifying the low-income home rehabilitation program. (Support/Monitor)
• HB 1367- Exec Session - Eliminating unnecessary homeless funding budget and auditing requirements. (Oppose/High)
• 2SHB 1474- Exec Session - Creating the covenant homeownership account and program to address the history of housing discrimination due to racially restrictive real estate covenants in Washington state. (Concerns/High)
• HB 1771- Exec Session - Concerning relocation assistance for tenants of closed or converted manufactured/mobile home parks. (Support/Medium) 

Law & Justice (Senate) - SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg - 3/22 @ 6:00pm

• HB 1420- Exec Session - Concerning lien priority of mortgages and deeds of trust. (Support/Monitor) 

Environment & Energy (House) - HHR C and Virtual JLOB - 3/23 @ 8:00am

• SSB 5094- Exec Session - Adding a climate resilience element to water system plans. (Concerns/Low) 

Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs (Senate) - SHR 3 and Virtual JACB - 3/23 @ 10:30am

• ESHB 1245- Exec Session - Increasing housing options through lot splitting. (Support/High)
• EHB 1337- Exec Session - Expanding housing options by easing barriers to the construction and use of accessory dwelling units. (Support/Medium) 

Ways & Means (Senate) - SHR 4 and Virtual JACB - 3/23 @ 4:00pm

• E2SHB 1167- Public Hearing - Concerning residential housing regulations. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/Medium)
• E2SHB 1181- Public Hearing - Improving the state's response to climate change by updating the state's planning framework. (Remote Testimony Available). (Concerns/Monitor) 

Local Government (House) - HHR E and Virtual JLOB - 3/24 @ 10:30am

• 2SSB 5290- Exec Session - Concerning consolidating local permit review processes. (Support/High)
• ESSB 5334- Exec Session - Providing a local government option for the funding of essential affordable housing programs. (Oppose/Monitor)
• 2SSB 5412- Exec Session - Reducing local governments' land use permitting workloads. (Support/High)