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Week of February 15th: Legislative Update

Welcome to the sixth legislative update from Futurewise’s Washington Can’t Wait Campaign.

The session continues to fly by and we are thrilled to announce that both HB1099 and HB1220 have been voted out of their policy committees and are now in the House Committee on Appropriations. Many thanks to all of those who contacted legislators and made their voices heard to ensure that this important legislation moves forward! We still have a long way to go, but we are feeling good about where we are at. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this email for calls to action!

Priority Legislation

1. HB 1099 – Improving the state’s climate response through updates to the state’s comprehensive planning framework – Sponsor: Rep. Duerr and Rep. Fitzgibbon
   1. This bill has its first hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 16^that 1:30PM. Click here to sign in ‘PRO’ for the legislative record!
2. HB 1220 – Supporting emergency shelters and housing through local planning and development regulations – Sponsor: Rep. Peterson and Rep. Macri
   1. HB 1220 was voted out of the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday and was referred to the Appropriations Committee. We are still waiting for it to be scheduled for its first hearing- stay tuned!
3. Environmental Justice in the GMA
   1. We are still working closely with Front and Centered to explore a variety of avenues to ensure that issues of environmental justice are addressed in the comprehensive planning process.
4. SB 5042 – Concerning the effective date of certain actions taken under the growth management act – Sponsor: Sen. Salomon and Sen. Billig
   1. SB 5042 is still in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. We are confident that it will be voted out before the cut-off date.

Important Dates Upcoming

February 22^nd is the last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees in the house of origin. This means that the House Appropriations and the Senate Ways and Means Committees have until this date to pass our three priority bills to the House and Senate floors.

Calls to Action

1. Sign in ‘PRO’ for HB1099 before its hearing on Tuesday: Click here!
   1. Check out this document for other ways to advocate.
2. Ask your legislators to support HB1099: Click here!
3. Ask your legislators to support HB1220: Click here!

Thanks for all that you do.

In solidarity,
Jamie Ptacek
Washington Can’t Wait, Lead Organizer