State Legislative Update - February 21, 2017
State Legislative Update
We’re fresh off another successful “Day on the Hill” where WMFHA members met with their elected officials to share their firsthand knowledge and experience as it relates to proposed changes to the law and the impact such legislation will have on the multi-family housing industry.
In total, we made 75 contacts with state legislators, many of whom are in key positions of leadership and committees with jurisdiction over housing issues. We advocated for legislation to remove unlawful occupants (squatters); shared administrative challenges we face with the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program – a perspective worth considering when lawmakers debate whether or not to make ‘source of income’ a protected class; and shared the potential unintended consequences of legislation that proposes to extend the notice of termination from 20 to 30 days for any resident and to 60 days for those who have resided in the property for two years or more.
We’re also five weeks into the 2017 legislative session, and it is time for legislators to make decisions about which bills will move forward and which bills will die in committee. February 17 was the final day bills can be reported out of committee, except those bills in the House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Senate Transportation committees. Bills in the latter committees must move from the committee by February 24. This reduces the number of bills we continue to track and allows your WMFHA Government Affairs team to drill down on the issues most likely to receive attention in Olympia. Any legislation with a chance at becoming law must pass out of its house of origin by March 8, 2017.
Click the button below to view, download and print the list of the bills WMFHA has determined to be a high priority and we continue to follow closely with their current status.