2020 Legislative Update - Week 8

Tuesday, March 10, is the Washington Presidential Primary. Your vote matters! 
 
Regardless of whether you have voted, housing remains a critical issue for any candidate running for any elected position in Washington. As we move forward to the November election, I strongly encourage you to understand the housing position of local officials you vote for. But first, I encourage you to review the housing platforms of the remaining candidates for President.
 

 
Friday, March 6, was the final day in which legislative proposals needed to be voted on by the 2020 legislature. If a bill did not receive a vote, it is considered dead for the 2020 legislative session. Of course, there are exceptions. 
 
By March 12 of this week, lawmakers must vote on and approve a supplement budget. Given the current health crisis in Washington, it is the desire of lawmakers to complete their business and return home to their district. 
 
As mentioned last week, three bills passed both the House and Senate. You can read more about those bills here. Some of the provisions of one of the bills (SB 6378) will become effective upon the Governor’s signature, and we will continue to monitor this process over the coming weeks. House Bill 1694 and House Bill 2535 will become effective on June 10.
 
In addition to the above, House Bill 2950 remains alive. This bill provides the opportunity to extend the Multi-Family Tax Exemption Program (MFTE) two additional years and creates a workgroup to address other outstanding issues to preserve and increase the success of the MFTE program. The current proposal includes WMFHA in those discussions. 
 
In addition, the Senate’s proposed supplemental budget includes a $1 million capital budget infusion into the Landlord Mitigation Fund. We support this infusion because the Landlord Mitigation Fund has proven to be a successful mitigation tool in supporting low-income tenancies. 

Finally, as we continue to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak, we provide the following resources for you to consider with your on-site teams and for residents:
 
Centers for Disease Control
World Health Organization
Washington State Department of Health
King County Department of Health

If you have questions, please contact Brett Waller by email or at 425.656.9077.