- Washington state lawmakers will convene for a session focused on housing, climate change and the fentanyl crisis.
- The 60-day session will include approval of numerous bills and supplemental budgets based on proposals from Gov. Jay Inslee.
- Key proposals include addressing the housing crisis through legislation mandating affordable units and rent stabilization in transit hub housing.
Washington state lawmakers will return to Olympia on Monday to tackle housing, climate change and the fentanyl crisis in a shortened legislative session, Jay Inslee's final session as governor.
In his legislative preview this week, the Democratic governor said climate is the biggest long-term issue he wants to address this Congress. He mentioned his six grandchildren and his anxiety about what their environment will be like when they reach his age.
“I'm going to do everything I can in the next 60 days to make sure you have a bright vision for your grandchildren,” he said.
Gov. Jay Inslee will not seek re-election, ending speculation about an unprecedented fourth term.
Democratic members of the majority will also come to his defense. Some conservative groups are pushing back on efforts that threaten their biggest recent victories, including the year-old Climate Change Act, a landmark policy that created a “cap-and-invest” system for carbon emissions. 100,000 signatures were submitted. Democratic House Speaker Laurie Jinkins said the initiative would be provisionally certified and eventually appear on the November ballot.
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee arrives during a preview of Congress at the Capitol Charburg Building on January 4, 2024 in Olympia, Washington. Washington state lawmakers, led by Governor Inslee, will convene for a legislative session focused on: Housing, climate change, and the fentanyl crisis. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
“I'm looking forward to conversations with voters in Washington…I think voters in this state especially don't want to turn their backs on climate change,” she said.
Hundreds of bills will be considered during the 60-day election year session, and lawmakers are expected to approve a supplemental budget based on Inslee's proposal. Democrats control the House by a 58-40 margin and the Senate by a 29-20 margin.
The main proposals considered are:
housing
After a 2023 legislative session filled with proposals to address the housing crisis, lawmakers are once again faced with shockingly high home and rental prices.
One bill would require 10% of new housing units built near transit hubs, including bus rapid transit and light rail, to be affordable to low-income residents. The other proposal focuses on rent stabilization and would prohibit landlords from raising rent by more than 5% each year during the lease term.
Democratic Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, who supports both proposals, said the rental market is “unsustainable.”
“People are having to make decisions about whether to buy food or pay rent,” she said. “And I don't think that's a society any of us want to live in.”
House Majority Leader Drew Stokesbury, R-S.C., said the focus should be on increasing housing supply, citing a proposal to give additional property tax credits to builders who add affordable multifamily housing. .
“The biggest and only meaningful thing we can do is increase the supply of housing stock,” he said. “We need more housing. We need all kinds of housing.”
climate change
Lawmakers on both sides have proposed legislation related to the Climate Change Commitment Act, which would work to curb and reduce climate pollution while creating revenue for climate change investments. It also includes quarterly auctions to sell emissions allowances to companies covered by the law, which raised $1.8 billion in 2023, according to the Ministry of Ecology.
Some Democratic lawmakers are calling for more transparency around oil prices in the face of complaints that they blame soaring gas prices and climate change laws.
Some companies also want to link the carbon market with California and Quebec, which also auction allowances, so that allowance auctions include all three jurisdictions.
At the same time, Republican lawmakers are proposing to require power companies to include charges resulting from the Climate Change Act on their bills.
In addition to combating climate change, there will also be efforts to electrify school buses across the state and make tires more efficient to improve vehicle fuel efficiency.
“It increases the sustainability and stability of the program and gives the market more opportunity to do what it's supposed to do: invest in the non-fossil economy,” said state Rep. Beth Doglio, the committee's chair. . House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Energy.
drugs
As overdose deaths rise in Washington, some lawmakers are stepping up the fight against fentanyl by proposing legislation that would increase access to opioid overdose reversal medications and education.
Blue State's $143 million homeless program will house fewer than 1,000 people
One bill would require all school districts, not just those with 2,000 or more students, to make naloxone available in high schools. Another proposal would help bring information about fentanyl to K-12 public schools.
“This is a serious problem in our society,” said Democratic Sen. Lisa Wellman of Mercer Island, the bill's sponsor. “It's very easy to get,” he said.
More than 1,000 people died from fentanyl overdoses last year in King County, which includes Seattle, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
The initiative comes less than eight months after the state approved a sweeping new drug policy that would keep controlled substances illegal while increasing resources to help people struggling with addiction.
