Housing was a priority during 2023 session. Here are bills Gov. Inslee signed into law Monday
.jpg "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed multiple bipartisan housing bills into law Monday afternoon, May 8.")
Gov. Jay Inslee visited King County Monday afternoon to sign into law a large package of housing-related bills passed during the 2023 legislative session.
“This session our legislature needed to go big so people could go home,” Inslee said. “And our Legislature — I’m happy to say — has gone big this year so people can go home.”
The governor added that homelessness is a housing crisis while also noting that the behavioral health system needs to be improved as well.
“But fundamentally we don’t have enough roofs for people to be under in the state of Washington,” the governor said.
Lawmakers allocated over $1 billion dollars for the 2023-25 biennium for housing to help construction keep pace with the more than one million homes that are estimated to be needed in the state over the next 20 years.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers said at the beginning of the 2023 session that they were committed to working together to pass important housing legislation, and many of the housing bills received support from lawmakers of both parties.
Rep. Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia, attended the bill signing.
“They said that 2023 was going to be the year of housing and we did not disappoint,” Bateman said. “Over 50 bills were introduced this session related to housing. These were bipartisan and bicameral and they were all aimed at creating more homes for Washington.”
She said that building housing will now be easier because of streamlined development regulations, permitting and design review.
Trevor Johnson, who represented the private sector at the signing as chief executive officer of Blackwoods Builders Group, said, “These actions today and through the hard work of our state legislators this session gave us the tools and flexibility to put our shared values into action. This gives our children the opportunity to put down roots in the communities they were raised in.”
The governor was expected to sign House Bill 1474 later Monday. That bill address the history of housing discrimination due to racially restrictive real estate covenants.
According to the bill, more than 40,000 property deeds in Washington include racially restrictive covenants. This legislation creates the Covenant Homeownership Account and program. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jamila Taylor, D-Federal Way, and several other House Democrats.
Here are the bills the governor signed early Monday afternoon.
HB 1074: Under this piece of legislation, landlords will be limited on withholding deposits from tenants after move-out. Landlords can no longer withhold any part of a deposit for “wear resulting from ordinary use,” carpet cleaning (unless the landlord can document that the damage is beyond normal wear), or for fixtures and appliances unless those items were previously documented in good condition when the tenancy began.
Additionally, landlords must show documentation to substantiate any claims of damages. The bill also extends the timeline that landlords can provide documentation for damage claims from 21 days to 30 days, and adds a three-year statute of limitations for landlords to sue tenants when trying to recover amounts that are more than the deposit. The bill was sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Bellevue.
HB 1110: Perhaps one of the most anticipated bipartisan bills this session was this legislation sponsored by Bateman and Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia. The bill is meant to increase density and middle housing supply by allowing duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to be built on residential lots that are zoned for single-family homes in certain Washington cities. The law goes into effect on July 23.
HB 1293: This legislation would make it easier for developers to speed up the construction of new housing by requiring certain cities and counties to only apply “clear and objective design review standards” for the exteriors of new development. Additionally, housing units that are affordable to low- and moderate-income households will get expedited reviews of permitting applications. The law goes into effect on July 23.
Rep. Marker Klicker, R-Walla Walla, sponsored the legislation with four other Republicans as well as three Democrats.
HB 1337: Another bipartisan bill, this legislation was sponsored by Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, along with multiple Democratic and Republican co-signers. Under the bill, cities and counties in urban growth areas can now allow accessory dwelling units with the bill easing some of the barriers to ADU construction. Additionally, those cities and counties can incentivize development of ADUs. The law will go into effect on July 23.
SB 5045: Sponsored by Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, this legislation would allow counties with 1.5 million or more population (only King County at this time) to exempt ADUs from property tax, as long as the ADU is rented to low-income households. The law will takes effect July 23.
SB 5197: Also sponsored by Kuderer, this bill modifies eviction processes and makes technical changes to eviction notice forms. Under the bill, remote testimony is now allowed from any party in eviction proceedings and allows tenants more time to provide pledges of financial assistance letter from a government or nonprofits up until the date of an eviction, restoring their tenancy. Additionally, landlords now have 14 days instead of seven to suspend court action to allow for payment with emergency rental assistance funds.
SB 5258: This bill is intended to increase supply and affordability of condos and townhouses. It also creates a new process to address defects in condominium construction. Developers would have more flexibility by increasing how much money they can use up front. Additionally, the bill creates a down payment assistance account for first-time homebuyers and limits fees on certain types of construction. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, and passed both chambers of the Legislature unanimously.
SB 5290: This legislation will consolidate and speed up the permitting process for housing development. Local governments must respond to project permits within 20 days of receiving the application. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, along with other Democrat lawmakers, and Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, at the request of the governor’s office. It passed the Legislature unanimously. The law goes into effect July 23.
SB 5702: This piece of legislation expands on a pilot program that was first passed in 2019. That program allowed certain community and technical colleges as well as four-year schools to provide accommodations for students who were in foster care when they graduated. The pilot was later expanded in 2021 to include more participating four-year institutions and to extend the expiration date, and in 2022 was further expanded to include a total of six four-year institutions and all community and technical colleges.
Sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, the bill signed by Inslee Monday will expand the program even further by eliminating the expiration date. Additionally, all community and technical colleges as well as four-year institutions can participate. The law goes into effect July 23.
This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 1:56 PM.
