
January 23, 2023
*The Legislative Bulletin* is produced weekly during the legislative session.**	One click to view all Legislative Bulletin headlines and articles.
Bills revising police vehicular pursuit restrictions introduced Companion bills introduced last week revised pursuit restrictions that have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ standard, while still protecting public safety. More Cities oppose prejudgment interest bill for increased liability costs, bill up for hearing this week AWC is opposing SB 5059, which increases the cost of claims against cities by requiring interest on tort damages to begin when the alleged injury occurs, rather than when the court enters a judgment. This can add years’ worth of interest to a claim before cities even knew there was an injury. The bill is scheduled for action this week in the Senate, so please contact your senators to ask them to oppose this costly legislation. More Three bills have been introduced addressing Blake Cities asked and the Legislature is beginning to deliver. As we enter week three of session, proposals responding to the Blake decision are coming forward. We anticipate the bills will be scheduled for public hearing sometime next week. More Get involved in an AWC committee or a state board or advisory group! AWC is recruiting city officials to serve on two AWC committees as well as several state boards and advisory committees. Check out the following opportunities and submit an interest form by February 1. View all opportunities here. For questions, contact Alicia Seegers Martinelli or Betsy Hildreth, (360) 753-4137. AWC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Cabinet (deadline extended) AWC Large City Advisory Committee Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety Ground Ambulance Balance Billing Study Advisory Group Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force Sentencing Guidelines Commission Has your city received BIL funding? Tell us about it It’s been over a year since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) was passed and notices of funding opportunities for federal infrastructure dollars began to open. Several Washington cities have applied to BIL-funded programs, and some have even won. If your city or town has been awarded BIL funding, or is in the process of applying for it, AWC would like to learn about the project and share your story. Please contact Brianna Morin by February 1. Attend a grant writing webinar for local governments on Feb. 22 Are you interested in writing compelling grant proposals to secure funding for your community? Join this online event, hosted by MRSC, to learn strategies that will improve your grant writing process and ensure your applications stand out. Speakers will also cover the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which appropriated billions of dollars for various areas of local infrastructure, and highlight local government grant opportunities available through the BIL. More Five things we learned at Mayors Exchange Last week, we welcomed 40 mayors and city managers from across the state to our headquarters in Olympia to share ideas and insights into the unique role of mayor. The event was sold out—so if you were unable to attend, you’ll want to catch these five things we learned together. While you’re there, make sure to check out the event photos! If you couldn’t attend this time, you can register for City Action Days below for similar opportunities to engage and learn. Register for AWC Lobby Day March 16 \| Olympia City officials are invited to Olympia during a crucial time in the legislative session to tell legislators that strong cities are the key to a great state. Add your voice and let legislators know how they can help support and enhance strong cities. Register to join us and start making appointments with your legislators now. Learn how to sign into a hearing For the first time ever, you now have three ways to engage in the legislative process. Watch this video to learn how you can sign in to testify remotely, in person, or in writing. With so many choices to get involved, your city advocacy can now be stronger than ever before.	Bills, bills, and more bills In a long session, there is traditionally more time to consider bills and a little less pressure to have bills introduced at the beginning of session. But as we head into week three, we are seeing a steady flow of new bills introduced. As of last Friday, more than 990 bills had been introduced between the House and the Senate. AWC does our best to work through all of those bills and sort out which ones are of greatest interest to cities. You can check out which bills are hot this week with our weekly Bill Hot Sheet. AWC city action calls Fridays at 12:30 pm \| Online Join our Friday lunchtime city action calls to get timely updates on the legislative session directly from our team of lobbyists. Each Friday at 12:30 pm, call in via Zoom to hear your AWC lobbyists provide updates on the latest action on the hill and progress on bills of importance to cities. Make sure to sign up in advance each week. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link for that week’s call. Register now for this Friday's call. Three weeks until City Action Days! February 15-16 \| Olympia It’s our first in-person City Action Days in three years and it’s nearly full! If you haven’t already, check out the agenda and register now before it’s too late. We can’t wait to see you there! Affordable housing Update on AWC’s Housing Solutions Group proposal. Another legislative week passes, and two more bills are introduced that support the regulatory streamlining part of our comprehensive policy package. More proposals on promoting alternative housing types. The contention that housing would be a focus of this Legislature is certainly proving to be true. This week will see hearings on several proposals related to promoting certain housing forms, from ADUs to middle housing to condominiums. More Housing bills more focused on process than style. Although the bills on housing types tend to get all the media attention, a significant number of bills are attempting to alter the way housing development is approved and processed by local governments. More Budget & finance Margin tax proposed to replace state B&O tax. The proposal for implementing a 3.2% margin tax in 2027 is one of the recommendations of the State Tax Structure Work Group. More Property taxes on the agenda for Senate Ways & Means Committee. Two of the proposals would establish a state property tax exemption based on the first $250,000 of value of a residence and a proportional rebate for renters. More Economic development Rural economic development sales tax credit reintroduced. Cities support extending this .09 sales tax credit option to 2054 and frequently partner with counties on economic development projects using the funds. More Energy Waivers for municipal utility connection charges allowed under new bill. Aiming to lessen the cost of providing services for low-income persons, the proposal would permit waivers for designated properties. More General government Bill eliminating qualified immunity for police and increasing liability for cities scheduled for hearing. HB 1025, which increases city liability for police conduct, is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday. It is similar to previous proposals to increase liability for actions by police officers by ending qualified immunity for police and making cities liable for much of their conduct. AWC will oppose the bill. More HR & labor relations Bill to repeal 20-year-old prohibition on ergonomic injury rules returns. A bill that would repeal a 20-year ban on workplace safety rules preventing workplace ergonomic injuries, like carpal tunnel and other “musculoskeletal” injuries, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate. A similar bill was passed out of the House last year but failed to pass the Senate before the 2022 session ended. More Bills on paying interns, providing info to unions, and employer political speech all up for hearings. Several bills of interest are up for hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, including bills requiring minimum wage for public sector interns, new requirements for public employers to provide employee information to unions, and allowing workers to avoid their employer’s speech on political or religious issues. More New bill on flexible work hours for police. A bipartisan bill would formally authorize police officers to serve part-time and departments to adopt flexible work policies, and would update mutual aid and pensions statutes to accommodate the changes. More Human services New process for new settlements from opioid litigation. In late December, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced five resolutions with drug companies totaling over $400 million for Washington. Eligible cities will be contacted about a new sign-on process for these five new settlements. More Land use & planning A fence by any other name…would not be a fence if it is a battery-powered electric fence, in certain conditions. When those conditions are met, a bill mandates that a battery-charged electric fence is preempted from local regulations. More New option proposed for critical area ordinances in most cities. This bill represents a recommendation of the Growth Management Collaborative Roadmap Phase III Task Force, on which AWC serves as a representative. More Pensions PERS 1 COLAs on the schedule for week three. Bills to institute another one-time, ad hoc cost of living adjustment (COLA) for PERS 1 retirees are both scheduled for hearings this week in the House and the Senate. Another bill to create a permanent PERS 1 COLA has been scheduled for a hearing as well. More Public safety & criminal justice Bill would grant Attorney General greater authority to investigate law enforcement misconduct. HB 1445 is scheduled for a hearing and would give the attorney general the authority to address law enforcement and local corrections agency misconduct through investigations and legal actions. More Firearms are a major topic of discussion during 2023 session. The House heard five bills addressing firearms in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary, and all five are scheduled for a committee vote this Friday. More Public works & infrastructure Public works procurement bill to remove barriers for small and minority-owned businesses. A new proposal from CPARB would modify small works roster requirements to address equity and efficiencies in public works bidding. More Bill proposes to expand definition of “public work.” Review the draft and send AWC your feedback by January 26. More Transportation “Zach’s Law” reappears for consideration this year, aims to deter bridge jumping. The bill encourages cities and towns to erect informational signs on new and existing bridges. More
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