
March 11, 2024 Sine die! The short 60-day 2024 Legislative Session wrapped up last Thursday. Overall, it felt like a “normal” short session, where the Legislature made modest policy and budget changes. For cities, it was a good session—we saw some notable gains and managed to hold off some of the most troubling proposals. In this week’s Legislative Bulletin, we provide quick updates from the last week of session. We will produce our comprehensive Session Recap edition on April 1, after the deadline for the Governor to act. The Governor has 20 days (not counting Sundays) to sign or veto passed legislation. Session laws will take effect 90 days after sine die, unless otherwise noted in the bill. On behalf of AWC’s Government Relations team, I want to thank all our city officials who followed the legislative action this session. We appreciate your engagement and support. Our job is to be your voice and to help you use your voice to impact legislation. Cities continue to demonstrate your influence in the legislative process and the important partnership between cities and the state. We are grateful for all the work you put into being strong city advocates. Thank you for a great 2024 session! Candice Bock Government Relations Director Work begins soon to update AWC’s Statement of Policy AWC’s Statement of Policy (SOP) is the foundational policy guidance that drives our legislative work. We review the SOP every four years to identify areas potentially in need of an update. 2024 is one of those years. The work will kick off in April by a committee of city officials from across the state. If you aren’t familiar with the SOP, take a few minutes to review it and let us know if you have feedback you would like the committee to consider when they meet. Supplemental budgets pass in final days of session The House and Senate reached agreement on supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budgets (SB 5950, SB 5949, HB 2134) in the final days before they adjourned. The adopted versions make new investments for city priorities on housing, climate change, law enforcement, and behavioral health. The final supplemental operating budget proposal is $71.9 billion and includes $4.1 billion in total reserves. More Legislature passes three of six initiatives Three of the six initiatives to the Legislature passed the House and Senate on March 4 and will become law 90 days after session ends (I-2111, Prohibiting an income tax; I-2113, Vehicular pursuits; I-2081, Parental rights in education). The other three (I-2109, Capital gains tax; I-2117, Repealing the Climate Commitment Act; I-2124, Making the WA Cares Fund voluntary) will head directly to the November ballot. AWC’s role with regard to initiatives is to provide educational information on the potential impacts of an initiative on cities, where applicable. City officials should familiarize themselves with PDC rules regarding ballot measures. Read our coverage of the initiatives. Register for the 2024 Legislative Session recap April 11 \| Online Join the AWC Advocacy Team for a full recap of city-related issues from the 2024 legislative session. Your lobbyists will give an overview of the outcomes for AWC’s legislative priorities, summarize the impacts of passed legislation on cities, and talk through the adopted state budgets. Stay to the end to learn how to make the most impact during the legislative interim in preparation for 2025. This webinar is for AWC members only. Register now! Apply for AWC’s Alternative Response Team Grant Program AWC, in partnership with the Washington Health Care Authority, is pleased to announce the next application period for the Alternative Response Team Grant (ARTG) Program. The purpose of ARTG is to provide funding to cities to create new programs within different alternative response models, including law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD), community assistance referral and education (CARES), and mobile crisis teams. Learn more about the program and apply by April 12. Watch our end-of-session roundup AWC lobbyists recently got together to discuss the final days of the 2024 session. Watch this nine-minute video to hear the highlights and themes of the short 60-day session—and get a preview of the long legislative interim, the campaign season, and the 2025 session. AWC's bill tracker Bills updated in the bill tracker this week: Affordable housing: Condominiums (SB 5792); Homeownership AMI under 1406 (SB 6173); Building code council (HB 2071); Workforce Accelerator Program (HB 1892) Broadband & telecommunications: Rural broadband funding (HB 1982) Budget & finance: Supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budgets (SB 5950, SB 5949, HB 2134); State tourism funding (SB 6080) Emergency management: Extreme weather event grant program (HB 1012); Tax Increment Financing (TIF) changes (HB 2354) Energy: Clean buildings performance incentives (HB 1976) Environment & natural resources: Mandated organics collection (HB 2301); Beehives preemption (SB 5934) Federal: Federal funding access (HB 1870) General government: Adult entertainment workplace standards (SB 6105); Ground ambulance consumer billing protections (SB 5986) HR & labor relations: Unemployment for striking workers fails (HB 1893); Equal Pay & Opportunity Act expansion (HB 1905); Temporary disability claims (HB 1927) Human services: Behavioral health (HB 1929, HB 2247, SB 5853, SB 5906, SB 5920, SB 6228, SB 6251, SB 6308) Initiatives: Income tax prohibition (I-2111); Vehicular pursuits (I-2113) Pensions: LEOFF 2 bill (SB 6197) Public safety & criminal justice: Impaired driving (HB 1493) Public works & infrastructure: Prompt payment in public works (SB 6040); Electrical inspector requirements (SB 6089) Transportation: Traffic safety cameras (HB 2384) The Washington Office of Public Defense (OPD) received an appropriation in the 2023 session to provide local governments with grants for public defense costs related to drug possession cases. OPD still has funds remaining to award to local governments. More Submit your city’s highest-priority funding needs for freight mobility projects by April 19 to be considered for inclusion in the FMSIB’s Six-Year Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Program. Attend a Q&A on March 26 and apply soon. More The Department of Labor & Industries is restarting the formal rulemaking process on “good faith and fair dealing” rules for cities self-insured for workers’ compensation. Attend the public hearing on March 29, or submit written comments by the same date. More Registration for the 2024 Labor Relations Institute (LRI) is now open. LRI is the premier training event for public sector HR professionals in Washington, offering legal and policy updates, labor relations strategies, and networking opportunities. Register today. Note: Attendance at the Institute is limited to those who solely represent the interests of management. The AWC Government Relations team is hiring a part-time, temporary research assistant to help with several survey and research projects during the legislative interim. This is a great opportunity for individuals interested in local government to learn about city issues and build a network of local elected officials and city staff. More Interim means advocacy The legislative interim, the period between legislative sessions, is a critical time for communicating with your legislators and building relationships. Take a moment to thank them for their service during the session and invite them to an upcoming council meeting to talk about the session’s outcomes. Make sure to check out our year-round advocacy tools. This year, interim is also campaign season for many legislators—which means they may ask for your endorsement. Endorsements have real value, so make sure you have in-depth discussions about their positions on issues important to your community before you endorse a legislator. Also, always be sure to follow PDC guidelines on elections activity.
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