Week three was focused on committee hearings with hundreds of bills being considered by the various policy committees.  Next week will be the same.  You can review the new bill introductions as well as next week’s hearings using your member profile. For more information about becoming a member, contact Danielle Duvall, [email protected].

Click here to read the full report

Week two of the Washington State Legislature has concluded.  The committee schedule for week three represents a substantial ramp of activity as legislative committees consider the many bills that have been introduced in recent days.  Committee chairs are under pressure to consider and act upon bills introduced by their colleagues prior to the February 17 deadline for bills to pass out of policy committees.

Full legislative reports are available exclusively to current members. For more information about joining our chapter, contact Danielle Duvall, [email protected].

Click here to read the full report

NAIOP Washington State 2023 Legislative Report - Week 1

Greg Hanon, Communico

The 2023 session of the Washington State Legislature convened on January 9 for a 105-day legislative session. This is the first since 2020 to completely return to Olympia for both committee hearings as well as floor action.  One addition to the legislative process is the complete integration of hybrid legislative hearings allowing for both in person testimony as well as remote testimony allowing individuals who cannot make the trip to Olympia to participate in hearings from around the state.

Per tradition, the first few days were dedicated to the organization of the legislature, the swearing in of public officials, as well as a state of the state address from Governor Inslee in which he presented his priorities for the legislative session.  Governor Inslee outlined several policies including significant increases in spending on housing, homelessness, behavioral health, and education.  He also advanced policies on gun control and abortion rights.

Washington State Legislature 2022 End of Session Summary/Update for NAIOPWA Members

The Washington State Legislature is expected to adjourn sine die on Thu, Mar 10. Friday night was the deadline for non-budget bills to pass; now we look at the concurrence process in which differences between House and Senate versions of bills passed are ironed out and the budget is confirmed.

Click here for this week's update (members-only content; login required) on key CRE issues including SEPA reform, GMA vesting, and building codes. 

The Washington State Legislature is down to the last two weeks in the 2022 legislative session, and several bills of interest for CRE continue to be amended and are moving forward, including SEPA reform, GMA vesting, and building codes.

Click here for this week's update (members-only content; login required) on key issues for NAIOPWA members this session. 

With just 17 days left in the session, the legislature faces another deadline: Thursday, Feb. 24, is the deadline for bills to be advanced out of opposite-house policy committees. We expect to see supplemental budgets announced this week as well.

Click here for this week's update (members-only content; login required) including information on bills related to CRE with updates on key issues for NAIOPWA members this session. 

It's an all-hands-on-deck race to the deadline in this short session! Legislators (and NAIOPWA's Government Affairs team) are working around the clock, every day of the week, to make amendments, address suggested amendments, and pass the bills! NAIOPWA's team focuses on bills and issues that will support a positive business environment for commercial real estate in Washington state. 

Click here for this week's update (members-only content; login required) including information on bills related to CRE with updates on key issues for NAIOPWA members this session. 

The 2022 session of the Washington State Legislature is reaching its midpoint.  On February 3, bills needed to pass out of policy committees.  On February 7, all bills must pass out of fiscal committees.  And all bills, unless needed to implement the budget, must pass out of the house of origin by February 15.

The legislative session continues to operate remotely, with all committee hearings entirely remote and floor action mostly remote, with a few legislators in person.

Week three is behind us, with this Thursday being the cut-off for all bills to pass out of their committees of origin; after that, the slate will focus on "live" bills of concern to the CRE community.

Click here for this week's update (members-only content; login required) including information on bills related to CRE including possible green roof requirements, rent control, SEPA reform, middle housing and more. 

The Washington State Legislature has completed its second week of the 2022 session. The first of several self-imposed deadlines is February 3; any bill that hasn’t passed out of policy committee and advanced to the Rules or Fiscal Committee by then will be considered dead for the session.

Click here to read a week 3 preview (members-only content; login required) including updates on bills related to CRE including possible green roof requirements, rent control, SEPA reform, middle housing and more. 

The 2022 Washington State Legislature convened on January 11 for a 60-day legislative session. In the first week, over 800 new legislative proposals have been introduced, several of interest to NAIOPWA members. Governor Inslee, in his state address, outlined a variety of issues related to increasing housing options and addressing homelessness, as well as a broad suite of programs aimed at reducing the state’s carbon emissions. Some of the most notable bills for NAIOPWA are summarized below. As happens each year, all bills and issues noted will evolve through the course of the session via both public hearings and other negotiations. 

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Ballots for the 2021 General Election will be mailed on Wednesday, Oct. 13, to registered voters in Washington state. Ballots must be completed and returned via U.S. Mail, a local dropbox or election center by 8pm on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

The NAIOPWA PAC contributes support to candidates and campaigns that work to create a business-friendly environment in the state. Key races in Seattle & Bellevue are highlighted below. 

Alongside our efforts at the state level to ensure the continuity of MFTE, the NAIOPWA government affairs/advocacy team continues to work in Seattle and on the Eastside on MFTE program implementation. Over the past year, our East Side Task Force in particular has worked with Bellevue city staff and council members on program amendments that would ensure the program operates more successfully going forward.

Based on feedback from many of our members, our primary areas of focus were:

NAIOPWA has been involved with the state legislative process for more than four decades. It’s with this depth of experience that we report both that the 2021 session was one of the more challenging for our industry in recent years, and how we managed to come out with three significant wins this year.

During the session, dozens of bills were introduced that, if passed, would have had a devastating impact on the commercial real estate development community. While in the end, some of these were favorably amended and several others failed, many of the same issues are expected to return in 2022.

Did you notice that we skipped a week of reporting? Greg Hanon was busily attending sessions, advocating for legislation that supports the CRE industry. One example: this week, an amendment was added to the proposed capital gains tax that exempts real estate. The session is scheduled to end on Sunday, April 26. Click here to continue reading this post (login required). 

NAIOPWA's state lobbyist, Greg Hanon, sends weekly reports for NAIOPWA members during the legislative session. These include a brief overview of session activity and highlights of the most pertinent issues for our industry. Additionally, Greg includes a complete list of bills and hearings that inform how we do business in Washington State. You'll see a link to download that list at the end of each short weekly update. Member login is required to view the full update.

As of Saturday, April 3, there were 22 days left in the 2021 Legislative Session as scheduled. We anticipate our legislators will be working long hours every day until the clock runs out - will they finish in time? Greg doesn't have a crystal ball (yet), but he can tell us the highlights for NAIOPWA and the CRE community. Click here to continue reading this post (login required). 

NAIOPWA's state lobbyist, Greg Hanon, sends weekly reports for NAIOPWA members during the legislative session. These include a brief overview of session activity and highlights of the most pertinent issues for our industry. Additionally, Greg includes a complete list of bills and hearings that inform how we do business in Washington State. You'll see a link to download that list at the end of each short weekly update. Member login is required to view the full update.

Friday, March 26, was the 75th day of the Washington State Legislative Session, leaving 30 days to go with a number of major issues to try and resolve in that time.Click here to continue reading this post (login required).

NAIOPWA's state lobbyist, Greg Hanon, sends weekly reports for NAIOPWA members during the legislative session. These include a brief overview of session activity and highlights of the most pertinent issues for our industry. Additionally, Greg includes a complete list of bills and hearings that inform how we do business in Washington State. You'll see a link to download that list at the end of each short weekly update. Member login is required to view the full update. 

We need housing near jobs, transit, and opportunity. The Housing Supply and Affordability Act (HSAA) creates a new Local Housing Policy Grant (LHPG) program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The proposed program would provide grants to states, localities, tribes, and regional municipal and county coalitions to support local efforts to expand housing supply.

The HSAA complements legislation such as the bipartisan Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act, which encourages local governments to eliminate exclusionary zoning and discriminatory land-use policies by providing the resources and capacity to enable entities to enact said policies.

The state legislative session heads into the home stretch this week, with just 33 days left in session, a Friday deadline for bill reporting and a draft budget expected from the senate this week. Click here to continue reading this post (login required).

NAIOPWA's state lobbyist, Greg Hanon, sends weekly reports for NAIOPWA members during the legislative session. These include a brief overview of session activity and highlights of the most pertinent issues for our industry. Additionally, Greg includes a complete list of bills and hearings that inform how we do business in Washington State. You'll see a link to download that list at the end of each short weekly update. Member login is required to view the full update.