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. 

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. 

NAIOPWA Member McKenzie Darr of The Wolff Company has compiled a concise update of our chapter advocacy updates, including news and bills we're keeping our eye on. For more information about getting involved with NAIOPWA's government affairs efforts, click here.

State

The 2021 legislative session is underway. NAIOPWA is publishing exclusive weekly legislative updates online for chapter members. Select key pieces of legislation proposed this session are outlined below. 

As reported last week, all bills that passed out of policy committees by the Feb. 15 deadline moved to fiscal committees, which have one week (deadline: Monday, Feb. 22) to consider the proposals before sending them to the Rules committee, where they can be considered for floor action. Budget-related bills are exempt from these cut off-dates and can be considered at any time. 

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After five weeks in session, all bills that passed out of policy committees by the Feb. 15 deadline move to fiscal committees. The fiscal committees now have until February 22 to consider the proposals before sending them to the Rules committee, where they can be considered for floor action. Budget-related bills are exempt from these cut off-dates and can be considered at any time. The week ended with a flurry of committee votes ... 

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We're beginning the fifth week of the session, and bills must be passed out of policy committees in one week's time--Monday, Feb. 15, is the deadline.

The early action COVID relief package is expected to pass the Senate this week (HB 1368). Both chambers now have transportation packages in play and a capital gains bill has been introduced in the House. 

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.

After three complete weeks in session, two weeks of policy hearings are next. Bills need to be passed out of policy committee by February 15.

NAIOPWA is a member of the Partnership for Affordable Housing. We are committed to policies that increase housing creation, access, and affordability. Legislators are considering a rent control bill that would have grave consequences for housing creation and long-term access to affordable housing. SB 5139 would impose the strictest rent control in the nation.

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.

The Washington State Legislature has completed its second week. Each chamber is drafting preliminary 2021-23 budgets, which are likely to be released shortly after the March revenue forecast.

NAIOPWA's state lobbyist, Greg Hanon, brings years of experience to his role supporting commercial real estate and the business environment in our region. While his work goes well beyond legislative session coverage and seasonal advocacy efforts, January through March (and sometimes longer) is a fast-moving period where experience and energy make a big impact. Each week, Greg sends reports for NAIOPWA members through our Government Affairs committee, which are posted in our app and online in this members-only blog space. The reports 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.

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What's ahead for commercial real estate in 2021? Seattle will have another wide-open mayoral election, Olympia will battle huge shifts in revenues related to COVID-19, NAIOPWA's seeing movement on initiatives on the Eastside, and much more is on the table. Click here to continue reading this post (login required). 

Update & Summary for August 3, 2020: 
The WA Dept. of Ecology's new Expedited VCP, launched on July 1, 2020, is a self-sustaining process with dedicated staff to respond quickly to the needs of developers working under compressed schedules. The time to get through the expedited VCP could be as short as 4 months compared to 18 months (or more) under the regular VCP. The new program also allows moving sites in the regular VCP to the Expedited VCP as long as certain requirements are met.

With target dates for code implementation changing quickly, this webinar is a must for NAIOPWA members. Our experts will cover the three new pieces of legislation upping the ante for energy efficiency throughout Washington state for both new construction and retrofits: the Seattle Energy Code, the Washington State Energy Code commercial section, and the state's new Energy Performance Standard for [Existing] Commercial Buildings.

In support of our 1,000+ association members, the commercial real estate business industry and the community at large, NAIOP Washington State has submitted an official request to Governor Jay Inslee and to the State Building Code Council requesting a 6-month delay in implementation of new building codes, to January 1, 2021.

At the March breakfast, we joined the Real Estate Challenge Committee for the culmination of the 16th Annual Challenge with three university teams presenting their proposals for Merlino Properties’ 5th and Bell site, and we heard from four Belltown neighborhood experts on the area’s future growth.

The 2017 session of the Washington State Legislature is now in its second 30-day special session in order to find agreement on the level and sources of funding for the McCleary decision to fully fund K-12 education. The legislature is expected to reach agreement by the end of the special session on June 21, or by June 30, the final day of the current biennium.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled in McCleary that school districts’ reliance on local levies, and the ability of local communities to pay for those levies, varied dramatically around the state and resulted in inequitable funding of K-12 education. The legislature’s challenge has been to equitably fund education statewide.

Earlier this week, Christie Baumel, Climate & Energy Advisor in Seattle's Office of Sustainability & Environment, announced that OSE Director’s Rule 2016-01 implementing the Seattle Building Tune-Ups requirement has been finalized. NAIOP Washington State's members were able to learn about and directly contribute to the development of this rule via a Sustainable Development Roundtable event in late 2015. 

Christie Baumel's announcement:

Washington’s primary election was held on Tuesday, August 2; all ballots needed to be postmarked or delivered to a collection center by 8:00 p.m. Ballots submitted on Election Day can result ballot-counting for another week or more following Election Day. As of the evening of August 7, 1,357,000 votes had been counted, and another 60,000 remained to be counted. Turnout was at 33% and could climb a bit more as final ballots trickle in. Election results can be found on the Washington Secretary of State website.

The 2016 session of the Washington State legislature will convene on January 11 for a 60-day session. Following a record 172 day session in 2015, expectations for 2016 are that the legislature will complete its business on time.

One of the major issues confronting the 2016 legislature will be addressing the Washington State Supreme Court decision that found charter schools, passed by a 2014 citizen initiative, to be unconstitutional. A bi-partisan group of legislators is expected to propose a statutory remedy to cure the issue of constitutionality. The legislature is also expected to prepare a plan to meet the Supreme Court’s ruling that the legislature is not funding K-12 schools appropriately. A small supplemental budget is also expected. Given the narrow 50-48 Democrat control in the House and the 26-23 Republican control in the Senate, there are not expected to be many issues of controversy.