Michele Thomas, Director of Policy and Advocacy

The legislative session has officially passed the halfway mark. So, last week was filled with a flurry of activity as advocates, lobbyists, and legislators worked to make sure their bills passed the fiscal committee cutoff of last Tuesday and then to make sure their bills passed the Senate or House floor later in the week. Monday and Tuesday of this week will be especially busy in Olympia because the house of origin cutoff is Tuesday the 18th. This means that bills must be voted on in their chamber of origin (either the House or the Senate) by Tuesday in order to keep moving. Luckily, the Housing Alliance's two policy bills SHB 2537 (the Fair Tenant Screening Act) and ESHB 2368 (ending the sunsets of homeless housing and assistance surcharges) both passed the House Floor on Thursday the 13th. This means that they are still alive. Their next hurdle will be in the Senate. Both have to be heard and passed out of the Senate Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance Committee by Friday, February 28 in order to keep moving. (Read below for more on both these bills.)

Housing Trust Fund and Other Budget Issues

The fate of budget related issues like the Housing Trust Fund and the Housing & Essential Needs and Aged, Blind & Disabled programs all are unknown until the legislature releases the first budgets. We expect to see budgets sometime around Monday, February 24. Stay tuned for updates and action alerts as we get closer. But please continue to advocate and educate your lawmakers on the importance of funding the Housing Trust Fund and the continuing need for safety net programs.

Advocacy Alert: Time to Move the Senate to Action ESHB 2368 (document recording fees) and SHB 2537 (fair & portable tenant screening reports) are headed to the Senate. As you may have heard, these bills are going to have a challenging time in that chamber. But it doesn't have to be this way, especially with your consistent advocacy!  Start by clicking here. And please send this link around so others like you can take action: http://bit.ly/1kKHsjb Image Thanks to Firesteel for this photo.

ESHB 2368 - Regarding Homeless Housing and Assistance Surcharges

Last Thursday was a roller coaster ride for this bill. The day started out with several confirmed Republican yes votes on an unamended version. However, it ended with a somewhat different set of seven Republican supporters and a significant and sudden floor amendment on the bill. In the end, the bill passed the House around 5:00pm with 62 in favor and 36 against. See below for the roll call to learn how your lawmaker voted.

What you need to know about the ESHB 2368 floor amendment

The amendment requires that 45% of the state's portion of the homeless housing and assistance surcharge be permanently set-aside for the private rental market. Also, if the Department of Commerce fails to meet reporting requirements outlined in the bill, the Office of Financial Management may hold all of the department's funds collected from this fee. This is different than the amendment in the Senate. Most strikingly is that the Senate version still allowed a sunset of the fees, while this House amendment eliminates the sunsets. (The Senate version of the bill is dead because it didn't pass out of Senate Ways and Means by Tuesday's deadline.)

The Housing Alliance would have preferred that the unamended version be passed out of the House. But we hope the Senate will accept the amendments and that they ask for no other concessions.

Bad news statewide if ESHB 2368 doesn’t pass…

If this bill fails to pass this year, many communities will begin to feel cuts in early 2015. This is because document recording fee revenues are awarded on a competitive basis. The next funding rounds take place fall of 2014 in most communities. With a July 2015 sunset looming, counties cannot contract for services that may not have a funding source. Their funding projections must be based on current law. This means that this fall, many local communities will begin to prepare for the cuts, which will be implemented in early 2015. The cuts will severely impact vulnerable populations like veterans, folks living with mental illness, domestic violence survivors, homeless families, and more.

Seven Republican lawmakers crossed the aisle to support this bill. Led by Representative Maureen Walsh (16th LD) who is a co-sponsor of the bill, they bravely did the right thing and voted yes to support the services needed to prevent and end homelessness. Please help us thank them. Click each of the names below to send a message of thanks, especially to Representative Walsh for her leadership.

That’s Why You Need to Take Action!

Take action today to urge the Senate to support this bill! The bill must be passed out of the Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance Committee by Friday, February 28 in order to keep moving. And please send the action alert to your colleagues, friends, and families.

Use this link: http://bit.ly/1kKHsjb

Consider using your Facebook page to spread the word. The Housing Alliance have been getting messages lately from new advocates saying they've learned about the important opportunities for action via their Facebook friends. Keep spreading the word!

SHB 2537 - The Fair Tenant Screening Act

The House version of the Fair Tenant Screening Act passed out of the House on Thursday the 13th on an almost party-line vote of 53 to 45. The floor debate included a powerful introduction by the prime sponsor Representative June Robinson (38th LD) and a passionate rebuttal to bill opponents by Representative Drew Hansen (23rd LD). Representative Hansen responded to misleading and inaccurate remarks by Representative Jay Rodne (5th LD). Representative Hansen's floor speech specifically talked about the tenant testimony he heard earlier in the month. He noted the stories they shared and said, "This bill is about fairness." Representative Hansen's speech is at 00:56:15.

Please take a second to send Representatives Robinson and Hansen notes of thanks!

The bill faces significant hurdles in the Senate. Advocacy is going to be more important than ever. Take action now to ask your Senator to pass the Fair Tenant Screening Act this year!

Updates on Housing Alliance Support and Oppose bills

SB 6143 - All housing should be habitable

The Housing Alliance opposes SB 6143, which seeks to eliminate the common law principle that all rental units have to be habitable. The principle, referred to as the Warranty of Habitability, has been in effect before the residential landlord tenant act was created and requires that rental units meet the most basic health and safety standards. Unfortunately, the bill was voted out of the Senate on Friday the 14 on a party-line vote of 26 yeas, 21 nays, and 2 excused. You can listen to the passionate floor debate below.

Senators Jamie Pedersen (43rd LD) and Sharon Nelson (34th LD) especially deserve thanks for their strong support for safe, healthy housing. Please send them a quick note!

SSB 6074 and SHB 2373 - The Homeless Student Education Act

The Homeless Student Education Act Bills SSB 6074 and SHB 2373, are moving swiftly along! The House version passed on Friday with a very strong vote of 92 - 4, and the Senate version passed earlier in the week unanimously. The housing pilot bills HB 2763 and SB 6365 died though. You can learn more about the bills here.

HB 2335 and SB 6101 - Extended Foster Care

Thanks to Laurie Lippold and Partners for Our Children for their hard work and for this update:
HB 2335 and SB 6101 would have extended foster care for youth from the age of 18 to 21 if they were employed at least 80 hours per month or had a documented medical condition.  Although they were heard, the extended foster care bills did not make it out of either fiscal committee. According to a recent report put out by the Department of Social and Health Services Research and Data Analysis, 35 percent of youth in Washington State who age out of care at age 18 experience homelessness within one year. These bills would have ensured that more youth aging out of care have the opportunity to maintain safe housing until age 21. There's no giving up, however, and if there truly is no way to move forward with Extended Foster Care in 2014, 2015 isn't far away!

HB 2723 - Foreclosure Fairness Act

HB 2723 passed the House unanimously on Thursday the 13. This was newly appointed Representative Mia Gregerson's (33rd LD) first bill to be passed and it makes important updates and fixes to the Foreclosure Fairness Act. You can learn more about the specifics of the bill here.

HB 1024 - Service Animals and Fair Housing

HB 1024, which brings the state's definition of service animals in line with the federal definition, is on the House floor and needs a vote by Tuesday's deadline! Stay tuned and watch the Housing Alliance's bill tracker for updates.

Thank you for being an advocate! It is your persistence and dedication that ensure our lawmakers pass the bills and funding needed to prevent and end homelessness. We've already come a long way in this fast, short session. Please keep weighing in and spreading the word. As Representative Hansen's floor speech on the Fair Tenant Screening Act made clear, you are being heard!