From LWVWA 3/1/22 Newsletter

Bills needing your action ASAP

Be involved. Legislators need to hear from you!

E2SHB 1691 Concerning financial responsibility requirements related to oil spills.

Requires oil vessels and facilities to demonstrate financial ability to pay for a “worst case” oil spill. Bill would stop oil companies from externalizing costs and relieve taxpayers of the financial burden. Passed out of House 83-13. Please help get this important bill passed by asking Senator Warnick to support the bill. Contact her here to pass E2SHB 1691.

SB 5722 Regulate and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Buildings.

Greenhouse gas emissions in buildings are second only to transportation in Washington, and the most promising approach to reducing these emissions is through electrification of heating, cooking, and similar energy needs. Market forces alone can no longer move change fast enough. We must apply regulations, explicit incentives, and market forces to ensure we stay on track to meet the states reduction objectives that are now in our law. SB 5722 applies regulations already in place for large buildings to buildings down to 20,000 square feet, and this will include more multi-family housing so those residents can benefit from healthier air and lower energy costs as we continue to electrify the grid.

► Please ask your Representative to vote yes on SB 5722

SB 5532 Establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.

This bill would coordinate with the Health Care Authority and others to review drugs with excessive price increases and establish a methodology for setting upper limits on payments for prescription drugs and biologics that the Board determines have led or will lead to excess costs. This is important in keeping the increases in cost of health care as low as possible and not contribute to excess profits for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

► Please ask your Representatives to vote yes on SB 5532

HB 1866 Treat Chronic Homelessness as a Medical Condition with a Prescription for Housing.

This bill would treat chronic homelessness as a medical condition and require that Apple Health address the needs of chronically homeless populations by pairing a health care problem with a health care solution. It establishes the Apple Health and Homes Program to provide a permanent supportive housing benefit and a community support services benefit to persons who meet eligibility criteria related to income, medical risk factors and barriers to finding stable housing.  Permanent supportive housing is what many people who are chronically homeless need, because it provides wrap-around services as well as housing. This bill provides a clear mechanism by which people who need these services can obtain them.

► Please ask your Senator to vote yes on HB 1866

HB 1660 Support Creation of ADUs to Increase Housing

This bill is necessary to assure that comp planning jurisdictions will accommodate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in traditionally single-family neighborhoods as one method of increasing urgently needed housing.  Many cities are having NIMBY conflicts with residents when they attempt to add ADU provisions. Additionally, some jurisdictions are declining to try. This would not affect neighborhoods where the homes are too close together. 

► Please ask your Senator to vote yes on HB 1660

HB 1099 Improve the State’s Climate Response through the GMA.

This bill would add a goal of climate change mitigation to the listed goals of the Growth Management Act (GMA), add a climate change and resiliency element to the list of elements that must be included within the local comprehensive plans, and require the State Commerce Department to provide technical assistance to local jurisdictions in producing these plans. If not adopted this year, it will be too late for local jurisdictions to meet this requirement by the comp plan update deadline of June 2024.

► Please ask your Senator to vote yes on HB 1099

Lots happening as special session winds down. Read all about it in the LWV state newsletter here.

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