March 6 marks the 53rd day of the legislative session, the exact midpoint of the regular session. More than 1800 bills were introduced this session and over the past two weeks, many have been whittled down due to policy and fiscal cutoffs. Only bills that have cleared their fiscal committees or deemed necessary to implement the budget are moving forward. Despite many proposed cuts to the budget, we remain steadfast in our commitment to maintaining funding for the Washington Youth & Families Fund and the Homeless Student Stability Program so we can continue to make a difference for students, youth, and families across the state.
Updates on bills we are supporting and monitoring:
- SB 5082 and SB 5617 which would establish the Extended Foster Care Housing Program and support young people in/or exiting detention did not make it out of the Ways and Means Committee before the fiscal cutoff. They will not be continuing this session. We will work with our partners to try again next session.
- HB 1380 which enables ‘reasonable regulation’ of how people can use public property—including sitting, sleeping, and staying warm—has passed out of the Appropriations Committee and was referred to the Rules Committee. It must pass the House by March 12 to stay alive.
- HB 1217 is the rent stabilization bill intended to protect tenants. It has passed out of the Appropriations Committee but has been stalled in the Rules Committee since February 13. It will also need to pass out of the House by March 12 to stay alive.
How you can take action:
Join us on March 14 in Olympia to meet with lawmakers and rally for housing justice at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance’s Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Day (HHAD)! Can’t make it to HHAD? Take action on rent stabilization with our partners here.
