On Monday, April 24, Governor Inslee called the 2017 Legislature into a 30-day Special Session to negotiate the 2017-2019 Operating Budget and to comply with the Supreme Court’s McCleary education funding decision. Washington REALTORS® recently launched an extensive media campaign opposing real estate tax increases. And while the budget and taxes will have top priority in the Special Session, we need you to ask your legislator for action on two important policy issues during the Special Session: fixing the Hirst water rights decision and addressing housing supply and homelessness funding.

 

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Below is information for a REALTORS® Call to Action on SB 5239, which addresses the impacts of the Supreme Court’s Hirst water rights decision, and SB 5254, which improves the Growth Management Act’s Buildable Lands Review process and provides funding for low-income and homeless housing programs. 

 

Support SB 5239 – Fix the Hirst Water Supply Decision

Few, if any, legislators appear to support the Supreme Court’s Hirst decision – but the issue remains unresolved even as the homebuilding season begins. SB 5239 fixes the Hirst decision by clarifying that local governments and landowners can rely on existing Ecology rules, instead of having to exceed those state standards. Throughout Washington State, landowners have relied on Ecology’s rules to buy vacant land and should be able to rely on these rules. 

Support SB 5254 – Improving the GMA’s Buildable Lands process and funding low-income and homeless housing.

In many parts of Washington State, the supply of housing inventory is at an all-time low and prices at all-time highs. This affects the entire housing market – from first time buyers and families wanting a bigger home, to renters and the low-income. SB 5254 improves the Growth Management Act’s Buildable Lands Review process to ensure that adequate land is available inside Urban Growth Areas, and provides funding for low-income and homeless housing by extending the $40 document recording fee and allowing use of local REET for these purposes. Please contact your legislators immediately by taking action below and ask them to support SB 5239 and SB 5254.