Legislative Committee

The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association has a strong and active Legislative Committee (LC), which has been working on behalf of the Board of Directors and the APA Washington membership since 1989 by participating in the legislative process in the State of Washington. During each session of the Washington State Legislature, the LC coordinaties with other stakeholders groups, tracks legislative initiatives, reviews proposed changes to State law, provides comment and testimony during legislative committee workshops and hearings, and occasionally “runs a bill” on behalf of APA Washington. The function and purpose of the LC is important to the well being of the Chapter. The LC leadership will promote the involvement of a consistent and informed group representing the diverse interests within APA.

Activities

During the legislative session, the LC meets via telephone conference call every Thursday at noon. If you are interested in participating in the LC, please contact one of the co-chairs listed below.

Esther Larsen: 509-477-5709, elarsen@spokanecounty.org
Josh Peters: 360-385-9167, jpeters@co.jefferson.wa.us

Following the Thursday conference calls, LC members volunteer to review and comment on proposed bills. The schedule for the review of bills is based upon when the bill will be heard either in the house or the senate. The review of proposed bills is the central responsibility of committee members. Bill reviews are posted on the LC’s “Basecamp” information exchange website. The reviews provide the background for development of position statements, which are communicated by the Chapter lobbyist or a designated Chapter member to the legislature

Meeting the clear expectations as to when the bill reviews are to be complete and transmitted to the co-chairs is critical to the functioning of the LC.

2012 Legislative Session

The 2012 session begins on January 9. Check in with the LC or read the Chapter’s monthly newsletter for updates.

Legislative Agenda

In preparation for the 2012 legislative session, a group of knowledgeable and committed LC participants came together as an ad hoc subcommittee this past summer to draft a Legislative Agenda for 2012. Participants included Joe Tovar, FAICP (Edmonds), Marty Snell, AICP (Camas), Kamuron Gurol (Mercer Island) and Holly Gadbaw, AICP (Olympia). The subcommittee pulled together past information, examined where we left off after the 2011 session and what was anticipated for the 2012 session, and prepared a draft Legislative Agenda, which was available for review and comment by the Chapter membership in November 2011. The final draft was presented to the Chapter Board of Directors at its December 2 meeting and adopted after discussion and some revisions. The adopted 2012 Legislative Agenda provides the framework with which the LC reviews specific bills and determines whether to draft position statements to submit to legislators and committee staff, as well as a basis for LC and Chapter participation in stakeholder groups working on various policy issues under the direction of the Governor or the Legislature. The Chapter has enjoyed success over the last several years in enhancing our presence in Olympia and looks forward to ongoing participation in framing policy decisions and legislation.

In late 2008, a sub-committee of the LC called the Smart Growth Strategy Task Force collaborated to produce a statement intended to inform legislators, as well as other APA Washington committees, of the Chapter’s legislative priorities on multiple planning-related issues.

The LC had previously developed a statement of priorities for the 2007 legislative session.

Position Statements
Following are position statements of APA Washington on selected state legislation.

2012 session

2011 session

2010 session

2009 session

2008 & previous sessions

Following are documents related to legislation sponsored by APA Washington.

SB 5871

2008 Legislative Session Summaries

Climate Advisory Team Report Recommendations and Response

Committee History and Description

To assist LC member, the following resources are available:

Bill Proposal Process

The chapter Board adopted a Process for Proposing Legislation in 2008.  For more information, click here.

Important Links

The following links provide ample information on the State Legislatures and for assisting in the tracking, review, and commenting on proposed bills.

For More Information

Please contact the LC's co-chairs:

Esther Larsen : 509-477-5709, elarsen@spokanecounty.org
Josh Peters: 360-385-9167, jpeters@co.jefferson.wa.us

Thank you for your interest in APA Washington's Legislative Committee.