February 10, 2016
LEAD: Legislative Education, Advocacy & Direction
2016 Edition 4

2016 Mid-Session Update

The first bill cutoff has arrived. By last Friday, February 5, the substantive policy committees had to finish their work - bills that did not get voted on perished. The next cutoff is Tuesday, February 9, which is the last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees in house of origin. Bills that do not get voted on will join the pile of "dead" bills. Included in the two categories are the following bills that were tracked by the Legislative Committee of the Washington Chapter of APA.  

Alive bills:
SHB 1438 - Requiring a public vote before a local government may prohibit the sale and processing of marijuana.
HB 2815 - Modifying the eligibility requirements for certain counties with ferry terminals to form a regional transportation planning organization.
HB 2945 - Establishing a legislative task force to review the growth management act.
SB 6173 - Prohibiting rules and policies that limit greenhouse gas emissions.
SB 6420 - Requiring all GMA jurisdictions to evaluate buildable land capacity.
SB 6426 - Allowing schools to be sited as essential public facilities outside an urban growth area. 

Dead bills:
In the preceding week, Chapter President Paula Reeves testified regarding the school siting bills in the House Local Government Committee. Afterward those bills died in that committee (HB 2377, HB 2586). 

Unfortunately, HB 1802, which would have allowed permit fees to fund long-range planning costs and was a priority for the Chapter, also failed to pass by the February 5 deadline. 

Here are the remaining bill deadlines:

February 17, 2016: Last day to consider (pass) bills in house of origin (5 p.m.).
February 26, 2016: Last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from opposite house, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
February 29, 2016: Last day to read in opposite house committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.
March 4, 2016*: Last day to consider (pass) opposite house bills (5 p.m.) (except initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, differences between the houses, and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session).
March 10, 2016: Last day allowed for regular session under state constitution.

* After the 54th day, only initiatives, alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets, matters that affect state revenue, messages pertaining to amendments, differences between the houses, and matters incident to the interim and closing of the session may be considered.

APA National Policy Guides and Delegate Assembly

The Delegate Assembly will take place on Sunday, April 3, 2016, at the APA National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona (April 2 - 5, 2016). Chapter members who are interested in serving as delegates are needed to prepare for and attend the Delegate Assembly. The work program involves reviewing the policy guides on water issues and freight planning proposed by National APA; providing a set of comments on the proposed policy guides to the Chapter Legislative Committee for discussion and action; and then representing the Chapter and voting on the policy guides at the Delegate Assembly. If you are interested in serving as a delegate, contact Esther Larsen and Yorik Stevens-Wajda, no later than February 20, 2016.

Questions?                                     
If you have any questions about the Chapters Legislative Committee (LC), please contact Yorik Stevens-Wajda or Esther Larsen, the LC Co-Chairs. A big thanks to Michael Shaw and all the members of the Legislative Committee for contributing their time, bill summaries, and discussion this regular session.

American Planning Association, Washington Chapter
[email protected]  206-682-7436  www.washington-apa.org