WA lawmakers fall short on housing as 2024 legislative session adjourns

The Washington state legislative session ended Thursday, March 7, after lawmakers spent 60 days attempting to tackle a range of issues from behavioral health to housing and public safety.

The Legislature wrapped up about 7 p.m., much earlier than in recent years.

Before adjourning, lawmakers passed a state supplemental operating budget that makes changes to the two-year, $69.2 billion operating budget they approved in 2023. Legislators approved additional funding for maintenance level increases for Medicaid, assistance for food, and K-12 enrollment caseloads as well as mandatory investments to satisfy the state’s Trueblood case ruling on delays in competency evaluation and restoration services for people detained in jails.

Under the supplemental budget, nearly 12%, or $4.1 billion, will remain in total reserves for the two-year budget.

A supplemental transportation budget also was passed March 7, adding about $1.1 billion to the $13.5 billion transportation budget passed in 2023.

“Despite funding constraints, project delivery complexities, and cost overruns, this bipartisan budget maintains funding levels for approved projects and reflects a commitment to finding solutions and efficiencies through careful budgeting and resource allocation,” said Rep. Andrew Barkis of Olympia, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee.

Additionally, lawmakers added $1.3 billion in capital construction funding for projects all over the state, including investments in the Housing Trust Fund, grants for community behavioral health projects and investments to expand affordable childcare access.

Approximately $130.5 million of this year’s supplemental capital budget is funded with general obligation bonds.

Lawmakers approved the budgets in the session’s final hours, and were mostly in agreement on transportation and capital supplemental funding. But the operating budget faced more criticism from Republican lawmakers.

Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, a Senate budget writer, said it’s not the budget she would write, but she agrees with most of what it contains.

“We went into this looking at this as a true supplemental budget and truly it is,” she said.

The 2024 legislative session overall has not been without criticism.

While last year’s legislative session was dubbed the “Year of Housing” by Democratic Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, he noted in a news release March 7 that lawmakers missed the mark on achieving the Year of Housing 2.0, as lawmakers initially intended.

“This session was smooth, orderly, and productive,” Heck said. “Between the six initiatives that took up much of the session’s bandwidth, and the most pre-filed bills of any short session, there was much to consider this year.”

Heck noted that he had “high hopes 2024 would bring us the Biennium of Housing.”

“Unfortunately, progress on housing was modest. Significant additional investments for the Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing, re-legalizing co-living options, and reducing parking mandates are bright spots. However, we continue to fall further and further behind each year in the number of new homes needed to meet current and future demand. NIMBY attitudes and some local governments unwilling to rise to the challenge continue to have outsized influence on this debate.”

Bills on stabilizing rents for tenants, the Real Estate Transfer Tax and allowing more transit-oriented development, all introduced by Democrats, failed to be passed.

But Gov. Jay Inslee and leading Democratic lawmakers pushed back on Heck’s assertion during a news conference following the session.

“I don’t want to diminish the progress we’re making on housing,” Inslee said.

The governor added that an investment of $150 million for the Housing Trust Fund moves the needle, and that Washingtonians “need more spine” from their local elected leaders to support more housing in the future.

Additionally, he said, the portability of the Long Term Care Act was expanded, as were climate change efforts.

While lawmakers may have fallen short of their goals, Inslee said they still made progress with regards to funding for special education, school construction, and behavioral health.

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, told reporters that she believed the session was a productive one, and noted that about 80% of the legislation passed this session was passed with bipartisan support.

Jinkins also noted that lawmakers were “building on things” they did last year during this year’s session.

Republicans, on the other hand, seemed more optimistic during a news conference March 5.

Republican lawmakers told reporters March 5 that the session has been good for them, as several bad bills they didn’t support failed, such as the rent stabilization bill, a bill that would have prevented certain hospital mergers, and legislation to create an independent prosecutor’s office.

They were also pleased to see progress in education funding, they said.

Additionally, they said, they were pleased that three of the six initiatives certified this year were heard by lawmakers and passed off the floor.

“It was a good session for Republicans, and a great session for the people,” said Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia.

The last day was an emotional one for lawmakers, as several longtime members had already announced that they will not run for reelection.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, announced that he will leave his leadership position in 2025, and spoke to other lawmakers on the debate floor March 7 about his time in the Senate. Billig was first elected to the statehouse as a Representative in 2010.

Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, was also honored during a floor session March 7. The former House Minority Leader announced a few weeks ago that he would not run again for his position after nearly 14 years in the House of Representatives.

Longtime Olympia lawmaker Sen. Sam Hunt also ended his service when the legislature adjourned.

WA lawmakers OK supplemental capital budget. Here are the Thurston projects getting funds