WA needs more than a million homes

Washington state needs to build another 1.1 million homes over the next 20 years to support housing needs projections recently issued by the state Department of Commerce. More than half of the new units must be affordable to residents at the lowest income levels.

That requires construction of about 50,000 new units annually statewide. Census data shows Washington only adds 35,000 units per year on average.

“I’m not surprised by the numbers,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci to the Seattle Times. “But they’re daunting numbers.”

Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed an aggressive solution: borrowing $4 billion to hit the gas on housing construction. The governor’s proposal would directly build 24,000 units over eight years and would fund a variety of programs to expedite permitting and support predevelopment and land acquisition for housing construction. The proposal would also convert shelter space, and fund behavioral health services to support people at the greatest risk of homelessness.

“We have a scourge of homelessness in this state. This would pay for multiple systems to be able to provide additional housing for people,” said Inslee to KIRO-FM.  “Over a period of six years, this would take a huge bite out of that.”

Senate approves urgently-needed reforms to competency restoration system

The state Senate approved legislation Thursday requested by Gov. Jay Inslee that would spur urgent reforms to the state’s competency restoration system.

Surging demand has created long delays in defendants’ access to competency services. Many defendants wait in jail, or judges may dismiss the charges or release the defendant to wait in the community. Sometimes the defendant has no plan for housing, care or treatment. 

SB 5440, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, expands pathways to meaningful treatment options, particularly for low-level offenders. The bill offers diversion programs to defendants facing misdemeanor charges before a referral for competency services is made. The bill also encourages alternatives such as outpatient competency restoration and civil commitment, sparing hospital beds for more acute patients.

People with dementia or another intellectual disability are better served outside of the criminal legal system. The bill diverts them into more appropriate care settings than the criminal justice system. The bill also creates a program to help defendants access proper medication and treatment during transitions between state facilities and jails, and while waiting in jail for competency restoration.

Read the full story on Gov. Jay Inslee’s Medium.

Legislative session – week 8 in review

With House of Origin cutoff coming up next Wednesday, March 8, legislators have been focused on all-day and late-night floor action. Hundreds of bills are being sent off to their opposite chamber this week. The House so far has passed bills to expand access to free school meals, protect access to abortion and gender-affirming care, make it easier to build accessory dwelling units, and create a dual-credit apprenticeship program for high school students. The House also passed the governor’s requested legislation to strengthen the state’s clean energy workforce.

In the Senate, legislators passed a bill to permanently cap insulin to $35 per month, ban pre-employment cannabis tests, and end cost-sharing for abortion care. The Senate also approved the governor’s request legislation to improve transmission planning and siting of clean energy facilities, reform parts of the state’s competency restoration system, and to promote housing near transit areas. They also approved the governor and attorney general’s request legislation to improve accountability for gun dealers and manufacturers.

To preview which bills are on the floor calendars, you can look up the House Floor Activity Report or Senate Floor Activity Report. From these calendars you can find links to fiscal notes and proposed amendments. TVW is a reliable source for all the live action.

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Last remaining masking requirements to end in April

The Secretary of Health’s Mask Order will end effective April 3, concluding the last remaining masking requirements within healthcare, long-term care, and correctional facilities. Infection control guidance issued by the state Department of Health continues to recommend masking in healthcare settings. In Washington, COVID-19, RSV, and influenza disease rates and hospitalizations have continued to decline since the end of last year.

“Masks continue to be an important tool, along with vaccinations, to keep people healthy and safe,” said Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health.

State report says 80% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable

The state Department of Health issued its 2023 Maternal Mortality Review Report on Tuesday. Washington has a lower rate of pregnancy related deaths (15.9 deaths per 100,000 live births) than the national average (18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births). Among pregnancy-related deaths in Washington state, 32% of the deceased suffered from underlying behavioral health conditions. Suicide and overdose were the leading cause of death.

The report shows that maternal mortality rates were highest for people ages 35 and older. American Indian and Alaska Native people experience higher maternal mortality rates than any other group.

“The maternal mortality rate in Washington is lower than the national rate, but we need to do more to prevent any such death,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Chief of Prevention, Safety and Health, Washington State Department of Health. “Addressing root causes of inequities and improving access to high-quality care in pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum are key ways our state can make progress toward that goal.”

Where will WA’s next airport be? Tune in during March.

The state Department of Transportation will host an online open house and virtual meetings in March to educate and accept comments about plans to identify a site for a new airport. The state’s capacity for air passenger service and cargo operations is limited. Expanding existing facilities such as Paine Field in Snohomish County is a possibility, and building a new airport within Pierce and Thurston counties is another. One way or another, Washington state must expand its aviation capacity to meet future demand.

Inslee makes new appointments to Fish and Wildlife Commission

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed two new members and re-appointed a third to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The commission is a nine-citizen panel that sets policy for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). New appointee Steve Parker is a retired fisheries biologist from Yakima County who spent much of his 45-year career with the Yakama Nation. New appointee Woody Myers, Jr. retired from WDFW after a 40-year career as an ungulate research biologist. Barbara Baker was re-appointed to the commission. First appointed in 2017, Baker is an attorney from Thurston County who retired from a long career in the state Legislature.