Washington state creates permanent rental assistance program
The Olympian 4/29/2021 Brandon Block, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Apr. 29 The idea of rental assistance the government stepping in to pay people s rent to prevent them from losing their home is not new, but it has taken on a new prominence and urgency in the pandemic, as billions of federal dollars have helped pull tenants out from under mounting debt.
Now, Washington state is making that policy permanent.
Legislators passed a bill on the penultimate day of the session that creates a dedicated funding source for ongoing rental assistance through a $100 surcharge on recorded documents.
Washington State Senate health bills that advanced to the House before the cutoff Sydney Kurle | Mar 8, 2021
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The past two weeks have been busy in the Washington State Legislature, both houses have had a marathon of floor sessions in order to get bills passed before the house of origin cutoff on Tuesday at 5 pm.
In the Senate there were 20 health or health related bills that were heard in the past two weeks and managed to make it to the House. Here are the 11 that we have been watching.
First up are the bills that made it through floor sessions with minimal debate and support on both sides of the aisle. Senate Bill 5115, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D.), would create an occupational disease presumption for frontline employees during a public health emergency for the purposes of workers’ compensation. The bill passed with a vote of 48 in favor and one member, Sen. Keith Wagoner (R.), against the bill. The bill has been referred to the House La
Civil right to counsel bill passes Senate in preparation for end of eviction moratorium
The Olympian 3/8/2021 Brandon Block, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Mar. 8 With more than 134,000 Washington households behind on rent and Gov. Jay Inslee s statewide eviction moratorium set to expire March 31, state legislators are racing to pass laws aimed at preventing a looming eviction crisis.
Senate Bill 5160, which passed by a vote of 29-20 on Thursday, aims to provide an off-ramp to the moratorium by defining what repayment plans should look like, expanding an existing landlord-tenant mediation program, and conditioning state rental assistance on landlords agreement not to pursue eviction.