Transcript Highlights:

• Counties planning under the GMA must also designate urban areas.
• Other requirements applicable outside of the GMA are that cities and counties are required to discourage
• Kellan or Elizabeth, is there anything in the GMA that prohibits local cities from exploring mixed-use
• Is there anything in GMA right now that says cities are prohibited from doing this in their master plan
• If we're not going to talk about expanding the GMA and the UGA, then this is a tool that allows us to

Bills: SB5820, SB5995, SB5467

Keywords: freight rail, rail corridor, short-line railroad, rail-dependent uses, industrial land use, growth management act, GMA, comprehensive plan, transportation element, land use planning, local government, county planning, city planning, critical areas, agricultural lands, forest lands, mineral resource lands, urban growth area, development regulations, notice on permits

Summary: The committee heard extensive public testimony on engrossed second substitute Senate Bill 6026, which would generally require cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act to allow residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones and restrict local mandates for ground-floor commercial or mixed-use space, subject to multiple exemptions and a possible study-based off-ramp. The sponsor and supporters, including the Lieutenant Governor, the governor’s housing policy advisor, Commerce, developers, labor-adjacent housing groups, and major employers, argued the bill would unlock underused commercial land, reduce barriers to housing production, and help address the state’s housing shortage. They emphasized vacant strip malls and big-box sites, the need for more housing near existing infrastructure, and the bill’s flexibility through carve-outs for transit areas, historic districts, business improvement areas, and other designated places. Cities and local government groups testified in opposition or with concerns, saying the bill would override local planning, impose costly code changes and studies, and could undermine walkable, mixed-use downtowns and neighborhood centers. Representatives from Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Kent, Lakewood, Lacey, Bellingham, and the Association of Washington Cities said ground-floor retail requirements are sometimes needed to preserve small businesses, complete communities, and local tax bases, and asked for more exemptions or a clearer compliance path. Some witnesses also raised concerns about the study option’s timing and cost, while others asked for protections for affordable housing incentives and existing local flexibility. Before the hearing on SB 6026 resumed, the committee took executive action on several other bills. It advanced SB 5820 on freight rail dependent overlay planning after rejecting an amendment from Rep. Griffey that would have restored Clark County authority and added greenhouse-gas findings. The committee also passed SB 5995 on zero- and near-zero-emission cargo handling equipment, SB 5552 on kit home building codes, SB 5467 on water-sewer district surplus property sales, and SB 6189 on removing the deadline for forming a public facilities district for regional aquatics and sports facilities, all with do pass recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• requires that all counties and cities, and not only those that are required to fully plan under the GMA
• Counties that do plan under the GMA must also designate urban growth areas and include in their comprehensive
• The special treatment that supplants the GMA.
• So we just want to put this back in the process that the GMA was designed for and put it within those

Bills: SB5820, SB5467, SB5995

Keywords: freight rail, rail corridor, short-line railroad, rail-dependent uses, industrial land use, growth management act, GMA, comprehensive plan, transportation element, land use planning, local government, county planning, city planning, critical areas, agricultural lands, forest lands, mineral resource lands, urban growth area, development regulations, notice on permits

Summary: The House Local Government Committee heard several bills, with testimony largely focused on housing, local government property sales, freight rail land use, and port automation. On Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5552, which would direct the State Building Code Council to create building code rules for kit homes by March 31, 2027, the sponsor described the bill as a housing-supply option for small, assembled-on-site homes, and one supporter said it would add clarity without weakening safety or zoning standards. The chair postponed the public hearing on the bill after brief discussion. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5467, which would raise the thresholds for water-sewer districts to sell surplus personal and real property without notice or private-sale restrictions. The sponsor and district representatives said the bill simply updates outdated dollar limits to reflect inflation and improve efficiency. The bill drew no opposition in the hearing and was later closed out for public hearing. Senate Bill 5820, dealing with Clark County’s freight rail-dependent use overlay, drew the most divided testimony. Supporters argued the 2017 exemption has harmed agricultural and forest lands, created environmental and legal problems, and provided little or no local economic benefit, while opponents said the rail corridor supports freight mobility, carbon-efficient transportation, and economic development, and warned repeal would strand investments and contractual rights. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5995, which would remove the sunset on the prohibition against using public port funds for fully automated marine cargo handling equipment; labor witnesses supported it as a jobs-and-safety measure, while shipping industry representatives opposed it as premature and harmful to port competitiveness. No votes were taken in the transcript, and the chair adjourned after closing the hearings.

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, SB5467, SB5820, SB5863, SB5892, SCR8406

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, SB5467, SB5820, SB5863, SB5892, SCR8406

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Summary: The House convened, the clerk called the roll, and a quorum was declared present. Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and Pastor Kayla Garza of Stone Church in Yakima offered the opening prayer, asking for wisdom, patience, humility, and cooperation in public service. The Speaker approved the prior day’s minutes by consent and recognized guests in the chamber, including Roger Jacob and students and faculty from Wapato School District, who had been honored in House Resolution 4679, as well as a fourth-grade class from Log Church Christian School in Brewster. The Democratic caucus was announced immediately, and the Republican caucus was scheduled for five minutes later, with the House briefly at ease. Under the fourth order of business, the House agreed by consent to treat bills, memorials, and resolutions on the introduction sheet as first reading items and refer them to the designated committees. Under the eighth order, Senate Bill 6132 was re-referred from the Transportation Committee to the Rules Committee. No objections were raised to these actions. The House then adjourned by consent until 9:55 a.m. on Friday, February 27, the 47th legislative day.

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, SB5467, SB5820, SB5863, SB5892, SCR8406

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• GMA, some GMAs I rely a lot on district data because that's all that exists.
• I've got GMA 11 and GMA 13, the Northern and Southern Carrizo.
• One GMA, GMA 14, tried to have representatives of white... counties and the...
• Think of the Ogallala in GMAs 1 and 2, think of the Seymour in GMA 6, the Pecos Valley Aquifer in GMA
• Okay, there's GMA 14 and then there was the GMA 14 interlocal group.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , and GMA provides... ...this bill didn't refer to GMA, and GMA provides for dispute resolution, so I'm
• But I believe that's already in the GMA, so I'm trying to understand what's different about this.
• The GMA is completely different, and that's why I have this bill.
• Okay, so you're trying to supersede the GMA?
• are a handful of counties who don't plan under the GMA.

Bills: SB6132

Keywords: indebtedness limits, inland port districts, federal funding, infrastructure improvements, economic development, 904, all

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills focused on permitting, procurement, transit, ports, and tribal transportation coordination. Substitute Senate Bill 6309 would give regional transit authorities, such as Sound Transit, more flexibility to apply for permits before acquiring property, allow certain construction to proceed despite local height/setback limits when practical, and require local governments to accept complete applications; the sponsor and Sound Transit testified that the bill would speed delivery of light rail and bus rapid transit, and an amendment was described to clarify that permits may issue on property not yet owned if the transit authority remains responsible for obtaining the needed property rights. Substitute Senate Bill 6076 would streamline procurement rules for public utility districts for clean energy generation, storage, transmission, and distribution projects by raising self-performance and contract thresholds, allowing some alternative procurement methods, and expanding limited bidding waivers through 2045; the sponsor, utility representatives, and labor supported it as a response to rising costs, long lead times, and grid reliability needs, while committee members asked about the size of the threshold increases and the scope of the bidding waivers. Substitute Senate Bill 5729 would prohibit local governments from charging applicants for third-party peer review when a licensed staff professional has already reviewed the materials, while still allowing third-party review at the applicant’s cost in certain cases; the sponsor said the bill was narrowed from a broader prior version and was intended to avoid duplicative fees, and builders supported it as a permitting streamlining measure. Senate Bill 6132 would create a narrow debt-cap exception for a single inland port district meeting specified tax-base and tax increment financing criteria; the Port of Moses Lake and a local economic development representative testified in support, saying the measure would help complete a long-planned rail project and related infrastructure, and the sponsor clarified that the bill is intended to apply only to the Port of Moses Lake. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 would require transportation planning and six-year transportation programs to include affected tribal governments and tribal-area impact assessments, and would create a tribal traffic safety coordinator grant program; Senator Kaufman said the bill responds to disproportionate pedestrian fatalities among American Indians and is meant to strengthen consultation and safety partnerships. County representatives supported the policy goal but asked for amendments to better align the bill with existing Growth Management Act tribal coordination and dispute-resolution processes and to add technical assistance references. The committee also heard briefings and testimony on these bills, asked several clarifying questions, and at the end of the hearing announced that bills would be executed the next day, with amendment requests needed as soon as possible.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and GMA provides this bill it didn't refer to GMA, and GMA provides for dispute resolution, so I'm
• But I believe that's already in the GMA, so I'm trying to understand what's different about this.
• The GMA is completely different, and that's why I have this bill.
• Okay, so you're, are you trying to supersede the GMA?
• are a handful of counties who don't plan under the GMA.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills related to transportation, utilities, housing permitting, and port financing. Substitute Senate Bill 6309 would give regional transit authorities, such as Sound Transit, more flexibility to apply for permits before acquiring property, exceed certain local height/setback limits when needed for rail systems, and use development agreements to vary local standards; the sponsor and Sound Transit testified that the bill would speed delivery of light rail and bus rapid transit, and an amendment was described to allow permits on property not yet owned if the transit authority remains responsible for obtaining property rights. Substitute Senate Bill 6076 would streamline procurement rules for public utility districts on clean energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects by raising self-performance and contract thresholds, allowing limited noncompetitive procurement in certain reliability or specialized-technology situations, and extending some provisions until 2045; supporters from PUDs, labor, and industry said the changes are needed because of rising costs, long lead times, and grid reliability demands, while committee members asked about the size of the threshold increases and the scope of the bidding waivers. Substitute Senate Bill 5729 would prohibit local governments from charging applicants for third-party plan review when a licensed local staff professional of the same discipline has already reviewed the materials, while still allowing third-party review at the applicant’s cost in certain cases; the sponsor said the bill was narrowed from a broader version and was intended to prevent duplicative fees, and builders supported it as a permitting streamlining measure. Senate Bill 6132 would create a narrow debt-limit exception for the Port of Moses Lake to support a rail project and preserve federal funding eligibility; the port and economic development supporters said the project is ready to bid and needs additional borrowing capacity because of inflation, and the sponsor clarified that the bill is intended to apply only to that port. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 would require tribal governments to be included in transportation planning coordination under the Growth Management Act and create a tribal traffic safety coordinator grant program; the sponsor emphasized severe pedestrian fatality disparities for Native people and said the bill is about consultation and safety, while county representatives supported the policy goal but asked for clearer cross-references to existing GMA consultation and dispute-resolution processes. The committee also took up Substitute Senate Bill 6070/6076-related testimony and, at the end of the hearing, announced that bills would be executed the next day and amendment requests should be submitted as soon as possible.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will undo and undermine GMA goals that we have in this state.
• . ...the GMA that freight rail can and shall be considered a carbon reduction part of their GMA planning
• Speaker, it should be added as a general element in the GMA. I urge its adoption.
• It just requires that development follow GMA guidelines. Again, no.
• They simply have to follow the guidelines of the GMA, like almost every other county.

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, SB5467, SB5820, SCR8406, HB2487, SB5816, SB5919, SB5995, SB6278, SB5831, SB5915, SB5963, SB6025, SB6046, SB6084, SB6134, SB6136, SB6137, SB6188, SB6291, HB2689, SB5922, SB5944, SB5957, SB5988, SB5994, SB6011, SB6065, SB6103, SB6151, SB6244

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government, RCW 57, real property disposal, personal property, notice of intent to sell, public auction

Summary: The House received several messages from the Senate announcing passage of engrossed or substitute versions of House Bill 2294, House Bill 2472, Senate Bill 606, Senate Bill 6335, engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6266, and engrossed substitute House Bill 3. The chamber then moved through second and third reading on a series of measures, often suspending the rules to advance bills to final passage. A major floor debate centered on Senate Concurrent Resolution 8406, which would reestablish the Joint Select Committee on Civic Health and expand its membership. Amendment 2131, offered to keep the committee at its current size rather than expanding it, was rejected after debate over fiscal restraint, committee scope, and whether the body functioned like a “proxy legislature.” The resolution then passed 83-10. The House also passed engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6200 on portable cooling devices for renters and mobile home occupants, Senate Bill 6084 on clarifying the prohibition on voting in more than one election, second engrossed substitute Senate Bill 5105 on sexually explicit depictions involving minors, and Senate Bill 6046 authorizing the Civil Air Patrol to be used by the governor in emergencies; each drew debate over policy scope, enforcement, and state-federal authority, but all ultimately passed. The House next passed substitute Senate Bill 6054, limiting HOA and common-interest community restrictions that conflict with wildfire-hardening measures; substitute Senate Bill 6091, requiring greater transparency in real estate broker practices; Senate Bill 6291, giving more time to train and certify on-site wastewater inspectors; substitute Senate Bill 6081, creating a Public Records Act exemption for sex designation information to protect transgender people from doxxing and harassment; Senate Bill 5963, automatically enrolling certain vulnerable students in the Washington College Grant; and substitute Senate Bill 6226, addressing audiology scope-of-practice and telemedicine concerns. Most of these bills passed with broad bipartisan support, though some drew dissent over added regulation, privacy, or scope-of-practice issues. The final portion of the transcript focused on Senate Bill 6106, which the Speaker ruled had an out-of-scope amendment related to agricultural seasonal workers; the bill itself passed 75-18 after debate over layoff notices and tribal sovereignty. Substitute Senate Bill 6014, dealing with pregnancy accommodations and related public records issues, saw a failed amendment to replace gender-neutral language with “pregnant woman” and then passed 68-25. The House also debated Senate Bill 5820, with multiple amendments concerning freight rail, greenhouse gas calculations, county planning, property rights, and rail safety; the excerpt ends amid that amendment debate before final action on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• GMA 13 and the state water planning process. It's fallen on deaf ears.
• We report that to our board and to GMA 12 every single year.
• And we are different in GMA 12, is that we started out with... And I get it.
• I'm sorry, just in GMA 12 right now. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
• And the other GMAs want, the other districts in the GMA want to... backwards.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• based on the hydrology that's been done by both our hydrologist, who used to be the hydrologist for GMA
• We report that to our board and to GMA 12 every single year.
• We report that to our board and to GMA 12 every single year.
• It’s the GMA, by supermajority two-third vote in the DFC process, forcing those incremental values.
• to the same DFCs that it's had for... and the other GMAs want to... they want to go backwards.

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will undo and undermine GMA goals that we have in this state.
• The GMA that freight rail can and shall be considered a carbon reduction part of their GMA planning that
• Speaker, it should be added as a general element in the GMA. I urge its adoption.
• It just requires that development follow GMA guidelines. Again, no. Other floor remarks.
• They simply have to follow the guidelines of the GMA, like almost every other county.

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, SB5467, SB5820, SCR8406, HB2487, SB5816, SB5919, SB5995, SB6278, SB5831, SB5915, SB5963, SB6025, SB6046, SB6084, SB6134, SB6136, SB6137, SB6188, SB6291, HB2689, SB5922, SB5944, SB5957, SB5988, SB5994, SB6011, SB6065, SB6103, SB6151, SB6244

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government, RCW 57, real property disposal, personal property, notice of intent to sell, public auction

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, I think there’s an important point with the SEPA and GMA integration.
• You know, SEPA was adopted almost 20 years before the GMA was adopted.
• So again, I thank you for... ...legislature’s efforts in integrating SEPA with GMA.
• So there's 28 counties that plan under the GMA out of 39.
• So just so we're all speaking the same language under the GMA, UGAs come in different forms.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ...it really difficult to achieve the goals of GMA in that urban growth area.
• You know, the GMA policies in general are pretty prescriptive, as I said.
• Reduce sprawl, that's what most people think of GMA, and it remains a very valid argument for GMA.
• But GMA really does ...see what happens when things don't happen.
• You know, we provide an overview of the GMA at the eighth-grade reading level.

Summary: The committee heard first from Ferndale city officials and a representative of FutureWise on annexation planning. Ferndale described its “annexation blueprint” or phased annexation plan as a way to tie urban growth area planning, capital facilities, and eventual annexation together earlier in the process. Speakers argued that counties often allow incremental development in urban growth areas without city-level standards, impact fees, or coordinated infrastructure planning, which can leave cities and taxpayers with higher future costs and make annexation less likely. Members raised questions about fire districts, county revenue loss, and whether annexation incentives or interlocal revenue-sharing agreements could help. FutureWise supported requiring annexation phasing in countywide planning policies, using pre-annexation agreements, and applying city standards in urban growth areas to make annexation more predictable and less contentious. The committee then received a primer and update from the State Building Code Council (SBCC). Staff explained the council’s composition, standing committees, technical advisory groups, and rulemaking process, including normal, expedited, and emergency rulemaking. They described the ongoing 2024 code cycle and the separate work underway on Senate Bill 5491 and related legislation concerning single-stair residential buildings and multiplex housing. Members discussed how the legislature can better direct the SBCC, the difference between prescriptive and performance-based code approaches, and the importance of involving technical experts early. The SBCC also addressed concerns about the wildfire urban interface code, noting that problems arose when code language and maps were developed on different timelines and applied to urban areas in ways that were not anticipated. Several members asked about regional differences, especially energy code impacts in eastern Washington and the role of natural gas. SBCC representatives said the council can use climate zones and appendices for some regional variation, but statewide statutory targets still constrain the energy code. They emphasized that the council is largely reactive to legislative direction and public proposals, and that clearer legislative intent would help avoid ambiguity in future code development. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we're talking about a GMA planning jurisdiction, all annexed lands must be within an urban growth
• Finally, I think there’s an important point with the SEPA and GMA integration.
• You know, SEPA was adopted almost 20 years before the GMA was adopted.
• So there's 28 counties that plan under the GMA out of 39.
• So just so we're all speaking the same language under the GMA, UGAs come in different forms.

Summary: The committee held a work session on local government issues, beginning with an update from the State Building Code Council on four legislatively mandated code amendments now in CR-102 rulemaking: temporary emergency shelters, reduced minimum dwelling unit size, multiplex housing up to three stories and six units, and single-exit apartment buildings up to six stories. Council staff also described a separate embodied-carbon appendix proposal that remains under public review, with testimony both supporting and opposing it. Members asked about the rationale for some of the code limits, including the restriction on connecting multiplex buildings. The committee then heard a panel on annexations from MRSC, Pierce County, and the Association of Washington Cities. Witnesses reviewed annexation methods, including petition, election, and interlocal agreement approaches, and said larger annexations are increasingly using interlocal agreements because they can address infrastructure, revenue sharing, and public process concerns. They described barriers such as inconsistent local standards, the cost of infrastructure, referendum risk, census requirements, and the difficulty of persuading residents and local officials to support annexation. Members asked about the five-year restriction on residential zoning changes in one annexation method and whether a hearing examiner could reduce political pressure on local decision-makers. A second panel discussed subdivision reform. The Master Builders Association urged raising the short-plat threshold within urban growth areas to 30 lots as a simpler first step, citing permitting delays and added housing costs. The City of Spokane described implementation problems with recent housing laws, including uncertainty about how to review plats under HB 1110, lot-splitting administration, and added notice requirements for unit lot subdivisions. AWC said there was broad agreement that subdivision decisions should be more administrative, but public hearings remained a point of disagreement. The committee also heard from FutureWise, the Washington State Association of Counties, and Lewis County on county development regulation and enforcement, with witnesses emphasizing underfunded code enforcement, inconsistent standards between counties and cities, and the need for better coordination, incentives, and possibly stronger enforcement tools. No votes were taken; the chair said the committee would continue working on possible solutions in future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Counties planning under the GMA must also designate urban areas.
• Other requirements applicable outside of the GMA are that cities and counties are required to discourage
• Kellan or Elizabeth, is there anything in the GMA that prohibits local cities from exploring mixed-use
• Is there anything in GMA right now that says cities are prohibited from doing this in their master plan
• If we're not going to talk about expanding the GMA and the UGA, then this is a tool that allows us to

Summary: The committee first held a public hearing on engrossed second substitute Senate Bill 6026, which would prohibit certain GMA-planning cities and counties from excluding residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones and would limit local requirements for ground-floor commercial or mixed-use space, subject to numerous exemptions and a possible study-based off-ramp. The bill sponsor and supporters, including the Lieutenant Governor, the governor’s housing policy advisor, Commerce staff, developers, labor/employer groups, and housing advocates, argued it would reduce barriers, reuse underutilized commercial land, and help address the state’s housing shortage. Cities including Bellevue, Kirkland, Bellingham, Redmond, Kent, Lacey, and Lakewood testified in opposition or with concerns, emphasizing local control, impacts on walkable neighborhoods and small businesses, implementation costs, and the need for more flexibility or clearer compliance options. Committee members asked about exemptions, the study process, and how the bill would affect existing local plans and incentives. The committee then moved to executive session on several bills. It rejected Representative Griffey’s amendment to Senate Bill 5820, which would have restored Clark County’s freight rail dependent overlay authority and added findings about greenhouse gas reductions from short line rail, and then passed SB 5820 out with a do pass recommendation. The committee also passed SB 5995, extending authorization for port districts to purchase zero- and near-zero-emission cargo handling equipment; SB 5552, directing rulemaking for kit home building codes; SB 5467, raising thresholds for water-sewer district surplus property sales; and SB 6189, removing the deadline for forming a public facilities district for regional aquatics and sports facilities. Each of those bills received a do pass recommendation, with some members noting support for housing, workforce, efficiency, or local flexibility and others expressing concerns about contracts, automation, or competitiveness. After executive session, the committee resumed testimony on SB 6026. Additional supporters, including the Lieutenant Governor, Commerce, developers, the Washington Roundtable, Microsoft, and housing organizations, reiterated that the bill would unlock housing on vacant commercial land and preserve some local flexibility through exemptions and height incentives. Opponents and concerned cities continued to argue that the bill would weaken local planning, reduce commercial space needed for complete communities, and impose costs and implementation burdens. The hearing concluded without final action on SB 6026, with the chair noting more testimony and work remained.

Transcript Highlights:

• Cities and counties that plan under the GMA must complete internally consistent comprehensive plans with
• As part of broader planning under the GMA, a federally recognized Indian tribe whose reservation or ceded
• I think that many of our counties—I hope that many of our counties are doing this through the GMA process
• I think that many of our counties—I hope that many of our counties are doing this through the GMA process
• I think that many of our counties—I hope that many of our counties are doing this through the GMA process

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We segmented that aquifer system into three GMAs. The system of interest here will be GMA 11.
• And in the GMA report that's done, or is it not?
• Now they do individual model runs for the GMAs with assumptions that the GMAs give them, and they are
• Now they do individual model runs for the GMAs with assumptions that the GMAs give them, and they are
• specific to With assumptions that the GMAs give them, and they are specific to that for the GMA, but

Summary: The committee held a hearing on high-capacity groundwater wells proposed in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties, with members framing the issue as one of local water supply, fairness, and the need to modernize groundwater law while protecting private property rights. Opening remarks focused on the scale of the proposed Redtown Ranch and Pine Bliss projects, the potential export of tens of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater annually, and concerns that the applications lacked sufficient technical detail and could harm nearby landowners, cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. Members also noted the broader context of the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas and the Legislature’s intent to address water-related loss of life in the upcoming special session. Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts and the Texas Water Development Board explained the current groundwater management framework. They described groundwater conservation districts as the state’s preferred management method, the role of groundwater management areas and desired future conditions, and how the Water Development Board uses those conditions to calculate modeled available groundwater. They emphasized that districts rely on local data, monitoring wells, and planning processes, but that information is often more limited in areas without a district, where the rule of capture applies. Members pressed witnesses on recharge rates, export permits, subsidence, the effect of pumping on nearby wells, the age and real-time availability of model data, and whether the proposed project would exceed modeled available groundwater in some counties. TCEQ explained its limited oversight role over groundwater conservation districts, including inquiries, compliance actions, and, in extreme cases, dissolution authority. Water Development Board staff also outlined funding programs, saying the New Water Supply for Texas Fund is limited to projects such as brackish desalination, reuse, ASR, and other new-supply projects, and does not fund fresh groundwater exports alone. They said the project at issue had not applied for board funding. A water lawyer then testified on the rule of capture, ownership in place, and district regulation, arguing that districts must use permitting and other tools to manage production within modeled available groundwater and that the Legislature could consider additional authority over groundwater exports under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first part of the SAO Recommendation No. 1 suggests augmenting the GMA guidance on vulnerability
• This was a new requirement for the GMA, as it was added when House Bill 1181 was adopted into law in
• throughout their comprehensive plan, goals, and policies within the other mandatory elements of the GMA
• The GMA and our climate planning guidance, in particular, is a planning effort for the whole of a local
• So that's that, in our at least GMA world, call it. For that exact project.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee I-900 Subcommittee heard JLARC’s annual update on the status of legislative implementation of State Auditor recommendations, followed by two State Auditor performance audits. JLARC staff reported that for the 2024 review period there were three new legislative recommendations and three unresolved older recommendations. They said the legislature did not convene a work group on civil asset forfeiture, and no formal action was taken on two water-use-efficiency recommendations. Two recommendations related to concurrent Medicaid enrollments were addressed in a bill introduced this session, but that bill was not adopted. The first audit examined how Washington can ensure climate-resilient electricity infrastructure. The State Auditor found the state has opportunities to better adapt new energy infrastructure by using more site-specific climate information, broader collaboration, and vulnerability assessments. The report recommended expanding climate analyses through the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group if funding is available, using forecasted information in DNR wildfire maps, designating a non-regulatory office to coordinate siting and conflict resolution, and expanding vulnerability assessments in Ecology and Commerce processes. Agency witnesses generally agreed resilience is important but emphasized existing efforts, the need to avoid duplicative requirements, the importance of affordability and efficiency, and the role of current forums such as the Clean Energy Siting Council and SEPA processes. The second audit reviewed fines for human trafficking and related sexual exploitation crimes. Auditors found courts assessed fines inconsistently, collection rates varied, some revenues were sent to the wrong local government, and some jurisdictions did not use the money as required for enforcement, prevention, or survivor services. The audit recommended courts work with prosecutors to improve awareness of mandatory fines, and that King and Pierce County improve coding, templates, and tracking so revenues are routed and used correctly. King County testified that it appreciated the audit and described its existing prevention and survivor-support work. The committee took no votes or formal actions and adjourned after the presentations and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• So basically, for just this GMA 11, and keep in mind, there are three GMAs that are over this aquifer
• On the left-hand column from 1981 to 2013, it showed that for the three rivers over this GMA, which are
• GMA 13 did a much better job on theirs in talking about surface water interaction.
• Carrizo-Wilcox, the middle portion in your district, Senator, and then... also this portion within GMA
• That's the issue that the GMA process, I believe, my understanding.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all