Washington House Bill HB1870

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Refer: 2/6/25
• Report Pass: 2/26/25
• Refer: 2/28/25

Caption

AN ACT Relating to county property tax levies for public health clinic purposes;

Summary

HB 1870 authorizes counties, at the time they levy general taxes, to impose an additional regular property tax levy of up to five cents per $1,000 of assessed value for public health clinic purposes. The bill defines a public health clinic as a fixed or mobile publicly operated site that provides low-barrier public health and related services, including primary care, dental care, reproductive health care, treatment and prevention of communicable diseases, substance use disorder services, maternal and infant health, behavioral health, health plan enrollment assistance, and referrals to community services. Revenue from the levy may be used only for the operation, maintenance, and capital expenses of these clinics. The bill also amends Washington’s property tax levy statutes to place this new county levy within the state’s existing levy framework and to specify how it interacts with constitutional and statutory levy limits. It states that certain existing levy limitations do not apply to the new public health clinic levy, while also clarifying how county assessors must calculate and, if necessary, reduce or eliminate other levies when the combined rate would exceed the one percent constitutional limit on regular property taxes. The bill includes an expiration date for the new sections, indicating the authority is temporary unless extended by future legislation.

Impact

HB 1870 would change state property tax law by creating a new county-level regular levy dedicated to public health clinic operations and by amending multiple RCW provisions governing levy limits, assessor calculations, and levy reductions. It would affect counties, county assessors, and other taxing districts whose levies may need to be adjusted if the new levy contributes to exceeding the one percent property tax cap. The bill also expressly exempts the new levy from certain existing levy-limit provisions and sets out a hierarchy for reducing other levies if necessary.

Sentiment

The available voting record suggests the bill had at least some support in committee, passing the House Committee on Finance by a 10-5 vote on a do-pass recommendation. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate to indicate broader public arguments or detailed member statements. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed favorably by a majority of the committee, but not unanimously.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the creation of a new property tax levy, since it increases county taxing authority and could affect taxpayers and other local taxing districts. Another likely issue is the interaction with existing levy limits and the possibility that other levies may need to be reduced if the combined rate exceeds the constitutional cap. Supporters would likely emphasize funding for low-barrier public health services and clinic infrastructure, while opponents would likely focus on property tax burden, levy stacking, and the effect on other local taxing districts.