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Legislative Committee

The Legislative Committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Washington) has been working on behalf of the chapter Board of Directors and the members of APA Washington since 1989. The committee focuses on the state legislature and coordinates with other stakeholders groups, tracks legislative initiatives, reviews proposed changes to state law, provides comments and testimony during Legislative Committee workshops and hearings, and occasionally “runs a bill” on behalf of APA Washington. Legislative Committee members are required to be members of the Washington Chapter of APA. Contact the committee at [email protected].

Staying Informed

There are several ways to follow activities of the Legislative Committee (LC) during the legislative session:

Read the Latest LEAD

2024 Legislative Session

2023 Legislative Session

2023 LEAD Newsletters

2022 Legislative Session

2022 LEAD Newsletters

2021 Legislative Session

2020 Legislative Session

2019 Legislative Session

2019 LEAD Newsletters (Legislative Education, Advocacy, and Direction)

2018 Legislative Session

2018 LEAD Newsletters (Legislative, Education, Advocacy, and Direction)

2017 Legislative Session

2017 LEAD Newsletters (Legislative Education, Advocacy, and Direction)

2016 Legislative Session

2016 LEAD Newsletters (Legislative Education, Advocacy, and Direction)

Climate Initiatives Forum Webinar: March 4, 2016

2015 Legislative Session

2015 LEAD Newsletters:

Activities

During the legislative session, the LC meets via zoom every Friday at noon. If you are interested in participating in the LC, please contact the Committee Chair (information below).

Following the Friday conference calls, LC members volunteer to review and comment on proposed bills. The schedule for the review of bills is based upon when the bill will be heard either in the House or the Senate. The review of proposed bills is the central responsibility of committee members. Bill reviews are posted on the LC's “Basecamp” information exchange website. The reviews provide the background for development of position statements, which are communicated by the Chapter lobbyist or a designated Chapter member to the Legislature. Meeting the clear expectations as to when the bill reviews are to be complete and transmitted to the Chair is critical to the functioning of the LC.

2014 Legislative Action Items

The Legislative Committee tracked 45 bills during the 2014 Legislative Session as set forth in the LC’s bill tracking list setting forth details on those bills, the majority of which did not survive the Session.

The 2014 Supplemental Budget passed by the Legislature did not include additional money to assist jurisdictions with GMA updates despite a request from Governor Jay Inslee for nearly one million dollars in funding so the Department of Commerce could provide, among other resources, grants to local jurisdictions. The LC supported the request for the funding, and a letter of support was submitted to the Governor as well as House Appropriations Committee Chair Russ Hunter and Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Andy Hill requesting the funding.

National APA provides a quarterly legislative webinar to brief members on legislative issues, priorities and other work programs that are related primarily to federal legislation which impacts planning at all levels as well as to provide resources for local chapters in developing their own legislative agendas and to seek input from local chapters on policy guides, Aging in the Community and Hazard Mitigation, developed periodically by National APA. The most recent webinar took place on February 27, 2014.

Links

The following links provide information on the State Legislature and for assisting in the tracking, review, and commenting on proposed bills.

Contact

Legislative Committee Chair: Paula Reeves. Contact email [email protected]

Thank you for your interest in APA Washington's Legislative Committee.

Legislative Committee Archive