Legislative Committee Archives

The following are documents, correspondence, and position statements related to previous activity of APA Washington's Legislative Committee (LC).

Legislative Agenda

In preparation for the 2012 legislative session, a group of knowledgeable and committed LC participants came together as an ad hoc subcommittee this past summer to draft a Legislative Agenda for 2012. Participants included Joe Tovar, FAICP (Edmonds), Marty Snell, AICP (Camas), Kamuron Gurol (Mercer Island) and Holly Gadbaw, AICP (Olympia). The subcommittee pulled together past information, examined where we left off after the 2011 session and what was anticipated for the 2012 session, and prepared a draft Legislative Agenda, which was available for review and comment by the Chapter membership in November 2011. The final draft was presented to the Chapter Board of Directors at its December 2 meeting and adopted after discussion and some revisions. The adopted 2012 Legislative Agenda provides the framework with which the LC reviews specific bills and determines whether to draft position statements to submit to legislators and committee staff, as well as a basis for LC and Chapter participation in stakeholder groups working on various policy issues under the direction of the Governor or the Legislature. The Chapter has enjoyed success over the last several years in enhancing our presence in Olympia and looks forward to ongoing participation in framing policy decisions and legislation.

In late 2008, a sub-committee of the LC called the Smart Growth Strategy Task Force collaborated to produce a statement intended to inform legislators, as well as other APA Washington committees, of the Chapter's legislative priorities on multiple planning-related issues.

Toward a Smart Growth Strategy for Washington — Smart Growth Strategy Task Force letter & position statement — January 2, 2009
The LC had previously developed a statement of priorities for the 2007 legislative session.

Bill Proposal Subcommittee

The Bill Proposal Subcommittee of the chapter's Legislative Committee was initiated in 2007. The Legislative Committee's main tasks include reviewing and commenting on bills, serving on task forces, and managing the chapter's lobbying efforts. The subcommittee expands the chapter's legislative efforts by proactively introducing legislation. In preparation for the 2015 legislative session, APA Washington expects to initiate a Bill Proposal Process in 2014 to solicit ideas for planning-related bills from the chapter membership.