George Bush y el discurso anti Irán.

In addition to the City’s top legislative priorities, the City identified several issues that it would also support/oppose throughout the legislative process. Additionally, the City reviews bills as they are introduced with city staff and takes positions in support or opposition of bills based on staff review. The outcome of those efforts are outlined below:

Finance/General Government:

 State-Shared Revenues: The Legislature fully funded state-shared revenues for the 2019-21 legislative biennium. The City of Pasco receives approximately $1.3 million annually from these state accounts. The state is expected to experience a significant decline in state revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline may force the state to make budget reductions, including reductions to state-shared revenues.

 Property Tax Cap: House Bill 2145, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle), would have replaced the 1% cap on annual property tax levy increases with a cap based on population and inflation, not to exceed a 3% increase. This legislation has been requested by local

governments for several legislative sessions. As with efforts in previous years, the bill did not advance this legislative session. As a reminder, the state temporarily removed the 1% cap on the state’s annual property tax levy as part of the package to respond to McCleary.

 Election of Judges: While this issue has been discussed several times in previous legislative sessions, there were no proposals introduced on this subject in 2020.

 Labor Reform: The City of Pasco joins AWC and other local governments in opposing

legislation that increases labor costs. The Legislature did approve one proposal that increases labor costs and amounts to an “unfunded mandate” on cities:

o House Bill 1390, sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt (D-University Place), provides a one- time 3% increase to the retirees in the Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System Plans 1. The increase is capped at $62.50 and will go into effect on July 1, 2020. For jurisdictions who have PERS 1 retirees, this will result in a cost increase at the local level. The state budget provided resources for its own costs but not for local governments. The bill passed both chambers unanimously, was signed into law by the Governor, and is effective July 1, 2020.

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 Public Records Act (PRA) Reform: Pasco is committed to public records openness and transparency while also advancing reasonable reforms to the Public Records Act. This year, the Legislature approved House Bill 1888, sponsored by Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-Renton), which exempts month and year of birth, photographs, and payroll deduction information of public employees and volunteers held in personnel files from public disclosure requirements, but permits the news media to have access to full dates of birth and photographs. The bill was signed into law by the Governor and is effective June 11, 2020.

Infrastructure & Economic Development

 Infrastructure Funding: Pasco supports funding tools for infrastructure and funding for the Public Works Assistance Account. The 2019 Legislature allocated $95 million to the account; the 2020 Legislature did not increase that funding.

 Local Transportation Funding: Pasco supports the efforts of the Association of Washington Cities to advance legislation that would provide cities with more options to increase revenue to fund local transportation projects. The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) worked

with Rep. Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah) and Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-White Center) to develop the legislation.

This legislation was developed in response to the Joint Transportation Committee study that was released in mid-2019 and estimated the statewide city transportation funding need is $900 million per year. House Bill 2362, and Senate Bill 6652 would have authorized cities to

councilmanically:

o Increase the sales tax by up to .04 percent of 1%

o Impose an additional 2% utility tax (above the current 6% cap)

o Impose a local 2-cent fuel tax, with an additional 2 cents that can be voter-approved. Both bills died prior to fiscal cutoff but the House and Senate held public hearings to begin the discussion of local options that could be included in the next transportation revenue package. The public hearings held this session laid the groundwork for these or similar proposals to advance in future legislative sessions or as part of a transportation revenue package.

 Lower Snake River Dams: Pasco opposes the removal of dams along both the Columbia and Snake Rivers and encourages the State to perform additional analysis on the economic impact of any such proposals. In 2019, the Legislature allocated $750,000 for a neutral third party to establish a process for local, state, tribal, and federal leaders and stakeholders to address issues associated with the possible breaching or removal of the four lower Snake River dams in order to recover the Chinook salmon populations. That study is currently underway. There was no further legislative action in 2020 regarding the issue.

 Affordable Housing: Affordable housing has been a hot topic discussed by the Legislature in recent years. For example, in 2019, the Legislature approved House Bill 1406 to provide cities with a credit against the state sales tax to fund affordable housing. The Legislature considered several legislative proposals:

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o Extend and Expand the Multi-Family Property Tax Exemption: Current law authorizes cities to grant multi-family developments an 8-year property tax exemption; or a 12-year tax exemption if 20% of the units are dedicated to low-income individuals. Each

jurisdiction has the authority to further tailor the tax exemption program to include additional income restrictions or identify specific areas of the city where the exemption is offered. Thus far, developers in Pasco have not taken advantage of this tool.

House Bill 2620, sponsored by Rep. Amy Walen (D-Kirkland) and Senate Bill 6411, sponsored by Sen. Mona Das (D-Covington), would have authorized local jurisdictions to extend the exemption an additional twelve years for projects that have already been awarded the exemption (either the 8-year or the 12-year) if 20% of the units remained or, in the case of the 8-year became, income restricted. The bill would have also adjusted the population eligibility threshold, allowing cities under 15,000 to use the program. While a broad stakeholder group met several times to reconcile the

differences between these two proposals and find agreement, stakeholder discord and opposition from key stakeholders caused the bills to die prior to the chamber-of-origin cutoff deadline. Notably, labor interests expressed opposition to the bill unless any project offered the exemption be required to use prevailing wage.

Late in the legislative session, Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) introduced House Bill 2950. Because the bill was introduced after cutoff deadlines, it was deemed “not subject

to cutoff.” The bill established a formal stakeholder group to develop consensus around a proposal to expand and extend the use of the multi-family property tax exemption program prior to the beginning of the 2021 legislative session. The bill also extends any immediately expiring 12-year exemptions until the end of 2021, which primarily impacts housing units in the City of Seattle. The bill received widespread support and passed the Legislature. However, the Governor vetoed the formal stakeholder group to reduce state expenditures as an early cost savings measure to prepare for a forthcoming revenue shortfall stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

o Local Option Sales Tax Authority:House Bill 1590, sponsored by Rep. Beth Doglio (D- Olympia), authorizes cities and counties to councilmanically impose a .01 of 1% sales tax increase to fund affordable housing and behavioral health facilities. This authority exists in current law but requires voter approval. If the County does not impose the tax by September 30, 2020, then the City will have the authority to impose the tax. The bill was one of the final bills to pass the Legislature and has been signed into law by the Governor. It will become effective law on June 11, 2020. The City of Pasco did not take a position on this bill.

o Changes to State Funding for Affordable Housing: House Bill 2797, sponsored by Rep. June Robinson (D-Everett), is commonly referred to as the “trailer bill to House Bill 1406” because the bill makes several changes to the statute enacted in 2019 through

House Bill 1406, which allowed counties and cities to receive a credit against the state sales tax to fund affordable housing. House Bill 2797 would have extended the deadline for cities to adopt a qualifying local tax until December 31, 2021. If a City adopts a qualifying local tax, it is eligible to receive twice as much state funding. The bill was

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widely supported by local governments and housing advocates. The bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by the Governor as part of his efforts to save state funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Pasco did not take a position on this bill. It’s likely this bill will return in either a special session or the 2021 legislative

session.

 Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program: While this issue has been discussed several times in previous legislative sessions, there were no proposals introduced on this subject in 2020. Public Safety

 Basic Law Enforcement Academy: Two additional Basic Law Enforcement Academy classes are funded each fiscal year, increasing the number of classes from 19 to 21 per year.  Three classes will be held at the Spokane training center.   

 Funding to Reduce Gang Violence: In 2019, the Legislature appropriate $1 million for a grant program for criminal street gang prevention and intervention. The 2020 Legislature did not increase or reduce this appropriation.

 Marijuana Laws: There were several laws considered related to marijuana laws:

o House Bill 2247, sponsored by Rep. Keith Goehner (D-Chelan), would have required the Liquor and Cannabis Board to not issue or renew a marijuana license for any

premises located in a jurisdiction that provided a written objection to the LCB stating the marijuana license violates local zoning. The bill was heard in the House Commerce & Gaming Committee but did not otherwise advance in the legislative process. Had the bill passed, it would have brought about greater consistency for marijuana license

applicants.

o House Bill 2870, sponsored by Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle), establishes a Social Equity Program authorizing the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to issue previously forfeited, cancelled, and revoked marijuana retailer licenses to applicants

disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of marijuana prohibition laws. These applicants must also submit a social equity plan to the LCB addressing how they will impact social equity in their business practices. Additionally, the bill establishes a Technical Assistance Competitive Grant Program under the Department of Commerce to provide technical assistance grants to applicants who need assistance with

submitting a social equity plan. The bill also establishes a Marijuana Social Equity Task Force to make recommendations to the LCB, including how best to establish and

develop the social equity program. House Bill 2870 requires the task force to submit a report of recommended policies to the Governor and the Legislature by December 1, 2020. The report must include a recommendation on whether to issue new marijuana licenses. AWC is included on the task force. House Bill 2870 passed both the House and Senate and is now headed to the Governor for signature.

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 Pasco DNR Property: The City of Pasco has worked with the Department of Natural

Resources (DNR) and the Legislature to facilitate the sale of a portion of the Road 68 property to residential developers. The City is continuing to work with DNR on facilitating the sale of the remaining Road 68 property.

The Senate proposed supplemental operating budget included language that would have made it challenging for the Department to sell any further DNR-owned properties. The City of Pasco joined other stakeholders in signing a letter to express concerns with this language. The final supplemental operating budget included the following, less concerning, language:

DNR shall report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature by July 2020 information on those parcels currently used for commercial or non-resource use purposes and those identified by the department as transition lands likely to be sold or redeveloped for non-resource use.

The appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature shall be kept informed of all proposed transactions, land sales, and exchanges involving trust lands prior to approval by the board, and all related financial and legal documents shall be available as public records immediately following the transaction's completion, as allowed under chapter 42.56 RCW.

 Notification of Pre-Annexation Agreements: While this issue has been discussed several times in previous legislative sessions, there were no proposals introduced on this subject in 2020.

 Annexation of Unincorporated Islands: The Legislature adopted Senate Bill 5522, sponsored by Senator Dean Takko (D-Longview), allowing counties and code cities to jointly initiate an annexation process for unincorporated territory by adopting an interlocal agreement. A public hearing is required, but a vote of the people is not required. Cities proposing to annex territory are required to give notice of the annexation to an adjacent city and to impacted special purpose districts and allows such an adjacent city or special purpose district to prevent the proposed annexation. Areas zoned for residential use within the annexed area must maintain a zoning designation that allows residential development for five years after the annexation.