State Legislative Session Concludes

The 2020 Legislative Session officially adjourned on time on March 12.  This was the second half of the biennial budget session in which legislators meet for just 60 days to pass policy bills and supplemental budgets.

AIA|WA had a busy session in Olympia, from our Capitol Connections lobbying day in January to tracking legislation to testifying for and against bills in committee hearings. Highlights from the 2020 session include:

  • Passing C-PACER, a private financing mechanism that will help pay for deep energy and resiliency retrofits.
  • Protecting architect licensure by amending or opposing several bills aimed at immediately licensing individuals moving to Washington from another state or (in one case) country.
  • Fending off numerous legislative attacks on the state’s energy code, including the ability of the State Building Code Council to implement code changes.
  • Helping legislators wade through a wide variety of bills on housing with an emphasis on policies related to increasing urban density.
  • Pushing an amendment to HB 1521, the state contracting in/out bill, that will limit the scope of eligible contracts.

You can read more about these and other issues in our Final 2020 Legislative Session Report

Thank you to all AIA|WA members who took the time to meet with or write to their legislators during this session. These contacts make a difference, and they build on each other over time. 

Please take some time to consider what your priorities are for the 2021 legislative session and share them with us. We appreciate your support for AIA|WA’s policy efforts; please reach out to us any time with questions, comments, or concerns.

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