You can change politics…

AIA Washington Council is your advocate in state government, working for you on key issues impacting the architecture community.  The AIA Washington Council Political Action Committee (APAC) engages with lawmakers who will champion our advocacy priorities by supporting their campaigns and raising issues important to architects.  APAC enables architects to become the voice of the design and construction industry by positively impacting the relationships AIA has with legislators.

But we can’t do it on our own.  Your advocacy is critical for the profession of architecture.  Your contribution to APAC will assure that we can have important conversations to advocate for Washington architects’ priorities.  APAC provides architects with a strong political voice by investing your donations in candidates who support our issues.

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Message About APAC

Contributions raised for APAC remind state lawmakers and candidates about architects and how the built environment impacts our environment as well as our communities.

Dave Huotari AIA, 2014 AIA Washington Council President

How We Support Architects + Firms

We support the campaigns of candidates who are working on issues key to architects and the practice of architecture. AIA|WA members look at the candidate’s record and positions in the following areas:

Practice Issues

  • Contracts
  • Project delivery
  • Public Private Partnerships
  • Quality Based Selection
  • Condo liability
  • Architect licensing
  • Changes to the Architects Practice Act
  • General business issues

Sustainability

Support efforts to reduce carbon emissions, particularly around the built environment, including:

  • Carbon pricing policies
  • Energy efficient building incentives
  • Programs to fund energy retrofits
  • Electrification
  • Reducing the use of HFCs in refrigerants

Taxes

  • B&O tax
  • Comprehensive tax reform

Capital Budget

Support robust capital budgets that fully funds projects and proposals to pilot sustainability and other programs on state projects.

Livability + Housing Affordability

  • Robust regional planning
  • Affordable housing
  • Urban density
  • Planning
  • Transportation
  • Growth Management Act

Codes

Building, energy, and other codes that impact architects’ work, including issues related to the State Building Code Council.

School Construction

  • K-12 school construction, including thresholds for local levies,
  • School construction assistance program,
  • OSPI funding formulas
  • Taxes related to funding public education
  • Stock school plans

Recent Victories

  • Influence legislation that would impact the practice of architecture, including:
    • Securing robust capital budget funding (achieved with the aid of federal payments)
    • Opposing legislation to eliminate local permit review
    • Establishing a new school seismic safety grant program, funded through summer 2023
  • Support building decarbonization by:
    • Extending elements of the state’s building performance standard to smaller commercial buildings and multifamily buildings
    • Requiring large state-funded buildings to undergo all-electric analysis in the predesign phase
    • Supporting a voluntary residential energy reach code for local governments
    • Working on embodied carbon legislation to address carbon emissions from building materials
  • Endorse measures to increase housing capacity and speed up production:
    • Encourage missing middle housing through local zoning requirements
    • Support ADU construction by prohibiting local restrictions
    • Establish a housing benefits districts pilot program for transit-adjacent affordable housing
    • Limit appeals under SEPA and the GMA for some housing projects
    • Allow a REET exemption for property sold to non-profits and public housing authorities for affordable housing projects
  •  

Where Your Donation is Spent

Administrative Costs

All of your contribution goes directly to support candidate campaigns, administrative costs are covered by AIA Washington Council.