Crunch Time in Olympia: Bills Getting Traction (and Those That Aren't)
Wednesday marks the deadline for when bills must skedaddle out of the opposite chambers’ policy committees. Any that do keep their head above water will head on over to the fiscal committees where they have until Monday, Feb. 26, to advance.¹ Some casualties will result.
Meanwhile, the Senate took some wind out of Housing’s sails this week after it carved up three housing bills and buried another. For the past few weeks, the Senate Committee on Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs has become a killing field for housing proposals. The executive session on Tuesday morning saw members sink even more carve-outs into their pages.
Take House Bill 2252. The neighborhood cafe bill passed the House without a single no vote, but per a striking amendment from Local Government Chair Liz Lovelett, D-Anacortes, the bill would amount to a glorified recommendation for local governments. Cities could opt in or out at will — something the Association of Washington Cities loves to read in print. Local governments would also get to write up rulebooks on “noise, signage, and freight traffic,” basically another way to write off aspiring mom-and-pop businesses.
The real head-scratcher is the striker’s proposed ban on alcohol sales at neighborhood eateries. Would this keep Seattle’s Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry from selling beer or wine? Would Pete’s Supermarket in Eastlake be able to maintain its famous wineshop?
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https://www.postalley.org/2024/02/22/crunch-time-in-olympia-bills-getting-traction-and-those-that-arent/