What’s Ahead

Streamlined Sales Tax: The Senate-passed streamlined sales tax legislation, SSB 5089, is scheduled to be heard by the House Finance Committee on Wednesday, February 14. See the Municipal Finance section for more information.
Financial Assistance for Cities and Towns: HB 2022, enhancing the city-county assistance account, will be heard before the House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday, February 13. See the Municipal Finance section for more information.
Criminal Justice Funding: HB 1851, which provides cities with the authority to impose a local sales and use tax for criminal justice purposes, is scheduled for hearing on Wednesday, February 14 in the House Finance Committee. See the Municipal Finance section for more information.
Annexation Reform: Three AWC priority bills (HB 2005, HB 2006, HB 2031) are scheduled for hearing at 8 am on Thursday, February 15, before the House Local Government Committee. See the Land Use & Housing section for more information.
Responding to the Failure of I-933: HB 2046, which addresses the appropriate role of "best available science" when local governments identify and protect environmentally-sensitive areas from development, will also be heard by the House Local Government Committee at 8 am the 15th. See the Land Use & Housing section for more information.
Infrastructure Funding: Two infrastructure funding bills that are AWC priorities will be heard next week. SB 5489 will be heard in the Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee on February 12. HB 1790 will be heard in the House Community & Economic Development & Trade Committee on February 12. See the Infrastructure, Transportation & Economic Development section for more information.
Presumptive Disease for Firefighters: HB 1833 and SB 5741 will be heard by the Labor committees in their respective houses on Thursday, February 15. AWC has serious concerns about this broad expansion of the workers’ compensation statutes regarding occupational illnesses. See the Personnel & Labor Relations section for more information.

Last Week’s Highlights

SB 5498, eliminating the non-supplanting language in the voter-approved levy lid lift and voter-approved sales tax, passed out of the Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee on February 8. See the Municipal Finance section for more information.
HB 1669, which provides a gross negligence standard for offender supervision liability, was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on February 6. See the Law & Justice section for more information.

How You Can Help – Now!

Streamlined Sales Tax: All cities are encouraged to contact their House members to remind them of city support for passage this year of SSB 5089, streamlined sales legislation with full mitigation. See the Municipal Finance section for more information.
Lodging Tax Revenue: Please contact your legislators to ask them to support HB 1342 and SB 5647 regarding authorized uses of the hotel/motel tax. You should also ask friends at local ports to contact legislators in support of these bills. See last week’s Bulletin for more information.
Presumptive Disease: Please contact your legislators on the House Commerce & Labor Committee or the Senate Labor, Commerce, Research & Development Committee. Urge them to oppose HB 1833 and SB 5741. See the Personnel & Labor Relations section for more information.

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