issue area reports | environment
to revive the bill with a floor vote this year. Once again, AWB opposed the bill and it died in the House Rules Committee.
SHB 2841 / ESSB 6525 building code council reform
Failed / AWB Supported
Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee.
DOE must report the study results to the Legislature by Dec. 1, 2016. ESB 6589 passed the House 96-1 and the Senate 49-0.
HB 2856 office of chehalis river basin flood risk reduction
Passed / AWB Supported
House Bill 2856, sponsored by Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, authorizes the creation of the Office of Chehalis Basin under the Department of Ecology. The office will implement strategies and administer funding to reduce flooding, damage, and restore aquatic species in the Chehalis River Basin. The bill also creates a seven-member board to oversee the office. HB 2856 passed the Senate 46-2 and the House 91-5. land use
2SHB 1278 building energy disclosure
Failed / AWB Opposed
AWB opposed Second Substitute House Bill 1278, sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien, concerning building energy use disclosure requirements. The bill would have required certain building owners to disclose energy usage, cost data, and benchmark performance to the Department of Commerce. The bill also authorized financial penalties against building owners who fail to comply with certain energy performance requirements. 2SHB 1278 was strongly opposed by the business community when it was originally introduced in 2015, and sponsors attempted
Substitute House Bill 2841, sponsored by Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, and Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6525, sponsored by Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, would have clarified the role of the State Building Code Council( SBCC). The bill would have clearly established the SBCC as an agency under the Department of Enterprise Services and required that SBCC members continuously represent the private sector, and the public sector, to which they were appointed during their entire term of service. The bill would have also created a legislative taskforce to review and make recommendations for future process improvements. While House and Senate leaders expressed the need to reform the State Building Code Council, they could not agree on the fee the council imposes on building permits. The current fee is $ 4.50 per building permit. Lawmakers in the House proposed a temporary increase of $ 1 on residential building permits and $ 5.50 on non-residential building permits, with both expiring in 2018. Senate leaders did not believe there was justification to support the temporary fee increase without additional reforms. SHB 2841 and ESSB 6525 were volleyed between each chamber several times but lawmakers failed to find consensus.
SB 6527 sepa reform
Failed / AWB Supported
AWB supported Senate Bill 6527, sponsored by Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, incentivizing trade and economic development through state environmental
Bill considered as part of AWB’ s voting record
Favorable outcome for Washington businesses
Missed Opportunities
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