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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