Opinion: Legislative winners and losers so far

The Washington Policy Center reviews the legislative session’s winners and losers, highlighting key policy decisions affecting business, taxation, and housing in Washington state.

There is still time for you to voice your opinion to your legislators on the bills that are still being pushed through the process

Mark Harmsworth
Washington Policy Center

It’s been a fast and furious legislative session so far and the legislature is now past the halfway point. More significantly, yesterday at 5pm all the good ideas and bad ideas that hadn’t been voted out of the house of origin, died and won’t be seen for another year (or a hidden budget proviso in a few weeks).

Some of the bills (and just a few) that the Washington Policy Center (WPC) is happy to see fail include,

HB 1100 – would have increased sales taxes by 0.5%

HB 1155 – would have made it legal for fired employees to solicit customers of their old employer

HB 1181 – would have increased the minimum wage to $25 by 2032

HB 1219 – would have created a wealth tax

HB 1320 – would have increased Business and Occupation (B&O) taxes

HB 1480 – would have increased Real Estate and Excise taxes

HB 1702 – would have created a new county utility tax authority

HB 1739 – would have added a minimum staffing requirement at checkouts

HB 1882 – a soccer tax for the world cup of 2% on hotels

On the flip side, some bills are still alive that WPC believes will help Washington grow free markets and help the business environment. The bills include,

HB 1403 – would result in less lawsuits for ADU and construction (reducing housing costs), but still needs to be improved

HB 1614 – an exemption for B&O tax on capital gains income taxes

HB 1760 – reduces the cost of manufactured to low-income families

HB 1935 – exemption for some building permits (reducing housing costs)

However, there are still some really bad policy and tax bills that are moving through the legislative morass.

These include,

HB 1217 – rent control (increases the cost of housing)

HB 1491 – transit housing preemption – think soviet style apartments on the freeway

HB 1747 – would allow job applicants to sue an employer if the applicant is asked about any previous criminal activity

HB 1763 – an AirBNB 6% tax for affordable housing (increases housing costs)

There is still time for you to voice your opinion to your legislators on the bills that are still being pushed through the process. You can do that here.

Mark Harmsworth is the director of the Small Business Center at the Washington Policy Center.