Housing and workforce solutions

If we listen to each other with respect and work together, good things happen.

I’m happy to report that we’re doing a lot of that this year in Olympia.

With the legislative session at the halfway point, we’ve passed some great legislation for the people of Washington.

I’m pleased to report that almost 60% of the bills voted out of the House of Representatives this year were passed with unanimous support – and almost 80% were passed with the support of 80 or more legislators from both sides of the aisle.

This is an important story that you don’t hear enough about the legislature; we actually agree on most things.

That’s good news for our state, and our democracy.

Many bills we’ve passed so far have focused on improving housing affordability and workforce training.

On housing, we are making progress on two big reforms: middle housing and mother-in-law units.

HB 1110 is a landmark reform that will help create more middle housing where we need it the most. Our grandparents used to have more options for housing, like cottage courts and duplexes.

This helps encourage more housing options in our district. More importantly, it will provide more units in larger cities like Everett. Adding more housing options there – and across our state – will help ease some of the pressure for housing here in the 10th District, too.

HB 1337 will allow for more mother-in-law homes. If people want, they can use land they already own to add a small living space – maybe above the garage or in the backyard. A lot of families can use this to bring in a family member, often aging parents, or to rent it out for extra income.

I supported both these bills because they are common-sense solutions to our housing crisis – and they both passed with strong bipartisan support.

In addition, I’m happy to report that the House passed two priority bills that I authored to improve workforce training.

HB 1316 will make permanent the summer version of Running Start – and help shorten the pathway to postsecondary workforce training and make college more affordable for students and families.

HB 1058 addresses the shortage of truck drivers by simplifying the process to obtain or renew a commercial driver’s license.

Both bills will help to put our young people on a path to a rewarding career in a high-demand field.

What’s next?

Now, we’ll go back to committee to consider all the bills the Senate passed, and they will do the same.

I believe we have the chance to make historic progress this session, not just on housing and workforce issues, but on kitchen-table issues like education, healthcare and transportation.

That progress is possible because here in Washington state, we have a long history of respecting our neighbors and coming together to solve common problems.

I appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to share their ideas and thoughts this session. I hope we can continue to have good discussions about ways to make the 10th District – and our state – an even better place to work, live, and raise a family.