Senate panel hears bill to create task force to analyze housing cost drivers

Representative Mark Quicker, sponsor of engrossed second substitute House Bill 1108, told the Senate Housing Committee the bill would convene people who “are experiencing it every day” to identify why housing in Washington is unaffordable.

“In front of you is engrossed second substitute house bill 11 o 8, creating a task force on housing cost driver analysis,” staffer Ben (committee staff) said in a staff briefing to open the hearing. The bill would establish a 27‑member legislative task force charged with researching, analyzing and determining the primary cost drivers for homeownership and rental housing in Washington and reporting findings and recommendations to the Legislature by Dec. 1, 2026.

Nut graf: Proponents described the group as a practical,…