20th District legislators brief University Place council on 2025 session investments, budget trade-offs

Sen. Twanna Noble and state Representatives Dan Pernosky and Marie Levitt updated the University Place City Council on June 6 about legislation and budget decisions from the 2025 legislative session and how those actions may affect Pierce County and the 20th Legislative District.

The three lawmakers told the council the Legislature prioritized housing, education and core services while responding to a large budget shortfall. "We did prioritize affordable housing," Sen. Twanna Noble said, adding the session included new renter protections and incentives for housing near major transit stops. She also said, "We now have statewide recycling reform," and listed investments that the Legislature approved for food banks, housing programs and refugee support.

The 20th District delegation framed the session as one of difficult trade-offs: members said they cut and restructured spending to protect services for vulnerable residents while raising revenue to avoid deeper cuts. "We did raise new revenue in order to avoid even deeper cuts and to make sure that we could…