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 preserve essential programs across our state," Noble said.

Why it matters: Council members pressed the delegation on how statewide decisions will translate locally — for school funding, services for families and veterans, transportation projects and public safety grants. Council members also asked whether federal budget uncertainty could force further state-level cuts next year.

Details and local effects - Education: Noble said the operating budget included major investments for schools, telling the council the Legislature invested "$750,000,000 for special education and $213,000,000 for classroom materials and school operations." Representative Marie Levitt later described the removal of the special education cap and told the council the Legislature invested about "$775,000,000 in special education," and said the change will allow more students with developmental disabilities to receive services and avoid mid‑year exits from school programs. - Housing and homelessness: Noble cited $117,000,000 for local housing programs and $25,000,000 for refugee and immigrant communities. Delegation members said the capital budget directed hundreds of millions to housing and homelessness prevention projects statewide, and they highlighted nearly $782,000,000 in capital housing and homelessness investments mentioned in the session recap. - Community reinvestment and equity: Noble said the Legislature renewed funding for the Community Reinvestment Program with "$100,000,000" in the operating budget. She also noted a $300,000 appropriation for a study on the lasting impacts of U.S. slavery in Washington State. - Public safety and courts: Levitt described bills to close release‑time loopholes for violent offenders and to provide flexible grant funding for jurisdictions that want to levy a public‑safety tax. She told the council House Bill 1133 closed a counting loophole for release time, and said House Bill 2015 establishes a grant program jurisdictions may use for law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders or crisis response. - Transportation: Representatives said the transportation budget preserved funding for the region's major projects and maintenance despite fiscal constraints, and they stressed continued need for new revenues to meet rising costs and demand.

Council Q&A and concerns Council members asked about classroom safety measures and how recent bills affect student protections, teacher recruitment programs, the potential state response to federal funding cuts, and whether the state can backfill federal funding reductions to Medicaid or education. Rep. Dan Pernosky and Sen. Noble emphasized collaboration with federal partners and local governments to sustain services.

What’s next Delegation members invited follow‑up questions and said they will return with more detailed information as needed. Rep. Levitt said some funding and program details — including how capital dollars are assigned to local projects — will continue to be refined with Pierce County partners.

Ending note Council members thanked the delegation for the briefing and their responsiveness to constituent requests. The council did not take formal action on state items during the meeting; the session update was informational.