House committee advances rent-stabilization bill after narrow vote; two amendments fail

A House appropriations committee on the record reported the second substitute of House Bill 1217 out of committee with a due-pass recommendation after a roll-call vote of 18 ayes and 13 nays.

The bill, as reported, survived two floor amendments. Amendment base 080 failed on voice vote, and amendment base 79 — which would have removed the bill's emergency clause and delayed its effective date to align with an attorney general model lease — also failed. Representative Cortez urged a no vote on base 79, saying, "The emergency clause is in the bill because we have an urgent crisis now, and Washington renters simply cannot wait for relief." Representative Keaton argued the amendment "does 2 really good things for us" and noted the attorney general is preparing a model lease to take effect in January 2026.

The bill sponsor and supporters framed HB 1217 as an immediate measure to "temper rent increases" and provide relief to renters and manufactured homeowners. Representative Macri said the measure would provide "immediate relief in the form of tempering rent increases" and described the proposal as fitting into broader housing efforts the Legislature has pursued. Opponents, including Representative Connors, warned the bill could reduce housing supply and fiscal revenues: "We are a fiscal committee, and this bill is not just about housing. It's also about Washington state's budget," Connors said, warning of developers pulling projects out of state.

Committee discussion also included concern about procedural and fiscal clarity. Representative Couture said it was "disappointing that we're executing a bill out of the Appropriations Committee without a fiscal note." Representative Springer said he would vote to move the bill out of committee but reserved judgment for the floor, noting outstanding concerns.

Roll-call and next steps: the clerk announced a roll-call tally of 18 ayes and 13 nays, and the committee chair recorded that the second substitute of House Bill 1217 (draft 1143.2) is reported from committee with a due-pass recommendation. The bill will move to the next stage in the House process per normal legislative procedure.

Votes at a glance

- Second Substitute House Bill 1217 (draft noted in committee as 1143.2): Reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation. Tally: 18 ayes, 13 nays. Two separate amendments (base 080 and base 79) were put to the committee and were not adopted.

- House Bill 1540: Reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation. Tally announced by the clerk: 27 ayes, 4 nays.

The committee hearing transcript records debate on policy trade-offs — immediate renter relief versus potential impacts on housing production and state revenue — and shows members asking for further fiscal detail and floor-level consideration before final passage.