Seattle OIR outlines 2025 state legislative priorities as session opens

Seattle's Office of Intergovernmental Relations updated the City Council on Jan. 13 about early activity in the 2025 Washington legislative session, the governor's proposed budget and items the city plans to track and support in Olympia.

The OIR's director, Mina Hashemi, told the council, "It's day 1 of the legislative session. Over 500 bills have been pre filed," and said OIR and the city's contract lobbyists are on the ground in Olympia.

Why it matters: the state budget and bills this session could affect Seattle departments and programs, including public safety, housing, transportation and grant-funded services.

Most immediately, Hashemi and OIR staff outlined the state budget landscape and several bills the city is monitoring or intends to support. OIR said the December state revenue forecast shows a roughly $12 billion shortfall over four years. Governor Inslee's proposed budget, released in December, includes roughly $2 billion in cuts via reductions or delays and revenue proposals described by OIR as a $10 billion wealth tax and $2.6 billion in changes to business-and-occupation taxes. Governor-elect Ferguson's priorities document, OIR said, proposes about $4 billion in cuts but does not include the wealth tax and lists roughly $800 million in new spending priorities, including $240 million for universal free school meals and $600 million for housing in the capital budget.

OIR staff flagged the Feb. 21 policy committee cutoff as the first major deadline for non-budget legislation to move out of committee. They said revenue-related bills and budget implementation bills have separate timing.

Bills and topics OIR identified as priorities or items to watch this week include: - Senate Bill 5098 (Sen. Valdez): would allow restrictions on weapons and firearms in parks, community centers, public buildings, county and state fairs. OIR said it plans to testify in favor of the bill at its hearing this week. - House Bill 1112 (Rep. Farvar): would allow hiring of pro tem judges for Seattle Municipal Court who live outside the city. - House Bill 1228 (Rep. Hackney): would let local governments use certified accredited labs for some DUI toxicology testing, addressing the state toxicology lab backlog. - Senate Bill 5052 (Sen. Solomon): would clarify limits on juvenile questioning in certain victim or witness situations; OIR plans to testify in favor. - Senate Bill 5126 (Sen. Nobles): establishes a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health (OSPI request bill). - House Bill 1150 (Rep. Berry): the Recycling Reform/WRAP Act to create extended producer responsibility for paper and plastics and subsidize curbside recycling. - House Bill 1217 (Rep. Alvarado): a rent-stabilization proposal capping multifamily rent increases at 7% annually (scheduled for hearing this week, OIR noted). - House Bill 1253 (Rep. Ybarra): City Light's request to expand consumer-owned utilities' authority to enter joint-use agreements; OIR said City Light will testify in favor.

OIR also said it is tracking proposals tied to behavioral health (including potential involuntary treatment act legislation), pedestrian safe-systems/shared-streets legislation that could allow shared vehicle-pedestrian streets and local speed limits below the current 20-mph floor on those streets, condo liability reform to spur condominium construction, and several housing-related capital-budget items including funding for asylum-seeker services and rapid capital acquisitions.

Council members asked for more detail on the shared-streets proposal and next steps; OIR said it is seeking a sponsor, has discussed the concept with transportation committee chairs, and plans to provide more information offline.

The presentation closed with OIR advising the council it will continue regular legislative briefings during session and coordinate with the city's Olympia lobbyists and the Seattle delegation.