Senate Local Government Committee advances six bills before cutoff; grinder-pump bill narrows scope

The Senate Local Government Committee on Feb. 4 advanced six bills by voice vote in its final hearing before the bill cutoff, moving measures on tax process uniformity, sewer equipment rules, subdivision procedures, wastewater inspection timelines, street standards and regional transit permitting to the next stage.

Committee Chair opened the session and said it would be the last hearing on Senate bills before cutoff. Several bills were removed from the executive calendar for staff follow-up before the committee went into executive session and returned to consider motions.

Senate Bill 6211, described by committee staff as creating uniformity in how cities planning under the Growth Management Act implement the real estate excise tax, was moved for a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee and approved on a voice vote; "The bill is passed subject to signatures," the chair said.

Senate Bill 6234, regulating the installation of sewer grinder pumps in new homes, was presented with a proposed substitute from Senator Solomon. Committee staff said the substitute narrows the covered properties to single-family residences, adds public utility districts to the list of jurisdictions that may not ban grinder pumps when certain conditions are met (for example, a check valve or backflow preventer and consistency…