WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Eviction protections approved by state Senate

Both houses of the legislature have passed bills that would protect tenants from eviction. (The Whidbey News-Times headline references only the Senate bill, but the story covers both bills.)

HB1236, the title of which is “Protecting residential tenants from the beginning to end of their tenancies by penalizing the inclusion of unlawful lease provisions and limiting the reasons for eviction, refusal to continue, and termination”, was passed out of the House Housing, Human Services, and Veterans committee on a 6-3 vote. Rep. Greg Gilday (R-Camano Island), the committee’s assistant ranking minority member, voted “do not pass.” The bill was passed on the floor of the House by a vote of 55-44 on March 7. Both Rep. Gilday and Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) voted against the bill. You can learn more about the bill at this link.

SB5160, entitled “Addressing landlord-tenant relations by providing certain tenant protections during and after public health emergencies, providing for legal representation in eviction cases, and authorizing landlord access to state rental assistance programs”, passed out of the Senate Housing and Local Government committee, 5-4. The Ways and Means committee then took up the bill. The bill moved out of committee with 14 votes for “do pass,” four votes for “do not pass,” and seven votes with no recommendation on the bill. Sen. Ron Muzzall (R-Oak Harbor) vote was in the “no reocommendation” group. When the bill reached the Senate floor, it passed 29-20, with Muzzall voting against. More details on the bill are available at this link.