Erik Poulsen, Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs, No Phone Number Available
Monday, March 16, 2026 at 4:53 p.m.
The 2026 State Legislative Session adjourned as scheduled on March 12 after 60 intense days that were very significant for the City of Spokane. Council President, Council Members, Staff, the Administration, our state lobbyists, and community partners all contributed greatly to these important victories.
Before this session, the City’s Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility faced Climate Commitment Act penalties estimated at $8 million annually starting in 2027. HB 2416, sponsored mainly by Rep. Hill, isn’t a permanent fix but offers WTE cost-free allowances to help lower compliance costs. These allowances will decrease over time, giving the City a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions while shielding residents from rate hikes needed to meet the CCA.
This effort has spanned several years, beginning in 2023 when the Legislature first exempted landfills, but not WTE, from the CCA. Confronted with strong opposition from statewide environmental groups against granting WTE an exemption, the Mayor enlisted former Department of Ecology staff to assist in lobbying for lower penalties.
Special thanks to Rep. Hill and Sen. Riccelli for leading the efforts in Olympia; to everyone in the Administration, Council, and Local 270 who worked diligently during the session to develop strategies and advocate with legislative leaders; and to local environmental allies who contributed to negotiating the bill.
The City secured an extra $1.15 million in this year’s Supplemental Capital Budget, adding to $750,000 from last session for vital upgrades and expansion of the Northeast Regional Law Enforcement Academy. The renovation will allow more officers to train locally, lowering the cost of recruiting outside the region. This great teamwork was led by Sen. Riccelli, with significant behind-the-scenes efforts from the Council President and the Spokane Police Department.
This year’s Supplemental Capital Budget added vital funding for community organizations with support from the City:
Along with maintaining the expected completion date of the North Spokane Corridor during the 2029-31 biennium, this year’s Supplemental Transportation Budget includes these provisos for Spokane’s East Central neighborhood:
The City of Spokane joined various coalitions advocating for legislation on housing, transportation, education, civil rights, and other issues. Here are bills we supported that passed both chambers and are expected to be signed into law.
Advocated by Rep. Hill and the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, this bill authorizes the creation of land-bank authorities to acquire, hold, prepare, and transfer land for affordable housing.
Provides density bonuses that make it more cost-effective for affordable housing to be built on unused and underutilized properties owned by religious organizations. Sponsored by Reps. Hill, Ormsby, and others.
Requires employers to notify employees of scheduled I-9 audits by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and authorizes the Attorney General to pursue civil actions for violations. Sponsors included Reps. Hill and Ormsby.
Establishes the crime of false identification as a peace officer, aimed at protecting immigrant communities particularly vulnerable to impersonation schemes. Sponsored by Reps. Hill, Ormsby, and others.
Requires cities and counties to permit permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and indoor emergency shelters in residential and hotel zones; prohibits any standards, conditions, or requirements for STEP housing that are more restrictive than those applied to other developments in such zones. Sponsored by Reps. Hill, Ormsby, and others.
Makes the sale of N20 and other forms of nitrous oxide punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine; exempts use in medical, dental, veterinary care, food manufacturing, and other specified purposes.
Sponsored by Sen. Riccelli and others, this bill aims to boost middle housing and public safety by allowing smaller elevators in apartment buildings with no more than six stories and 24 units.
Bars federal agents operating in Washington from wearing nontransparent face coverings while performing public duties. Sponsored by Sen. Riccelli and others.
Creates a new account in the custody of the State Treasurer that will help expand ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) to more schools, nonprofits, and childcare programs. Governor-request legislation sponsored by Sen. Riccelli, others.
Addresses the backlog in the State Toxicology Lab for drug and alcohol testing, allowing private laboratories to perform blood and breath tests for impaired driving offenses.
Prime sponsored by Sen. Riccelli protects against federal overreach by prohibiting county elections from producing records generated by the statewide voter registration database.
Prescribes retention periods for ALPR data collected by authorized agencies and clarifies that data is not subject to release for any non-law enforcement purpose unless by court order. Sponsored by Sen. Holy, others.
Prohibits local governments from excluding residential development from commercial and mixed-use zones and from imposing ground-floor commercial and mixed-use requirements in more than 40 percent of the acreage in such zones.
Expands the allowable uses of local sales and use tax revenue collected for housing and related services (HB 1590, 2020), giving cities greater flexibility to meet community needs and respond to federal funding cuts.
Getting a bill through the legislative process and having it signed into law is incredibly challenging – many factors beyond our control can go wrong. Here are some City priorities that didn’t reach the finish line but are likely to stay on Spokane’s legislative agenda next session.
Thank you for all the great work that contributed to positive outcomes for Spokane this legislative session – more to come.
In Spokane
We All Belong
