Getting more homes on the market and making housing less expensive for Washington residents is a priority for many state lawmakers this legislative session.  

But not everyone agrees on how to do it. 

Republican senators recently released their plan, emphasizing the need for cheaper and easier-to-build housing. Their proposals include allowing for more types of homes in rural areas, providing financial support to low-income tenants and authorizing homes that can be constructed from pre-fabricated kits. 

GOP lawmakers argue that their Democratic colleagues in the majority are not taking these ideas seriously and are misguided as they focus heavily on legislation to cap rent increases. 

Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said Democrats’ push to pass a “very harmful” rent cap bill without doing anything to increase the supply of homes is a “bad sign for the future of housing in Washington.” He and other critics of the plan say it will drive real estate developers out of the state, worsening the shortage of homes.  

Some of the 18 housing bills Republicans have backed are moving through the legislative process. Others will likely be dead by the end of this week when the first major deadline for bills to pass out of committee comes. 

“We’re not done yet. Cutoff is not here quite yet,” Braun told reporters on Tuesday. “Maybe some of this will pass, and we’ll have a good sweep.” 

Republicans touted the package of bills before Democrats on the Senate Housing Committee approved the rent stabilization proposal, which caps yearly rent increases at 7% for tenants statewide. A House version of the bill is awaiting a floor vote. 

Democratic leaders have said that this is the year for rent caps, though many agree with Republicans that there is a need to build more housing. They recently said that there is not one solution that will give Washington all the housing it needs.  

“There are many, many ideas out there. It’s been great to see a flowering of proposals,” Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said. Pedersen added that he does not know at this point which might make it to the finish line this year. 

Tenant protections  

Republicans’ answer to capping rent increases is creating a tenant assistance program, which would give low-income renters a monthly payment that they could use toward their rent.   

The payments would be $400 or less and would be open to tenants who make less than 80% of the median income in the area where they live. Money for the program would come from the state’s document recording fee, which is paid when people file real estate deeds or other paperwork with county auditors. 

That proposal received hearings in both the House and the Senate, but Democrats have said that it may be too costly to do in a tight budget year like this one. 

Republicans have also introduced bills to update the state’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and to allow counties to appoint court commissioners to work on eviction cases as the number of eviction filings has soared in Washington. 

Those proposals received public hearings this week. 

Kit housing 

Among Republicans’ other priorities is allowing for more “kit homes” — premade homes that builders can assemble relatively quickly and inexpensively. 

Two bills this session that would allow for the construction of kit homes and require the state Building Code Council to draft rules for them.  

Senate Bill 5249 would let local governments permit these homes in any zone that allows single-family use. The homes would be allowed to remain in place for the duration of a manufacturer’s warranty. 

Senate Bill 5552 would require the state Building Code Council to draft rules by the end of this year for allowing kit homes, which must be 800 square feet or smaller. The codes could not impose costs greater than $150 per square foot.   

Supporters say that kit homes offer a flexible option to expand housing options.  

Both proposals have bipartisan support and were scheduled for committee votes this week.  

More density 

Republicans also want to see denser housing development — something that Democrats have also pushed for in recent years.  

GOP-backed proposals would allow for more housing, including accessory dwelling units, like backyard cottages, to be built in rural areas.  

Bills to allow for more home construction in rural parts of the state have caused controversy in recent years with opponents saying this could lead to suburban sprawl in areas without adequate transit, sewer systems or firefighting services.  

But with bipartisan support, those bills appear to be moving this session. 

In the Senate, a proposal to allow for more middle housing, which can include duplexes, triplexes, and other multifamily construction, in rural areas is awaiting a floor vote. In the House, that proposal is scheduled for a committee vote on Thursday. Versions of the rural accessory dwelling unit bill are also moving through the House and the Senate. 

Another idea is to expand eligibility for the state’s Multi-Family Housing Property Tax Exemption, which lets developers get a tax break if they build multifamily housing in certain places. 

Currently, only five of the state’s more heavily populated counties can offer the exemption, but a proposal backed by Republicans would expand that eligibility to include 28 counties. 

That proposal received public hearings in both the House and the Senate, but it had yet to be scheduled for a committee vote. 

Other proposals would make it easier for cities and counties to make more frequent changes to permitting guidelines in their comprehensive plans, which are normally updated every ten years, and require greater accountability for cities and counties to increase housing supply. 

This story is republished from the Washington State Standard, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that provides original reporting, analysis and commentary on Washington state government and politics.