Klicker introduces bill to create task force to analyze housing costs
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Washington’s affordable housing crisis could get some assistance from a new bill introduced by Rep. Mark Klicker (R-Walla Walla). The bipartisan legislation, House Bill 2008, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds), who is the housing committee co-chair, would create a legislative task force to analyze housing cost drivers.
The task force would include a member of each of the four caucuses in the legislature. It would also consist of several other stakeholders in the industry, including economists and members representing nonprofit housing, for-profit housing, public housing authorities, builders, realtors, labor, lenders, tenants, and landlords, to name just a few.
“The goal of this task force is to get to the root of the problem by determining what factors are actually driving housing costs in Washington,” Klicker said. “We need to better understand the causes behind this issue before we can resolve them.”
The task force would research, analyze, and determine the primary cost drivers for housing in Washington state, such as rising property taxes, the cost to access utilities, workforce scarcity, increasing costs of supplies, and expensive regulations.
Members of the task force would also solicit and consider information and perspectives provided by the Affordable Housing Advisory Board and individuals and entities with relevant interest and expertise. It would report its findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the Legislature by Dec. 1, 2025. The 2024 legislative session begins on Monday, Jan. 8, and is scheduled to run 60 days.
