City of Renton Legislative Agenda

The 2026 Legislative Session continues and the City of Renton is closely tracking the following bills:

• HB 2724/SB 6346– Tax on Millionaires
  • The city is not taking a position on the underlying policy of a tax on millionaires or more generally, an income tax.
  • Instead, our nexus to the bill has been over a section of the bill that originally dedicated 5% of revenue raised from this tax to counties for public defense services.
    • Our position is that if the state passes this tax, and chooses to fund public defense with it, they should also include cities in the allocation.
    • HB 1592 – Public Defense Funding, was a pathway for language that funds cities to be included in the millionaire’s tax bill.
• HB 2489– Statewide standards for local government homelessness regulations
  • NOTE: This bill has died for this year. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Gregerson, will be picking up this idea during the next interim.
• SB 6002– Statewide regulations for Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
  • This bill is expected to pass.
    • Presently, it has been amended to include language helpful with Public Record Act (PRA) concerns over these types of records.
    • It has also been amended to expand the allowable retention period to 21 days, which is a big improvement over the three-day limit as originally proposed.
    • This bill still disallows these cameras for misdemeanor crimes and still is major concern for the city. We continue to advocate for amendments that expand eligible uses of ALPR systems.
  • This bill has passed out of the Senate and will be taken up by the House after 2/17.
• HB 2389/SB 6062– Juvenile Rehabilitation
  • While SB 6026 died on Monday, the House companion has political support to keep moving forward.
  • While the City supports the intent of the bill and prioritizes upstream investments, community placement, and rehabilitation, we do also have major concerns with the effects this bill will have on our community.
    • With this in mind, we have been focused on raising awareness to impacts and crafting amendments that minimize impacts on victims and community safety while still aligning with diversion alternatives to incarceration.
  • The House Sponsor, Rep. Cortes (D – Everett), and Co-Sponsor, Rep. Bergquist (D – Renton) have both been somewhat open to further amendment but not to the degree that would satisfy our concerns, so the city remains opposed to the bill at this time.
• HB 2480/SB 6026– Allowing for Unconditional Residential Development in Commercial Zones
  • This bill is a priority for Governor Ferguson and is expected to pass. We have been advocating for amendments to lessen the scope of the bill and retain local control.
• HB 2442– Real-estate Excise Tax (REET) Flexibility Enhancements
  • This is an omnibus REET enhancement bill that:
    • Includes language REET revenues to be used for nuisance abatement
    • Creates a new voter-approved REET for affordable housing
    • Establishes a new local option sales tax for services for children and families
    • Creates more flexibility for HB 1590 funds
    • Expands the timeframes for voter-approved levy lid lifts to up to 10 years
• HB 2374– Reclassification of Certain E-Bicycles for Regulatory Purposes
  • In response to the availability of more powerful and faster e-bikes on the market (and leading to situations where teens may be riding these at 25+ MPH without a license plate and/or drivers’ license), this bill would create a separate classification for e-motorcycles, defines them as motorcycles, and creates a work group to further examine the issue.
• HB 2420– Updates to the Small Works Roster Contract Threshold
  • This bill updates the cost threshold for use of a small works roster to award public works contracts up from $350,000 to $530,000 on January 1, 2027, with a further increase of $30,000 each year for four years, starting July 1, 2027.

In 2025, the City of Renton advanced a focused, outcomes-driven advocacy agenda at the regional, state, and federal levels. Through strategic partnerships and sustained engagement, the City secured significant financial investments, protected critical infrastructure funding, advanced public safety priorities, and mitigated tax impacts for the Renton community.

Regional Advocacy

• Secured more equitable funding formulas within the 2026–2031 King County EMS Levy, strengthening Renton’s return on local tax dollars.
• Successfully advocated for a $100 million reduction to the 2026–2031 King County Parks Levy, lowering the total levy from $1.5 billion to $1.4 billion and reducing projected tax impacts on Renton residents.
• Achieved a 177% increase in Renton’s return of local tax dollars from the 2026–2031 King County Parks Levy.
• Secured $60 million in King County funding for dedicated trail connectivity projects within Renton.
• Collaborated with regional partners to address safety and security concerns across regional transit systems serving Renton residents.
• Advanced the creation of a Regional Utility Rates Summit to address projected countywide rate increases and identify strategies to reduce financial impacts on Renton households.

State Advocacy

• Secured $1.5 million in state capital funding for the Legacy Square project.
• Partnered with King County cities to protect $90 million in previously authorized state funding for the I-405 Renton to Bellevue Widening Project and the SR 167 Implementation Plan.
• Successfully advocated for new local tools to support police hiring, along with $100 million in statewide funding for officer recruitment and retention.
• Secured $25 million in new funding for the Washington State Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA).
• Advocated for the inclusion of funding for statewide pedestrian and bicycle safety programs.
• Supported increased investment in the State Housing Trust Fund, strengthening affordable housing delivery statewide.
• Successfully opposed legislation that would have negatively impacted community and public safety, including measures affecting local homelessness response efforts.

Federal Advocacy

• Secured $1.04 million in federal funding for the Kennydale Lakeline Replacement Project, advancing critical infrastructure improvements.
• Secured more than $17 million in federal funding for the Renton Municipal Airport Taxiway Alpha Replacement Project.

Updates coming soon. The 2026 legislative session begins January 12.

On Monday, June 23, the city's Government Affairs Manager, Eric Perry, and David Foster, the city's lobbyist, returned to Renton City Council to recap the 2025 Legislative Session, which began on January 13 and ended on April 27.

The 2025 Legislative Session was complex and one in which the legislature and the state’s new governor navigated fiscal uncertainty across all three state budgets, volatile federal funding and policy decisions, and a large host of new legislators who were new to the policymaking process. 2,387 bills were filed during the session, and 431 bills were passed.

The city's priorities for 2025 were public safety, behavioral health, human services, and transportation & regional connectivity.

Of those categories, the following bills were passed:

Public safety

• HB 2015 – New Public Safety Sales Tax and Grant Program for officers, public defenders, domestic violence programs, behavioral health, and alternative mental health and substance use responses.
• HB 1596 – Speed-limiting technology for repeat speeding offenders.

Behavioral Health and Human Services

• SB 5176 – Operating Budget funding for the Washington Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) and alternative response teams.
• HB 2015 – Public Safety Sales Tax and Grant Program for officers, public defenders, domestic violence programs, behavioral health, and alternative mental health and substance use responses.

Transportation and Regional Connectivity

• SB 5801 – Increased transportation resources via shared revenue sources.
• SB 5595 – "Shared streets" designation in residential areas to become the extension of front yards, places to meet neighbors, and build communities.
• SB 5161 – Transportation Budget funding for "Safe Routes to School" and pedestrian and bike safety.

Other bills passed by the state legislature which will have an impact on the City of Renton included new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zoning requirements, updates to the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act (PFMLA), state preemptions on local parking requirements, updates to the state’s building conversion laws, new requirements for childcare centers zoning, a statewide residential rent cap, a new requirement for cities to plan for pet sheltering in an emergency, mandatory diaper changing stations in public restroom, libation zones, and the Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act.

In addition, several pieces of legislation which were being tracked by the City of Renton failed to pass into law, including updates to the state’s property tax cap and proposed requirements for city ordinances on public encampments.

For the complete list of bills passed this year, visit https://leg.wa.gov/bills-meetings-and-session/bills

On Monday, March 3, the city's Government Affairs Manager, Eric Perry presented to the Renton City Council during the Committee of the Whole the proposed 2025 Regional and Federal Legislative Agendas. Later that evening during the council meeting, the council passed the proposed legislative agendas.

Agendas available here:

• 2025 Regional Affairs Agenda
• 2025 Federal Affairs Agenda

On Monday, November 25, 2024, the city's Government Affairs Manager and lobbyist presented the 2025 Legislative Review at the Renton City Council meeting.

City

During the November 25 Renton City Council meeting, Eric Perry, City of Renton Government Affairs Manager, and David Foster, the City of Renton's lobbyist, presented the 2025 Legislative Review to Mayor Armondo Pavone and councilmembers.

City councilmembers approved the 2025 Legislative Agenda later in the meeting.

Renton's legislative agenda is a list of priorities and positions that the city will advocate for at the Washington State Legislature. The 2025 Legislative Agenda is the city's advocacy guide for funding requests, policy changes, and resource that are important for local projects and services. The agenda ensures that the city's needs and concerns are represented to state lawmakers, strengthens the relationship between the city and state government, and increases the chances of getting support for local priorities.

The 2025 Legislative Session begins Monday, January 13. At the end of the Legislative Session on April 27, 2025, the city's Government Affairs Manager and lobbyist will update the Mayor, councilmembers, and community on the 2025 Legislative Session during a regularly scheduled city council meeting.

2025 Key Priorities:

• Behavioral Health: Support more grants, expanded training opportunities, and resources to establish and support local behavioral health co-responder programs for alternative responses for people in crisis, like FD Cares or Project Be Free.

• Human Services: Support increased funding for the Washington State Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance. This will help support centralized and statewide efforts to provide for the needs of refugees and asylum seekers across the state, including in the Puget Sound region.

• Transportation and Regional Connectivity: Request that funded WSDOT projects impacting the Renton community aren’t delayed because of budget shortfalls on other I-405 projects. We support advancing the Renton to Bellevue I-405 “Move Ahead Washington” Phase 3 projects, approved in 2022, by exploring all funding options and conducting a collaborative "Practical Solutions" process with city involvement.

• Public Safety: Support “upstream” investments, early intervention, and community-based programs to help youth and positively impact accountability within the