2025 Legislative Session Recap

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