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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2133 - 2026 Legislative AgendaCity of Tukwila Washington. Resolution No. 2133 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR USE DURING THE 2026 WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature will convene for its regular session on January 12, 2026, and the City Council agrees to pursue certain legislative issues; and WHEREAS, a legislative agenda outlines the priority issues that elected officials may discuss when speaking to members of the Washington State Legislature; and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes this agenda is not all encompassing, in that certain additional items may arise during the legislative session that require support or opposition; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: The Tukwila City Council has identified priorities for the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session that provide a framework for advocacy on behalf of the community. The City of Tukwila 2026 Legislative Agenda is hereby incorporated by reference as Attachment A. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, at a Regular Meeting thereof this 15th day of December, 2025. ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED: Signed by: :F€1iD44F F- Andy Youn-Barnett, CMC, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM BY: ,- Signed by: ° A,i, . Scu.,d. (--Signed by: �RFSf)9RFF8608420 Tosh Sharp, Council President Filed with the City Clerk: 12/09/2025 Passed by the City Council: 12/15/2025 Resolution Number: 2133 "-5E499CA4165E452... Office of the City Attorney Attachment A: City of Tukwila 2026 Legislative Agenda ATTACHMENT A City of Tukwila 2026 Legislative Agenda Transportation & Infrastructure • Honor funding commitments made in Move Ahead Washington, including shifting $17 million of future funding from the 2029-2031 biennium back to the 2025-2027 biennium budget to replace the 42' Ave Bridge in the Allentown Neighborhood. • Create stable, reliable infrastructure assistance funding for cities to assist in repairing roads, bridges and other public infrastructure that support economic development and community resiliency. Housing & Human Services • Address the housing stability crisis by addressing all aspects of affordable housing, including homeownership for moderate income households and below, preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing, land acquisition to secure permanent affordability, permanent supportive housing, infrastructure around affordable housing developments, and workforce housing. • Fund additional investments in behavioral health, including in -patient and out -patient facilities, as an alternative to jail and align State law with best practices to allow individuals in crisis to receive necessary and life-saving services. • Adequately fund services to support asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants residing in Washington cities. Support the Office of Refugee and Immigration Assistance (ORIA) funding request for $25 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Public Records Reform • Support legislation from Association of Washington Cities which provides limited exemptions to certain Flock and ALPR footage from the Public Records Act (PRA). • Allow agencies to recover reasonable staff time and costs for fulfilling commercial requests, especially when records are sought for resale or profit. • Adjust the PRA's penalty structure, which currently incentivizes commercial abuse and litigation, by reducing civil penalties and redirecting a portion of requestor awards into a State fund dedicated to PRA training and compliance Advancing Equity • Ensure affordable, high -quality broadband internet accessis available to all households and businesses to provide educational, entrepreneurial, business and accessibility equity for all Washingtonians to access the internet. Law Enforcement • Expand funding for co -responding mental health professionals to assist individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges. • Working with Association of Washington Cities and Association of Washington Counties, work to modify and amend some of the burdensome requirements required for compliance under HB2015. Revenue Reform • Allow cities the authority and flexibility to address the fact that growth in the cost of services continues to outstrip revenues. • The state should amend the law that limits annual property tax growth to 1 percent and work with cities to authorize additional funding flexibility and opportunities at the local level. Education • Support the Tukwila School District 2026 Legislative Priorities. • Fully fund the cost to school districts for McKinney Vento and refugee students. • Fully fund basic education for special education students. • Implement needs -based funding for allocation of social emotional student support resources and expand funding for learning opportunities for summer school students. • Increase funding for homeless students and secondary multilingual learners. • Incorporate early learning for low-income students as a part of Basic Education. • Continue to invest in workforce education and job training to ensure Washingtonians have access to high -quality career and technical education opportunities. Tourism • Ensure the definition of "tourist" in Washington State remains flexible to allow jurisdictions and Lodging Tax Advisory Committees to distribute lodging tax dollars in a manner that best serves each individual community. Parks, Recreation, Conservation and Trail Connectivity • Strongly support robust investments into outdoor recreation programs such as the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program (WWRP), Youth Athletic Facilities (YAF), Aquatic Lands Enhancement Act (ALEA), the Land &Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and other related programs. Climate Change Resilience • Enact policies to prepare to combat climate change, including adequately budgeting for its effects and providing tools to cities to prepare and address the ramifications of flooding, pollution and other key factors. • Funding for cities to make green infrastructure investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve City sustainability efforts. • Provide funding opportunities for cities to address heat islands within urban environments.