OLYMPIA — It’s no secret that housing prices are rising in Washington. How to address that – and who should address that – is the subject of some disagreement in Olympia.
A bill introduced in the 2025 Washington Legislative Session, House Bill 1108, would have directed the nonpartisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy to determine the primary cost drivers for owning or renting a home in the state, according to a statement by State Rep. Mark Klicker, R-Walla Walla. Klicker sponsored the bill along with Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, and 24 other representatives from both parties. The Institute would consult with representatives from local governments, for-profit and nonprofit housing developers, public housing authorities, trade unions and utility providers. Builders, landlords, tenants, realtors, lenders, real estate appraisers and architects would also be part of the study, Klicker wrote in the statement.
“It’s something we probably should have done years ago,” Klicker told the House Housing Committee in January. “It brings people together, people throughout the state of Washington that are part of industry and part of community … in a task force that would bring their experience and their information in, so we can get a good look at why housing is so unaffordable.”
The original bill would have required little or nothing from the state coffers, according to its fiscal note. An amendment added in March would have entailed $234,000 in support costs, according to Klicker.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives 94-0 and the state Senate 44-0, only to be vetoed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 20.
“In recent years, multiple studies have identified the primary drivers of housing costs, and these findings can be utilized to make sound policy decisions,” Ferguson wrote in his veto letter. “Given the pressures on Washington’s budget, our state’s limited resources should be spent on identifying and implementing solutions to the housing crisis; I do not believe the cost of another study on cost drivers is warranted.”
On Dec. 18, Ferguson announced that he was creating, by executive order, a committee to prepare for the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Housing. This committee would include members of the Legislative and Executive branches of state government, along with one representative each from the Association of Washington Counties, the Association of Washington Cities, and the Association of Washington State Housing Authorities, two federally recognized tribes, one nonprofit housing agency and one from the for-profit housing sector.
“This task force will serve as the state’s problem-solving hub for expanding housing supply statewide and engaging a broad range of stakeholders to identify gaps and opportunities for all housing types,” Ferguson’s office wrote in announcing the executive order. “The task force will provide recommendations for the work, structure and costs of a housing agency by November 2026.”
The executive order was announced at the same time as a $244 million investment in affordable housing, including money for homeowners and renters impacted by flooding in Western Washington, but did not indicate how much, if anything, the task force would cost.
“The need for more affordable housing is urgent,” Ferguson said in a press conference announcing the funding proposal and executive order. “These historic investments will not only help respond to Washington’s housing affordability crisis – they help build a foundation of safety, security and opportunity for thousands of Washingtonians.”
The governor’s order excludes many of the people most invested in Washington’s housing future, Ferguson wrote in his statement.
“The greatest strength of my bill was that it brought to the table builders, realtors, tenants, union representatives and economists, just to name a few,” Klicker wrote. “These are everyday people who have a lot of experience and factual information about housing in our state. Instead, the governor took my task force and appointed his own without the people who understand housing and experience the difficulties and barriers we face every day. And it will be meaningless.”