FERNDALE — Rep. Alicia Rule took questions alone from a town hall audience at Horizon Middle School Saturday, Feb. 17, after both of her 42nd Legislative District colleagues were forced to stay home with COVID-19.
So without assistance from Sen. Sharon Shewmake or Rep. Joe Timmons, Rule, a Democrat from Blaine, spent an hour in the school cafeteria discussing housing, school funding and fentanyl, among other issues.
Rule paused during the rapid-fire Q&A to accept applause for her “yes” vote on House Bill 2114, which would cap rent increases at 7% annually for many tenants. About 40 people gathered outside the school before the town hall to rally for passage of the bill, which advanced earlier this week from the House to the state Senate.
Any legislation that protects tenants also needs to account for the concerns of landlords, Rule told the audience.
“I think the bill does that, and I think it does it in a way that … people can stay and have safety and stability in their home,” Rule said. “So I’m proud of that work.”
The bill was changed from its original form, calling for a 7% cap instead of 5%. Also, this protection would not be available to tenants in buildings less than 10 years old — a measure added so the rent cap wouldn’t discourage new residential construction.
HB 2114 will have a hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Thursday, Feb. 22.
“We’ll see what happens with it,” Rule told town hall attendees. “I would recommend talking on the Senate side. I think there’s plenty of influence to be had there.”
In an interview on Friday, Feb. 16, Shewmake said she would be “shocked” if the House version of the bill passed in the Senate. As a member of the Senate Housing Committee, Shewmake watched a version of the same bill — but with a 15% rent cap — die in committee.
“I would be shocked if 7 percent passed in the Senate when we couldn’t get a 15 percent cap through the Senate Housing Committee,” Shewmake said. “Stranger things have happened, however.”
At the town hall, Rule cited declining enrollment as one reason why so many public schools in the state are cutting programs and staff to meet their budgets. In Washington, districts are funded according to a formula based on the number of students in their schools.
The school-funding formula needs to change, Rule said, because under the current system the wealthier school districts have a financial advantage.
“It should not matter what your ZIP code is in the state of Washington, and I’m here to tell you it does,” Rule said.
While lawmakers in Olympia appear nowhere near an overhaul of school funding, Rule pointed to what she considered a victory: A bill providing more support for special education just passed the House.
“We know that all children have a right to an equitable education, but many of our children that have special needs and learning differences are not getting the services that they need,” Rule said.
Additionally, Rule outlined for the town hall audience the steps she has taken this legislative session to combat the fentanyl epidemic. Whatcom County recorded 91 overdose deaths in 2022 and 136 suspected and confirmed deaths by drug overdose in 2023, according to the county’s data dashboard.
The county also reported eight probable overdose deaths in January of this year.
Rule’s House Bill 2220, which died in committee, would have increased penalties for dealers by categorizing opioid distribution as a violent felony. She also wrote a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee, requesting that he declare a state emergency over the fentanyl crisis.
She’s also been working on the fentanyl problem from other angles.
“We have to build out everything we can on prevention, treatment, making sure that when people are ready (for treatment), that we have somewhere for them to go,” Rule said.
She praised the Lummi Nation health and wellness center, which opened in 2023, for providing “ a state-of-the-art model for treatment.”
“It is not just for members of the tribe, it is for our whole community,” Rule said. “And I’m so grateful for that.”
Ralph Schwartz is a former CDN local government reporter; send tips and information to newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
