Washington could become the first state in the country to provide a right to legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction in housing court.
The measure is part of a Senate bill introduced last week that pairs temporary tenant protections aimed at staving off mass evictions with permanent changes to ensure tenants have equal access to the housing court system.
“If I’ve learned anything from the past ten months, it’s that state policies to help ensure renters can stay in their homes and landlords can pay their bills during a public health crisis are inadequate,” said Sen. Patty Kuderer, Chair of the Senate Housing and Local Government Committee and one of the bill’s six Democratic sponsors, at a hearing on Wednesday.
