With more than 134,000 Washington households behind on rent and Gov. Jay Inslee’s statewide eviction moratorium set to expire March 31, state legislators are racing to pass laws aimed at preventing a looming eviction crisis.
Senate Bill 5160, which passed by a vote of 29-20 on Thursday, aims to provide an off-ramp to the moratorium by defining what repayment plans should look like, expanding an existing landlord-tenant mediation program, and conditioning state rental assistance on landlords’ agreement not to pursue eviction.