(The Center Square) – One of the Republican-backed proposals for the 2025 Washington state legislative session that earned the endorsement of Gov. Bob Ferguson passed a House committee last week and is now awaiting review by the Capital Budget committee.
House Bill 1022 is called the “Homes for Heroes” program.
Kennewick Republican Representative April Connors is the prime sponsor.
“It is a down payment assistance program for law enforcement officers, health care workers, and social workers – those kind of folks that need help getting into our communities,” Connors said in a statement emailed to The Center Square by House Republicans.
Veterans and active-duty service members would also be eligible to participate. The bill also states 911 communications officers, mental health professionals, paraeducators and owners or employees of a licensed child care center or provider could take advantage of the program.
Passage in the House Housing Committee was not unanimous.
Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, R-Puyallup, explained to The Center Square why she voted against the bill.
“As well intentioned as this is, it’s picking certain professions, maybe shortage professions that are going to benefit with $25,000 no interest loans they don’t have to pay back until the house is paid off, or till they sell it,” said Jacobsen. “We’re picking winners and losers and deciding who gets this generosity and who doesn’t.”
Connors blamed regulations and the Growth Management Act (GMA) for much of the increase in housing costs that have put home ownership out of reach for many Washingtonians.
In 1990, Washington lawmakers thought “urban sprawl” that was afflicting larger cities could be dealt with by restricting buildable land to prevent new neighborhoods in most rural areas. Thus was born the GMA, which also requires environmental protections, which can drive up the cost of new construction.
“We have to look at why and what we’ve done with regulatory reform,” said Jacobsen. “We have arbitrarily only designated certain areas of land that can be used for building in urban growth areas. We’ve done so much regulating that people can’t afford to buy a house. Half of the increase in housing costs can be pinned on the GMA since we passed it.”
Connors, the sponsor, said it’s about helping to encourage people into professions where there are major shortages.
“It is for lower-level paid workers that are coming in and they do have to pay it back if they sell their house, if they refinance their house, if they rent their house, the money goes back to the state of Washington,” said Connors in the emailed statement.
Jacobsen questioned if lawmakers should be picking winners and losers and which professions are worthy of the housing assistance.
“There’s so many professions that could be added onto this list, I mean you name it,” said Jacobsen.
Hers was the only no vote out of committee from either party.
“I appreciate my Republican colleagues because they are trying to work within the system that we have and this crisis of people not being able to afford homes. I just want to start calling out things that we need to think about and I’m not sure this a proper use of taxpayer funds to provide no interest loans to certain groups of people, and not others,” said Jacobsen.
The bill report for HB 1022 says the total amount of funding for the program may not exceed $15 million, and no new loans may be made after June 30, 2027. Loan repayments are to be returned to the State General Fund.
