The Washington State House passed HB 1452, the 2026 housing omnibus, by a vote of 67 to 28 this afternoon. Rep. Stephanie Hu (D-50, Bellevue) was a lead negotiator on the bill and one of seven Democrats and two Republicans who shaped the final version through three drafts and the better part of two years.
The bill unlocks roughly $2.8 billion in state investment for affordable housing over the next biennium, mandates middle-housing zoning near transit in cities over 75,000 people, extends rent-stabilization protections passed in HB 1217 to most multi-family buildings, and creates the framework for a state-level vacancy registry. The bill now heads to Governor Ferguson, who has indicated he will sign it.
"This took two years for a reason," Hu said. "Every compromise in here had a person attached to it. Renters in Crossroads, the small landlords who came down to Olympia to argue with me at midnight, the building-trades folks who wanted the apprenticeship language. We got something real done. I'm grateful to Rep. Reeves and Rep. Murakami for staying at the table when this could have collapsed twice."
Hu also acknowledged that the bill does not include the statewide rent cap progressives had pushed for. "We didn't get everything. The rent cap is a fight we'll come back for. Tonight is for the people who can stay in their apartments because of this. The rest of the work is tomorrow."