URGENT for Bellevue: ESHB 2266 just passed—stripping city oversight for high-needs housing and creating an unfunded mandate.

Hey Bellevue—the legislative session in Olympia ends this Thursday, and ESHB 2266 just cleared its final hurdle. It’s heading to Governor Ferguson’s desk, and we need to ask for a sectional veto on the parts that specifically hurt Bellevue’s ability to manage its own safety.

Section 2(2) bans Bellevue from requiring operating agreements (like 24/7 clinical staffing or on-site security) for high-needs housing. It treats these facilities the same as standard apartments, even though the residents have much higher needs

Section 5 is a fiscal poison pill. It says if Bellevue does want a safety agreement, the city basically has to ‘bribe’ the developer by donating public land or using city funds to pay for it.

Bellevue has worked hard on its own Affordable Housing Strategy, but this state law overrides our local standards. Even Rep. Amy Walen (D-Bellevue)—who usually supports housing bills—voted NO on this because it removes the safety guardrails our neighborhoods rely on.

Please email the Governor today and ask him to veto Sections 2(2) and 5 of ESHB 2266. We need housing that works, not unmanaged facilities that we have to subsidize with our local tax dollars.