Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee
HB 1975
Brief Description: Concerning property management services provided to housing authority properties.
Sponsors: Representatives Wylie, Harris, Berry, Chopp, Stonier, Ryu, Peterson and Macri.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Explicitly allows a public housing authority to contract with a property management services company for the operation of a housing project.
  • Specifies that rent and other housing project revenues collected by a property management services company to pay operating and maintenance costs must be treated as private funds.
Hearing Date: 1/21/22
Staff: Serena Dolly (786-7150).
Background:

Public Housing Authorities.
Authorized by state law in 1939, a public housing authority (PHA) is an independent municipal corporation established to provide safe and affordable rental housing for low-income individuals, families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.  A PHA must be activated by a resolution of the governing body of a city or county, and a PHA's boundaries are coextensive with the creating city or county, unless established as a joint housing authority comprised of two or more jurisdictions.  With some exceptions, PHAs are governed by a five-member commission appointed by a city's mayor or a county's commissioners. 

 

While PHAs are created under state law, they primarily serve as a conduit for federally funded housing programs, such as tenant-based vouchers and publicly-owned housing.  The PHAs also own and operate other rental housing, such as emergency and transitional housing, senior housing, and properties funded through low-income housing tax credits.  The PHAs have no taxing authority, and a majority of their funding is provided by the federal government.

 

Public Works.
"Public works" means all work, construction, alteration, repair, or improvement, other than ordinary maintenance, executed at the cost of the state or a municipality.  All public works, including maintenance when performed by contract, must comply with prevailing wage statutes.
Summary of Bill:

A PHA may contract with a property management services company to operate a housing project.  Rental and other project revenues collected by a property management services company from the housing project's tenants and used to pay operating and maintenance costs must be treated as private funds.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.