PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Filed October 20, 2023, 8:46 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: Establishing rules for a new low-income home rehabilitation grant program enacted in SHB 1250, chapter 380, Laws of 2023.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 43.330.482, 43.330.483.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The low-income home rehabilitation revolving loan program (loan program) was established in 2017 and served homeowners in rural areas and who have incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Upon the enactment of SHB 1250 (2023), the loan program terminated on July 1, 2023, and outstanding loans were forgiven. Additionally, SHB 1250 added a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW establishing a low-income home rehabilitation grant program and requiring commerce to adopt rules for implementation of this new program. Chapter 365-175 WAC, which includes rules previously adopted for the implementation of the loan program, must be amended to include new rules for the newly established grant program and to reflect the termination of the loan program.

Process for Developing New Rule: Standard rule-making process.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Nick Manning, P.O. Box 42525, Olympia, WA 98504, phone 360-564-4324, email Nick.Manning@commerce.wa.gov, website www.commerce.wa.gov.