Washington state lawmakers passed legislation this session that will result in more than $1 billion in housing investments between the capital and operating budgets.

Though efforts to improve the state’s housing stock were bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats often had different ideas of how to achieve those goals.

A hotly contested bill proposing to increase the real estate excise tax did not pass. Bills backed by the business community related to lot splitting, transit-oriented development and multifamily tax exemptions also failed.

However, the adoption of nine bills designed to boost the housing stock were celebrated on both sides of the aisle. SEE MORE