BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

HB 397 (Cross) and SB 404 (Rouson) expand the urban agricultural pilot project to allow for commercial agricultural use of residential property in certain circumstances. (Cruz)

HB 31 (Edmonds) and SB 64 (Osgood) – Landlords and Tenants

SB 386 (Osgood) requires local governments to reduce parking requirements necessary for development approval for “Live Local” developments where at least 75% of the residential units are affordable for at least 30 years and the development is located within one-half mile of a major transportation hub. (Branch)

SB 58 (Stewart) – Sales Tax Holiday for Micromobility Vehicles and Related Personal Safety Equipment 

HB 113 (Maney) and SB 216 (Hooper) – Tax Collections and Sales

HB 171 (Daniels) – Homestead Exemptions for Totally and Permanently Disabled First Responders

SB 172 (Polsky) – Verification of Eligibility for Homestead Exemption

SB 218 (Wright) and HB 239 (Killebrew) – Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Veterans

SB 230 (Wright) – Sales Tax on Aircraft Sales and Leases

SB 264 (Rodriguez) and HB 269 (Overdorf) – Aircraft Taxes

HB 331 (Garcia) and HB 333 (Garcia) – Limitation of Property Tax Assessment

SB 378 (Garcia) – Property Tax Assessment

SB 380 (Hooper) and HB 295 (Anderson) – Disclosure of Estimated Ad Valorem Taxes

SB 102 (Jones) – Property Insurance

HB 55 (Tant) is the implementing bill for HJR 53 if it is voter-approved and would provide for a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a quadriplegic who was receiving a property tax exemption on real estate used and owned as a homestead at the time of their death. (Chapman)

SB 220 (Wright) expands the current ad valorem tax exemption for not-for-profit homes for the aged. The bill will allow a home for the aged owned by a separate entity that is owned by a not-for-profit corporation to also receive the exemption. (Chapman)

HJR 53 (Tant) proposes an amendment to the constitution to authorize the Legislature to provide for a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a quadriplegic who was receiving a property tax exemption on real estate used and owned as a homestead at the time of their death. The constitutional amendment must be approved by at least 60% of electors at the November 2024 general election and will take effect on January 1, 2025. (Chapman)

HB 267 (Esposito) is a comprehensive building permit bill. Of concern to cities, the bill does the following:

•Requires municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to create a program to expedite the process of issuing building permits for residential subdivisions by August 15, 2024.

•Creates a two-step application process that would include the adoption of a preliminary plat and a final plat in order to expedite the issuance of building permits.

•Allows cities to work with the appropriate local government agencies to issue an address and a temporary parcel identification number for lot lines and lot sizes based on the metes and bounds of the plat contained in the application.

•Requires applicants to have a performance bond for up to 120%.

•Requires applicants to indemnify local governments that issue the permit.

•Specifies that upon an applicant's request, a local government must issue no less than 50% of the permits for dwellings to be built.

•Requires the local jurisdiction to reduce the permit fee by 75% if an owner retains a private provider.

•Reduces the timeframe when municipalities must provide written notice of receipt and any other additional information that is required for a properly completed application to an applicant.

•Reduces the number of times a municipality can ask an applicant for additional information.

•Allows an application to be “deemed” approved if municipalities fail to meet any of the timeframes. (Branch)

SB 472 (Brodeur) increases the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions (which include cities). The current statutory limits for claims are $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. The bill would increase the caps to $400,000 per person and $600,000 per incident. The bill requires caps to be adjusted annually on July 1 to reflect changes in the regional Consumer Price Index. The bill prohibits an insurance policy from conditioning the payout of a claim on the passage of a claims bill. (Cruz)

HB 267 (Esposito) is a comprehensive building permit bill. Of concern to cities, the bill does the following:

•Requires municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to create a program to expedite the process of issuing building permits for residential subdivisions by August 15, 2024.

•Creates a two-step application process that would include the adoption of a preliminary plat and a final plat in order to expedite the issuance of building permits.

•Allows cities to work with the appropriate local government agencies to issue an address and a temporary parcel identification number for lot lines and lot sizes based on the metes and bounds of the plat contained in the application.

•Requires applicants to have a performance bond for up to 120%.

•Requires applicants to indemnify local governments that issue the permit.

•Specifies that upon an applicant's request, a local government must issue no less than 50% of the permits for dwellings to be built.

•Requires the local jurisdiction to reduce the permit fee by 75% if an owner retains a private provider.

•Reduces the timeframe when municipalities must provide written notice of receipt and any other additional information that is required for a properly completed application to an applicant.

•Reduces the number of times a municipality can ask an applicant for additional information.

•Allows an application to be “deemed” approved if municipalities fail to meet any of the timeframes. (Branch)

SB 192 (Garcia, I.) – Anchoring of Vessels in Anchoring Limitation Areas (Biscayne Bay)

SB 122 (Stewart) repeals a state law preemption of local government regulation of tree pruning, trimming or removal on residential property. (O’Hara)

SB 144 (Berman) and HB 193 (Eskamani) amend multiple provisions of law relating to renewable energy. The bills prohibit the drilling, exploration for or the production of oil, gas or other petroleum products on the lands and waters of the state. The bills provide that by 2050, 100% of the electricity used in the state will be generated from 100% renewable energy and that by 2051, the state will have net zero carbon emissions. The bills direct the Office of Energy within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to coordinate with state, regional and local entities to develop a unified statewide renewable energy plan. (O’Hara)

HB 165 (Gossett-Seidman) requires the Department of Health to adopt and enforce certain rules and issue health advisories for beach waters and public bathing places if the results of bacteriological water sampling at the site fail to meet health standards. The bill also expands the current law preemption of the issuance of health advisories related to bacteriological sampling of beach waters to include public bathing places. The bill specifies that beach waters and public bathing places must close if closure is necessary to protect health and safety and must remain closed until the water quality is restored in accordance with the Department's standards. The bill requires the Department to adopt by rule specifications for signage that must be used when it issues a health advisory against swimming in affected beach waters or public bathing places due to elevated levels of specified bacteria and requires such signage to be placed at beach access points and access points to public bathing places until the health advisory is removed. The bill specifies that municipalities and counties are responsible for posting and maintaining the signage around beaches and public bathing places they own. Finally, the bill requires the Department to develop an interagency database for reporting fecal indicator bacteria data and specify that fecal indicator bacteria relating to sampled beach waters and public bathing places must be published in the database within five business days after receipt of the data. (O'Hara)

HB 47 (Robinson, F.) and SB 104 (Jones) require a municipality that operates a water or sewer utility providing services to customers in another recipient municipality using a facility or plant located in the recipient municipality to charge customers in the recipient municipality the same rates, fees and charges it imposes on customers within its own municipal boundaries. (O'Hara)

HB 163 (Gossett-Seidman) directs the Department of Environmental Protection to require, as a condition of a permit issued for the maintenance dredging of deepwater ports and for beach restoration projects, that any adverse impact analysis conducted for the activity be conducted by an independent contractor selected by the local government and in a manner prescribed by the Department. The bill specifies the independent contractor may not be associated with certain projects for one year prior and for one year after commencing the impact analysis. The bill also requires a local government to provide notice of its intent to conduct an analysis to adjacent local governments that may be affected by the activity. The bill’s requirements do not apply to any port dredging currently permitted or maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The bill specifies fines for violations of its requirements. (O’Hara)

SB 198 (Avila) specifies a ground vibration limit for construction materials mining activities within 1 mile of residentially zoned areas, which may not exceed .15 inches per second. It authorizes the State Fire Marshal to modify the standards, limits and regulations for the use of explosives in connection with construction materials mining activities within 1 mile of residentially zoned areas, which may include the temporary cessation of blasting. (O’Hara)

SB 36 (Stewart) requires the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan by July 2025, based on recommendations from the Department's 2020 75% Recycling Goal Final Report. The bill also requires the Department to convene a technical assistance group to help develop the plan. The plan must include the following: recycling goals based on sustainable materials management and waste diversion; a 30-year plan to implement strategies relating to recycling education and outreach; local government recycling assistance; and recycling materials market development. The bill requires the Department to submit a report and recommendations to the Legislature following completion of the plan. (O'Hara)

HB 107 (Esposito) and SB 28 (Hooper) increase the annual fees required for electric and hybrid vehicles. Beginning January 1, 2029, the annual fee for electric vehicles would increase from $200 to $250, and the annual fee for hybrid vehicles would increase from $50 to $100. The bills specify that 64% of the proceeds be deposited into the State Transportation Trust Fund, and 36% must be allocated to the county where the vehicle is registered. Local governments can use these funds for transportation expenditures. The bills are set to Sunset on June 30, 2034. (Branch)

SB 170 (Polsky) – Legal Representation Contracts