The House Housing Committee moved a proposed substitute to House Bill 1096 in executive session and voted to report the substitute out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.

Committee staff summarized the proposed substitute, H0904.1 offered by Representative Barkis. The substitute would require certain cities to establish a simultaneous-review process for a lot split and residential building permit for new single-family or middle-housing development. Key provisions require the planning director to determine a proposed lot split follows applicable development regulations, require both parent and newly created lots to be recorded with a notation that future lot splits are not allowed, require utility rights be granted before the lot split is finalized, and exempt city ordinances adopted to comply with the lot-splitting requirements from appeals under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The substitute also requires the Department of Commerce to issue implementation guidance and provide grants to cities for the full cost of implementing the lot-splitting process; cities would implement the requirements only after Commerce distributes grants and guidance.

Representative Barkis, who described the bill as the product of stakeholder negotiations, asked for a yes vote and said the substitute would help create more buildable lots in conjunction with prior middle-housing and ADU legislation. "Requiring that the lot split application follows all development regulations is critically important ... that the lot ... is buildable in its final iteration," Barkis told the committee.

Vice Chair Hill moved that the proposed substitute be reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded. The clerk called the roll. The official tally recorded 16 ayes and one vote "without recommendation". The roll call in the transcript recorded the following votes (as read aloud in committee): Representative Peterson — aye; Representative Hill — aye; Representative Richards — aye; Representative Lowe — aye; Representative Jacobson — aye; Representative Manjarez — aye; Representative Barkis — aye; Representative Connors — aye; Representative Dufeau — "without recommendation"; Representative Engel — aye; Representative Entenmann — aye; Representative Gregersen — aye; Representative Lekanoff — aye; Representative Reid — aye; Representative Thomas — aye; Representative Timmons — aye; Representative Zahn — aye.

Chair Peterson announced the bill was reported out of committee with the due-pass recommendation by voice of the roll-call total. The committee then adjourned.