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Suspend Rent flyers are displayed on Monday, May 4, 2020, along Second Avenue Extension at the intersection of South Main Street in Seattle. Credit: KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
WA lawmakers consider funding tenant legal representation as renters, landlords reel financially from pandemic Jan 27, 2021
In Olympia, lawmakers are considering a bill that would make big changes to our state s eviction laws, including providing legal counsel to tenants facing eviction, who can t afford a lawyer.
If the bill becomes law, Washington would become the first U.S. state to provide legal representation for tenants facing eviction. Democratic State Senator Patty Kuderer, the bill s sponsor, spoke to KUOW about the proposed legislation.
Washington Senate bill would give tenants right to counsel and stop no-cause evictions By Brandon Block, The Olympian
Published: January 25, 2021, 10:08am
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Washington could become the first state in the country to provide a right to legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction in housing court.
The measure is part of a Senate bill introduced last week that pairs temporary tenant protections aimed at staving off mass evictions with permanent changes to ensure tenants have equal access to the housing court system.
“If I’ve learned anything from the past ten months, it’s that state policies to help ensure renters can stay in their homes and landlords can pay their bills during a public health crisis are inadequate,” said Sen. Patty Kuderer, Chair of the Senate Housing and Local Government Committee and one of the bill’s six Democratic sponsors, at a hearing on Wednesday.