Washington State Housing Task Force Established

EXECUTIVE ORDER 25-12 DEP AR TMENT OF HOUSING T ASK FORCE WHEREAS, W ashington strives to ensure all residents have access to affordable, safe, and robust housing options for people at all income levels; and WHEREAS, W ashington’ s growing population exceeded 8.1 million people in 2025, and this growth has put a strain on the state’ s existing housing supply and af fordability; and WHEREAS, nearly half of all renters in the state face high cost burdens, paying more than 30% of their annual gross income on housing costs, with one quarter paying more than 50% of their annual gross income on housing costs; and WHEREAS, lack of af fordable housing available to those making the lowest incomes remains the primary driver of housing insecurity and homelessness; and WHEREAS, recent data demonstrates that all racial and ethnic communities across W ashington have significant portions of their populations who are cost burdened by high housing costs, indicating that th e housing af fordability crisis affects every demogra phic gr oup in this state; and WHEREAS, the W ashington State Department of Commerce projects the need to build more than 1 million homes statewide by 2044, with half of those being af fordable to W ashingtonians making 50% of the area median income and below; and WHEREAS, in Executive Order 25-02, I directed each executive and small cabinet agency to propose the streamlining of rules and regulations along with other proposed changes in order to speed up housing construction in our state; and WHEREAS, in W ashington, the concept of a cabinet-level agency dedicated to housing has been introduced legislatively and subsequently studied in a report issued in December of 2024; and WHEREAS, the housing crisis demands a cabinet-level agency primarily focused on meeting the diverse housing needs of all W ashingtonians; and WHEREAS, W ashington needs a more centralized, data-driven approach to integrate housing programs, promote housing stability, encourage housing growth and innovation, minimize administrative bottlenecks, and improve accountability by establishing a cabinet-level housing agency; and

2 WHEREAS, making large, structural changes to state government takes careful planning and consideration of fiscal costs, impacts on staf f, goals of programmatic reform, impacts on the ongoing work performed by existing agencies, performance indicators, and timeframes; NOW THEREFORE, I, Bob Ferguson, Governor of the state of W ashingto n, hereby create the W ashington State T ask Force on the establishment of a Department of Housing. 1. The T ask Force shall consist of nineteen members: a. T en members will be appointed by the Governor: i. T wo representatives of the Of fice of the Governor; ii. Three representatives of the Department of Commerce, one of whom shall be the Director or the Director ’ s designee; iii. The Director of the Office of Financial Management or the Director ’ s designee; iv. The Executive Director of the W ashington State Housing Finance Commission or the Executive Director ’ s designee; v. The Lieutenant Governor or the Lieutenant Governor ’ s designee; and vi. T wo representatives of federally recognized tribes with rights and interests in W ashington State who are e l ected leaders from their respective tribes, or designees of those elected leaders. b. T wo members may be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one legislator from each of the two lar gest caucuses of the House of Representatives. T wo members may be appointed by the President of the Senate, one legislator from each of the two lar gest caucuses of the Senate. c. Three members will be representatives, respectively, of the Association of W ashington Counties, the Association of W ashing ton Cities, and the Association of W ashington State Housing Authorit ies. d. T wo members will be representatives, respectively, of W ashington’ s non-profit housing development sector (to be nominated at the discretion of their state and local associations) and W ashington’ s for -profit housing development sector (to be nominated at the discretion of their state and local associations). The Governor ’ s O ffice will request that each appointing authority nominate their representative prior to the first meeting of the T as k Force. All members shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority. 2. The T ask Force shall have a Chair, who will be nominated by the Governor from the individuals appointed under section (a) above and confirmed a t the first meeting of the T ask Force by all appointees to the T ask Force. The Chair shall develop a work plan, set the agenda, and provide leadership and direction for the T ask Force.

3 3. A quorum for the T ask F orce meetings shall consist of a majority of the members. The T ask Force shall make recommendations on an af firmative vote of the majority of its members. 4. The T ask Force shall recommend a clear mission and vision for the new Department of Housing that will include the goals of: a. Serving as the state’ s coordinating, problem-solving, and implementation hub for expanding housing supply across W ashington; b. Unifying state programs and local assistance ef forts focused on land use and acquisition, housing production, infrastructure alignment, and permitting reform; c. Expanding the supply of housing of all types—af fordable, workforce, middle, and market-rate—by removing barriers, modernizing processes, of fering new financial tools and incentives, supporting new and innovative construction methodologies, and focusing state investments where they will yield the greatest results; d. Building pathways to stable housing for W ashingtonians at risk of becoming unhoused, and ensuring that state housing support expenditures and programs are ef fective; e. Protecting critical and threatened natural and cultura l resources that could be impacted by housing development; f. Focusing on action and measurable outcomes, to ensure that more homes a re permitted, financed, and built in this state over the next decade; and g. Ensuring that the new Department of Housing will comply with applicable legal requirements and effe ctively manage non-state funding sources. 5. The T ask Force shall produce a written report of its recommendations for a new cabinet- level housing agency no later than November 15, 2026, in order for proposed legislation to be developed for the 2027 legislative session. The T ask Force report shall include the following elements: a. Recommended new or ganizational and governance structures, including which existing agencies, administrations, commissions, or other func tions of stat e government should be included within the new Department of Housing; b. A comprehensive operational plan outlining the services, programs, and processes of the new housing agency, including workflows, staffing needs, and resource allocation; c. Identification of steps to improve the administration of W ashington’ s existing continuum of af fordable housing and homeless programs and services; d. Estimated costs for the reor ganization, including technological needs, software, and capital and operating data management systems; e. A clear process and timeline for the reorganization, including the involvement of regional management and program-delivery staf f; and f. Measurable benchmarks by which the ef fectiveness of the new D epartment of Housing would be assessed.

4 In developing its report, the T ask Force may form workgroups and consult with experts in or ganizational restructuring, housing policy, and other s whose expertise the T ask Force deems necessary for informing its work. 6. The T ask Force shall work with the Governor ’ s Office of Indian Af fairs (GOIA) to conduct tribal consultation in alignment with Executive Or der 25 -10 and incorporate feedback in the T ask Force report. 7. Using existing resources, the T ask Force may hire an independent consultant to solicit community engagement, co-lead other facilitation ef forts, maintain records of the T ask Force process, and draft the final written report. 8. The Offic e of the Governor, the Department of Commerce, and the Office of Fi nancial Management may provide staf f support for the T as k Force. The Governor ’ s Office may request additional staf f support from other agencies, departmen ts, or branches of state government, including, but not limited to, the W ashington State Housing Finance Commission. 9. If the T ask Force requires assistance or non-privileged data from any cabinet agency, then such cabinet agency shall provide assistance or data to the T ask Force upon request. 10. The first meeting of the T ask Force shall take place no later than 60 days after this Executive Order is signed. This Executive Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable la w. Provisions of this Order are not intended to alter any e xisting collect ive bar gaining agreements. This Order is not intended to confer and does not confer any legal right or entitlement and shall not be used as a basis for legal challenges to any rule or any other action or inaction of the governme ntal entities and employees subject to it. This Order shall take ef fect immediately. Signed and sealed with the of ficial seal of the state of W ashington on this 18th day of December, AD, T wo Thousand and T wenty-Five, at Seattle, W ashington. By: /s/ Bob Fer guson Governor

5 BY THE G OVERNOR: /s/ Secretary of State