(bright upbeat music) - I'm Paris Jackson in the Crosscut KCTS 9 Newsroom.
A giant leap forward for the housing crisis in Washington thanks to bipartisan support from the recent state legislative session.
To address the state's dire housing options and affordability dilemma, after years-long stalemates, Governor Jay Inslee signed 10 housing bills into law.
The financial management office says Inslee signed an ambitious $4 billion housing bond proposal.
Although falling flat, lawmakers did put 1 billion into new state budgets geared towards making homes more economical.
A middle housing bill would legalize the construction of duplexes and fourplexes in most neighborhoods and could add about 75,000 to 150,000 housing units over the next two decades, according to an analysis by the Puget Sound Regional Council.
Other notable housing bills include a new law to streamline permitting for new construction, and another addresses generations of systemic racism related to housing ownership.
I'm Paris Jackson, find nonprofit Northwest News every day on crosscut.com.
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