Senate Bill 6200 would ensure that most tenants can install a portable air conditioning unit in their home.
"Extreme heat is not just a nuisance,” Senator Vandana Slatter said. “It's a mass casualty health emergency." Slatter, who is sponsoring the bill, said it simply just makes sense for the safety of Washingtonians.
"Often in the Pacific Northwest, we haven't actually needed ,” Slatter said. “But now we are seeing more and more of these events." Under the bill, landlords would not be required to install an AC unit, only barred from prohibiting a tenant from doing so. A landlord can restrict the installation if there is already a permanently installed and fully operational heat pump, or if installation would:Violate the device manufacturer's written safety guidelines for the device Cause unreasonable damage to the premises or render the premises uninhabitable; or require an electrical supply to power the device that cannot be accommodated by the existing power service to the building, dwelling unit, or circuitThe window is a necessary egress from the dwelling unit and the device would interfere with its use as an egress The device would interfere with the tenant's ability to lock a window that is accessible from outside The device requires excessive use of brackets or other hardware that would damage or void the warranty of the window or frame, puncture the exterior wall of the building, or otherwise cause significant damageThe landlord's insurance policy for the dwelling occupied by the tenant expressly restricts or prohibits the use of window-mounted portable cooling devices; this restriction or prohibition has been communicated to the tenant through notifications in the lease as required by the bill, and the landlord has provided written evidence of insurance policy restrictions or prohibitions to the tenant Landlords also cannot charge fees for the use of a portable AC unit, unless it causes damage. Also in the bill, landlords must be notified by tenants at least two days before the installation, and cannot be held responsible for interruptions in service caused by a portable AC unit. SB 6200 passed the Senate floor 35-14, with most Republicans voting against it. It is an idea that most state senators say they can get behind in theory. “I am rising in opposition to the bill, although reluctantly, because I think what the bill is trying to address is important,” Senator Keith Wagoner said."What most bothers me is, when the tenant moves out, who owns the unit? Under most leases, it says once you make a permanent fixture, the landlord owns it, but the landlord doesn't always want to own it, so I think this bill needs a little bit more work,” Wagoner said.The bill has passed the Senate floor and is scheduled for House committee executive session this week, where it could get amended or voted on and sent to the House floor for what could be its final vote before the governor's desk.The Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday for a 21-year-old man who went missing while kayaking Friday evening in the Hood Canal near Hazel Point.A new adults-only retreat is opening on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula this spring.A cold, unsettled weather pattern brought a mix of spotty snow, rain, and gusty winds across the region this weekend.Deputies responded Saturday morning to a report of a suspicious death on a remote road near Port Angeles.Nearly a year after Jonathan Hoang was first reported missing from his Arlington home, his family is continuing to fight for change in Olympia.
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