This bill creates a new tenant assistance program as a grant program administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce and adds a new section to chapter 43.31 RCW. The department may adopt rules, must report to the Legislature by July 30, 2026 and annually thereafter, and may only spend tenant assistance program account money after appropriation. Grants are made to public housing authorities to provide tenant assistance payments to eligible renters (persons renting under chapters 59.18 or 59.20 RCW). Payments may not exceed the lesser of $400 or the amount needed to reduce monthly housing costs to no more than 30% of household income, are limited to one eligible renter per household, and may be provided for up to 12 consecutive months. Public housing authorities must prioritize households at or below 60% of county median income (HUD-adjusted) or recipients of Supplemental Security Income. Renters must submit monthly documentation; knowingly providing false documentation requires repayment of payments received and results in ineligibility. Landlords are prohibited from discriminating against renters receiving these payments. The tenant assistance payment provisions expire June 30, 2032, the tenant assistance program account expires December 31, 2032, and the joint committee must review the program and report by December 1, 2031 with a recommendation on continuation, amendment, or repeal. The bill amends RCW 36.22.250 to set a $183 surcharge per instrument recorded by county auditors, specifies exemptions and detailed distributions of surcharge proceeds, and directs temporary distribution changes from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2032. During that period the share deposited to the home security fund is reduced from 54.1% to 39.1%, 20% of total funds collected are transmitted to the tenant assistance program account, and the share to the affordable housing for all account is reduced from 13.1% to 8.1%. County auditors retain 1% for fee collection. County portions may use up to 10% for county administration, at least 75% for local homeless housing plans, and at least 15% for eligible housing activities serving extremely low and very low-income households. The bill also sets limits on program administration and allowable uses for related accounts: funds for programs under chapter 43.185C RCW and for the affordable housing for all account may use up to 10% for administration and at least 90% for homelessness assistance grants and supports (including rental assistance, shelter, outreach, case management, permanent supportive housing operations and services, and related activities), and the landlord mitigation program account may use up to 10% for administration and database development. Funding provided through the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs is exempt from the county first refusal requirement. Important text is missing from the provided material: the full language of subsection (4) of the amended RCW 36.22.250 is incomplete, section 4 (which is referenced as creating the tenant assistance program account) is not included, and section 2 (which defines eligible renters) is not fully present in the extracted facts.

If enacted, the state would create a temporary tenant assistance program run by the Department of Commerce that pays grants to public housing authorities to give eligible renters up to $400 a month (or whatever is needed to bring housing costs to 30% of income), for one person per household and up to 12 months. Renters who are at or below 60% of county median income or on Supplemental Security Income would be prioritized, landlords could not refuse tenants for receiving payments, recipients must provide monthly income and rent records and face repayment and ineligibility for false documentation, and the department must begin annual reporting by July 30, 2026. The program brings new funding to public housing authorities and new administrative duties for them and for county auditors (who collect a $183 recording surcharge and forward 20% to the tenant assistance account during 7/1/2025–6/30/2032), while reducing the share of those recording fees that would otherwise go to the home security and affordable housing accounts during that period. This likely increases short-term rent relief options for low-income renters but shifts funding away from other housing accounts and creates added verification and reporting work for housing agencies and counties; some details about account management and grant distribution are missing from the provided text.