The bill creates a new, time-limited state task force charged with studying and recommending revisions to the residential landlord-tenant act (chapter 59.18 RCW). It establishes new statutory sections to form the task force, specifies categories of members to be appointed (including for‑profit and nonprofit property managers, small‑unit landlords, housing developers, real estate sales, tenant legal aid and tenant‑based organizations representing historically underserved populations, public housing authorities, Association of Washington Cities representatives, a Superior Court Judges' Association representative, and the Department of Commerce director or designee), and directs legislative leaders to make appointments and convene the initial meeting. The task force must report findings and recommendations to the appropriate legislative committees by July 1, 2027, and the task force section of the law expires July 1, 2029. The bill is a procedural and regulatory change: it creates a study body and reporting requirement, requires the Department of Commerce to provide staff support and to pay task force expenses subject to appropriation, and allows the task force to contract for technical expertise only if a specific appropriation is provided. It also sets travel reimbursement rules for legislative and nonlegislative members by reference to existing RCWs. The bill also adds new sections to chapters 35.21 RCW, 35A.21 RCW, and 36.01 RCW that impose a 36-month moratorium, measured from the effective date of those new sections, during which cities, code cities, and counties may not enact or create new ordinances, development regulations, zoning regulations, official controls, policies, or administrative practices that regulate the residential landlord-tenant relationship. The text uses the phrase "residential landlord-tenant relationship" but does not define it in the provided material. Important details are missing from the extracted text: the effective date that starts the 36‑month moratoria is not provided; the total number of task force members and any appointment timelines are not specified; and specific appropriation amounts or other funding details for staff support, contracts, or expenses are not included.

If enacted, the bill would pause cities, code cities, and counties from adopting any new local rules, zoning changes, or administrative practices that affect how landlords and tenants relate for a 36-month period, while a state-created task force studies the residential landlord-tenant law and makes recommendations by July 1, 2027. That pause would limit local governments’ ability to respond to housing problems or test new tenant or landlord protections for three years, and the Department of Commerce would be responsible for staffing the task force and, if the legislature provides money, paying its expenses and any contracted technical experts. The people and organizations most affected are local governments (which lose regulatory options temporarily), housing providers and developers and tenant groups (who get seats on the task force and can shape recommendations), and the Department of Commerce (which must supply staff and manage reimbursements subject to appropriations). Key uncertainties that will affect real-world impact include the bill’s effective date (which determines when the 36 months begin), the total number and timing of appointments to the task force, and whether the legislature actually funds staff, reimbursements, or technical contracts.