This bill creates a new, temporary state task force on public housing charged with examining a "public housing paradigm" that would leverage publicly constructed, owned, and operated mixed-income housing and provide recommendations to the Legislature about mixed-income public housing in Washington. The Department of Commerce must administer and staff the task force, may form subcommittees with it, and the task force must review specified topics including the United Nations definition of housing adequacy and consider concepts such as a statewide housing authority, a dedicated public housing account, a publicly owned depository bank, and a state land bank. The task force’s membership is specified to include legislative appointees, state officials or designees, representatives of housing organizations, two public housing authority representatives, city representatives from east and west of the Cascades, ethnic commission representatives, and at least three people with lived experience of housing instability. The task force must hold its first meeting within 45 days of final appointments, meet at least twice each year thereafter, post meeting summaries on the Department of Commerce website within 30 days of any meeting, submit a preliminary report to the Legislature by July 1, 2026, and a final report by November 1, 2026. The section establishing the task force expires June 30, 2027. This is a procedural and administrative change that creates a temporary state task force and reporting requirements; it does not itself create new criminal offenses or change penalties. The bill references creating a statewide housing authority and related financial mechanisms, but those entities and related statutory details are not created or defined in the provided text. The bill text here also does not specify the process or deadlines for initial appointments and other statutory sections that may be necessary to fully understand implementation are not included.

If enacted, the bill creates a temporary, multi-stakeholder task force run by the Department of Commerce to study and make recommendations on using publicly constructed, owned, and operated mixed-income housing and related ideas (like a statewide housing authority, a public housing account, or a publicly owned depository bank). The Commerce Department will have to supply staff and post meeting summaries, the group must meet quickly and produce a preliminary report by July 1, 2026 and a final report by November 1, 2026, and the task force sunsets June 30, 2027. Those most affected are the Department of Commerce (additional staffing and posting duties), public housing authorities and housing-sector organizations and associations (expected to provide members and participate), legislative members (will be reimbursed for travel), and the individuals with lived experience who are appointed (may be eligible for hardship compensation). The bill does not itself create a state housing authority, public housing account, or depository bank and leaves key definitions and appointment timing unclear, so it will mainly shape recommendations rather than immediate new programs or funding.