Rent Stabilization Passes The Washington Senate

In the spirit of name and shame: Sens. Sharon Shewmake and Annette Cleveland vote against the party

After a session's worth of twist and turns, the long-awaited, hotly contested rent stabilization compromised passed the Senate the morning of the final day of the session.

The Senate represented the higher of the two hurdles, having previously tacked on amendments to raise the House's cap from 7% to 10% plus inflation, to exclude single-family homes, and to exempt new buildings for 15 years instead of 12. But the compromise bill, which caps rent at 7%, strikes the carve-out for single-family homes, and returns the new building exemption to 12 years, won over most of the party traitors who fucked up the bill in their last floor vote. Sens. Annette Cleveland (D-Vancouver) and Sharon Shewmake (D-Vancouver) are the only Democrats to vote no.

Now on to the House, which will almost certainly pass the compromise.