Drafter

Clerk 04/07/2020

Title

A MOTION calling on Governor Inslee to impose an immediate moratorium on rent payments and urging federal legislators and the Trump administration to impose an immediate moratorium on rent and mortgage payments.

Body

                     WHEREAS, public health - Seattle & King County activated the Public Health Departmental Emergency Operations Center on January 21, 2020, for a significant health emergency caused by the COVID-19 virus, and

                     WHEREAS, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of the eleven airports in the United States to receive and process travelers from the region where the COVID-19 outbreak originated, and

                     WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 virus outbreak a pandemic, and

                     WHEREAS, as of the morning of March 31, 2020, 4,896 people in Washington state have been diagnosed with and 195 people have died from COVID-19, and

                     WHEREAS, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the cases of COVID-19 in Washington state on February 29, 2020, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County executive issued a proclamation of emergency on March 1, 2020, in order to exercise the executive's emergency powers, and

                     WHEREAS, on March 18, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a proclamation prohibiting eviction actions based on nonpayment of rent until April 17, 2020, and

                     WHEREAS, renters are still obligated to pay landlords, and mortgage-holders are still obligated to pay lenders, resulting in potentially significant accumulated debt for those who defer payments;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     A.  The council calls on Governor Inslee to use emergency powers to impose an immediate moratorium on residential and commercial rent payments, such that no Washington resident should be required to pay rent during this health emergency or accumulate debt for that unpaid rent.

                     B.  The council calls on members of the United States Congress and the Trump administration to impose an immediate moratorium on residential and commercial mortgage payments and rents, such that no owner of property in the nation should be required to pay mortgage during this health emergency or accumulate additional debt for

unpaid mortgage payments, and no renter in the nation should be required to pay rent during this health emergency or accumulate debt for that unpaid rent.