HB 2608

This bill modifies Washington State's targeted urban area tax preference program to provide special provisions for nuclear facilities seeking tax exemptions for new construction. The legislation establishes additional requirements for nuclear facilities, including verification of compliance with labor standards, use of community workforce or project labor agreements, and payment of prevailing wages during construction, while also requiring these facilities to offer postconstruction prevailing or family living wage jobs rather than the standard family living wage jobs required of other industrial/manufacturing facilities. The bill extends the review timeline for cities from 30 to 60 days when evaluating nuclear facility applications and requires consultation with the Department of Labor and Industries to verify wage and apprenticeship compliance. These changes aim to ensure clean energy manufacturers, particularly nuclear facilities, have equal access to existing tax preferences while maintaining strong labor standards and supporting the state's carbon-free energy objectives.