A grant to help Washington homeowners rebuild after wildfires passed easily in the state House. Now it’s headed for the Senate.

OLYMPIA – A bill that would help pay for new state-sanctioned heating systems in homes being rebuilt by people who lost their homes in the Gray and Oregon fires last year won strong support in the state House on Tuesday.

The bill passed 96-1 in the House late in the afternoon, barely meeting a 5 p.m. deadline.

The one no vote came from Rep. Alex Ramel, D-Bellingham.

Inspired by the devastation the Gray and Oregon Road fires brought to Spokane County, the bill was born out of a monthslong debate among Eastern Washington residents over changes to building code in the state that will take effect next month.

The state Building Code Council announced those changes last year.

One change was the near-requirement that, starting this March, newly constructed homes may not use natural gas as a primary energy source for heat if they have access to power and can install heat pumps. If homeowners opt to use natural gas over heat pumps, they must gain construction credits in more costly ways.

Some Spokane County residents who lost homes in the August fires expressed frustration with the new construction codes, arguing that changing their heating sources in rebuilt homes would be costly, complicated and potentially cause headaches with insurance forms.

Last fall, Rep. Mike Volz, R-Spokane, and Rep. Suzanne Schmidt, R-Spokane Valley, began working on a proposed law that would have loosened the heat pump requirement for homeowners rebuilding after the Spokane County fires.

The proposal would have created building code exemptions for eligible property owners who applied for building permits before June 2025.

That proposal didn’t have enough support and was amended by Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, to instead create the program providing grants to those rebuilding after the fires.