(The Center Square) - Hundreds of tenants and housing affordability advocates rallied on the steps of the state Capitol in Olympia on Tuesday.

Chanting, “The people are unstoppable, another world is possible,” rallygoers came to lobby in favor of two Democratic-backed bills that would cap rent increases and give tenants additional rights. 

House Bill 2114 and Senate Bill 5961 would cap rent increases to 5% a year in Washington state starting in 2025. 

Per the legislation, landlords would need to give renters six months' notice of any increases higher than 3%, with those tenants allowed to get out of their leases.

Critics say a rental increase cap will worsen the housing crisis, with developers unwilling to invest in Washington.

During a public hearing on HB 2144, Morgan Shook with Econorthwest, specializing in land use and redevelopment policy, told lawmakers years of experience and many economic studies have proven rent control policies fail.

“Many academics and housing professionals know price controls result in unintended consequences, namely that many of the short-term benefits are outweighed by the long-term damage to the housing market," he said.

Shook went on to say, “The real root of this is the housing shortage, and we know that communities that increase housing supply see prices go down.”

Rallygoers say rent increases are out of control.

“You’re only supposed to be giving like 25% of your income to housing, but I am at 90% to keep a roof over our heads,” Cheyonna Lewis of Vancouver said.

She told The Center Square, “We’re advocating for everyone to have a home, but for me, a person who has formerly been unhoused and has children, I need stability.”

Lewis continued, “The people who work for me [lawmakers], need to be sure that if I’m paying my taxes, you have your job to help me keep a roof over my head.”

Wednesday is the cutoff date for bills to pass out of committees for consideration of the full House or Senate chamber.