2026 Legislative Priorities

Welcome to the 2026 WA Legislative session! It is a short session this year, things will be moving very fast. Some resources up front:

WA Legislature Homepage: Here is all the official information regarding the activities of the legislature.

Legislative Calendar: The session begins January 12th and ends March 12th. The full calendar with committee deadlines can be found here.

You can look up individual pieces of legislation from the WA legislative homepage. Bills are produced and processed through the 2 chambers of the legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate. House-generated bills start out with a “HB” prefix and Senate-generated bills start out with a “SB” prefix. Each bill is then assigned a 4 digit, e.g. HB 1894 or SB 5570. Companion bills are similar bills in both chambers and you will see both the House and Senate numbers on both bill number pages.

The easiest way to locate information on a given bill is to go to the homepage and in the top section of the webpage, there is a “Find a bill or initiative” search box. Type in the four digit number of the bill and click the “search” button. This will take you to the bill’s tracking page where you will be taking actions and monitoring status on bills throughout the legislative session. For notifications from JUUstWA on committee assignments, deadlines in supporting or opposing legislation, be sure to sign up here and select the Legislative Advocacy option from the list.

Here is a list of bills that JUUstWA will be tracking for this session. This is an incomplete list as there are many bills that have not “dropped” yet (they’ve not yet been assigned numbers). This list will be changing a lot as bills are added or removed for a variety of reasons. To get an idea of what this looks like, visit our 2025 Legislative Priorities page. Many of the bills that did not cross the finish line in the last session have been reintroduced for this session.

Also, because of the pull back of federal funds, especially in the environmental sphere, the State budget has been impacted significantly. Significant effort will be expended in addressing budget cutbacks and redistribution of funds.

JUUstWA sets its priorities in alliance with several coalitions including, but not limited to, the following:

Also, we encourage you to participate in FAN’s annual Interfaith Advocacy Day on February 12, 2026. JUUstWA is working with FAN on this event, so we’re hoping many of the UUs in the Olympia/Seattle area will attend!!

Signed by the Governor

ESHB 1604 Providing parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in a local jail in compliance with federal law.
E2SHB 1903 Establishing a statewide low-income energy assistance program.
2SHB 2105 Concerning immigrant worker protections.
ESHB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer.
E2SHB 2215 Concerning climate commitment act compliance obligations for fuels supplied or otherwise sold into Washington.
ESHB 2238 Concerning statewide food security.
E2SHB 2251 Concerning climate commitment act accounts.
SHB 2496 Concerning tribal consultation conducted by the energy facility site evaluation council.
ESHB 2532 Concerning the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide.
HB 2554 Recognizing judicially affirmed and treaty-reserved fishing rights and promoting state-tribal cooperative agreements in the management of salmon, trout, and steelhead resources.
SHB 2355 Establishing labor protections for domestic workers.
SHB 2367 Eliminating preferential treatment related to a coal-fired electric generating plant.
SSB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers.
SB 5892 Concerning protection of the voter registration database.
SSB 5917 Improving access to abortion medications.
2SSB 5974 Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons.
SSB 5982 Updating provisions for consumer-owned utilities, including port districts, and affected market customers under the clean energy transformation act.
SSB 6034 Concerning statutory establishment of the governor’s office of Indian affairs.
2SSB 6035 Ensuring access to voting services for military, overseas, Native American, and disabled voters.
SSB 6081 Protecting Washingtonians from invasion of privacy, including the unauthorized disclosure of sex designation information and historic sex designation changes in official government records.

Still in the Rules Committee

SB 5177 Considering the experiences of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups when identifying professional development resources on certain topics. Passed the Senate, in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5374 Including tribal representation in certain transportation activities. Passed the Senate, but returned to Senate Rules Committee.
SSB 5436 Prohibiting Interference at Houses of Worship. Passed the Senate, in the House Rules Committee.
SB 5906 Establishing data and personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation for all Washington residents. Passed the Senate, in the House Rules Committee.
SB 6097 Adding federally recognized Indian tribes to the list of entities that may participate in the conservation futures program. Passed the Senate, in the House Rules Committee.

Bills That Died

HB 1056 / SB 5066 Concerning law enforcement and local corrections agency misconduct through investigations and legal actions.
HB 1085 Improving school safety by extending penalties for interference by, or intimidation by threat of, force or violence at schools and extracurricular activities and requiring schools to notify the public of such penalties.
HB 1125 / SB 5269 Providing judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice.
HB 1147 Supporting civic engagement for incarcerated and institutionalized individuals in state custody to promote inclusion and rehabilitation.
HB 1152 Enhancing public safety by establishing secure storage requirements for firearms in vehicles and residences.
HB 1317 Concerning persons serving long sentences for offenses committed prior to reaching 21 years of age.
HB 1328 / SB 5359 Accelerating the development of clean energy and transmission.
HB 1607 Concerning recycling and waste reduction.
HB 1479 Establishing a state matching grant to support American Indian and Alaska Native students.
HB 1482 Assuring equity in health coverage.
HB 1561 / SB 5023 Providing labor market protections for domestic workers.
HB 1598 / SB 5515 Concerning fair access to community solar.
HB 1773 / SB 5626 Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance.
HB 1847 Prioritizing the development of distributed alternative energy resources in targeted circumstances.
HB 1855 / SB 5123 Expanding protections for certain students to promote inclusivity in public schools.
HB 1894 / SSB 5570 Supporting public school instruction in tribal sovereignty and federally recognized Indian tribes.
HB 2210 Protecting local representation by strengthening and securing fair elections in local governments (rank choice voting)
HB 2117 / SB 5838 Adding tribal members to the board of natural resources.
HB 2122 Requiring hospitals to offer immunizations for influenza in certain cases.
HB 2132 Concerning applications for state financial aid.
HB 2134 Concerning regional transportation plans, of regional transportation planning organizations containing certain counties, providing for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled.
HB 2173 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers.
HB 2182 Improving access to abortion medications.
HB 2191 Concerning workers’ wages and benefits in the construction industry.
HB 2233 / 5965 Reducing environmental impacts associated with bags provided to customers at retail establishments.
HB 2245 Updating provisions for consumer-owned utilities, including port districts, and affected market customers under the clean energy transformation act. House Rules “X” file.
HB 2259 / SB 5973 Protecting the integrity of the state initiative and referendum process by requiring a demonstration of support before issuance of a ballot measure title and authorizing citizen actions for certain signature gatherer compensation violations.
HB 2260 Concerning requirements pertaining to signatures and addresses of ballot measure petitioners and petition signature gatherers.
HB 2267 Concerning urban forest management ordinances.
HB 2273 Reducing embodied carbon emissions of buildings and building materials.
HB 2275 / SB 6157 Concerning wildfire prevention and creating the Washington wildfire prevention and protection council.
HB 2279 Evaluating the use of PFAS chemicals in agriculture.
HB 2281 Concerning the state and tribal government-to-government relationship.
HB 2288 Concerning dedicated accounts for fees collected for the implementation of environmental programs.
HB 2297 Incentivizing grocery stores located in underserved communities.
HB 2312 Authorizing shared leave for absences resulting from immigration enforcement actions.
HB 2313 Concerning publicly owned grocery stores.
HB 2369 Promoting the use of local foods in public schools.
HB 2373 Requiring electric utilities to provide monthly bill assistance as part of their obligation to offer energy assistance to low-income households.
HB 2388 Concerning the siting of distributed energy generation resources on agricultural lands.
HB 2389 Modifying provisions related to individuals found to have committed criminal offenses when under the age of 18.
HB 2409/SB 6045 Placing agricultural employees under the jurisdiction of the public employment relations commission for the purpose of collective bargaining.
HB 2464 Concerning reporting requirements and law enforcement responses for incidents at private detention facilities.
HB 2515 Addressing emerging large energy use facilities (data centers).
HB 2578 Adding tribal members to the fish and wildlife commission.
HB 2648 Concerning state and local law enforcement interactions with federal immigration enforcement officials.
HB 2685 Concerning sharing and protection of tribal data.
SB 5131 Accommodating religious foods in state correctional facilities.
SB 5247 Transferring ownership of the Naselle Youth Camp property to the Chinook Indian Nation.
SB 5380 Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions.
SB 5439 Concerning divestment of funds under management by the state investment board from thermal coal. In Senate Committee on Ways & Means.
SSB 5490 Providing parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in a local jail in compliance with federal law.
SB 5502 Concerning recycling and waste reduction.
SB 5521 / HB 1512 Improving traffic safety.
SB 5852 Concerning immigrant worker protections. (Companion bill HB 2105 is moving forward.)
SB 5876 Concerning false identification as a peace officer.
SB 5912 Reinstating the indigent defense task force
SB 5945 Modifying the definition of persistent offender to exclude convictions for offenses committed by someone under the age of 18 and providing for resentencing.
SB 5946 Expanding the income eligibility for the medical assistance program.
SB 5947 Establishing the Washington health care board.
SB 5948 Establishing deadlines for the universal health care commission.
SB 5955 Concerning the medicaid deprivatization act.
SB 5965 Reducing environmental impacts associated with bags provided to customers at retail establishments.
SB 6045 Placing agricultural employees under the jurisdiction of the public employment relations commission for the purpose of collective bargaining.
SB 6053 Establishing labor protections for domestic workers.
SB 6062 Modifying provisions related to individuals found to have committed criminal offenses when under the age of 18.
SB 6068 / HB 2191 Concerning workers’ wages and benefits in the construction industry.
SB 6169 Concerning the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide.
SB 6171 / HB 2515 Addressing emerging large energy use facilities
SB 6172 Eliminating preferential treatment related to a coal-fired electric generating plant.
SB 6286 Concerning the state’s ability to fine private detention facilities that deny entry to the department of health for an inspection.
SJR 8206 Amending the Constitution to establish a right to affordable health care.