By Dee Anne Finken, Communications Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington

The Legislative session kicks off Jan. 12 with lots of work to do—and in only 60 days.

Money—including the lack of it—is certainly top of mind for lawmakers and others preparing for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.

With the state’s most recent revenue forecast weaker than anticipated, and the reduction of federal funding, competition will be stiff for any proposals that cost money, said Cynthia Stewart, LWVWA Advocacy chair. In fact, legislative leadership has announced that no bills with a fiscal impact will be considered.

Earlier in December, prior to publication of this newsletter, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that his budget proposal, expected mid-month, will rely on spending cuts and not taxes, specifically not higher property and sales taxes. “It’s a fluid situation, as you might imagine,” the governor said. “But that is our focus right now.”

And early last month, Sen. June Robinson, the Democrats’ chief budget writer, also told fellow lawmakers not to seek any new operating budget requests and asked her colleagues to help set those expectations with constituents and advocates.

But looking to change the dynamic, other lawmakers have a proposal they say would generate about $3 billion annually—a 5 percent tax on employer payroll expenses above $125,000 on the state’s top 1 percent of companies—or about 3,500 firms. In addition, the Wealth Tax proposed in 2025 is still on the table for consideration.

Stewart, the state League Advocacy chair, provided this context: “In light of the increased demand for services, and the fact that Washington state’s tax structure is the second most regressive in the country, the League supports fewer budget reductions and adoption of new progressive revenue—even though that will not be enough to fill all the financial gaps.”

Threats to our democracy, particularly but not exclusively from the national level, will attract attention this session as the task of protecting voting rights is increasingly falling to state legislatures. 

Several bills are aimed at shoring up voters' ability to access the ballot and elect candidates of their choice. The Washington Voices Act (HB 1448) gives local jurisdictions the ability to try proven alternative-voting methods, including ranked-choice voting. HB 1710, meanwhile, would strengthen the seven-year-old Washington State Voting Rights Act and create a system requiring local governments with a history of discrimination to secure approval before implementing changes that could impact voting or protected classes.

Meanwhile, the fate of immigrants and others will be another major focus. The Legislature will consider a new law, the No Secret Police Act, which would ban law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to wear clearly visible identification. Officers requiring protective gear, such as gas masks and motorcycle helmets, would be exempted.

Another major issue related to federal action is health care. The reductions in Medicaid affect thousands of Washingtonians and are in opposition to League’s position favoring universal access to affordable health services with seamless coverage regardless of one's health status. This will be a challenge for the state to backfill for those who lose their coverage.

In November, League members attended the annual Action Workshop for a quick look at the 2026 session.

The next step is to Register here for Lobby Week, Jan. 26-29, which will offer members an opportunity to learn about the current status of League priorities and meet with local legislators to discuss issues.

Additionally, the Legislative Action Newsletter will be published every Sunday during session to provide updates on issues that LWVWA is following and ways for League members to take action on those matters. Subscribe here to the newsletter.