⚠️ Action Alerts ⚠️Click on the links below to take action on bills. Want to know more about a bill and why we support it? Review our 2026 Legislative Issues page. |
Making Democracy WorkNo specific actions this week. | Environment | Social & Economic Policy |
Making Democracy Work
Environment
Climate Crisis and Energy
SSB 6355 Establishing the Washington Electric Transmission Authority which would find the best ways to increase transmission from the new and clean-energy generation sources we will need as we electrify our traditional fossil-fuel uses. This is an opportunity to express your voice. Once you have clicked on “HERE” above, verify your legislative district by entering your address, you will need to indicate your Position (SUPPORT, we hope) and also include a short message such as: "Passage of this bill is important to me. Please vote for it at your next opportunity. Thank you." You may copy and paste this message into the Message field, or you may craft your own. The primary value is to communicate your position to your legislators. Maintaining a steady communication stream on these issues shows the legislators what is important to their constituents. See the Climate Weekly Update for more guidance.
⚠️Send a message in SUPPORT of SSB 6355 HERE.
FORESTS
If you didn't complete the actions below last week, please do so now.
Trust Land Transfer Program
Use this
action to ask your Senator to match the House budget for Trust Land Transfers
(TLT). The
Senate released its capital budget proposal but did not make a significant
investment in TLT. The TLT program is an incredibly important conservation tool
that protects ecologically valuable land while also buying replacement land
more suitable for DNR to log in the future. It’s a rare win-win-win that
protects the environment & supports rural communities, trust beneficiaries
and working forests.
⚠️ Please write to your senator HERE to ask them to match the House budget level of funding for Trust Land Transfers.
Budget Cut Would Wipe Out State Urban Forestry Program
Use this
action to ask your House member to restore funding for Urban and
Community Forestry. The House operating budget would zero out funding for the
entire Washington State Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF) in the state’s
DNR. All programs will be eliminated with impacts rippling down to city and
county governments who rely on state support to access federal dollars to
maintain their urban canopy. It’s not a reduction. It’s an elimination of the
program. Federal funds are passed through to these communities to support
executed agreements, and cutting this program would call into question the
future of those executed projects.
⚠️ Please ask your representative HERE to restore funding to the UCF.
Social & Economic Policy
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
HB 2689 Concerning the working connections child care program.
The League is now officially “neutral” on this bill given proposed cuts to child care provider reimbursement. However, as discussed in the Early Care and Education Weekly Update, we view the House approach (and HB 2689) as preferable to the Senate and Governor’s proposals for Working Connections Child Care. HB 2689 does not propose lids or waiting lists that would deny services to otherwise eligible working poor families and is somewhat better than the Senate in terms of reimbursement for child care providers. Passed by the House 53/44 on Mar 4. Scheduled for Public Hearing in Senate Ways & Means on March 9 at 10 am. Scheduled for executive session on March 10 at 2:00 pm.
Please contact your legislators using the link below. You can write your own comment or state something like the following: “I prefer HB 2689 over the Senate and Governor’s proposals for Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) because it doesn’t propose denying access to low-income working families and is slightly better for child care providers than the Senate proposal. However, my position is neutral because I oppose cuts to child care provider reimbursement and requiring child care market rate surveys to achieve a 65% or higher response rate.”
⚠️Contact your legislators HERE and tell them you prefer HB 2689 over the Senate and Governor’s proposals for Working Connections Child Care. Complete this action by March 9 at 9 am.
Child Care: A Necessity for Low-Income Working Families with Young Children.
Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) is a necessity for low-income working families with children. It supports Washington’s economy by supporting economic stability for working families while making it possible for parents to access safe, developmentally sound care for their children. The House budget proposal avoids capping WCCC and denying assistance to eligible families while being more favorable to child care providers than either the Senate or Governor’s proposals. If you didn’t act on this last week, we encourage you to do so now.
⚠️Please contact budget leaders in the House and Senate HERE to ask that the final supplemental operating budget reflect the House numbers and policies regarding Working Connections Child Care.
REVENUE
SB 6346 The Millionaires' Tax.
This is an act relating to investing in Washington families and businesses to fund K-12 education, health care, higher education, other essential governmental services, and the working families' tax credit, and to reduce certain sales and use taxes and certain business and occupation taxes by establishing a tax on millionaires. The LWVWA has been working all during the legislative session to get this bill passed and asks for your support to push this bill through the last step or two.
The bill has moved to the House floor for a vote, likely on Monday, March 9. A proposed “striking amendment” will be presented on the floor. A striking amendment means that the bill would be replaced by a new version, in contrast to regular amendments that change certain words or sections. That striking proposal would shift the spending priorities, directing more funding to children and families, also consistent with LWVWA positions.
If the House adopts the bill, either as transmitted to the House by the Senate with House Finance Committee amendments or as the striking amendment, then it will be assigned to a conference committee in each chamber to negotiate a final bill for adoption by both the House and Senate. For more information about the bill, please see the Revenue Weekly Update.
⚠️ Ask your Representatives HERE to pass SB 6346, the Millionaire's Tax. Given that it's likely to be on the House agenda for floor action on Monday, March 9, it's important to weigh in as soon as possible