BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

extends demonstration projects that were established with the goal of eliminating student isolation and reducing student restraint, permitting it only when necessary to control behavior that poses an imminent risk of serious harm. There are other effective strategies that can be used to manage problematic behavior.

⚠️ Please sign in PRO on HB 1795 HERE by 12:30 pm on January 12.

HB 2225 Concerning regulation of artificial intelligence companion chatbots. This bill seeks to reduce the risk that AI companions pose for youth. AI companions may blur the distinction between human and artificial interaction, potentially leading to harmful emotional dependency and behavior. The bill requires, when AI companions are used by minors, clear and ongoing disclosure that AI companions are artificial systems and not human.

⚠️ Please sign in PRO on HB 2225 HERE by 7:00 am on January 14.

HB 1634 Providing school districts and public schools with assistance to coordinate comprehensive behavioral health supports for students. The bill would establish a technical assistance and training network to provide school districts and public schools with the technical assistance, resources, and training necessary to coordinate comprehensive supports for their students.

⚠️ Please sign in PRO on HB 1634 HERE by 3:00 pm on January 13.

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

K-12 Education

HEALTHCARE

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

HB 2299/SB 5964 Establishing an independent living ombuds to support seniors living in independent living facilities and the independent living portion of continuing care retirement communities.
This bill would create an ombuds position in the Department of Commerce through which individuals may have complaints about their senior living arrangements be investigated. The ombuds would also provide reports and data about the types and locations where issues were identified. This would offer greater protection for seniors who may not be able to address concerns on their own. 

⚠️Sign in PRO HB 2299 HERE before January 15 at 7:00 am.

SB 6026 Concerning residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones.
This bill would restrict any jurisdiction subject to the Growth Management Act from prohibiting residential uses in a commercial zone. This would allow greater opportunity for development of new affordable housing units, particularly when so many commercial units are unoccupied and could potentially be redeveloped for affordable housing. 

⚠️Sign in PRO SB 6026 HERE no later than 9:30 am on January 16.

SB 6027 Modifying requirements and allowed uses for certain funding related to providing and maintaining affordable housing and related services.
This bill would add rehabilitating existing affordable housing, which may include emergency, transitional, and supportive housing; and affordable and supportive housing O&M costs to the permitted uses of the local option 1/10 of one percent tax for affordable housing. It would also allow interlocal agreements among jurisdictions to pool the tax receipts and pledge those taxes to bonds issued by one or more parties to the agreement. It also broadens the allowable uses for any grants given by jurisdictions operating their own homeless programs. 

⚠️Sign in PRO on SB 6027 HERE no later than 9:30 am on January 16.

SB 6028 Establishing a revolving loan fund for mixed-income affordable homeownership development.
This bill would create a  revolving loan fund in the Department of Commerce to provide loans to eligible organizations to finance mixed-income affordable homeownership development in which a portion of the development is permanently affordable for low-income households and would provide for audits to assure that the low-income affordable housing is sustained. The loan could serve as an incentive for private sector developers to invest in affordable low-income housing.

⚠️Sign in PRO on SB 6028 HERE no later than 9:30 am on January 16.

CHILDREN'S ISSUES

SB 5911/HB 2169 Strengthening the financial stability of persons in the care of the department of children, youth, and families.
This bill will end the practice of withholding federal SSI benefits from youth ages 18 to 21 in foster care. Further, it requires the Department to assess youth’s eligibility to receive such benefits and help them attain those benefits. This year’s bill focuses on youth in Extended Foster Care as a first step toward ending this practice for all children in care. 

⚠️ Sign in PRO on SB 5911 HERE before 7:00 am on January 14.

SB 5940 Creating a housing assistance pilot program for youth enrolled in extended foster care.
This bill would create a housing pilot which provides a benefit to dependent young people in extended foster care that is equivalent to the benefit provided by the federal foster youth to independence program, such that young people in extended foster care can receive housing assistance while they are dependent and still benefit from the federal program when they turn 21.

⚠️ Sign in PRO SB 5940 HERE before 7:00 am on January 14.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

HB 2173 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers.
This bill would prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing a facial covering while interacting with the public, with limited exceptions. It would require officers to be reasonably identifiable; and would create a private civil cause of action for people detained in violation of the prohibition. 

⚠️Sign in PRO on HB 2173 HERE by 12:30 PM on Tuesday, January 13 

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. 
This bill would eliminate the use of any conviction for a crime committed before age 18 as a "strike" offense and require resentencing for people who are serving life without parole due to one or more underlying convictions for crimes committed before the person turned 18. 

⚠️Sign in PRO on SB 5945 HERE by 3:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13 

SB 5974 Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons. 
This bill would update, strengthen, and align standards and eligibility requirements for all law enforcement leaders. The eligibility requirements will ensure that those in charge of enforcing the law do not have a history of violating it or of committing other types of serious misconduct and have not had their certification revoked in Washington or any other state. 

⚠️Sign in PRO on SB 5974 HERE by 9:30 AM on Thursday, January 15 

IMMIGRATION

SB 5998 Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
This bill establishes the biennial budget. If amended following the upcoming committee hearing, it will be the Senate’s version of the final biennial budget from which the Senate, House and Governor will negotiate a final budget.

There is a proposal to amend it to cut funding from $71.4 million to $50.4 million in FY 26 and $71 million to $32 million in FY 27 for coverage to individuals ineligible due to immigration status for federal Medicaid or federal subsidies through health exchange who are 19+ and up to 138% of federal poverty level. These cuts to balance the budget will take benefits away from the most vulnerable: poor immigrants. While about 6% of Washingtonians lack health insurance, immigration status is the leading characteristic of those lacking health insurance: about one-third of all immigrants and over half of all undocumented residents in the state lack health insurance. It is estimated that at least 100,000 immigrants in Washington State are without health insurance.

⚠️ Submit a COMMENT on SB 5998 HERE asking that no cuts be made to healthcare coverage of immigrants by Tuesday, January 13 at 3:00 pm. Please reference the Human Services section of the budget (p. 192).

HB 2173  Use of face coverings by law enforcement officers.
To protect our communities, particularly the immigrant community it is vital to ban the wearing of face masks by all law enforcement, including local, state, and federal law enforcement, and requiring law enforcement to have identification while conducting operations in the state. HB 2173 would ensure transparency, maintain public safety, promote accountability for potential misconduct, and prevent criminals from impersonating officers.

⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 2173 HERE by Tuesday, January 13 at 3:00 pm.

HB 2105/SB 5852  Immigrant Worker Protection Act.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has teamed up with Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) and Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-Mukilteo) to propose the Immigrant Worker Protection Act. The proposed legislation would:

• Require employers notify employees when the federal government has requested their employment eligibility information.
  
  
• Remind employers that they are not required to give federal immigration officials access to their non-public places of business unless agents have a warrant.
  
  
• Make sure employers follow the law and only share employees’ personal data when a subpoena or judicial warrant has been issued.

⚠️ Sign in PRO on HB 2105 HERE by Friday, January 16 at 9:30 am.

REVENUE

SB 5754 Creating the Washington state public bank.
This bill would provide authority to the state to activate a State Public Bank with a cooperative membership organization to lend to local and tribal governmental entities under certain conditions. It would permit local and tribal governments, along with the state, to be members of the State Public Bank. It would enable the State Public Bank to issue debt in the name of the bank rather than the state of Washington without creating state debt.

While not a revenue generator, it would save money for the state by making debt financing much easier for all member jurisdictions and is therefore a valuable tool. The bill has been brought forth a number of times by one of its current sponsors, Senator Hasegawa. In 2025, the bill progressed to the Senate Ways & Means Committee but did not move forward from there.

⚠️ Sign in PRO on SB 5754 HERE no later than 3:00 pm on January 15.