The Washington State Legislature will be in session for 60 days in 2026, starting Jan. 12 and ending in mid- March. Track bills at leg.wa.gov - one-stop shopping for legislative information.
Here are some important bills with deadlines coming up. List courtesy of Wallingford Indivisible:
Action: Ask your legislators to support:
HB 2389 (Individualized Justice for Youth Act): This bill helps young people stay in their communities instead of being sent to youth prison. Learn more here and take action before Tuesday, Feb 17.
HB 2515 (Make data centers pay their fair share): This bill holds data centers accountable for the resources they use. It has already been watered down as a result of lobbying by big business, so our legislators need to hear from us to strengthen and pass the bill. Learn more here and take action before Tuesday, Feb 17.
There are three important progressive revenue bills in the legislature right now--SB 6346 (Millionaires Tax), HB 2100 (Well Washington Fund), and SB 5797 (Wealth Tax). The focus right now is on the Millionaires Tax, but all of these bills work to re-balance our tax code so that the wealthy pay their fair share.
Action: Learn more about SB 6346, HB 2100, and SB 5797, and take action before Thursday, March 12.
Find out who represents you in the state Legislature. Most of Phinney Ridge, Greenwood and Ballard fall within the 36th Legislative District, represented by Sen. Noel Frame (D), Rep. Julia Reed (D) and Rep. Liz Berry (D). However, there's a snippet of Greenwood that lies in the 46th district, and Fremont (south of 45th) lies in the 43rd district. Find out who your representatives are here.
Find out which bills are important this session. These groups track progressive legislation:
350 Seattle Civic Action Team (environmental bills)
Divest Washington -- pushing for Washington pension investments to get out of fossil fuel investments
Testify. You don't have to travel to Olympia to give live testimony in public anymore; you can do it by Zoom.
Lobby your legislator. Unlike federal office-holders, state legislators are quite accessible to their voters.
Keep up: Support your local news outlets to keep up with what's happening in Olympia: The Seattle Times (subscription required), The Olympian (subscription), National Public Radio, the Washington State Standard.
Advice from Mary Lou Dickerson
Washington faces a major deficit, due largely to Trump Administration cuts. The budget will be front and center during this short session.
Pay special attention to efforts to disinvest Washington pension funds from the GEO Group, which runs immigrant detention facilities.
Try to get your lobbying started early in the session, during the first month. Use phone calls, emails or letters, or visit Olympia. You can meet with your legislators by Zoom. They like hearing from people in their district!