Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As we enter the final weeks of this legislative session, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this year’s bills and other issues facing our community. Please consider joining Rep. Hackney and me for a mini town-hall March 1st at the Renton Historical Society (3407 NE 2nd St, Renton, WA 98056), from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. To reserve a 15-minute time to chat, please email my legislative assistant.
Legislative Update
Last week, the legislature passed House of Origin cutoff. As the name suggests, this is the last day for legislation to be voted out of the chamber it was introduced in, assuming it isn’t necessary to implement the budget. This drastically narrows down the universe of legislation to be considered before the legislature in the next two weeks, as proposals with support continue through the process, while legislation often requiring more input and revisions doesn’t.
This year, the Office of Program Research tallied 713 proposals referred to committees in the House, with 197 passing to the Senate. Below is a graph depicting trends over the last six years – notably, you’ll see that longer legislative sessions during odd-numbered years, have more proposals, whereas shorter sessions, such as 2026, have less.
Two weeks ago, I sent out a survey regarding some controversial bills before the legislature and asked for your feedback. Here’s what you shared:
The bills with the most support were regulations regarding 3D printed firearms, reducing the statewide BAC limits, and prohibiting masking practices from law enforcement. Those with the least support were proposals to reduce criminalization of homelessness, the millionaire’s tax, and creating regulatory structure for automatic license plate readers. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback this year. To see which of these proposals continue to move through the legislative process, you can search each bill here.
Proposed Supplemental Operating Budget
We released our 2026 supplemental operating budget this week, updating the two-year budget we passed last spring to reflect changes in revenue, inflation, and rising caseloads. The reality is that costs are increasing while revenue growth has slowed – impacted by inflation, economic uncertainty, and tariffs imposed under the Trump Administration. At the same time, H.R. 1 shifts more than $500 million in new costs onto Washington state.
Even in this difficult environment, our $79 billion supplemental budget prioritizes access to food, health care, housing, and continuity of government because we believe government must be a stabilizing force when families are feeling pressure. We asked ourselves hard questions throughout this process: Who will be impacted? Will this decision cause harm? Will it worsen inequities?
The largest cost increases in this budget come from maintenance-level adjustments to programs people are already using including Working Connections Child Care, long-term care and developmental disabilities, and the Washington College Grant. These are not expansions; they reflect growing need. We maintain food assistance programs, preserve Apple Health, sustain housing and homelessness investments, and restore reproductive health funding. With support from the Ballmer Group, we are expanding ECEAP by 2,000 slots.
Balancing this budget required $2.4 billion in reductions over four years, including a three percent administrative reduction across most state agencies and a 1.5 percent administrative reduction at higher education institutions. The budget relies on $457 million in new revenue and strategic transfers, while protecting $3.3 billion in total reserves.
This budget reflects fiscal responsibility rooted in maintaining essential services today, while continuing the work to modernize our outdated tax code for the future.
This week, I’d like to hear your feedback on some of the proposed reductions and investments in our state budget. Please consider filling out this survey or clicking below to share your thoughts!
Civic Engagement at the Capitol
I’d like to thank students from Kennydale Elementary and our local Girl Scout members for visiting the Capitol earlier this month, as well as the work of the Legislative Page Program for giving students a chance to take part in the legislative process. Showing students the work of the legislature and teaching them the importance of civic engagement is critical to fostering an engaged, active, and vibrant community.
Sound Transit Breaks Ground
Sound Transit has broken ground on the new Renton Transit Center, a major milestone in expanding regional bus rapid transit and strengthening connections across South King County and the Eastside. The project will relocate and rebuild the existing transit center to support the upcoming Stride S1 line, along with King County Metro and the future RapidRide I Line.
Stride S1 will run between Bellevue and Burien beginning in 2028, operating double-decker battery-electric buses every 10–15 minutes for more than 17 hours a day. The fleet will be Sound Transit’s first fully battery-electric buses and the first double-decker electric buses of their kind in the nation. With service primarily in HOV and dedicated transit lanes, S1 will offer faster, more reliable travel and seamless connections to Link light rail in Bellevue and Tukwila, including convenient airport access.
The new Renton Transit Center will feature eight bus bays, covered waiting areas, upgraded sidewalks and bike lanes, improved lighting, and new landscaping. Leaders say the project will create hundreds of family-wage construction jobs while positioning Renton as a regional transit hub and catalyst for future transit-oriented development.
Stay Engaged
When we talk next, I’m looking forward to providing an update on the other proposed state supplemental budgets and legislation one step closer to the Governor’s desk. Please keep an eye out for that in your inboxes!
As always, it is an honor to represent our community and the 11th Legislative District.
Sincerely,
Rep. Steve Bergquist