Dear friends and neighbors,
We’re officially in the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session!
Sine die (the official end of session) is March 12. The pace in Olympia always accelerates this time of year as we work long days negotiating, refining bills, and preparing measures for final votes.
We’re also about to “spring forward” for Daylight Saving Time: a reminder that longer days (and, hopefully, a little more sunshine) are just around the corner.
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The Work Continues: Data Centers
Photo of a data center from the WA State Standard
I’m disappointed to share that HB 2515 did not advance out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee this session. As data center growth accelerates across Washington, we have a responsibility to ensure the costs of expanding the digital economy aren’t shifted onto working families and small businesses. This bill was about fairness, grid reliability, transparency, and upholding our clean energy commitments.
In the final weeks of session, some of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world deployed an extraordinary lobbying effort to weaken, delay, and ultimately stop this legislation.
The impacts of these large energy users are real: on our power grid, our water resources, and people’s utility bill. The longer we wait, the greater those impacts will be. I remain committed to continuing this work to ensure growth in our state strengthens our communities, rather than straining them.
Read this article in the Standard to learn more about what happened to this bill.
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Standing Up for Washington in a Tough Budget Year
This year’s supplemental budgets reflect a difficult reality: federal instability, harmful tariff policies under the Trump administration, inflation, and a tax code that hasn’t been modernized in nearly a century are squeezing Washington families and our state budget alike.
Even in the face of these pressures, we’re working to protect the core services people rely on. In times of uncertainty, government should be a stabilizing force.
Operating Budget: Protecting Critical Services
This year’s supplemental budgets reflect a sobering reality. Federal instability, harmful tariff policies, inflation, and a tax code that hasn’t been meaningfully modernized in decades have created significant strain on Washington’s budget. We are not immune to these pressures, and the choices before us have been incredibly difficult.
While we worked hard to protect the most critical services, this budget does include painful reductions. That means cuts to parts of Medicaid, including services like occupational therapy and certain behavioral health supports. It means reductions in childcare funding, agency budgets, and other programs that serve vulnerable communities. These are not decisions anyone takes lightly, and they carry real impacts for families across our district.
Our goal throughout this process has been to minimize harm, protect the most vulnerable, and preserve the foundation of essential services wherever possible. But the truth is that without meaningful, long-term revenue reform, we will continue facing impossible tradeoffs.
Washington’s upside-down tax code makes balancing budgets during economic uncertainty even harder. If we want to avoid cuts like these in the future and truly protect health care, childcare, housing, and education., we must build a more sustainable and equitable revenue system.
These are hard conversations, but they are necessary ones. I remain committed to advocating for a budget that is honest about our challenges and focused on long-term stability for our communities.
- Budget details from the House Office of Program Research available at fiscal.wa.gov.
- Public Hearing on the House budget proposal in the Appropriations Committee (Monday, February 23, 4PM) available on TVW here.
Capital Budget: Investing in Housing, Schools, and Climate Resilience
The $910 million supplemental capital budget makes strategic investments that create jobs now while building stronger communities for the future.
It includes $221 million for housing and homelessness projects, prioritizing shovel-ready developments to quickly expand supply. It funds public school construction, addresses urgent needs like flood response and tribal resiliency, and continues investments in clean energy, habitat restoration, salmon recovery, and building decarbonization through Climate Commitment Act dollars.
Even in a constrained year, we are choosing to invest in infrastructure that addresses our housing crisis, supports students, and strengthens climate resilience.
- For the full details about the proposed budget, click here.
Transportation Budget: Preservation, Ferries, and Fiscal Honesty
The $16.5 billion transportation budget prioritizes bridge and highway preservation, Washington State Ferries reliability, and fish passage barrier removal in partnership with Tribes — an essential environmental and treaty obligation.
- For the full details about the proposed budget, click here.
Across all three budgets, our throughline is simple: in challenging times, we protect what matters most while continuing to build toward a fairer and more resilient Washington.
Reforming Our Tax Code
Right now, our system relies heavily on sales taxes and other regressive sources. That means working families pay a higher share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest households.
Last week, the Finance Committee passed SB 6346: the Millionaire’s Tax proposal.
Here’s what it does:
- Imposes a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million, beginning in 2028
- Includes a $1 million standard deduction per filer
- Expands the Working Families Tax Credit to include Washingtonians age 18+
- Increases small business B&O tax credits and raises the filing threshold
- Exempts grooming and hygiene products from sales tax
- Exempts baby and adult diaper diapers from sales tax
Over 40 other states have some form of income tax. Washington remains one of the most regressive states in the country. As one of the wealthiest states in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, I believe we can do better and ensure stability for schools, health care, public safety, and the services our communities consistently say they value.
The millionaire’s tax is a conversation is about aligning our revenue system with a 21st-century economy and relieving pressure on lower- and middle-income families, and it’s a conversation we’re ready to have.
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ITLs: Protecting Rights, Rejecting Fear
This session the Legislature received Initiatives to the Legislature (ITLs): a process that allows Washingtonians to bring proposed laws forward for consideration before they ever reach the ballot. As House leadership said at a January 20 media availability: “we trust the people to do the right thing” – and that trust must mean protecting the rights and dignity of every Washingtonian.
These specific ITLs are rooted in attacks on transgender youth and attempts to roll back progress on students’ rights.
The two initiatives currently under review are:
IL26-638 — Transgender Student Athlete Ban
This proposal would require intrusive verification processes for girls participating in school sports. It singles out a very small group of students while placing new burdens on all girls. School sports should build confidence and belonging — not invite discrimination or harassment.
IL26-001 — Repealing Recent Parental Rights Law Changes
This initiative rolls back clarifications passed last year to ensure schools can both partner with families and protect student safety. It would create confusion for districts and weaken protections for vulnerable students, including LGBTQ+ youth.
We chose not to hold hearings on these initiatives, which would use taxpayer dollars to amplify harmful rhetoric and misinformation
I stand for inclusive communities where every young person, regardless of gender identity or background, can thrive without fear of exclusion or discrimination. These initiatives do not reflect the values of equity and dignity that most Washingtonians share.
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Standing Up to Fear & Division
This session, our caucus is confronting a deeply disturbing rise in hostility toward people based on race, ability, economic status, and heritage.
Washington must remain a place where public safety coexists with civil rights and basic human dignity. Our caucus is advancing legislation to protect immigrant workers, strengthen oversight and accountability, safeguard personal data, and ensure local resources are not used to fuel fear.
Here are some of the bills we’re working on:
- HB 2105 – Immigrant Worker Protection Act Strengthens protections for immigrant workers against retaliation and coercion.
- HB 2165 – Impersonation of Law Enforcement Makes impersonating a peace officer a misdemeanor to protect public trust and safety.
- HB 2173 – Law Enforcement Face Coverings Prohibits the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers to promote transparency and accountability.
- HB 2409 – Collective Bargaining for Farmworkers Expands collective bargaining rights for farmworkers—essential workers who have long been excluded from basic labor protections.
- HB 2464 – Private Detention Facility Oversight Strengthens reporting requirements and law enforcement responses to incidents at private detention facilities.
- HB 2332 / SB 6002 – License Plate Reader (“Flock”) Camera Regulation Prevents local surveillance tools from being used for immigration enforcement.
These bills reflect a simple principle: no one should live in fear simply because of where they were born or how they speak. Follow some of the ways we’re working to protect Washingtonians from the federal government here.
Washington remains a welcoming state for immigrants and refugees. The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) at DSHS provides vital services, including:
Need help? Use ORIA’s resource tool to find services or visit a DSHS Community Service Office by searching your zip code, city, or county here.
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As we head into these final stretch of session, I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve you and for the many emails, calls, and conversations that help guide this work. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your thoughts, questions, or concerns – I’m here to listen.
Wishing you a smooth transition into spring, a little extra daylight, and time to enjoy the brighter days ahead.
Best,
Beth