Friends and neighbors, 

This legislative session was one for the history books. We took big steps toward making our tax code fairer for working families, responded to destructive and cruel federal actions, and continued our work creating housing for all Washingtonians. Here are some highlights. 

Making Washington’s Tax Code Fairer 

Washington’s regressive and outdated tax system balances the state budget on the shoulders of working families. Our neighbors with the lowest incomes, the bottom 20 percent of earners, pay nearly 14 percent of their income in taxes, while the highest earners — the top 1 percent — pay just 4.1 percent. To us, that doesn’t seem fair. That is why House and Senate Democrats passed the Millionaires’ Tax this year (SB 6346). 

The tax goes into effect in 2028, and collections will begin in 2029. Revenue from the millionaires’ tax will support: 

• Expanding the Working Families Tax Credit so 460,000 more families become eligible. 

• Exempting sales tax on diapers, hygiene products, and over-the-counter medications — combined with existing exemptions on food, nearly an entire grocery cart will be tax-exempt. 

• Providing universal school meals for all Washington students. 

• Investing in Fair Start for Kids, child care, early learning, and K-12 education. 

• Easing the burden on small businesses with a B&O tax break. 

• And much more. 

All Housing is Housing 

After years of working to support and stabilize, this session the legislature continued its efforts to increase our housing supply. We looked at ways to expand and streamline the production of all types of housing everywhere. 

All housing is housing. This includes shelters, transitional housing, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing (STEP). These options are needed but often face undue hurdles for approval. If cities don’t site shelters or supportive housing, homelessness does not disappear; it moves or it grows. House Bill 2266 creates clear standards for the development of STEP housing while still allowing reasonable operating requirements. 

Additionally, we passed other bipartisan legislation that will help us build more housing faster. These critical policies include: 

• Allowing counties to permit limited middle housing on septic systems in unincorporated areas (HB 2269). 

• Authorizing land banks to acquire and manage land for affordable housing, addressing one of the biggest barriers to building homes—the high cost of land (HB 1974). 

• Establishing limits while allowing detached accessory dwelling units in unincorporated areas (HB 1345). 

• Allowing small, ADA compliant elevators in small apartments to make construction more affordable for developers (SB 5156). 

The legislature also worked to protect renters from extreme heat by prohibiting landlords from banning portable cooling devices (SB 6200). 

We still have a lot of work to do, especially to continue increasing housing supply and protecting our vulnerable neighbors, like seniors in assisted living. I look forward to future work to combat Washington’s housing crisis. 

Protecting Our Immigrant Neighbors 

I am deeply concerned about the aggressive and violent actions we have witnessed from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across the country. We passed several bills to protect Washington by: 

• Prohibiting law enforcement officers — including ICE agents — from wearing face-concealing masks while interacting with the public (SB 5855). 

• Preserving the integrity of Washington’s law enforcement by making it a crime for people who are not law enforcement officers to wear badges or other law enforcement insignia (HB 2165). 

• Strengthening protections for immigrant workers against retaliation and coercion (HB 2105). 

• Allowing people to use shared leave for work absences if they are victims of hate crimes or affected by ICE actions (HB 2411). 

• Preventing immigrant enforcement from using surveillance tools like automatic license plate readers, ensuring community safety and trust (SB 6002). 

Election Year Restrictions  

During an election year, there are certain restrictions on my communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes. Some of these restrictions include freezes on email updates, websites, and Facebook pages. This means that you will not be receiving updates from me beginning May 4, 2026, until after the general election in November. That is why this will be the last email update you’ll receive from me for a while. However, you can still reach out to my office with questions, requests for meetings, or to deliver messages to me. 

In the meantime, have a great summer and you’ll hear from me again in December. 

Best Wishes, 

Rep. Strom Peterson