By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
As the second week of Washington State’s 2026 legislative session concludes, here’s a quick look at bills that West Seattle’s three 34th District legislators – State Senator Emily Alvarado, State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, State House Rep. Brianna Thomas – are sponsoring so far, with all bill numbers linking to the page where you can get full details:
CHILD CARE
SB 5500 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill would assert that the child care subsidy base rate must achieve the 85th percentile of market at a minimum, and that this must be based on the most recent market rate survey. It also alters how the cost of quality child care rate model is used by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to recommend base rates. Lastly, it requires DCYF to recommend rate enhancements to support infants, nonstandard hours, and special needs rates every three years.
SB 5911 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill instills that as of January 1, 2027, DCYF may not apply any funds paid to, or on behalf of someone receiving Extended Foster Care (EFC) services as a reimbursement. It would also make DCYF responsible for analyzing whether someone receiving EFC services is eligible for additional government benefits.
ENVIRONMENT
HB 1814 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill provides an exemption from the State Environmental Policy Act for trails and paths that have a surface area of 10 acres or less, or that are on a railroad designated for trail use under federal law, specifically in a city with a population of 500,000 or more. It also requires that applicants wanting an exemption must request consultation with any federally established tribe that may be affected.
HB 2215 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill creates an obligation for compliance with the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) for fuel suppliers in a combined fuel amount exceeding 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Compliance is also required for purchasers from a business not registered under the Climate Commitment Act.
HB 2251 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill repeals three of the Climate Commitment Act funding accounts and replaces them with The Climate Commitment Act Operating Account and the Climate Commitment Act Capital Account. It also makes modifications to CCA spending goals and reporting.
HB 2367 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill specifies that emissions from before Jan. 1 2026 from a coal fired electric generation facility in operation on or before Jul. 22, 2011 are exempt from the Cap-and-Invest Program [CQ] It also removes state limitations from imposing greenhouse gas emissions requirements on a coal facility that is inconsistent with the greenhouse gas Emissions Performance Standard.
HB 2581 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill provides additional investment options for electric utilities under the 20 percent alternative compliance segment of the greenhouse-neutral gas standard under the Clean Energy Transformation Act. These investment areas include transmission capacity constraints, distributed energy resources, and electric vehicles for low-income populations.
GOVERNMENT
HB 2123 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill effectively gets rid of state prohibition on contributions and funds given by foreign nationals toward Washington State elections. Additionally, it repeals certification requirements against foreign national involvement in expenditures.
HJR 4209 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
This House Joint Resolution proposes an amendment to the Washington State constitution that allows the legislature to amend Washington’s congressional districts before the next decennial census through a majority vote, if another state redistricts outside a court order and before the next census. [CQ]
HJR 4210 – Rep. Thomas
This House Joint Resolution would allow the Legislature to determine the length of regular sessions by amending the Washington State Constitution.
HEALTH
HB 2182 – Rep. Thomas
The bill removes requirements for the Washington State Department of Corrections to sell abortion medication and allows the department to obtain payment for distributed medication. It also includes misoprostol under the definition of “abortion medications.”
HB 1090 – Sen. Alvarado, Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill requires that health plans provide a reimbursement of a 12-month supply of contraceptives, unless a smaller supply is requested. The supply applies to refills, not the original prescription.
SB 5993 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill prohibits interest charges or collecting owed interest on new or outstanding medical debt. It also outlines that a judgement that includes medical debt may only be enforced six years after its date of entry, and that afterward the judgement is unenforceable.
SB 6173 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill creates an Apple Health Employer Assessment. The assessment would be imposed on employers with employees enrolled in Medicaid. The amount owed would be calculated annually by the Department of Social and Health Services and collected quarterly. The assessments would go toward the State Health Care Affordability account and be used in health-care programs for low-income individuals. [CQ]
HOUSING
SB 5496 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill prohibits a business or investment entity that has an interest in more than 25 single-family residences from obtaining interest in another, unless the entity is a nonprofit, making modifications to the new interest to comply with building codes, purchasing to increase the number of residential units on the property, constructing property, or purchasing through foreclosure. It also creates a civil penalty under the Consumer Protection Act.
SB 5647– Sen. Alvarado
The bill expands the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) exemption for self-help housing. It would include all ownership housing provided by an affordable homeownership facilitator.
SB 6026 – Sen. Alvarado (requested by Gov. Ferguson)
The bill proposes that a city or county with a population of 30,000 or more that plans under the Growth Management Act may not exclude residential uses in areas previously zoned for mixed-use or commercial development. Additionally, that the city or county may not require that mixed use or ground floor commercial is a condition of development. [CQ]
SB 6027 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill proposes that a minimum of 60 percent of Local Sales and Use Tax for Housing and Related Services be used for constructing or acquiring affordable housing, for behavioral health facilities, and for operational costs.
SB 6028 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill develops a revolving loan fund created by the Department of Commerce to give loans to organizations for mixed-income affordable housing development, a portion of which would be permanently affordable for low-income households.
SB 6069 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill aims to encourage permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and indoor emergency shelters through allowing this housing in any zones within an urban growth area that are not zoned for industrial use.
LABOR
HB 2303 – Rep. Thomas
The bill prohibits employers from microchipping employees.
HB 2355 – Rep.Thomas
The bill creates labor protections for domestic workers by clearly defining the term. It includes a requirement for hirees to pay at least minimum wage and provide overtime compensation.
SB 6067 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill modifies workers’ compensation, specifically concerning benefits for permanent total disability. Workers would get monthly payments that include one-hundred percent of the employer’s health-care benefits, unless the employer continues current payment as well as a percentage of their wage. The percentage varies depending on workers’ marital status and number of children.
SB 6068 – Sen. Alvarado
The bill would allow workers employed by subcontractors to seek payment for unpaid wages as well as benefits from contractors. It also addresses misclassification of employees and combats the underground construction economy.
TRANSPORTATION
HB 2517 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
The bill allows regional transit authorities (such as Sound Transit) to apply for permits before acquiring property or receiving notice of a land use decision.
HB 2495 – Rep. Thomas
The bill enables certain cities with populations over 700,000 to remove vehicles that interfere with streetcar operations or are a public safety risk. It asserts that the impoundment would be directed by an “authorized city representative.”
WHAT TO KNOW, AND HOW TO LET LEGISLATORS KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
2026 is the second year of the legislative biennium. This year is a short session, with an expected end date of March 12, 2026. Additional information and updates about the Washington State Legislature and West Seattle’s legislators can be found at leg.wa.gov. Public feedback may also be submitted on any particular bill using this link: leg.wa.gov/bills-meetings-and-session/bills/how-to-comment-on-a-bill. We’ll follow up later in the session to see how local legislators’ proposals are progressing.
