Looking for a summary of our Top Bills?
These are the bills we deem major and significant. Click the image below.
Are you looking for a summary of our Top Bills for 2026? These are bills we deem major and significant. If so, use the filter below.
Bill Summary
SB 5520 rewrites the ‘Wrongly Convicted Persons Act’ definitions, including “actually innocent,” “significant new exculpatory information,” and “wrongly convicted,” and overhauls the filing and proof standards for compensation claims. It increases compensation rates from $50,000 to $70,000 per year in confinement and from $25,000 to $35,000 per year on supervision, and extends the statute of limitations for filing claims from 3 to 6 years, with additional time if the claimant was not given proper notice. The bill explicitly makes the state compensation formula a floor, not a ceiling, and allows claimants to still pursue tort suits; if they later get a tort award, they only reimburse the lesser of the state payout or their civil award, which encourages double‑dipping litigation risk for taxpayers. It also bars any offset for incarceration costs or services and requires an advance payment from the state general fund equal to roughly one year of compensation within 30 days of judgment, which front‑loads cash outlays before other disputes or appeals may fully resolve.
The legislation softens filing requirements by allowing claims to proceed when the claimant merely states facts and provides documentation sufficient for a finder of fact, instead of requiring stronger documentary evidence up front, making it easier to launch expensive cases. In addition, it broadens what counts as “significant new exculpatory information,” including evidence that might not even be admissible in court, and requires courts to evaluate claims without bias related to criminal history and in a manner that promotes the remedial purpose of the chapter, language that can be used to tilt borderline cases toward payouts. The bill expressly allows claims based on reversals or vacaturs that follow “significant new exculpatory information,” while excluding automatic resentencings under Andress and Blake unless additional criteria are met, thus inviting arguments that many resentenced or released offenders are now wrongly convicted and entitled to compensation. It also ties higher‑education tuition waivers for wrongly convicted persons and their children to the new “actually innocent” standard, which could expand the number of people and families receiving lifetime education subsidies at public institutions.
Truly innocent people already have a path to compensation, but SB 5520 deliberately widens eligibility, raises dollar amounts, and lengthens deadlines in ways that grow an open‑ended state liability fund instead of focusing on narrow, clearly proven miscarriages of justice. The state should prioritize law‑enforcement resources, victims’ services, and crime prevention over creating broader litigation incentives and higher payouts that reward aggressive post‑conviction tactics and progressive narratives about systemic wrongful convictions.
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Marriage & Family
Concerning the just and equitable distribution of real property and liabilities in the dissolution of marriage or domestic partnerships.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5536 applies only in dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership cases, and only to real property and liabilities (houses, mortgages, other debts). The bill does not redefine marriage, expand who can marry, or change no‑fault divorce rules. This legislation directs courts to distribute real property and liabilities in a way that is just and equitable, but with more specific direction about considering who is responsible for particular debts, who has separate versus community interests, and the practical realities of selling or refinancing property.
The bill respects that civil courts already handle divorces; however, it tries to make the financial fallout more orderly and predictable, which can reduce conflict, legal costs, and long‑term financial chaos for children and former spouses. That aligns with a concern for stability and stewardship, even in broken situations. The legislation emphasizes individual responsibility for liabilities—judges are steered to look at who incurred which debt and for whose benefit, rather than automatically splitting everything 50/50, which is closer to a personal‑responsibility ethic.
As a Christian, you can still affirm that God hates divorce and that marriage is a covenant, while recognizing that the civil government must deal with the reality of divorces and protect innocent parties from unnecessary financial harm. SB 5536 works at that remedial, downstream level, not at the level of redefining marriage or loosening grounds for divorce. When a marriage has already broken down, the state should handle property and debt in a way that is fair, transparent, and promotes long‑term stability—especially for kids—rather than fueling more conflict and financial ruin.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5552 tackles Washington’s housing affordability crisis head-on by creating a new category of building codes specifically for “kit homes,” defined as prefabricated residential structures of 800 square feet or less that are assembled on-site. The bill recognizes that introductory housing has become out of reach for many working families and directs the state to respond with practical, code-compliant solutions rather than more red tape.
By amending RCW 19.27.015 to formally define kit homes within the state building code framework, the legislation ensures these smaller homes are clearly recognized and regulated with consistency across jurisdictions. It instructs the State Building Code Council to complete rule making for kit homes by March 31, 2027, creating a firm timeline for action instead of letting the issue languish. At the same time, it preserves safety by keeping kit homes within the broader state building code system, including energy and structural standards, rather than carving out unsafe loopholes. This balanced approach promotes affordability without compromising health, fire safety, or construction quality.
By standardizing how cities and counties treat kit homes, the bill reduces uncertainty for builders and local governments, encouraging innovation and cost savings. Smaller, prefabricated homes can lower construction costs, speed up timelines, and expand access to homeownership for first-time buyers, seniors, and those of modest means. The measure empowers the state to modernize housing options while maintaining accountability through the established building code adoption cycle and amendment process.
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K–12 Education
Providing instruction on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander history in public schools.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5574 is an “anti-hate crimes,” pro-Critical Race Theory (CRT), and pro-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bill. It would require Washington’s public schools to adopt and teach specific learning standards on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander history, directing the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create standards by September 1, 2028 and mandating instruction in grades K–12 beginning in the 2029–30 school year. It outlines detailed subject matter requirements, including civil rights history, notable individuals, and the economic, political, and cultural contributions of these communities at the state and national levels. The bill also establishes a state advisory committee composed largely of representatives from community organizations and agencies to help shape the standards, materials, and teacher training, with members compensated under state law. School districts would be required to incorporate this instruction whenever it aligns with social studies standards and submit annual compliance reports beginning in 2030 confirming the program is ongoing and systematic.
While framed as a response to hate crimes and bullying, the measure effectively adds another top-down curriculum mandate to an already crowded K–12 system. By embedding detailed content requirements in statute, it reduces flexibility for local districts and educators who are better positioned to determine how to meet the needs of their specific student populations. The reporting requirements and advisory infrastructure create additional administrative obligations that may divert time and resources from core academic priorities such as literacy, math proficiency, and post-pandemic learning recovery. Although the bill states it does not supersede existing ethnic studies or the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, it layers yet another subject area into social studies frameworks. Mandating specific identity-based and race-based instructional components through state law risks politicizing curriculum decisions that are traditionally handled through professional standards and local governance. At a time when schools face staffing shortages, budget constraints, and declining test scores, citizens should question whether creating new reporting requirements, advisory committees, and statutory content mandates is the most responsible use of limited educational resources.
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Transportation
Implementing safe system approach strategies for active transportation infrastructure.
Bill Summary
SB 5581 is a Democrat sponsored, progressive policy push that directs the state to use a “safe system” approach for active transportation—primarily walking and biking—when planning and building transportation infrastructure.. The safe system approach is tied to Vision Zero‑style thinking, which assumes government should systematically redesign roads, speeds, and driver behavior to eliminate deaths, often by lowering limits and re‑engineering streets, rather than focusing primarily on individual responsibility and enforcement of existing rules. By centering active transportation infrastructure, this legislation risks prioritizing bike and pedestrian projects in funding and design decisions over vehicle capacity and freight mobility that are critical for families, commuters, and businesses—especially outside dense urban cores.
Embedding safe system strategies into state planning can drive more money and staff time into studies, design changes, and active‑transportation add‑ons, which can mean less focus on basic maintenance, congestion relief, and safety improvements for motorists and commercial traffic. A statewide mandate for this philosophy risks imposing Seattle‑style street design standards on suburban and rural communities whose travel patterns, road types, and economic needs are very different. This safe system ideology is driven by urban advocacy groups, instead of letting local communities balance safety with mobility and economic needs. We do not need a partisan mandate that tilts planning and dollars away from drivers, freight, and rural residents toward a narrow set of advocacy priorities.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5591 establishes a targeted sales and use tax remittance program designed to significantly expand the supply of affordable housing for low-income households across Washington. The bill allows cities and counties to voluntarily adopt a program that reimburses a portion of state and local sales and use taxes paid on qualifying affordable housing construction projects, directly lowering development costs. To qualify, at least 50 percent of residential units must be affordable to low-income households and remain so for a minimum of 40 years, ensuring long-term public benefit rather than short-term gain. The program is carefully structured with local approval, public hearings, clear application standards, and ongoing compliance reporting to guarantee accountability and transparency.
The bill notes that the remitted state sales tax is shared with participating local governments, creating a sustainable funding stream that can be reinvested into additional affordable housing, supportive housing services, or behavioral health programs. This approach leverages private, nonprofit, and public developers to stretch public dollars further without raising taxes on consumers. Rural counties are given flexible income thresholds to reflect local economic realities, promoting equitable housing development statewide. Strong claw-back provisions ensure that if affordability commitments are broken, the tax benefits must be repaid with interest, protecting taxpayers. The program sunsets in 2035 and includes a mandatory performance review, allowing the Legislature to repeal it if it fails to produce real housing outcomes. By reducing construction costs while locking in decades of affordability, Senate Bill 5591 is a fiscally responsible, results-driven tool to address Washington’s housing shortage and deserves support.
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Jobs & Business
Creating a Washington state supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program.
Bill Summary
SB 5649 creates a Washington state supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program to prioritize and help finance key transportation projects that support ports and freight movement such as roads, rail, terminals and last‑mile links. It directs WSDOT to work with Commerce, the Washington Public Ports Association, FMSIB, tribes with port operations, and other supply‑chain stakeholders to set goals, performance metrics, and project criteria. Additionally, it establishes a dedicated program account, but does not itself appropriate new money or create a new standing commission; it uses existing agencies and existing funding streams that the Legislature can control each biennium. Any substantial funding still has to go through normal budget and appropriations processes where you can scrutinize and oppose new tax proposals if they arise.
Strong ports and efficient freight corridors keep Washington competitive in global trade, supporting private‑sector jobs in trucking, warehousing, agriculture, manufacturing, and export industries instead of expanding government payrolls. The bill ties projects to clear programmatic goals—improving freight movement, safety, and efficiency to and from ports and tribal port operations—rather than scattering money across unrelated local wish‑lists. Requiring performance metrics and collaborative planning makes it easier for legislators and the public to see what they’re getting for the dollars spent, aligning with conservative calls for measurable outcomes and return on investment. The bill has broad bipartisan sponsorship and passed the Senate 48‑0, signaling cross‑party agreement that this is practical infrastructure, not a partisan social program.
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K–12 Education
Addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5654 substantially tightens rules on isolating and restraining students in Washington public education settings, with strong protections for students and new obligations and liability risks for districts and staff. The bill sharply restricts isolation and many forms of restraint, even in genuine emergencies, which may leave staff with fewer safe, lawful options to stop dangerous behavior in the moment. For programs serving students with severe behavioral needs, these limits may increase risk of injury to other students and staff if de‑escalation fails and no timely alternative is available. The legislation layers on extensive reporting, notification, data‑disaggregation, and review requirements after every isolation, restraint, or room clear, adding significant paperwork to principals and teachers who are already overloaded. And, it mandates large‑scale, ongoing trainings, plans, updates, and audits that will consume professional development time and district resources, without guaranteeing stable, long‑term funding beyond “subject to appropriation” language and a null‑and‑void clause.
In addition, statewide definitions, prohibitions, and timelines leave little room for local discretion, even though districts face very different student populations, facility constraints, and staffing realities. Furthermore, the bill prescribes detailed processes for incident review, behavior plans, and training priorities from Olympia, which may crowd out locally developed approaches that are already working well. Special education programs will carry much of the burden, since the bill prioritizes them for training and tightly regulates how they can respond to extreme behavior, potentially making it harder to serve some students in‑district. Ultimately, the added complexity and risk around isolation and restraint may incentivize more frequent suspensions, emergency removals, or law‑enforcement involvement when staff feel constrained in how they can intervene.
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Transportation
Concerning actions of the department of transportation to notify utility owners of projects and seek federal funding for utility relocation costs.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5690 directs the Washington State Department of Transportation to strengthen coordination and funding strategies around state highway fish barrier removal projects. Specifically, it requires the department to adopt and maintain policies that proactively notify utility owners about planned projects, providing at least one year of advance notice whenever feasible. This early communication is designed to foster collaboration, reduce costly surprises, and allow utilities to better plan for necessary relocations. The bill also instructs the department to maximize available federal funding for fish barrier removal projects, particularly where federal rules allow those funds to cover utility relocation costs. By doing so, it helps ensure that state and local dollars stretch further while taking full advantage of competitive federal opportunities.
The legislation encourages the department to deposit eligible federal awards into the multimodal transportation account, strengthening Washington’s overall transportation funding framework. It further calls for reporting to the Legislature and the Office of Financial Management with recommendations on how state law or policy could be improved to secure even more federal grant support. Importantly, this bill does not create new mandates on utilities but instead improves transparency and coordination to prevent delays and disputes. Fish barrier removal is already a major state obligation tied to salmon recovery and court rulings, so improving efficiency in this area is both practical and fiscally responsible.
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Transportation
Improving traffic safety by modifying penalty amounts for certain traffic infractions.
Bill Summary
SB 5705 is a bipartisan bill explicitly about improving traffic safety by modifying penalty amounts for certain traffic infractions. It adjusts dollar amounts for specific infractions rather than rewriting the whole traffic code or changing criminal classifications. By increasing penalties for selected infractions, the bill leans on personal responsibility and consequences to encourage safer driving, which is a classic law‑and‑order approach rather than a regulatory micromanagement system. It is a narrow bill that tweaks fine levels; it does not create new bureaucracies, new criminal categories, or large ongoing spending programs.
Higher penalties for the most dangerous infractions, like those most associated with crashes and injuries, can nudge behavior toward safer driving without changing who can drive or adding intrusive surveillance tools. When fines for serious violations are more meaningful, responsible drivers who obey the rules are less likely to pay the price in crashes, congestion from accidents, and higher insurance costs caused by a smaller number of high‑risk drivers. With unanimous support in the Senate, SB 5705 represents a balanced, common‑sense step to protect families on our roads.