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.
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Marriage & Family
Increasing frontline staffing within the department of children, youth, and families.
Bill Summary
SB 5866 directs the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to increase frontline child protective services (CPS) staffing by 100 full-time employees during the 2025–2027 biennium. The bill is grounded in findings from a statewide workload study showing CPS is significantly understaffed, which compromises the department’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to reports of child abuse and neglect. Recent news stories confirm this where children have died or remain at risk.
At the same time, the legislature has identified that DCYF’s program-support functions are overstaffed by more than 100 positions relative to their budget, creating an imbalance between administrative roles and those providing direct services to vulnerable children. SB 5866 corrects this imbalance by shifting resources away from non-client-service functions and into frontline social workers who directly receive, screen, and respond to allegations of abuse. Because the bill requires DCYF to fund the staffing increase “within existing resources,” it enhances child protection without raising taxes or requiring new appropriations. The bill also increases accountability within DCYF by requiring reductions in administrative positions rather than simply expanding the department’s overall size.
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Marriage & Family
Partnering with a mobile pregnancy application to improve maternal and infant health.
Bill Summary
SB 5867 directs Washington State to work collaboratively with a selected cell phone app to improve maternal and infant health outcomes among Medicaid-eligible women. The bill responds to persistent disparities in prenatal and postpartum care by ensuring pregnant patients receive timely information about critical state programs, including perinatal substance-use services and other supports many currently do not know exist.
SB 5867 requires the Health Care Authority to select a mobile application through a competitive bidding process and ensure it provides clinically sound educational content, care-coordination tools, and links to Washington-specific resources. The app must also offer multilingual access, operate on both iOS and Android platforms, and deliver a consistent workflow that increases awareness of state services. By requiring aggregate, de-identified data reporting, the bill gives policymakers visibility into usage patterns, helping the state evaluate effectiveness and improve outreach strategies. This approach modernizes communication with expectant and new mothers, meeting them where they already are—on their phones—and reducing barriers to vital care.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5868 amends RCW 2.08.063 to increase the number of superior court judges in Skagit County from four to five and in Yakima County from eight to nine, responding to documented caseload growth and the corresponding strain on judicial resources. By adding one additional judge in each county, the legislation directly addresses delays in civil, criminal, juvenile, and family law matters that have been exacerbated by population increases and more complex case filings. Superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, handling felony prosecutions, major civil disputes, probate matters, and dependency proceedings, and when judicial dockets are overburdened, justice is delayed for victims, defendants, families, and businesses alike. The request for these additional judicial positions comes from the Administrative Office of the Courts, signaling that this proposal is grounded in objective workload analysis rather than political expansion. In counties such as Skagit and Yakima, which serve both growing urban centers and expansive rural areas, timely access to court hearings is essential for public safety, economic stability, and the protection of constitutional rights.
Adding judges improves docket management, reduces case backlogs, and helps ensure compliance with speedy trial requirements in criminal proceedings. It also allows courts to devote adequate attention to complex matters such as child welfare cases, domestic relations disputes, and behavioral health commitments, where delays can carry profound human consequences. By modestly increasing judicial capacity, the Legislature strengthens the rule of law and reinforces public confidence that courts can function efficiently and fairly. The fiscal impact of one additional judge per county is measured and predictable, especially when weighed against the broader societal costs of prolonged incarceration, delayed civil resolutions, and strained court staff. Senate Bill 5868 modernizes judicial infrastructure in Skagit and Yakima counties, safeguards timely justice, and ensures that Washington’s superior courts remain responsive to the communities they serve.
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Crime & Public Safety
Concerning notice requirements of identified hazards at construction worksites.
Bill Summary
SB 5869 strengthens worker safety by ensuring that employers and property owners receive timely notice when an immediately dangerous hazard is identified during a construction-site inspection. Construction worksites are inherently dynamic environments, and risks can emerge quickly. When inspectors observe a hazard that could cause injury, rapid communication is essential to prevent serious accidents. The bill ensures that when the Department of Labor & Industries identifies a significant hazard in the general construction sector, they make a good-faith effort to notify the employer or owner within 10 working days. This notification requirement does not interfere with citations or enforcement. Instead, it creates an added layer of proactive safety communication—helping employers correct risks earlier, before an injury occurs.
This legislation also promotes transparency and collaboration. By ensuring hazard information is shared promptly, the bill supports a more cooperative relationship between regulators and the construction industry. Timely notice empowers employers with the information they need to take corrective action quickly, strengthening their internal safety programs and reducing the likelihood of future violations. SB 5869 reinforces Washington’s commitment to a strong, prevention-focused worker-safety culture. It does not weaken enforcement or limit the department’s authority; it simply ensures that critical safety information reaches those responsible for protecting workers as quickly as possible.
Bill Summary
SB 5872 creates a new, dedicated account outside the regular budget and appropriations process, limiting legislative oversight while expanding the number of siloed trust funds within state government. The bill establishes the PreK Promise Account as a custodial account that can receive gifts, grants, and donations but allows expenditures without legislative appropriation. This structure diminishes accountability for how funds are used within the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), even though early learning investments should be subject to transparent budgeting and periodic public scrutiny. The legislation also places additional administrative burdens on the Department of Children, Youth, and Families by requiring separate tracking for every donor or participating organization. Managing individualized donation streams—not just program expenditures—creates inefficiencies and consumes agency capacity without improving service delivery for children or families.
Moreover, while private philanthropic contributions are valuable, relying on separately tracked private-donation accounts risks shifting the state’s obligation to fund early learning onto outside entities. This can create instability in program funding and allow well-resourced organizations to influence priorities within a state-run program. Public education and early childhood services should be governed primarily by democratically accountable appropriations—not donor-driven accounts operating parallel to the budget process. In addition, SB 5872 expands the list of accounts eligible for investment income, further diverting earnings away from the state general fund at a time when core state responsibilities—including K-12 education, behavioral health, and public safety—are increasingly resource-constrained. Before adding yet another dedicated fund, lawmakers should evaluate whether the proliferation of trust accounts is eroding the flexibility and transparency of Washington’s budget. In review, this legislation creates more fiscal fragmentation than meaningful benefit, reduces legislative oversight, and complicates early-learning governance—strong reasons to oppose SB 5872.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5873 allows more “leaves of absence” for prisoners. The bill broadens the definition of “immediate family,” adds participation in reentry programs as a qualifying reason for leave, and formalizes additional noncustodial activities outside prison walls. Expanding leave eligibility creates additional public safety risks, as even escorted movements outside secure facilities increase opportunities for escape, harm, or disruption. The bill also imposes very significant logistical and staffing burdens on correctional institutions already struggling with workforce shortages and rising costs.
Although reimbursement is required in some cases, the bill still allows state funds to be used when incarcerated individuals or their families are deemed indigent. This shifts financial responsibility onto taxpayers without a demonstrated public safety or recidivism reduction benefit. Existing law already permits escorted leave for critical circumstances such as medical care and immediate family emergencies, making further expansion unnecessary.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5876 creates a new crime of “false identification as a peace officer” that applies when someone makes, provides, or possesses law-enforcement–marked items (including vehicles) while knowing the person identified is not actually commissioned, or when someone intentionally misrepresents an object as law-enforcement property. The offense would be a gross misdemeanor, meaning it carries significant criminal consequences even when no fraud, threat, or harm occurs beyond mere possession or display. The bill’s definition is broad: an “item bearing an insignia” can include words such as “police,” “sheriff,” “marshal,” or “trooper,” as well as references to federal agencies, which risks sweeping in innocuous uses on clothing, collector items, props, or novelty materials.
Although the bill includes protections for art, satire, parody, and other constitutionally protected depictions, those carve-outs can still require people to rely on an affirmative defense, inviting costly legal disputes and chilling lawful expression. The “reasonable person” standard for interpreting an object as law-enforcement property adds additional uncertainty that can vary widely across communities and enforcement officers. Washington already criminalizes impersonating an officer and related deceptive conduct; this bill layers on another statute that could be used expansively rather than focusing on clear, harmful misconduct.
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State Budgets
Modifying joint legislative audit and review committee work plans to ensure efficient use of staff resources.
Bill Summary
SB 5879 modifies how the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) plans its workload so that staff resources are used more efficiently on the audits and evaluations the Legislature actually needs. The bill adjusts statutory references that previously hard‑wired specific recurring assignments—such as certain biennial reports—so that JLARC can prioritize, sequence, or retire work based on legislative direction and capacity.
By removing or updating old, automatic reporting mandates the bill reduces audit clutter and lets JLARC focus on programs where waste, duplication, or performance issues are more likely. Better work‑plan flexibility means legislators can direct JLARC to look at large, expensive, or controversial programs instead of burning staff time on low‑impact statutory leftovers, improving oversight value per tax dollar spent.
SB 5879 does not raise taxes, create new entitlement programs, or expand regulatory authority; it is a housekeeping measure to streamline how an existing oversight body does its job. It as a small, but concrete step toward leaner government: fewer automatic busy‑work reports, more focus on exposing inefficiency and improving accountability across agencies.
Bill Summary
SB 5880 provides clearer, more reliable toxicology testing standards in DUI and similar cases, which strengthens both due process protections and public safety. This bill updates Washington’s DUI statute so that blood and breath tests must be performed either by a state‑permitted toxicologist or by a certified or accredited laboratory that meets recognized standards. It clarifies technical rules for breath testing, including instrument approval, external standards (like simulator solutions or dry gas), and how closely the two breath samples must agree (within 10 percent), to support more accurate, consistent results.
Reliable blood and breath testing makes it easier to hold impaired drivers accountable, because prosecutors can rely on scientifically sound, admissible results in court. Clear standards help law enforcement choose appropriate labs and testing methods, reducing uncertainty at roadside and in investigations while reinforcing the deterrent effect of the DUI laws. In addition, strong toxicology practices also support fair resolutions in civil cases arising from crashes, helping injured people and insurers get more definitive evidence about impairment.
Requiring certified or accredited labs reduces the risk that a person is convicted on the basis of sloppy, unvalidated, or poorly supervised testing. Detailed statutory conditions for admissibility (such as observation periods before breath tests and documentation requirements) give defense and prosecution a transparent framework to challenge or defend evidence. By tightening standards in statute instead of leaving everything to policy, SB 5880 gives courts clearer guidance and protects individuals’ rights against arbitrary or unreliable forensic practices. For residents and practitioners in Washington, clearer statutory language reduces litigation over technicalities and focuses court disputes on the real question: whether the person was actually impaired.
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Housing & Property
Expanding opportunities for affordable housing developments on properties owned by religious organizations.
Bill Summary
SB 5885 deepens long‑term state control over private and religious property in the name of affordable housing, without fixing the regulatory and tax problems that made housing unaffordable in the first place. It nudges churches into a quasi-governmental role governed by state affordability rules for 50 years, expanding bureaucracy instead of empowering families, local communities, and free markets.
The bill requires that at least 20% of units be restricted for “low‑income” tenants for a minimum of 50 years, even if the religious organization sells the property, effectively locking land into state-defined use for half a century. That is a major erosion of long‑term property flexibility and makes religious groups de facto partners in a permanent state housing program rather than free civic actors.
Furthermore, the legislation builds on a model of income tests, rent caps, and regulatory conditions, rather than tackling high permitting costs, restrictive zoning, and high state and local taxes that drive Washington’s housing crisis. It grows the alphabet‑soup of affordable housing programs, instead of restoring a normal market where middle‑class families can afford homes without subsidy.
Finally, by tying church land use to detailed state rules and long‑term affordability mandates, SB 5885 encourages religious organizations to behave more like regulated social‑service agencies than independent ministries. Over time, that dependence on government frameworks can undermine religious autonomy and shift priorities away from evangelism, charity, and local discretion.