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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Taxes & Financial
Enacting an excise tax on large operating companies on the amount of payroll expenses above the minimum wage threshold of the additional medicare tax to fun services to benefit Washingtonians and establishing the Well Washington fund account.
Bill Summary
HB 2100 is not just a tax on giant corporations. The bill impacts any “large operating company” with more than 20 employees and over $5 million in gross receipts. That covers a huge range of mid-sized local employers—clinics, contractors, startups, and nonprofits. These are the very organizations that create good jobs in our communities. This bill penalizes high-wage work. It imposes a 5 percent payroll tax on wages above $125,000 per employee. That is a clear incentive to cap salaries, move high-paying jobs out of Washington, or reclassify employees as contractors. If we want people to build their careers and raise families here, we should not turn salary growth into a taxable liability.
In addition, this bill ties long-term commitments—Medicaid, higher education, housing and energy programs—to a narrow, volatile tax base: high-earner payroll in a single state. When there’s a downturn, a layoff, or relocation, the revenue disappears, but the need for those services does not. That is not stable budgeting. Furthermore, this new tax employs some of the harshest collection tools available: broad liens, seizure and sale of property, successor liability, and even injunctions to stop an employer from doing business. For a brand-new, untested tax tied to a federal threshold we don’t control, these powers are excessive and chilling.
Permanent tax policy should not be built on speculative and highly political assumptions about future federal actions and specific officeholders. We support protecting vulnerable Washingtonians; however, HB 2100 does so in a way that undermines job creation, destabilizes revenue, and raises the risk of doing business in our state.
Bill Summary
HB 2101 removes sales tax from live, in-person presentations—lectures, seminars, workshops, and courses where people are physically in the room together. Currently, many of these events are treated as taxable retail transactions. That makes it more expensive to learn, train, and participate in community life. By exempting in-person live presentations, HB 2101 will lower costs for participants and reduce compliance headaches for small businesses, nonprofits, community groups, and local experts who host these events. For many of them, hiring a tax lawyer or accountant just to navigate RCW 82.04.050 isn’t realistic. This bill gives them clear, common-sense rules.
This legislation also supports workforce development and lifelong learning. In-person trainings and workshops help workers reskill, professionals stay current, and communities engage on public issues. We should not treat that the same as buying a taxable consumer good. This exemption is narrow and targeted: it only applies to live, in-person presentations. Online services and other taxable activities remain fully taxable, so the impact on the overall tax base is modest while the policy benefits are significant.
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Environment & Disasters
Concerning aviation assurance funding in response to wildland fires.
Bill Summary
HB 2104 strengthens Washington’s wildfire response by making the aviation assurance program permanent and ensuring that local and tribal fire departments have the financial certainty to deploy firefighting aircraft during the most critical moments of a wildfire. Fires move faster than budgets. In dry, windy conditions, a single spark can ignite grasses, wheat fields, timber, and rangelands. Local fire departments are the first on scene, but they often hesitate to call in aircraft—not because the need isn’t clear, but because the cost is unpredictable and can be devastating for small districts with limited levy capacity. HB 2104 fixes this gap.
The bill provides assured, statewide suppression funding that allows fire chiefs to deploy certified aviation assets immediately during initial attack, when fast action can prevent small ignitions from exploding into million-dollar mobilizations. Early aerial response has repeatedly proven effective at: preventing large, destructive fires; protecting crops, timber, homes, and rural economies; safeguarding air quality, and saving state dollars by reducing the need for full mobilization and federal assistance. Since the aviation pilot program was launched in 2023, it has shown clear success and efficiency gains. Local jurisdictions have had better tools, faster response times, and fewer fires have escaped initial containment. HB 2104 simply removes the expiration date and carries forward what we already know works. By ensuring predictable funding and clear coordination under trained air operations commanders, the bill gives our frontline responders confidence to use aircraft when it matters most—not when it’s already too late.
Bill Summary
House Bill 2105 is yet again another “anti-ICE bill” that seeks to protect illegal immigrants, despite the fact that even low-end estimates of illegals in Washington State remain at several hundred thousand. The bill creates a new “Immigrant Worker Protection Act” in Title 49 RCW that regulates how Washington employers respond to federal immigration-related workplace enforcement and I-9 inspections. It requires employers to post an Attorney General-developed worker-rights notice and, within 72 hours of learning of a federal inspection, to notify current workers and their authorized representatives through postings (in English and the five most widely used non-English languages), individual outreach, and additional written notices.
The bill also requires employers to mail notices to the last known addresses of all workers employed in the prior three years, dramatically expanding compliance duties beyond the current workforce. It restricts employers from voluntarily consenting to federal agencies’ access to most worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant (with limited exceptions), placing employers in the middle of federal-state procedural friction. It creates broad anti-interference and anti-retaliation provisions and empowers the Attorney General to investigate, issue civil investigative demands, and enforce the law, while also authorizing private lawsuits by workers and organizations. The penalty structure is exceptionally high and scalable—starting at $2,000 per Washington-based worker for a first violation (or $5,000 per worker if deemed willful) and escalating to at least $10,000 per worker for subsequent violations—creating outsized liability risk.
That magnitude of exposure will disproportionately harm small and mid-sized employers, encourage defensive lawyering, and chill hiring, especially in industries with high turnover and multilingual workforces. By attempting to manage the interface between employers and federal immigration enforcement, the bill invites preemption challenges and uncertainty, leaving employers to absorb legal risk while federal obligations remain unchanged. Although its goals are framed as worker protection, HB 2105 is an enforcement-heavy, high-penalty compliance regime that will increase costs, litigation, and ambiguity for employers without a clear showing that it will deter bad actors.
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Healthcare
Requiring carriers to provide substantive notice to health care facilities about significant contract modifications.
Bill Summary
HB 2106 establishes basic transparency and fairness in how health carriers modify their contracts with health care providers and health care facilities. This bill addresses a growing problem in our health care system: carriers making unilateral, sometimes last-minute changes that directly impact reimbursement, administrative burden, and ultimately patient access to care. Currently, a carrier can reduce reimbursement rates, alter payment methodologies, impose new prior authorization rules, or shift site-of-service coverage with little warning—and without any agreement from the provider. These sudden policy changes destabilize clinics, raise operating costs, and can push some practices—especially rural and independent clinics—out of network or out of operation entirely. When that happens, patients lose access.
HB 2106 restores balance to this relationship by requiring: advance notice—at least 90 days—before significant payer contract changes take effect; clear disclosure of the exact language and financial impact of a proposed modification; an affirmative choice by providers to accept or reject the change without jeopardizing their existing contract; a public summary of pending modifications on the carrier’s website; and void any modification that wasn’t properly disclosed. This is not an anti-carrier bill; it is a pro-stability, pro-transparency, pro-patient bill. It ensures that major shifts in payment rules or administrative requirements occur within a predictable, transparent framework where both parties have the chance to review and agree to terms—just as they would in any other industry.
By reducing unexpected contract disruptions, HB 2106 helps: protect patients from losing in-network providers; strengthen contract integrity across the health care market; support independent, rural, and safety-net providers who cannot absorb sudden revenue cuts; prevent unnecessary contract disputes and terminations; and stabilize access to services across communities. Fair contracting and mutual agreement should be the standard—not the exception. HB 2106 ensures that Washington’s health care providers can continue to serve their patients without the threat of unexpected, unilateral carrier policy changes.
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Jobs & Business
Concerning notice requirements of identified hazards at construction worksites.
Bill Summary
House Bill 2107 clarifies and strengthens workplace safety transparency by requiring timely notice to construction employers when inspectors immediately identify hazards that could injure workers. The bill amends existing safety law to ensure the Department of Labor and Industries makes a good-faith effort to notify an employer or owner within 10 working days after such a hazard is found during an inspection. This notice requirement improves communication without weakening enforcement authority or limiting the state’s ability to issue citations.
Importantly, it does not excuse violations or reduce employer responsibility to maintain safe worksites. Instead, it encourages faster corrective action by ensuring employers are promptly aware of dangerous conditions. The bill also preserves existing defenses for employers, such as unpreventable employee misconduct, while maintaining rigorous standards for safety programs and enforcement. By focusing on hazards that pose an immediate risk of injury, the measure prioritizes worker safety where it matters most. Clear notice helps prevent accidents before they occur rather than after someone is hurt.
Bill Summary
HB 2108 proposes a significant reorganization of juvenile justice functions in Washington State by transferring responsibilities from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to the Department of Corrections. The legislation aims to consolidate juvenile justice functions under one agency while maintaining the focus on rehabilitation, treatment, and support for juvenile offenders. The transfer encompasses a comprehensive reorganization of juvenile rehabilitation services, including the management of juvenile correctional facilities, juvenile offender programs, and related legal and administrative responsibilities. Key provisions include a smooth transfer of all existing employees, contracts, records, property and assets related to juvenile justice services, maintaining the same level of services and treatment for juveniles, and preserving existing collective bargaining units. The bill also specifies that the transfer will not invalidate any previous actions and provides mechanisms for resolving any questions about the transfer of resources or personnel.
Additionally, the bill introduces new provisions aimed at enhancing juvenile rehabilitation and support, such as community transition services and the establishment of a risk assessment tool for evaluating juvenile offenders. It clarifies the conditions for juvenile release from detention and outlines the responsibilities of the Department of Corrections in managing juvenile correctional institutions. The bill emphasizes the importance of family involvement in treatment processes and includes measures to ensure the safety and well-being of state employees in correctional settings. All references to the former department in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) will now refer to the Department of Corrections, and appropriations made to the former department for these functions will be transferred by July 1, 2026. Overall, the bill aims to streamline juvenile justice services while improving outcomes for at-risk youth and ensuring accountability within the corrections system.
Bill Summary
House Bill 2109 strengthens Washington’s vehicle load safety laws by clarifying and reinforcing requirements to prevent debris, materials, and objects from falling onto public highways. The bill reaffirms that vehicles must be constructed and loaded to stop loads from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping, protecting drivers from dangerous road hazards. It requires loads to be securely fastened and, for dirt, sand, or gravel on paved roads, properly covered unless sufficient freeboard is maintained, closing loopholes that have led to preventable accidents. The legislation also addresses secondary hazards by requiring vehicles to be cleaned of mud, rocks, or debris before traveling on paved highways, reducing risks caused by debris tracked onto roadways. If glass or other dangerous objects fall onto a highway, the responsible operator must immediately ensure cleanup and pay associated costs, promoting accountability.
The Washington State Patrol is authorized to adopt rules tailored to specific loads and conditions, ensuring practical and enforceable safety standards. The bill also preserves commonsense exceptions for public maintenance vehicles performing necessary road work. HB 2109 clearly defines escalating penalties based on harm caused, distinguishing between infractions, misdemeanors, and gross misdemeanors when negligence results in property damage or serious bodily injury. This structure ensures penalties are proportional while sending a strong message that unsafe loads will not be tolerated.
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Taxes & Financial
Allowing the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project toll facility bond retirement account to receive its proportionate share of earnings.
Bill Summary
House Bill 2111 is a technical, Treasurer‑requested bill that allows the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project toll facility bond retirement account to receive its proportionate share of investment earnings from the state treasury. In other words, when toll dollars collected for the I‑5 bridge sit in this dedicated bond retirement account, the interest they earn will stay with that account instead of being effectively pooled without crediting back its share. The Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project is a bi‑state effort with Oregon to replace the aging I‑5 bridges and adjoining interchanges, funded through a mix of tolls, state dollars, and federal funds. HB 2111 doesn’t authorize tolling itself or raise any tax; it only adjusts how treasury earnings are credited once toll revenues exist.
When the Legislature tells drivers that tolls go to paying off the bridge, this bill helps ensure both the principal and the interest it earns actually flow to that purpose. This supports transparency and trust that user fees fund the project they’re tied to, instead of being quietly diluted in broader treasury earnings. Letting the bond retirement account keep its own investment earnings strengthens its balance and can modestly reduce how much must be raised from tolls or other state funds over time to cover debt service. That is a classic good‑governance change: better cash management now to avoid higher costs later. This legislation does not expand agency power, create new programs, or change the scope of the I‑5 project. It is a narrow accounting and investment‑earnings credit fix requested by the independently elected State Treasurer to align the account with other dedicated bond funds.
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Healthcare
Concerning the supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic imaging technologists.
Bill Summary
HB 2113 modernizes Washington’s radiologic technology statutes to reflect today’s clinical realities, improve patient safety, and strengthen workforce flexibility in hospitals and imaging centers across the state. Current law is outdated and overly restrictive, requiring an on-site supervising physician for certain parenteral procedures even when technology and clinical protocols allow safe, effective oversight through virtual supervision. These rigid requirements contribute to workflow slowdowns, unnecessary delays in imaging services, and increased burdens on rural and small facilities that may not always have a physician physically present.
HB 2113 clarifies who may supervise radiologic technologists, aligning supervision with the licensed practitioner’s scope of practice. It allows virtual direct supervision for intravenous contrast administration, using real-time audio and video — a safe practice already adopted in many states and supported by modern telehealth capabilities. The bill expands eligible supervisors to include advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, which enhances staffing flexibility without compromising quality. Furthermore, this legislation requires trained clinical staff to be onsite during IV contrast procedures to respond immediately to any adverse events, ensuring patient safety remains paramount. These changes maintain high clinical standards while removing unnecessary barriers that slow down patient care. By improving efficiency in imaging workflows, HB 2113 helps reduce wait times, supports rural access, and allows trained technologists to fully utilize their skills within appropriate supervision models.