Essential information on each bill is below. For more details, click on the bill number – e.g., “SB 5000.” The new page will show the progress of the bill, videos of debate, and the link to send a comment to your legislator about the bill.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5292 amends existing laws regarding paid family leave in Washington State. Key changes include the annual setting of premium rates by the commissioner based on an annual report from the Office of Actuarial Services, rather than a calculation method. The bill also notes that the total premium rate must not exceed 1.2% and introduces a 3-month reserve. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not required to pay the employer portion of premiums. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.
This bill should concern every W2 worker in Washington state. The bill guarantees yet another pay decrease for workers of all income levels and need, so some workers can take advantage of a pool of money filled by a payroll tax on workers’ paychecks. Then that pool is most often emptied by middle- and upper-income wage earners. Those with higher incomes are the ones who can better afford to take time off and receive a portion of their pay from fellow taxpayers to bond with babies or take care of medical needs. In fiscal year 2024, workers making $60 or more an hour used the fund nearly twice as much as the lowest wage earners. Meanwhile, full-time workers of all incomes lose hundreds of dollars a year to this tax.
Workers, including low-income ones, are paying more than double the amount they paid for this tax when the PFML program began in 2019. The tax is currently 92 cents on every $100 earned. This bill will ensure workers are charged even more soon, up to the tax rate’s cap of 1.2%, by changing the way the tax is calculated and requiring more money in reserves so the program better pays its way. That’s something the program hasn’t been able to do and isn’t expected to do in the future. Administrative costs and benefits have exceeded revenue in two of the program’s first four years and the bill’s fiscal note reports the program will never establish a three-month reserve if subject to the cap.
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Environment
Extending the water supply milestone for the Yakima river basin integrated plan to 2035.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5303 aims to extend the water supply milestone for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan to 2035. Key changes include the adjustment of the deadline for securing permits and funding for water supply facilities from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2035, and the specification that these facilities must provide at least 214,000 acre-feet of water for both in-stream and out-of-stream uses. Additionally, the bill maintains the percentage of appropriations that can be retained for administrative overhead at 12 percent.
Furthermore, the bill outlines the responsibilities of the Department of Natural Resources regarding land purchases for the community forest trust, allowing for expedited processes without the usual prerequisites. It mandates the development of a transitional management plan for the acquired land, ensuring it aligns with the principles of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. The act is declared necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, or safety, and is set to take effect on June 30, 2025.
Bill Summary
Washington State Senate Bill 5307 is a bill that aims to improve special education funding. The bill addresses issues of inadequate funding, proposing to eliminate enrollment caps and increase funding multipliers. It emphasizes inclusion by incentivizing students’ placement in general education settings. The bill also streamlines the safety net application process for districts with exceptional needs and establishes mechanisms for monitoring and reducing disproportionality in special education identification. Finally, it mandates reporting on the impact of these changes.
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5312, sponsored by a group of Democratic senators who claim to be concerned about children, aims to reduce the legal penalties for those convicted in “Net Nanny” operations — stings where law enforcement officers pose as minors to catch online sex predators. Currently, people convicted in these operations face serious consequences, including long-term sex offender registration and extended community supervision, as they should. SB 5312 would shorten those penalties in cases where no real child was involved, claiming a difference between someone targeting an actual minor and someone arrested in a setup.
If passed, SB 5312 would do two major things. The first is reducing the length of sex offender registration. Instead of requiring offenders to register as sex offenders for an indefinite period, those caught in Net Nanny operations would only need to register for five years — provided they have no prior sex offense convictions. The second is shortening community supervision. Currently, some sex offenses result in lifetime supervision, even if the person is released from prison early. The bill proposes capping supervision at three years for those arrested in Net Nanny stings, provided they have no history of predatory behavior.
If you haven’t heard of them, Net Nanny operations are internet sting missions run by the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF). Officers pretend to be minors in online chat rooms, waiting for adults who try to engage in inappropriate conversations or arrange meetups. Once an adult takes a concrete step toward committing a crime — like showing up at a meeting spot or continuing a conversation with explicit intent — they’re arrested and charged with an attempted sex offense.Between 2015 and 2023, Washington’s Net Nanny operations led to 311 arrests across 20 sting operations.
Supporters of SB 5312 argue that someone caught in a Net Nanny sting — who never actually had contact with a real child — shouldn’t face the same lifelong consequences as someone who has committed a hands-on offense. They say the bill is about fairness and ensuring that punishments fit the crime. Bill sponsor Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island said the bill’s aim is to reduce lifetime supervision and registration for individuals convicted of non-contact, victimless sex offenses. “It’s saying, with no prior record of any wrongdoing, with a child, with nothing on your computer, in your home, in your background, shouldn’t there come a time when you can live a life and know for certain that that time can come? It’s not a lifetime sentence,” Wellman said.
Laura Harmon, a King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and attorney for the statewide Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, defended the practice of law enforcement officers operating as children in sting operations. “The fact that sometimes it is a real child and sometimes it is not does not change the fact that the person forms that intent and takes actions to sexually abuse that minor,” Harmon said. Opponents of the bill also note that reducing penalties could send the wrong message. Groups focused on child safety believe the possibility of severe consequences is what keeps potential predators from engaging in these behaviors in the first place.
As of now, comprehensive data comparing how each state penalizes fictitious victim cases is limited. What’s clear is that lawmakers across the country are starting to take a closer look at these types of cases, debating where the line should be drawn between punishment and rehabilitation.
The question now before lawmakers in Washington is: Should an internet sting operation carry the same weight as a real-world crime? Or should there be a distinction? FPIW’s stance is clear. Those individual’s sick enough to carry out even non-contact sexual grooming deserve the most severe consequences possible. Luke 17:2 reminds us ‘It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.’
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 5314 claims to be a set of routine “clarifications” to Washington’s capital gains tax, but in reality, it’s another “backdoor tax increase” that further entrenches a deeply flawed and legally contested tax policy. Billed as a way to “close loopholes” and streamline administration, this bill actually expands the reach of the state’s capital gains tax and tightens state control over taxpayers, businesses, and investors. It adds new reporting burdens for brokers, redefines taxable events, and makes it harder for taxpayers to claim valid deductions and credits—ultimately increasing compliance complexity and risk.
Although it claims not to raise taxes directly, the bill subtly changes definitions and rules in a way that could result in more people being taxed—particularly by altering how losses are handled, adding previously exempt categories of gains back into the tax base, and narrowing the scope of credits for taxes paid to other states. The removal of the business and occupation (B&O) tax credit in favor of a capital gains tax credit is a bait-and-switch: it effectively reduces tax offsets for small business owners who already pay high B&O taxes. It also increases penalties and interest for late filings or underpayments—even in cases where a taxpayer made a good faith effort. The bill demands more personal financial information from brokers and taxpayers alike, with harsh penalties for mistakes or delays in sharing data. This isn’t innocuous tax reform.
Worse still, the capital gains tax itself was implemented in controversial fashion, bypassing voters and facing multiple legal challenges. Doubling down on this tax by expanding its scope and enforcement mechanisms through SSB 5314 sends a message that the state is more interested in extracting revenue than fostering fairness or economic growth. In sum, this bill piles administrative burden on businesses and individuals alike while reinforcing an unstable and unpopular tax. Citizens should reject SB 5314 as a backdoor tax hike disguised as a technical fix, and call for transparent, voter-approved tax policies. Heavy taxation on families is a root problem in Washington, and we do not need more. Please register CON.