Bills affecting your community in Washington — 2026 session

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 fund services to benefit Washingtonians and establishing the Well Washington fund account.

Modifying shared leave provisions to authorize shared leave for victims of a hate crime and those whose absence is due to immigration enforcement actions against the employee or the employee's relative.

Making the property tax exemption for multipurpose senior citizen centers permanent.

Authorizing the court to order certain conditions during child welfare shelter care hearings.

Allowing collective bargaining over contributions for certain supplemental retirement benefits.

Concerning collective bargaining for certain employees who are enrolled in academic programs at public institutions of higher education.

Standardizing basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their family members, including spouses or domestic partners.

Clarifying a hate crime offense.

Providing a property tax valuation freeze for senior citizens and disabled veterans.

Concerning labor standards and the Washington minimum wage act.

Expanding eligibility for the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program to an accredited tribal college.

Providing sufficient funding for the Washington state long-term care ombuds program.

Preventing reductions in access to pediatric primary care and behavioral health services.

Creating a homestead exemption for seniors, persons retired due to disability, and veterans with disabilities.

Concerning membership in the public employees' retirement system for port workers who participate in a federal railroad retirement plan, a union-sponsored defined benefit retirement plan, or another employer-funded private pension plan.

Reopening the exemption from the long-term services and supports trust program for employees who have purchased long-term care insurance.

Recognizing the tremendous sacrifices made by our military veterans by phasing down the disability rating requirements to ensure more disabled veterans are eligible for property tax relief.

Providing tuition waivers for tribal elders at Washington’s community and technical colleges.

Concerning veteran survivor tuition waiver eligibility.

Providing a property tax exemption for qualifying housing used as a residency by tenants meeting certain disability criteria.