By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The 2026 Washington State Legislature session and the 2025-2026 biennium officially ended last Thursday (March 12). Since our last update, two additional bills primarily sponsored by your 34th District legislators – State Senator Emily Alvarado, House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, and House Rep. Brianna Thomas – have been signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson. Apart from these, five bills have been delivered to the governor’s desk, awaiting action.
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
The following bills have been signed by Governor Ferguson are now considered session laws. This version is created by the Code Reviser’s Office, and is considered the law until the legislation is officially codified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
HB 2367 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
Exempts emissions from a coal facility occurring before January 1, 2026 from the Cap-and-Invest Program. Makes it so that the limitation on state agencies creating more emission performance standards on a coal facility in operation before July 22, 2011 doesn’t apply after December 31, 2025 to a coal facility subject to the memorandum of agreement. Sales and use tax exemptions for coal purchased or used at a coal facility in operation after December 3, 1969 and before July 1, 1975 are repealed.
HB 2355 – Rep. Thomas
Creates labor protections for domestic workers including minimum wage and overtime requirements. Domestic workers include any employee or independent contractor working in a private residence for four or more hours a month. Allows domestic workers to bring a private cause of action under the Washington Law Against Discrimination in some instances.
HB 2303 – Rep. Thomas
Prohibits employers from microchipping employees. An employer cannot request, require, or coerce an employee to have a microchip implanted.
DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
The following bills have been delivered to the governor’s desk but are awaiting action. Since they were delivered within five days of the end of the 2026 legislative session, the governor has 20 days from their delivery to take action. All of these bills were delivered to the governor on either March 11 or 12.
SB 6026 – Sen. Alvarado
Certain local governments must include residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones. Prohibits requirement for ground-floor commercial and mixed-use in these zones– subject to exceptions. Prohibits local governments from imposing ground floor commercial and mixed-use requirements on subsidized affordable housing.
SB 5911 – Sen. Alvarado
The Department of Children, Youth and Families cannot apply benefits, payments, funds, or accrual paid to or on behalf of young adults receiving extended foster care as of January 1, 2027. Aims to strengthen the financial stability of persons in the care of DCYF. Specifies when DCYF can assess whether someone is eligible for such benefits.
SB 6027 – Sen. Alvarado
Changes the allowable uses for local sales and use tax for housing and related services. Changes the eligible uses of funding in the Affordable Housing for All Account. Updates the definition of emergency housing for property tax exemptions for low-income persons or victims of domestic violence.
HB 2215 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
Reduces emissions threshold determining covered entity status and compliance obligation in the Cap-and-Invest Program for certain fuel suppliers starting January 1, 2027 for suppliers that began supplying fuels after Jan 1, 2023. Requires them to report emissions to the Department of Ecology. Prohibits state from awarding a procurement contract to certain fuel suppliers, with some exceptions.
HB 2251 – Rep. Fitzgibbon
Repeals three of the Climate Commitment Act funding accounts and replaces them with the Climate Commitment Act Operating Account and the Climate Commitment Act Capital Account. Renames the Carbon Emissions Reduction Account to the Climate Commitment Act Transportation Account. Makes changes to the use of CCA funding and distribution of revenue.
NEXT YEAR
The 2027 legislative session will be a regular session, lasting 105 days, compared to this year’s short session lasting just 60 days. The 2027 session will begin on January 11, marking the beginning of the next legislative biennium.