By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
We’re checking in again with the latest updates on bills sponsored by local 34th District legislators – State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, State House Rep. Brianna Thomas, and State Senator Emily Alvarado. Significant cutoffs for this year’s Washington State legislative session are rapidly approaching, with the 2026 session scheduled to close on March 12. You can find details on any bill below by using the “find a bill” link here to access its page with more details, including full text, and ways to comment.
POSSIBILITY TO ADVANCE: Today, Feb, 25, is the last day for in-committee reports to be read in the opposite house, minding that all bills eligible to advance at this point have already been passed in their house of origin. This cutoff date does not apply to bills in House fiscal committees or Senate Ways and Means or Transportation committees, which are subject to a Mar. 2 deadline. The last step for bills to pass their designated committee and advance is for the bill to be voted on by the committee during an executive session. Currently, two 34th district legislator bills are scheduled for executive session today, which will determine their potential to move forward. These include:
SB 6026– Sen. Alvarado
Local governments must include residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones. Prohibits requirement for groundfloor commercial and mixed-use in these zones– subject to exceptions.
(Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Local Government this morning.)
SB 5911– Sen. Alvarado
Prohibits the Department of Children, Youth, and Families from applying funds for or on behalf of a person in extended foster care as a reimbursement for the cost of care. Strengthening the financial stability of persons in the care of DCYF.
(Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Early Learning and Human Services today at 1:30 p.m.)
LATER-DEADLINE BILLS: While Feb. 25 is the cutoff for most in-committee readings, some bills are eligible to stay in committee until Mar. 2 and have an additional week. These include:
HB 2215– Rep. Fitzgibbon
Reduces emissions threshold determining covered entity status and compliance obligation in the Cap-and-Invest Program for certain fuel suppliers. Requires them to report emissions to the Department of Ecology. Prohibits state from awarding a procurement contract to certain fuel suppliers, with some exceptions.
(Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)
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. Makes changes to the use of CCA funding and distribution of revenue.
(Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation Friday at 1:30 p.m.)
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.
Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Finance on Feb 26 at 8:00 a.m.
SB 5500– Sen. Alvarado
Asserts that a DCFY biennial report that includes a market rate survey also includes a current cost of quality child-care study and a cost of quality child-care study defined by the early educator design team.
APPROVED IN COMMITTEE: These are bills that have already been voted on and approved by their designated committee, some of which were approved just yesterday. These bills have been referred to the House or Senate Rules Committee, from which they are eligible to be pulled onto the floor calendar for a debate and vote. These include:
HB 2123– Rep. Fitzgibbon
Candidates, campaigns, sponsors of electioneering communication or political advertising must confirm the absence of foreign national influence through a certificate, when the value of the contribution totals more than $6,000.
(Approved by Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs, and Elections, referred to Rules)
HB 2367– Rep. Fitzgibbon
Eliminating limitations on imposing emissions requirements for coal facilities inconsistent with the greenhouse gas Emissions Performance Standard.
HB 2303– Rep.Thomas
Prohibiting employers from microchipping employees.
(Approved by Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce, referred to Rules.)
HB 2355– Rep. Thomas
Creates labor protections for domestic workers including minimum wage and overtime requirements.
HB 2496– Rep. Thomas
Exempts consultations between the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and federally recognized tributes from the Open Public Meetings Act during site certification. Tribal consultation must be offered within 90 days of receiving an application for site certification.
SB 5496– Sen. Alvarado
Limits excessive home buying by certain entities including those with interest in more than 100 single family residences, with some exceptions.
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Housing today at 4:00 p.m. (Passed by House Committee on Housing)
SB 5647– Sen. Alvarado
Value increased of personal property that can be sold by a water-sewer district without notice to $5,400. Value of retail property that may be sold privately by a water-sewer district increased to $7,500.
SB 5993– Sen. Alvarado
Lowering the interest rate for medical debt. Prohibits interest from being charged, and requires a refund for interest paid for medical debt in certain circumstances.
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary Tuesday. (Approved by the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary).
MISSED PREVIOUS DEADLINE: Our last report detailed bills that hadn’t yet been passed in their original house, but were still eligible to move forward. While some did advance and are listed above, others were subject to the Feb. 17 cutoff date, which was the last day to consider a bill in its house of origin. These include:
HB 2517– Rep. Fitzgibbon
Enables agreements with regional transit authority to establish development standards that vary from otherwise applicable regulations not involving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, in order to accommodate transit facilities.
SB 5647– Sen. Alvarado
Expands the Real Estate excise tax exemption for self-help housing.
SB 6173– Sen. Alvarado
Creates an Apple Health Employer Assessment imposed on all employers with employees enrolled in Medicaid, going toward the State Health Care Affordability Act.
SB 6069– Sen. Alvarado
Requires cities and counties to allow permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and indoor emergency shelters in certain zones.
WHAT’S NEXT: The last day to consider bills in their opposite house is coming up on Mar. 6, with the exception of “budgets, matters necessary to implement budgets, matters that affect state revenue, initiatives to the legislature and alternatives, differences between the two houses, and business related to the interim or closing of the session,” according to the 2026 Session Cutoff Calendar available on leg.wa.gov.