Nearly halfway over, the Legislature has now passed the first major cutoff of the session as of Wednesday, the deadline by which bills must be voted out of their respective policy committees in their house of origin. Legislation that failed to advance by this point is generally considered stalled, while bills that cleared the cutoff remain alive and eligible to continue moving through the legislative process. Those measures will next be considered by fiscal committees if they carry a budget impact or advance directly to the floor for further debate and votes.

In short session years such as this one, the timeline is especially compressed. Bills with fiscal implications face a particularly tight turnaround, as they must be voted out of fiscal committees by February 9 to remain viable. The exception to these deadlines applies to bills deemed by majority leadership to be “necessary to implement the budget” (NTIB). Because final budget negotiations occur at the end of the legislative session, NTIB bills are granted additional flexibility and may continue to advance even after standard cutoff dates have passed.

Both HB 2155 and SB 5904 continue to move through the Legislature with broad support. On February 4, SB 5904 unanimously passed the Senate. On February 6, HB 2155 passed out of the House Rules Committee.

Next steps: SB 5904 now moves to the opposite chamber, and is anticipated to receive a hearing in the House Health Care & Wellness committee. HB 2155 is on the House floor calendar, waiting to be pulled for a full vote of the House chamber.

HB 2360 passed out of the House Committee on Education by a 17- 2 vote on February 2 with amendatory language that brings it into alignment with the senate version of the bill.

Next steps: HB 2360 and SSB 5951 are both in their respective Rules committees, awaiting a pull to the chamber floor prior to February 17. Stay tuned for opportunities to support the bills in the coming days.

With mounting pressures on the state budget, the threat of cuts to healthcare grow while the stark reality of Washington's unbalanced tax code continues to come into focus. Acutely aware of this challenge, lawmakers have turned their attention toward a proposed long-term, structural solution to the state’s unbalanced tax code with the introduction of SB 6346 (Pedersen, D-43) / HB 2724 (Fitzgibbon, D-34), also known as the “Millionaire’s Tax.” As currently drafted, the bill would impose a 9.9 % state income tax on household income above $1 million a year.

Lawmakers estimate it would impact about ~20,000 households and raise ~$3.7 billion annually. 80% of the revenue would go into the general fund, and 20% would fund tax relief for small businesses and low-income families and repeal some sales taxes. The tax would not take effect until at least 2028 and will undoubtedly face legal challenges. The bill has strong Democratic support in the Legislature, but after the release, Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) announced he will not support this version of the bill, saying it does not do enough to return money to taxpayers to make life in Washington more affordable. You can learn more about the proposal here.

We continue to brace for what’s to come and will keep you updated on the discussions taking place in Olympia around proposed cuts to healthcare and our unbalanced tax structure.

HB 2471 and SB 6117 continue to move through the Legislature. On February 5, SB 6117 was heard in the Senate Ways & Means committee. In contrast, HB 2471 skipped the House Appropriations due to a difference in fiscal analysis between the House and Senate and is now in the House Rules committee.

Next steps: HB 2471 awaits a pull to House floor for a vote. SB 6117 awaits a vote out of the Senate Ways & Means committee.

The legislature considers hundreds of bills outside our own legislative priorities. Here is a list of bills we’re watching as they move through the legislative process that may impact members. We will continue adding bills to this list as we move through the legislative session. You may click on any of the links below to learn more about each bill and where it is at in the legislative process.

• NEW! SB 6346 - Establishing a tax on millionaires.
• NEW! SSB 6284 - Providing consumer protections for artificial intelligence systems.
• HB 2073 - Funding health insurance premium assistance.
• HB 2683 - Promoting transparency and efficiency in health carrier relations with health care providers and facilities.
• HB 2498 - Concerning nursing education program standards.
• SB 6134 - Concerning notice to striking workers applying for unemployment insurance benefits of potential overpayment assessment upon receipt of retroactive wages. 
• SB 6115 – Concerning comprehensive cancer education programs.
• HB 1812 - Concerning patient-centered equitable access to anesthesia services and reimbursement.
• HB 2250 - Concerning residency requirements for charity care.
• HB 2577 - Concerning hospital inspections.
• SB 5947 - Establishing the Washington health care board.
• SJR 8206 - Amending the Constitution to establish a right to affordable health care.
• SB 5823 - Concerning patient advocates.
• SB 6292 - Establishing a joint legislative executive committee on health care financing.
• HB 2382 - Concerning excise taxes on cigarettes, vapor products, and tobacco products.
• HB 2289 /SB 5998 - Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
• HB 2264 - Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for workers separated from employment because of employer-initiated layoffs or workforce reductions.
• HB 2110 - Concerning personnel for ambulance service interfacility specialty care transports.
• HB 2113 - Concerning the supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists.
• HB 2122 - Requiring hospitals to offer immunizations for influenza in certain cases.
• HB 2152 - Permitting the medical use of cannabis by qualifying patients in specified health care facilities.
• HB 2144 - Requiring notices to employees when electronic monitoring is used to assist employers conducting performance evaluations.
• HB 2303 - Prohibiting employers from microchipping employees.
• HB 2345 - Concerning contributions in the state paid family and medical leave program.
• HB 2157 - Regulating high-risk artificial intelligence system development, deployment, and use.
• HB 2225 - Concerning regulation of artificial intelligence companion chatbots.
• SB 5956 - Addressing artificial intelligence, student discipline, and surveillance in public schools.
• HB 2106 - Requiring carriers to provide substantive notice to health care providers and health care facilities about significant contract modifications.
• HB 2329 - Concerning midwife supervision of medical assistants and lactation consultants.
• HB 2339 - Concerning the regulation of nursing.
• HB 2148 - Creating the pay it forward program.
• SB 5967 / HB 2242 - Preserving access to preventive services by clarifying state authority and definitions.
• SB 5826 - Concerning access at public postsecondary educational institutions to medication abortion.
• SB 5904 / HB 2155 - Concerning the use of nursing titles.
• SB 6025 - Updating the definition of fetal death.
• SB 5981 / HB 2145 - Protecting patient access to discounted medications and health care services through Washington's health care safety net by preventing manufacturer limitations on the 340B drug pricing program.
• SB 5990 - Expanding the qualifications of those who may serve as a local health officer in rural counties.
• HB 1496 - Strengthening patients' rights regarding their health care information.
• HB 2182 - Improving access to abortion medications.
• HB 2196 - Expanding access to PANDA PANS treatment.
• HB 2105 - Concerning immigrant worker protections.
• SB 6117 - Concerning collective bargaining for employees not covered by the national labor relations act.
• HB 2360 / SB 5951 – Expanding access to albuterol in public and private schools.
• SB 5923 - Concerning critical access hospital designations in Skagit county.
• SB 5845 - Modernizing and clarifying timely payment requirements for health carriers.
• SB 6071 - Standardizing overpayment recovery requirements.
• SB 5852 - Concerning immigrant worker protections.
• HB 2372 / SB 6067 - Concerning workers' compensation benefits.
• HB 2439 - Enhancing public health by modifying cigarette, vapor product, and tobacco product policy.
• SB 5984 - Concerning regulation of artificial intelligence companion chatbots.
• HB 1828 - Authorizing certain health professions to act as physician substitutes for plasma source donation centers.
• SB 6031 - Enhancing public safety and enforcement of crimes that impact insurance.
• HB 2548 - Strengthening health care market standards.
• SB 5652 - Reducing environmental and health disparities and improving the health of Washington state residents in large port districts.
• SB 5917 - Improving access to abortion medications.
• HB 2471 - Concerning collective bargaining for employees not covered by the national labor relations act.
• HB 2261 - Ensuring transparency in credentials and communications between patients and health care professionals.
• SB 6107/HB 2425 - Concerning nursing delegation.
• HB 2098 - Adjusting higher education funding.
• SB 5985 - Concerning endometriosis.
• SB 5993 - Prohibiting interest charges for new and unpaid medical debt.
• HB 2100 - 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.
• HB 2198 - Improving regulatory efficiency by integrating executive order 25-03, concerning permitting and licensing processes, into chapter 43.42A RCW.

Interested in learning more about the legislative process? See below for resources.

• How does a bill become a law? Find out here.
• How do I read a bill? Click here to learn.
• To view the Washington State Labor Council’s 2026 Legislative Priorities: click here.

6. Rule proposal regarding nursing as “professional degree” is posted

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Department of Education’s proposal to exclude nursing graduate programs from being considered a “professional degree” was filed on Friday, January 30. This started the 30-day comment period. Comments will be due on March 2.

ANA’s policy team is currently working on developing draft comments (similar to a template) aimed to help support those who wish to advocate and submit comments on this proposal. In the meantime, please see ANA’s  RN Action Education page for background on the issue as well as a link to submit comments on your own should you want to do so before the draft (template) comments are available.

Please stay tuned for more information on this matter. WSNA is also in communication with partners at AFT and will be sure to share information as available from our national labor partner.

• February 9 – Fiscal Committee Cutoff (House of Origin)
• February 17 – Floor Cutoff
• February 25 – Policy Committee Cutoff (Opposite House)
• March 2 – Fiscal Committee Cutoff (Opposite House)
• March 6 – Floor Cutoff
• March 12 – Sine Die (last day of session)
• May 4 – First day to file a declaration of candidacy (to run for elected office)
• May 8 – Last day to file a declaration of candidacy
• May 16 – WSLC COPE convention
• August 4 – Primary election in Washington State
• September 15 – National Voter Registration Day
• November 3 – General election in Washington State