The Legislature wrapped up house of origin floor action this week, sending a wave of bills to the opposite chamber’s committees. Lawmakers now face a fast-moving timeline to meet the February 25 policy committee deadline and March 2 fiscal committee deadline.

On Sunday, we expect the House and Senate to release their supplemental operating budgets, where the scale of potential cuts will finally be understood. Hearings are scheduled for both budgets in their respective fiscal committees on Monday afternoon, giving the public about 24 hours to review these important bills before testifying. Committee votes are scheduled for Wednesday, at which point, lawmakers will move into final budget negotiations. Just 19 days left until sine die!

On Thursday, February 19 HB 2155 passed out of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee by executive vote. The bill now moves to the Senate Rules committee! On Friday, February 20 SB 5904 was heard in the House Health Care & Wellness Committee. 214 individuals signed in support of the bill.

Next steps: HB 2155 awaits a full to the Senate floor calendar. SB 5904 awaits a vote out of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.

HB 2360 was voted out of the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K12 Education on Wednesday, February 18. SB 5951 failed to advance out of the Senate chamber prior to the House of Origin cutoff.

Next steps: HB 2360 is now in the Senate Rules committee, where it awaits a pull to the Senate floor for a vote.

On Monday, the state’s revenue forecast was released and showed Washington’s economy and state finances performing modestly better than expected, with projected revenue for the current 2025-27 biennium approximately $827 million higher than the November forecast. This improved outlook has given state budget writers good news as they prepare supplemental budget proposals, easing some pressure on negotiations even as lawmakers work through a complex process of reconciling competing priorities before the March 12th adjournment. While Democratic budget leaders have noted the forecast provides needed “breathing room,” a $2.3 billion budget deficit still remains in the current 2-year budget period. As such, lawmakers are largely expected to focus on a mix of new revenue and cuts to programs to balance the budget.

In their quest to find revenue and pursue a more balanced tax structure, Senate Democrats approved SB 6346 (Pedersen, D-43), widely known as the “Millionaire’s Tax,” despite a lengthy floor debate and  tension within their own caucus. The tension over the bill didn’t end on the Senate floor, however. On Tuesday, Governor Ferguson (D) held a media availability where he addressed the passage of the bill by the Senate. Ferguson proposed directing more than half of the projected revenue from the millionaire’s tax, about $1.9 billion annually, back to Washingtonians through affordability measures.

On Sunday, the House and Senate are expected to release their supplemental operating budgets. The Government Affairs team will be assessing the budget upon release to understand the scale of potential cuts to health care access.

On February 13, HB 2471 was voted out of the House of Representatives. From there, it moved to the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce and was passed out of the committee on February 20. SB 6117 failed to advance out of the Senate chamber prior to the House of Origin cutoff.

Next steps: HB 2471 has moved to the Senate Rules committee and awaits a pull to the Senate floor for a vote.

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.

• SB 6346 - Establishing a tax on millionaires.
• 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. Comment period open regarding nursing as “professional degree” 

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 are due by 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 and an Action Alert next week on this issue. WSNA is also in communication with partners at AFT and will be sure to share information as available from our national labor partner.

• 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 6 – School Nurse Day
• 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