By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org
Last Monday, the revenue forecast adopted by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council increases state general fund (GFS) or near GFS revenue by more than $1.8 billion over the next three and a half years. Collections are projected at $827 million more in revenue this current 2025-27 biennium, and just over $1 billion more than expected in the 2027-29 biennium.
Why does this matter? Because when budget writers released their budget proposals on Sunday, February 22nd, this revenue forecast should have been considered. Also, questions will be raised about new tax proposals and the necessity to blast them through this session.
To be clear, the forecast is good news but doesn’t resolve the issues that have faced the state the past year and a half or continue to face the state going forward, particularly with uncertain federal decisions or the impact of H.R. 1 in 2027. In addition, budget writers point to increases of $400 million more in demand for state services in what is called the “maintenance level budget,” which dips into some of the increases. But it will bring into question why lawmakers would continue to pursue cuts to the state’s most vulnerable and evidence-based programs in the name of fiscal austerity.
To that end, House and Senate Democrats released their 2026 supplemental operating budgets on Sunday at 4 PM; it was a quick scramble to read through and digest the implications, but a quick overview is below. The Senate operating budget proposes more than $144 million in cuts to K-12 education, while the House operating budget proposes over $87 million.
The House Appropriations Committee and Senate Ways & Means committees will hear testimony on the proposals at 4 PM public hearings today. The shared plan is to vote the operating budgets (HB 2289 and SB 5998) out of their respective committees on Wednesday, February 25th. Then the Senate plans to vote on the draft budget during its Friday floor action. The House will “catch” the operating budget “on the fly,” and will take it up on the floor Saturday, February 28th without the need for a hearing, meaning the House will substitute their operating budget into the Senate bill. After SB 5998 returns to the Senate, a conference committee will be convened, and the negotiating teams will go to work to bring an agreed upon budget to the House and Senate in the final days of session.
The proposed 2026 capital budgets will be released at noon today by the House capital budget writers, and at 3 PM by the Senate capital budget writers. The bills will be heard in the House Capital Budget at 8 AM on Tuesday, February 24th and by the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4 PM. Votes will take place on the 26th in the House fiscal committee at 8 AM and in the Senate fiscal committee at 4 PM.
Finally, proposed 2026 transportation budgets are following the same dates and times as the Ways & Means and Appropriations committees.
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Click here for Marie’s comprehensive bill tracker and details report for Week 7 of the 2026 Legislative Session.
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Budget Reviews
2026 Supplemental Operating Budget
|
What |
House Proposed |
Senate Proposed |
Senate/House through 6/30/29 or comments |
|
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|
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|
|
Transition to Kindergarten |
($18.970 million) |
($39.015 million) |
Senate 4-year: ($142 million) House 4-year: ($69 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bus depreciation |
($21.105 million) |
($21.105 million) |
Senate 4-year: ($63.3 million) House 4-year: ($63.3 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Federal Bus Grants depreciation adjustment |
($4.65 million) |
|
House 4-year: ($13.95 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Local Effort Assistance
|
($25.09 million) |
($59.081 million) |
Senate 4-year: ($107.4 million) House 4-year: ($45.62 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Running Start |
($14 million) |
($14 million) |
Senate 4-year: ($44.4 million) House 4-year: ($44.4 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Retiree Healthcare Subsidy (SEBB) |
|
($8.213 million) |
Senate 4-year: (29.276 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other cuts – Senate |
|
($3.312 million) |
Senate 4-year: ($8.636 million) |
|
Other cuts – House |
($2.3 million) |
|
BEST, Leadership Academy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LEA Online Enrollment Cap |
($1.7 million) |
|
House 4-year: ($7.3 million) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charter School Enrichment |
|
$7.462 million |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foster Youth – Treehouse |
$3.5 million |
$3.5 million |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Community Eligibility Provision (school meals) |
|
$3.289 million |
|
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AP Exam Fees |
|
$2 million |
|
|
|
|
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|
|
High School & Beyond Plan Support |
$279,000 |
$1.834 million |
House would withhold 1.9% of MSOC for grades 9-12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
9th Grade Success Program |
$1.5 million |
$1.5 million |
|
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|
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|
|
|
Dual Language Grants |
$1.5 million |
$1.0 million |
|
|
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Truancy Funding |
$1.4 million |
|
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|
|
|
|
|
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Homeless Student Support |
$1.2 million |
$1.2 million |
|
|
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Imagination Library |
|
$1.017 million |
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Other budget items or details |
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Federal Title II, part A |
$1 million |
|
House authorizes use of Federal Title II (professional development) for isolation and restraint pilot programs or for trauma-informed PD as defined by ESHB 1795. |
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MSOC grades 9-12 – High School and Beyond Plan online, universal platform |
1.9% holdback |
|
House allows OSPI to withhold 1.9% from the MSOC 9-12 for the online, universal HSBP platform. |
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Board of Health rules |
New rules would go into effect after the start of the fiscal year following the next legislative session after the rules are adopted. |
Allows Phase 1 of the new rules to be implemented with no direct appropriation. |
Sec. 221, Department of Health |
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School District exemptions from ESSB 5814 (2025) |
|
$15.2 million FY27 |
Senate 4-year: $33.7 million |
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In addition to this week being a busy budget week, Wednesday, February 25th also is the date by which bills from the opposite chamber must pass out of policy committees. And March 2nd will be the final date for bills to pass out of fiscal committees in the opposite chamber. With a March 12th date, we have 16 days left in the regular session.
What’s happening with WSPTA’s Top 5 Priorities?
Addressing the Student Mental Health Crisis
2SHB 1634 would create a framework to provide school districts and public schools with assistance in supporting student behavioral health. The bill passed the House and is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on Tuesday, February 24th with a vote on February 25th.
HB 2429 passed the House unanimously. The bill extends the Children and Youth Behavioral Work Group two years to December 30, 2031, and would have the governor, subject to the availability of funds, maintain an executive coordination officer for the Children and Youth system of care. The bill was heard in the Senate Human Services Committee last week and is scheduled for executive action on February 24th at 1:30 PM.
Supporting Funding, Inclusion and Supports in Special Education
SHB 1795, addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs, was heard in the Senate education committee on February 19th and is scheduled for executive action on Wednesday, February 25th.
SHB 2557 would require a school district to provide the student’s parent or guardian with a copy of the special education evaluation report no later than the 35th school day following receipt of consent to evaluate the student, unless an exception applies or the parent or guardian provides a written waiver. The bill is also scheduled for executive action on February 25th.
Preventing and Reducing Gun Violence and Suicide
HB 2320 would regulate firearms from 3D printers, computer numerical control milling machines, or digital firearm manufacturing code. The bill passed the House floor and was heard in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on February 20th. It is scheduled for a vote in committee on February 23rd at 10:30 AM.
Unfortunately the clock ran out last week on HB 1152, which would have established secure storage requirements for firearms in vehicles and residences. The bill is dead for this session.
Other bills we’re watching
- Bills to address last year’s extension of sales taxes on services to school districts and non-profit organizations are still active in the House and Senate. As amended on the Senate floor last week, ESSB 6113 would specifically exempt services provided by a public agency to another public agency when an interlocal agreement is in place. The bill has been referred to the House Finance Committee and is scheduled for a public hearing on Friday, February 27th at 8 AM.
In addition, SB 6351 would exempt elementary and secondary schools from sales tax on services. The bill had a public hearing last week in the Senate Ways & Means Committee; prior to the hearing committee chair June Robinson said that since everyone was signed in as Pro not to “love the bill to death.” Testifiers requested that the bill be amended to clarify that the purchase of services by school districts, schools and ESDs would be exempt, rather than just schools, to ensure a full exemption. Bill sponsor Sen. Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground, said the amendment had been drafted and would be used when the bill comes up for a vote.
The companion to ESSB 6113 is SHB 2257. This was the first of the bills to exempt school districts and ESDs from the tax imposed by a bill adopted last session (SB 5814). The bill also would exempt non-profit organizations, like WSPTA, from live presentations. The bill died in the House Rules Committee. However, the House proposed operating budget did not show any exemptions for school districts or organizations, per SHB 2257. Chair April Berg, D-Mill Creek, said the estimated cost of her bill over the next three and half years was $138 million.
- ESHB 1295 would require that updated or newly adopted literacy curricula for K-4 graders be evidence-aligned and informed, aligned with the state learning standard in ELA, part of a comprehensive literacy program, and consistent with revised teacher endorsement standards under the act, beginning in 2027. It also would require teachers endorsed with literacy-related competencies to complete a minimum of 10% of their continuing education in evidence-informed literacy instruction when renewing their teaching certificates, beginning in 2030. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on Tuesday, February 24th and scheduled for a vote on February 25th.
- ESSB 5984 and ESHB 2225 would regulate AI companion chatbots. Because there was a Senate companion bill, the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee didn’t hold a public hearing on the House bill and just passed it out of committee on Friday, February 20th without changes.
ESSB 5984 was heard in the House Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee last Friday and is scheduled for a vote on February 24th.
The bills are at the request of Governor Bob Ferguson and include some amendments offered by Washington State PTA.
- SHB 2594 would codify the federal McKinney-Vento law into state law. Much of what the bill does is already practiced or required in state law. The bill was heard in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee last week and is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, February 24th.
- The Senate education committee also voted two companion bills out of the policy committee last week: SHB 2360 – expanding access to albuterol – and ESHB 2534 – promoting educational stability for children of military families. Both bills have passed to the Senate Rules Committee.
- Last Monday, the Senate passed SB 6346 , informally called the “millionaire’s tax,” by a vote of 27-22 (with 3 Democrats voting with all 19 Republicans). The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing in the House Finance Committee on February 24th at 8 AM, and scheduled for committee vote on February 27th, also at 8 AM.
- The House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee held a public hearing last Friday on SB 5906. The bill would prohibit immigration enforcement officers from entering nonpublic areas of schools, early learning facilities, and other locations without a judicial warrant or court order.
Bills that failed to pass by the Chamber of Origin cutoff
The following bills didn’t meet the February 17th deadline to pass off of the floor from the Chamber in which they started:
- HB 1152 would have established secure storage requirements for firearms in vehicles and residences.
- HB 1289 would have required school districts to survey parents who enroll or disenroll in a school; would have required the ESDs to develop the form and post to their website.
- HB 1683 would have adjusted school director districts.
- HB 1834 would have related to protecting minors from online services.
- HB 2007 would have expanded graduation pathways to include competency-based assessments.
- HB 2262 would have required high school civics class teachers to instruct students on writing a legible signature and to have required to teach the history of marginalization of persons and their signatures.
- HB 2365 would have addressed the state’s Digital Equity Plan.
- HB 2438 would have used GET funds to establish an Early Education Degree Seekers scholarship.
- HB 2489 would have prohibited cities and counties from enforcing ordinances that regulated people seeking shelter on public lands, including school district grounds.
- HB 2593 would have created a minimum fund balance requirement and other fiscal requirements.
- HB 2597 would have created remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement.
- HB 2661 would have established a legislative task force on Public Records Act modernization with eight voting members and four non-voting legislative members.
- SB 5534 and SB 5962 would have said spring blade knives were not dangerous weapons.
- SB 5574 would have required school districts to provide instruction on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander history, as well as other ethnicities, when the social studies or history learning standards were next updated.
- SB 5637 would have promoted student access to information about media literacy and civic education.
- SB 5762 would have increased the statewide 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention line tax.
- SB 5860 would have adjusted school board compensation.
- SB 5861 would have adjusted school director districts.
- SB 5951 would have allowed school district impact fees to be used by a district in times of financial distress or binding conditions.
- SB 5952 would have required a school district to accept a student’s waiver of PE credit in situations where the student has gotten the waiver from another school district and transfers in.
- SB 6052 would have established a statewide digital transcript data-sharing environment.
- SB 6089 would have established a task force on setting goals for the P-20 system, using philanthropic money to support the work of the group.
- SB 6130 would have moved the National Voter Registration Day from January to September and modified requirements for the January Good Citizen/Temperance Day events.
- SB 6263 would have updated school district public bid limits from $40,000 to $75,000.
Initiatives – will go directly to the voters in November
- HI IL26-001/SI IL26-001 – parent’s rights/schools
- HI IL26-638/SI IL26-638 – K-12 athletics participation
Advocacy in Action
- WSPTA President Tori Emerson testified in the Senate Ways & Means Committee in support of SB 6351, exempting school districts from the sales tax extension to services adopted by the Legislature last session. During the February 19th hearing, Tori thanked members for the bill and then asked that it be amended to include a provision that excluded live presentations for non-profit organizations, similar to what was adopted in SHB 2257 in the House. Listen to Tori here.
- Holly Muenchow, a member of the WSPTA Advocacy Committee, waited nearly four hours to testify against SSB 6260. Holly planned to raise issues with proposed cuts to Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) and the Running Start FTE and gimmicks that would extend bus depreciation payments by another two years. Thank you, Holly, for your dedication!
- On Friday, February 20th, WSPTA Advocacy Committee member Danica Noble testified Pro on ESSB 5984, regulating AI Companion Chatbots. Danica requested an amendment to address chatbots used exclusively for educational purposes and instruction. Danica’s testimony can be heard here.
- Also on Friday, WSPTA Advocacy Committee member Shannon Mayo testified in favor of ESHB 2320, relating to the prohibition of “ghost guns.” Shannon shared with Senate Law & Justice Committee members the importance of taking steps to control these untraceable firearms and shared sobering data about gun deaths and youth. Listen to Shannon here.
- Like Holly, long-time advocate and Regional 6 director Natalya Yudkovsky waited her turn to testify on behalf of WSPTA on Friday, February 20th in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee in favor of ESSB 5906. The bill would prohibit federal law enforcement from entering non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, hospitals and more for the purposes of immigration enforcement. It also would protect data from being collected or shared regarding a student’s or their family’s immigration status. Unfortunately, the committee ran out of time but thank you to Natalya for your willingness to testify!
The Week Ahead
February 25th is the deadline for bills to pass out of the opposite chamber’s policy committees. Attention on the 26th will turn to fiscal committees, which have a deadline of March 2nd to pass out of fiscal committees.
The exceptions to this rule are bills considered “Necessary to Implement the Budget” or NTIB. Typically, these are bills that raise revenues, save the state money, or are bills that must pass both chambers to implement budget proposals. Of course, the Legislature can resurrect bills or change deadlines, so we’ll be keeping our eyes open for bills that have died to be brought back into discussions.
Here is next week’s schedule (subject to change) of “public hearings” – check the Week 7 bill tracker for a complete list of bills up next week. All hearings can be viewed on TVW:
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/23 @ 4:00pm
- HB 2289– Public Hearing – Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
Transportation (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 2/23 @ 4:00pm
- HB 2306– Public Hearing – Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/23 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5998– Public Hearing – Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 2/24 @ 8:00am
- HB 2295– Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/24 @ 8:00am
- ESHB 1295– Public Hearing – Using evidence-based instructional practices in reading and writing literacy for public elementary students. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support)
- E3SHB 1634– Public Hearing – Providing school districts and public schools with assistance to coordinate comprehensive behavioral health supports for students. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support)
Finance (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/24 @ 8:00am
- ESSB 6346– Public Hearing – Establishing a tax on millionaires. (Remote Testimony Available).
Civil Rights & Judiciary (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/24 @ 10:30am
- E2SSB 6239– Public Hearing – Requiring arbitration for tort claims against the state of Washington and its subdivisions. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Establishing a process for adjudicating tort claims against the state of Washington and its political subdivisions.) (Remote Testimony Available).
State Government & Tribal Relations (House) – HHR E and Virtual JLOB – 2/24 @ 1:30pm
- SSB 6049– Public Hearing – Protecting student and employee information from public disclosure. (Remote Testimony Available).
Transportation (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/24 @ 4:00pm
- SB 6005– Public Hearing – Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 6354– Public Hearing – Advancing transportation electrification by expanding access to electric vehicles already being sold in Washington and increasing associated funding. (Remote Testimony Available).
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/24 @ 4:00pm
- SB 6003– Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget.
- E2SHB 2251– Public Hearing – Concerning climate commitment act accounts. (Remote Testimony Available).
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 2/26 @ 8:00am
- SSB 5901– Public Hearing – Providing school construction assistance program facilities support for on-base schools. (Remote Testimony Available).
Finance (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/26 @ 8:00am
- ESB 6347– Public Hearing – Undoing the recent changes to the estate tax. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Undoing certain changes to the estate tax.) (Remote Testimony Available).
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/26 @ 1:30pm
- ESHB 2442– Public Hearing – Providing local governments tax resources and fund flexibility. (Remote Testimony Available).
Finance (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/27 @ 8:00am