Housing Advocate & FAN Eastern WA Regional Organizer Brianna Dilts testifies for HB 1859 in the House Finance Committee. You can also watch the Senate testimony which included city leaders, pastors, and developers starting at 37:20. Look for our bill tracker on our website in the coming days to stay up to date on all our bills!
Take Action!
Next week includes several important hearings advancing economic justice, climate and environmental justice, carceral reform, civil liberties, and housing justice—all core priorities of Faith Action Network. Please be sure to sign in at least one hour before each hearing.
If there are bills in our Legislative Agenda that mean a lot to you, whether or not they have a hearing yet, please consider writing a comment about its importance to you or your faith community to your legislators. You can do this by going to leg.wa.gov, searching for the relevant bill under “find a bill or initiative,” and then click on “Send a comment to your legislators.” We can help shape the process of attracting attention to bills!
HB 2100 (Scott)– Washington Well Fund
Creates a new dedicated funding stream for the Washington Well Fund, supporting health care access and basic needs through progressive revenue. This bill advances FAN’s commitment to a moral budget that protects vulnerable communities during a projected budget shortfall.
January 22 @ 1:30 PM in the House Committee on Finance.Sign in PRO here
HB 2266 (Peterson) – Encouraging permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and indoor emergency shelters. Sign in Pro Here
HB 2515 (Doglio) / SB 6171 (Shewmake) – Data Center Climate & Environmental Justice Protections
Responds to the rapid expansion of large data centers by establishing standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage energy and water use, and prevent disproportionate environmental harms to overburdened and frontline communities—ensuring technology growth aligns with Washington’s climate and environmental justice goals.
January 22 @ 8:00 AM in the House Committee on Environment & Energy. Sign in PRO here
January 23 @ 10:30 AM in the Senate Environment & Technology Committee. Sign in PRO here
Our environmental partners are also asking us to pack the hearing room on the 22nd! Please let Elizabeth (dickinson@fanwa.org) know if you might be able to present in person in Olympia or online.
HB 2102 (Reed) Legal Financial Obligations (LFO) Reform
Reduces the burden of court-imposed fines and fees that disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color, increasing access to relief from legal debt and supporting more equitable justice outcomes.
January 20 @ 10:30 AM in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. Sign in PRO here
HB 2332 (Salahuddin)/SB 6002 (Trudeau) Regulating the Use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR)
Protects civil liberties by regulating how public agencies collect, use, and share ALPR data—helping prevent surveillance abuses that disproportionately impact immigrant communities and communities of color.
January 20 @ 10:30 AM in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. Sign in PRO here
January 20 @ 8:00 AM in the Senate Law & Justice Committee. Sign in PRO here
HB 2489 Preventing the Criminalization of Homelessness
Prohibits local jurisdictions from criminalizing life-sustaining activities such as sleeping or resting in public when adequate shelter is not available, and redirects resources away from punishment and toward services and housing solutions. This bill reflects FAN’s belief that housing is a human right and that poverty should never be treated as a crime.
January 20, 2026 @ 4:00 PM in the House Committee on Housing.
Sign in PRO here
Week 1 Recap
Week 1 Short Session, Serious Choices
Governor Bob Ferguson opened the 60-day session with a State of the State grounded in affordability, accountability, and fairness while being candid about the fiscal reality facing Washington. This short session is focused on supplemental budgets, which adjust last year’s biennial budget to reflect updated revenue forecasts, caseload changes, and urgent needs.
The challenge is significant with a $2.3 billion dollar shortfall. The governor has proposed using approximately $1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund, alongside nearly $800 million in agency-level cuts and $569 million from Climate Commitment Act, to help close the gap. As always, FAN will advocate for a moral budget and address Washington’s upside-down tax system to maintain essential public services like healthcare, food security, and housing.
This week, FAN showed up repeatedly to speak to the values at stake behind the bills:
- SB 5885 / HB 1859 — Faith lands for affordable housing: These bills expand the ability of religious organizations to develop affordable housing on underutilized land. They connect faith-rooted stewardship with real solutions to the housing crisis. Deep appreciation to Brianna Dilts (Spokane), FAN organizer, whose testimony on HB 1859 powerfully reflected the multifaith statewide grassroots leadership driving this effort from Spokane to Tacoma. HB 1859/SB 5885 enables an increased density bonus and sales tax exemption for any housing development located on property owned or controlled by a religious organization where 50%+ of units serve low-income households.
- SB 5855 & HB 2173 “No masks” concerning facial coverings for law enforcement. FAN testified in both Senate and House hearings on legislation requiring law enforcement officers to be identifiable while performing public duties. These bills are about transparency, public trust, and preventing abuse of authority especially for immigrant communities and communities of color, where anonymity paired with enforcement power creates fear and confusion.
- HB 2281 Tribal Traditional Cultural Places & Practices Protection strengthens Washington’s government-to-government relationship with tribes by expanding and formalizing protections for tribal traditional cultural places and practices.
- HB 2105 Immigrant Worker Protection Act requires employers to notify workers when federal officials request employment eligibility information and prohibits employers from voluntarily granting immigration agents access to non-public areas of a workplace without a warrant. This bill helps ensure dignity, stability, and due process for immigrant workers – protecting communities from fear and disruption while upholding the rule of law.
SB 5794 Law Enforcement Leaders Standards
FAN also testified on SB 5974, legislation that modernizes standards for sheriffs and senior law enforcement leadership. The bill is grounded in a straightforward principle: those who lead must be held to the same — or higher — standards as those they command. While deputies are required to follow strict professional, ethical, and constitutional rules, accountability for top leadership has historically been inconsistent. SB 5974 closes that gap and also clarifies expectations around the use of volunteers and reserve personnel, ensuring that anyone operating under a sheriff’s authority is subject to clear standards, oversight, and lawful conduct. Importantly, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Lovick, brings more than 40 years of experience as a former sheriff and Washington State Patrol officer — reinforcing that this legislation is about professionalism and public trust, not politics.
This week offered a stark illustration of why SB 5974 alongside HB 2173 are necessary now, not later.
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank delivered testimony before the Legislature that many experienced as outrageous and deeply unsettling. He questioned the authority of lawmakers, suggested mass confrontation, and crossed the line from policy disagreement into intimidation. On the very same day, he amplified inflammatory social media rhetoric tied to violence in Minneapolis, hoping the same thing happens in Seattle or Tacoma and asserting that if the no-masks bill passes, he would encourage officers to wear masks anyway.
The seriousness of this conduct was underscored when the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) publicly rebuked Swank and announced it was considering expelling him from the organization — an extraordinary step that speaks volumes about how far outside professional norms his behavior has fallen.
Taken together, these words and actions were not merely inappropriate, they were a real-time demonstration of what happens when leadership operates without guardrails. When a law enforcement leader behaves in ways their own deputies would likely be disciplined for, public trust erodes and democratic institutions are put at risk. This is precisely why SB 5974’s leadership accountability provisions and HB 2173’s No Masks transparency requirements must pass this year. These bills affirm a fundamental democratic truth: power is never absolute — it carries responsibility, demands accountability, and requires transparency.
Take Action-Rein in ICE, Reject Increased Funding
This week FAN joined over 500 Civil and Human Rights Organizations across the country to send this letter to urge Congress to “Rein in ICE, Reject Increased Funding“.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray is a ranking member on the Senate Committee of Appropriations and Subcommittee on Homeland Security. As Congress faces a January 30th deadline for government passing annual appropriations bills, join FAN and our coalition partners in calling Senator Murray (202) 224-2621 to amplify this message. We are urging Senator Murray to:
1) Refuse increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol
2) Demand that any appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security restrains and requires accountability from immigration enforcement agencies.
Thank you for your advocacy!
Register for IFAD 2026
Register for Upcoming Advocacy Events
Please also save the date for these upcoming FAN Pre-IFAD Policy Briefings (More to be announced):
Wednesday, January 28th, 6:30-7:30 pm
Pre-IFAD Criminal Justice Reform and Police Accountability Policy Briefing (Zoom)
Tuesday, February 10th, 6:30-7:30 pm
Pre-IFAD Housing & Homelessness Policy Briefing (Zoom)
More Advocacy Events You to Sign Up For:
Monday, February 16th, 9:00am-4:00 pm, CAIR Washington, Muslim Day at the Capitol
2026 Yakima Advocacy Day: Justice for the Health & Wholeness of our Valley
Join Between the Ridges, FAN, and Yakima Valley advocacy groups on Saturday, January 24 (9 AM – 3 PM) at Englewood Christian Church (511 N 44th Ave.) to learn how community members are advancing environmental justice, healthcare equity, immigration solidarity, food security, and solutions to homelessness. FAN’s Policy & Engagement Director, Kritin Ang, will be presenting FAN’s legislative agenda and it will be a great opportunity to connect and organize with local advocates. Learn more here and register here!
Consider Joining These Dr. MLK Jr Day Events!
Consider Joining the Eastern WA Legislative Conference!
Saturday, January 31, 8:30am-3:30 pm, Eastern Washington Legislative Conference, at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church (Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N Raymond Rd, Spokane Valley WA, 99206)
For years, we have cosponsored the Eastern Washington Legislative Conference with the Fig Tree, Catholic Charities & the Washington State Catholic Conference, the Spokane NAACP, and many other amazing organizations. We are excited to again be a part of this event. This year’s theme is “We Shall Overcome: Building the Beloved Community Today.” The event will feature music for advocacy, reflections from faith leaders, a young adult activists panel, issue workshops, and more. At the event, you can learn more about our legislative agenda and how to take action from Kristin Ang, our Policy Engagement Director, who will be joining in person. Register here.
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