Our 2026 Legislative Agenda
Each year, we shape our legislative priorities alongside our coalition partners, statewide network, FAN Policy Committee, and FAN Governing Board. This year, we also introduced a survey to help inform our priorities. We hope to make this a routine part of our interim process. In fall 2025, nearly three-quarters of advocates who responded to the survey said that our social safety net, housing and homelessness, and immigrant and refugee rights are the issues most important to them and their communities. In addition, over half of the respondents said that healthcare and environmental justice were issues that were most important issues to them.
We know that this year is going to be another budget fight, and we will continue to fight for the health, safety, and rights of all our community members, regardless of status. We seek to advocate for and implement policies that advance our values grounded in faith and spirituality: belonging and human dignity, justice and equity, interconnectedness, collaboration, and pluralism. Please join us in advocating with our faith this legislative session!
You can share and download our 2026 Legislative Agenda here.
In the 2026 legislative session we will work together to:
PURSUE ECONOMIC JUSTICE AND ENSURE BASIC NEEDS
Care for the vulnerable and marginalized is a central tenet of our shared spiritual traditions. No one should go without necessities like food, housing and health care that enable people to cherish the gift of life. We also believe that our communities are at their best when everyone contributes equitably to the common good.
• Support Progressive Revenue: To achieve vibrant communities and healthy ecosystems, we need a revenue system that is stable, equitable, and reflects what our economy is really like in the 21st century. We
will be supporting the payroll expense tax to fund the Well Washington Fund (HB 2100 Scott) and the emerging millionaires’ tax.
• Pass a “Moral” budget: Preserve safety net and health programs in the face of a predicted $400 million shortfall in the 2025-2027 budget. Includes maintaining the food security budget, assistance to immigrant
and refugee communities, and addressing health care affordability impacts from federal law. (Budget)
• Create a statewide energy assistance program for low-income households. (HB 1903 Mena)
• Expand opportunities for Affordable Housing Developments: Enables 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 (HB 1859 Salahuddin/SB 5885 Riccelli)
• Maintain a Strong Housing Budget: Funding for Housing Trust Fund; Additional $3 million for evictions defense program to maintain number of lawyers (Budget)
• Prevent local governments from denying or delaying permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, or emergency shelter projects based on zoning. This bill strengthens statewide efforts to
expand urgently needed housing and shelter options. (HB 2266 Peterson/SB 6069 Alvarado)
DEFEND and ADVANCE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS
Our diverse faith traditions emphasize that welcoming the stranger, offering hospitality, and loving our neighbor are sacred duties. We believe that everyone who calls Washington home should be treated with dignity and respect, and that all residents should have access to the essential services they need, regardless of their immigration status.
• Preserve Immigrant Health Equity: Advocate for full funding of the Apple Health Expansion Program to provide health coverage to all eligible low-income immigrant and refugee community members (Budget)
• Immigrant Worker Protection Act: would require employers to notify workers whenever federal officials request their employment eligibility information; also ensures employers may not voluntarily give
immigration agents access to non-public business premises without a warrant. (HB 2105 Ortiz-Self/SB 5852
Saldaña)
• Ban law enforcement officer masking: would ban state and federal law enforcement officers from wearing face-concealing masks in routine public interactions, ensuring greater accountability.
(HB 2173 Cortes/SB 5855 Valdez)
• Budget Proviso for Deportation Defense Hotline (Budget)
CULTIVATE CLIMATE and ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Spiritual and wisdom traditions teach us that we are interconnected with—and must care for—the earth and all living beings. We aspire to preserve our shared home, resilient ecosystems and a livable climate, and to seek health for indigenous, low-income and communities of color who are most impacted by pollution and climate change.
• Defend Washington’s climate investments in the Climate Commitment Act threatened with cuts and diversions during this year of budget shortfall. (Budget)
• Support full funding to the Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience Account at $125 million each biennium. (Budget)
• Address the climate impact of data centers by requiring that Washington’s 100% clean electricity law, the Clean Energy Transformation Act, will apply to data centers. Will also close other loopholes.
(HB 2245 Doglio/SB 5982 Hunt)
• CURB Pollution: Adds an environmental justice element and checklist to the State Environmental Policy Act, ensuring that the environmental review process fully considers a project’s potential adverse impacts to
communities that are already facing high pollution and health disparities. (HB 1303 Mena/SB 5380 Lovelett)
REFORM OUR CARCERAL SYSTEM & STRENGTHEN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
With a vision of transformation and mutual restoration over punishment, we strive towards carceral reform and police accountability policies that create safety for all. We believe that no one is disposable and that nobody
is free until all are free.
• Fair Score Act: Allows people in total confinement to be resentenced if their original sentence was increased by juvenile convictions that are no longer counted under current law, creating a presumption in favor of resentencing. (HB 1274 Stearns/SB 5715 Kauffman)
• Relieving legal financial obligations (LFOs): Pass legislation that reduces court fees and increases access to fines-and-fees debt relief for people who cannot pay and who are disproportionately harmed by legal
system debt. (HB 2102 Reed)
• Second Look Pathway for Youth: Expands second look mechanisms to people given life or long sentences before their 21st birthday through a review board. (HB1317 Hackney)
• AG Investigations and Reform Bill: Authorize the Attorney General to investigate systemic misconduct in law enforcement and corrections agencies. (HB 1056 Farivar/SB 5066 Hansen)
• Standards for Law Enforcement Leaders: Strengthens, updates, and makes consistent eligibility requirements and accountability standards for sheriffs, police chiefs and other law enforcement leaders.
(SB 5974 Lovick)
FOSTER RIGHTS, BELONGING & PLURALISM
We believe in the inherent dignity and equal value of all human beings, and the importance of community to a fulfilling life. So, we are committed to creating a state where all belong and have power to shape their communities.
• Data and public records protection for patients and providers offering gender affirming and reproductive healthcare
• Regulate how public agencies can use Automatic License Plate Readers data so that civil liberties and immigrant communities are more protected (HB 2332 Salahuddin/SB 6002 Trudeau)
• Appoint a tribal member to the Board of Natural Resources (SB 5838 Kauffman/HB 2117 Stearns)
• 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 2281 Stearns)
• Stop Criminalizing Homelessness: Prohibits local jurisdictions from criminalizing life-sustaining activities in public when adequate shelter is not available and redirects resources from punishment to service providers.
New bill to support – SB 5911 Alvarado/HB 2169 Callan
This bill would allow young people in Extended Foster Care to keep their SSI benefits.
This bill will be heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on Wednesday 1/14 at 8:00 am. Please sign-in PRO using this link: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate?selectedCommittee=28243&selectedMeeting=33602
Register for IFAD 2026 & Upcoming FAN Meetings
Please also save the date for this upcoming FAN event.
Wednesday, January 14, 6:00-7:30 pm Advocacy 101 Workshop (Zoom)
Join us for a virtual training with other advocates across the state to learn how to advocate during the legislative session.Both new advocates and returning ones seeking to refresh their knowledge are welcome. FAN staff will present some of the tools we use throughout the session, with a chance for Q&A. FAN’s legislative agenda and policies will not be discussed in depth, though we will share with you how to find more information.
Join 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.
Stay connected with our emails! Please be sure to list fan@fanwa.org as a safe sender by adding us to your contacts.
Get Social