Each legislative session, our elected officials read through and vote on thousands of bills in hopes that some will make it to the governor’s desk and be signed into law. For those of us advocating for bills that promote justice, equity, and care for our neighbors and creation, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the changes proposed by each bill.

With our coalition partners, we share these background papers, fact sheets and links. Each Issue Fact Sheet will help you understand the basics and articulate the major points when asking your legislators to consider these bills.

See FAN’s Legislative Agenda for bills FAN is supporting this year, and check out our Learn the Basics page in our Advocacy Toolkit to learn more about how to read bills and how a bill becomes a law

*Additional Fact Sheets for the 2024 Legislative Agenda will be added here as they become available.*

Promote Economic Justice

Download the Balance Our Tax Code 2024 legislative platform

  • Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) Expansion (HB 1075/SB 5249) would expand the age range of eligible households without children from 25-65 years to 18+ years.   WFTC Fact Sheet | WFTC Age Expansion Fact Sheet | WFTC 2024 Report
  • Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Projects (HB 1045) would establish pilot programs to provide extra cash to people experiencing economic insecurity. Guaranteed Basic Income Fact Sheet |  GBI Fact Sheet | Evergreen GBI Fact Sheet
  • Extreme Wealth Tax would ensure that the very wealthiest in our state pay more of their fair share through a 1% tax on financial property such as stocks and bonds, exempting their first one quarter billion dollars. Wealth Tax Fact Sheet
  • WA Future Fund (“Baby Bonds,” HB 1094/SB 5125) would counteract generational poverty by investing funds for every child born under Apple Care, to use as an adult for home ownership, education, or entrepreneurship. Washington Future Fund Fact Sheet
  • Washington Gift Card Accountability Act would apply the value of major corporate retail gift cards which are unused after three years, to the State General Fund instead of the corporations. Protections enable customers to recover the value of gift cards, which never expire in WA. WCPC Gift Card Loophole Fact Sheet
  • Employment Standards for Grocery Workers (SB 6007) would retain grocery worker jobs and protect from layoffs caused by corporate mergers. UFCW Fact Sheet

Protect and Expand the Social Safety Net

Download the 2024 Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition Legislative Agenda

  • Funding for Food Banks and Pantries to address increase in hunger in Washington. Fact Sheet
  • Healthy Free School Meals for All would increase the number of children receiving free nutritious school breakfasts and lunches by adding all elementary school students. Fact Sheet
  • Senior Nutrition Programs to Promote Health and Stability would invest $15.2m/year to help low-income seniors and people with disabilities access healthy food programs. Senior Nutrition Fact Sheet
  • Provide Summer EBT food assistance for low-income students (Budget ask, $9.6M to DSHS). Fact Sheet
  • Ensure Families on TANF Keep 100% of their Child Support Payments (HB 1652) – Fact Sheet

Address Climate Change and Environmental Justice

  • Cumulative Risk Burden Pollution Act (CURB) would require monitoring currently- unaddressed pollutants affecting health and mandate that permit applications that add cumulative pollution be denied or conditionally approved. CURB Fact Sheet
  • WA Recycling and Packaging Act (WRAP) would create graduated fees for packaging manufacturers based on how reusable, compostable, or recyclable their products are. Funds recycling services, shifts recycling costs onto manufacturers, and ensures materials are recycled. WRAP Fact Sheet | Re-WRAP Coalition Fact Sheet
  • Clean School Buses (HB 1368 + Operating Budget ask of $60.5m) would fund the transition of WA’s 10,000+ diesel school buses to electricity, helping both climate change and children’s health. Fact Sheet
  • Hold Oil Companies Accountable and Address Gas Prices. Emerging legislation to require oil industry transparency and accountability. Fact Sheet

Provide Affordable Housing

Download the Roadmap to Housing Justice

  • The Affordable Homes Act (REET 2.0) (HB 2276/SB6191) would secure a permanent funding source to increase the supply of affordable housing by creating a new real estate transfer tax on properties that sell for over $3.025 million. Fact Sheet and FAQ sheet
  • Improving housing stability for tenants (HB 2114/SB 5961) through significant reforms including a 7% annual limit and advanced notice for rent increases. Fact Sheet
  • Eviction Protection for People in Licensed Long-Term Care
  • Increased Funding to Housing Trust Fund and Homeless Services to create affordable housing and prevent cuts to essential homeless services like shelters, rapid rehousing, and transitional housing, amount TBD. Fact Sheet
  • Support WA Low-Income Housing Alliance’s commitment and other bills on their agenda to advocate for housing investments and practices that repair harm and build housing equity.

Advance Immigrant and Refugee Rights

  • Unemployment Benefits for Undocumented Workers would create a permanent separate unemployment system for undocumented workers to access benefits their labor already accrues.  Fact Sheet
  • Funding for services for newly arrived immigrants (HB 2368/SB 6245 and $25M budget proviso) would provide emergency and legal services for people who do not qualify for federal refugee programs. Budget Proviso Fact Sheet
  • Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign (Budget ask) would expand critical health insurance coverage for adults who are ineligible for federal assistance due to immigration status. Health Equity for Immigrants – WAISN 

Reform our Incarceration System

  • Solitary Confinement Reform (HB 1087) would restrict the use of solitary confinement in state correctional facilities and long-term private detention facilities. ACLU Solitary Confinement Fact Sheet
  • Reevaluating Sentencing for Emerging Adults (HB 1325/SB 5451) would allow qualifying persons serving long sentences committed prior to 25 years of age to seek review for possible release. CJR Emerging Adults Background
  • Improving Access & Removing Barriers to Jail-Based Voting (HB 1174) would require plans and procedures to ensure the right to vote for incarcerated individuals.
  • Addressing Legal Financial Obligations for those exiting prison. Legislative Advocacy – Civil Survival

Foster Public Safety and Civil Rights

  • Traffic Safety for All (HB 1513/SB 5372) would end stops for non-moving traffic violations, to reduce disproportionate impacts on communities of color. WCPA Traffic Safety For All Fact Sheet
  • AG Investigations and Reforms (HB 1445) would empower the Attorney General’s office to take action on systemic civil rights violations at law enforcement agencies. WCPA AG Investigations Reform Bill Fact Sheet
  • Independent Prosecutor (HB 1579) would create a state office to ensure fair and transparent prosecutions. Independent Prosecutor Fact Sheet
  • Nothing About Us Without Us (HB 1541/SB 5616) would ensure meaningful participation from people with direct lived experience on statutorily created or mandated state committees.
  • Support indigenous communities in WA by implementing Since Time Immemorial curriculum (HB 1332) and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & People Task Force funding requests.
  • Increase Security Grants funding for non-profits and faith communities. Nonprofit Security Grant Funding | Fight Hate WA
  • Prevent gun violence via permit-to-purchase (HB 1902/SB 6004), lost/stolen firearms (HB 1903), dealer responsibility (HB 2118), limit bulk purchases (HB 2054), and community intervention bills. 2024 Gun Responsibility Agenda
  • Bias Incidents Hotline (SB 5427) to support people impacted by hate crimes and bias incidents. Fact Sheet

Expand Access to Health Care

NAMI 2024 Legislative Priorities

  • Coordinate Regional Behavioral Crisis Response and Suicide Prevention Services/988 (SB 6251) – NAMI SB 6251 Fact Sheet
  • Increase Access to Behavioral/Mental Health Care (HB 1946) would create a Health Corps Behavioral Health Scholarship Program with graduates working in underserved area – NAMI HB 1946 Fact Sheet
  • Increase availability of youth mental health services and wrap-around support (SB 5853) creating 23-hour crisis response centers for minors, (HB 2239, & HB 1929/SB 6050) supporting student well being through social-emotional skills and supporting those following inpatient BHT, plus budget asks for youth behavioral health. NAMI SB 5853 Fact Sheet | NAMI HB 2239 Fact Sheet |  NAMI HB 1929 Fact Sheet, | NAMI Washington 2024 Budget Priorities
  • Keep Our Care Act (SB 5241/HB 1263) would ensure that health entity consolidations improve rather than harm access to affordable, quality health care in a community, including gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare. Keep Our Care Act Resource Center | ACLU of Washington