Contact Us
Legislative Reports
2024: CVSO Program / Peer Support Services
The 2026 Legislative Session began on January 12, 2026. Below are lists of bills that may impact Veterans, Families or Military Members. (This list is not an endorsement of any proposal by WDVA.)
Visit https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ for more detailed bill information. To watch committee hearings, visit Home - TVW.
| Bill Number | Title | Sponsor (Combined) | Status | Bill Summary | Hearing Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 1073 | National guard retention | (Leavitt) | S State Gov/Trib | Creates a Washington National Guard retention program. Directs the Adjutant General to study retention needs, determine eligibility criteria, and determine the amount and schedule of retention bonuses. Requires the Military Department to report on retention needs and recommendations every three years. |
Feb 6, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Appropriations at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Appropriations at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| 2ESHB 1541 | Veterans affairs adv. comm. | TEDV(Abell) | S Rules 2 | Modifies the membership of the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee. |
Feb 3, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 16, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 8:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SHB 2088 | Dietitian licensure compact | PEW(Leavitt) | S Health & Long-T | Enacts the Dietician Licensure Compact. |
Jan 27, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 19, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2135 | Adaptive housing tax pref. | (Barnard) | H Rules R | Increases the individual lifetime cap for the disabled veteran adaptive housing preference to $5,000 and extends the tax preference to Jan 1, 2038. |
Jan 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Finance at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Jan 29, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Finance at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2417 | Military code/victim rights | (Keaton) | S State Gov/Trib | Changing the Washington code of military justice so that it includes certain protections for victims of an offense while serving within the organized militia (including the WA National Guard). |
Feb 16, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 8:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2470 | On-base school construction | (Leavitt) | H Rules R |
Providing school construction assistance program facilities support for on-base schools. |
Jan 29, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Capital Budget at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 6, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2514 | War on terror memorial | (Abell) | H Rules R | Establishing a global war on terror memorial on the capitol campus. |
Feb 6, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| ESHB 2534 | Military families/education | ED(Shavers) | S Rules 2 | Makes changes to school district requirements for enrolling children of military families, transferring their education records, and providing them with services and accommodations |
Feb 2, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Education at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 18, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HJM 4012 | Supporting combat-injured veterans. | (Penner) | H 2nd Reading | HJM 4012 Washington State Legislature Expressing support for Congressional action on the Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102 amending Title 10 of the United States Code. The Act will prioritize the nation's moral obligation to all combat-injured veterans and provide our veterans with full concurrent receipt, regardless of their years of service. |
||
| E2SSB 5098 | Weapons in certain areas | TRAN(Valdez) | H Civil R & Judi | Prohibits weapons at certain park facilities where children are likely to be present, certain state or local public buildings, and county fairs when the fair is open to the public. Requires facilities where weapons are prohibited to, as soon as practicable, post signage at common public access points alerting the public to the prohibitions. The prohibition against carrying weapons at libraries, certain zoos and aquariums, and transit stations and facilities do not apply to persons who maintain a valid concealed pistol license, or the activities of color guards and honor guards related to burial or interment ceremonies. |
Apr 4, 2025 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Appropriations at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Apr 7, 2025 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Appropriations at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5420 | Veteran benefits access | (Lovick) | H Tech, Econ Dev | Ensuring access to state benefits and opportunities for veterans, uniformed service members, and military spouses. |
Feb 18, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5827 | Veterans/discharge def. | (Gildon) | S subst for | Allows an individual to provide a predischarge certification to claim the veterans' civil service preference. |
Feb 2, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5901 | On-base school construction | (Christian) | S subst for |
Providing school construction assistance program facilities support for on-base schools. |
Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 26, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5907 | ECEAP access/military | (Nobles) | S 2nd Reading | Allows children who would not otherwise qualify for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) to enroll in the program when they have a parent who is a military member and are from a household meeting certain financial eligibility criteria. Includes factors affecting households with a military member parent in the prioritization system for enrollment in available funded ECEAP slots. |
Jan 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Jan 29, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5954 | Vet. survivor tuition waiver | (Wagoner) | S 2nd Reading | Concerning veteran survivor tuition waiver eligibility and aligning with federal law to include eligibility beyond age 26 in some situations. |
Feb 2, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| 2SSB 6035 | Voting services | WM(Kauffman) | H State Govt & Tr | Directs county auditors to schedule meetings with federally recognized Indian tribes to discuss the details of the next regularly scheduled election cycle. Authorizes the Secretary of State to employ an electronic ballot portal for service voters, overseas voters, disabled voters, and any elector who is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and resides on an Indian reservation. |
Feb 25, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House State Government & Tribal Relations at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 6046 | Civil air patrol | (Wagoner) | H Tech, Econ Dev | Establishing the Washington division of civil air patrol as part of the Washington military department. |
Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 25, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
| Bill Number | Title | Sponsor (Combined) | Status | Bill Summary | Hearing Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHB 2152 | Cannabis/health facilities | HCW(Kloba) | S Health & Long-T | Permitting the medical use of cannabis by qualifying patients in specified health care facilities. |
Feb 19, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2264 | Unemployment ins./layoffs | (Berry) | S Labor & Comm | Allows a person to access unemployment insurance benefits when voluntarily participating in an employer-initiated layoff or reduction in force plan so long as their termination is the result of the plan. |
Feb 23, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2281 | State-tribal relationship | (Stearns) | H Rules X | Requires the government-to-government consultation process between a state agency and an Indian tribe to be mutually agreed upon. Requires state agencies to provide timely notice to and engage in consent-based consultation with an Indian tribe whose tribal traditional cultural place may be affected by an agency action. Provides an Indian tribe with a cause of action against any state agency that imposes an undue burden or interferes with the tribe's exercise of traditional cultural practices on a tribal traditional cultural place. |
Feb 6, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 9, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2289 | Operating budget, supp. | (Ormsby) | H Approps | Feb 23, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Appropriations at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 25, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Appropriations at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
||
| HB 2295 | Capital budget, supplemental | (Tharinger) | H Cap Budget | Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 26, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Capital Budget at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
||
| SHB 2411 | Shared leave | SGOV(Salahuddin) | S State Gov/Trib | Expands the types of events that qualify a state employee for the leave sharing program to include employees who are victims of a hate crime and employees whose absence from work is due to the involvement of that employee or that employee's relative or household member in an immigration enforcement action. |
Feb 16, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 8:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SHB 2420 | Small works roster limits | CB(Zahn) | S State Gov/Trib | Increasing small works roster contract limits. |
Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2425 | Nursing delegation | (Thai) | H Rules R | Removes setting specific and medication specific requirements and restrictions on nurse delegation. Expands liability and retaliation protections for nursing assistants and home care aids performing delegated tasks. Requires the Board of Nursing to adopt rules by July 1, 2028, to address appropriate nurse delegation parameters. |
Jan 21, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Health Care & Wellness at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Jan 30, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2475 | Language access | (Ortiz-Self) | H subst for | Requires the Office of Equity (Office) to, by December 1, 2027, develop uniform guidelines for state agencies to provide for consistent delivery of language accessible public programs, activities, and services in a manner that meets the needs of its participants. Requires state agencies to, within existing resources, adhere to the guidelines established by the Office. Requires the Office to, by December 1, 2027, collaborate with certain groups to develop a proposal for addressing the statewide shortage of qualified spoken and sign language interpreters and translators. |
Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SHB 2492 | Apprenticeships/wellness | LAWS(Nance) | S Labor & Comm | Requires state registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades to provide apprentices with at least two hours of behavioral health and wellness training |
Jan 30, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| HB 2637 | PRA/personal information | (Gregerson) | H subst for | Safeguarding personal information entrusted to agencies that is of no legitimate concern to the public. |
Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| E2SSB 5061 | Public works wages | TRAN(Conway) | H Labor & Workpla | Requires public works contracts to adjust minimum hourly wages annually based on the latest prevailing wages. |
Feb 18, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards at 8:00 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 20, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
|
| SB 5998 | Operating budget, supp. | (Robinson) | S Ways & Means | Feb 23, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 25, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
||
| SB 6003 | Capital budget, supplemental | (Trudeau) | S Ways & Means | Feb 24, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 4:00 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 26, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Ways & Means at 1:30 PM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
||
| SB 6282 | Apprenticeships/wellness | (Nobles) | S 2nd Reading | Requires state registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades to provide apprentices with at least two hours of behavioral health and wellness training |
Feb 2, 2026 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. Feb 3, 2026 Scheduled for executive hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM in anticipation of other legislative action. |
Watch Legislative Hearings live on TVW!
Legislative Updates: