Greater Spokane Action & Greater Spokane Progress 2026 State Legislative Agenda

Greater Spokane Action (GSA),  Greater Spokane Progress’ affiliated 501(c)(4) organization, leads the annual process to develop our network's state legislative agenda. Our legislative agendas are a reflection of the diversity of our network and our collective priorities.

Our goals include:

  • Housing Justice
  • Rights for Immigrants and Refugees
  • Police Accountability
  • Smart Justice
  • Civil Rights and Equity (including Health and Wealth Equity)
  • Climate Justice
  • Expanding and Protecting Democracy

This is not a comprehensive list of all of the bills that Greater Spokane Progress (GSP) members and partners are working on. It is based on our organizations’ goals, policies and campaigns that use a racial equity lens, have support from GSA and GSP Board of Directors, and/or broad agreement amongst our members.

GSA and GSP’s 2026 Tier 1 priorities:

See below for details. The GSA staff will work to actively support and engage the GSP network to help pass these bills.

Housing Justice

Supporting housing justice and tenant protection priorities of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) and Tenants Union of Washington State (TU):

  • Secure a new significant capital budget Investment for affordable homes: Include an additional $225 million to preserve and build over 4,000 affordable homes across the state. (WLIHA)
  • Keep People in their Homes: Secure $3 million for eviction prevention. (WLIHA)
  • Progressive Revenue: Budget cuts hurt our communities and a cuts-only approach make it impossible to address any of the funding gaps to homelessness, housing, food assistance. See priorities of the Balance Our Tax Code coalition. (WLIHA)
  • Prevent local governments from blocking permanent supportive housing and shelter (HB 2266 | SB 6069): Outlaw discriminatory roadblocks, streamline local zoning, and remove obstacles to site critical homelessness solutions. (WLIHA)
  • Shelter, Not Penalties (HB 2489): Prohibits local laws that punish people for engaging in life-sustaining activities like sitting, sleeping, or protecting themselves from the elements when there isn't enough shelter available. (WLIHA, WAISN, Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR), Washington Community Alliance (WCA)) 
  • Defend against rollbacks of tenant protections or homelessness prevention: Fight back against bills that increase housing instability or attempt to roll back hard-fought renter and homelessness protections. (WLIHA)
  • Protect against federally driven cuts to permanent supportive housing and homelessness prevention programs: Fund and pass a bill to provide new flexibility for existing local funding sources that could be used to sustain existing programs to keep people in their homes. (WLIHA)
  • Social housing Public Development Authorities (HB 1687): Allows state and local governments to grant exceptions from zoning and building regulations to the Seattle Social Housing Developer and any similar developer in the future without making permanent changes to the overall land use code. (TU)
  • Expand “Parking to People” to create more affordable housing (SB 5884): Expands Washington’s sales tax deferral program for conversion of surface parking lots to affordable housing. (City of Spokane)

Rights for Immigrants and Refugees

Supporting the legislative priorities of the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN). Priorities for 2026 include:

  • Health Equity for Immigrants: Advocating for full funding of the Apple Health Expansion Program to provide coverage to all eligible low-income immigrant and refugee community members, and continued and additional funding for Cascade Care subsidies. 
  • Funding for the Deportation Defense Hotline: WAISN will advocate for a proviso in the supplemental budget to invest in community-based deportation defense infrastructure, namely the WAISN Deportation Defense Hotline (Hotline). (APIC WA)
  • Attorney General Civil Investigation Demands (HB 2161 | SB 5925): Clarify the Washington Attorney General’s Office investigative authority to uphold and enforce our state laws, such as Keep Washington Working and Courts Open to All. (City of Spokane)
  • Immigrant Workers Protection Act (HB 2105 | SB 5852): Require employers to notify employees of planned inspections or audits by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the workplace. (APIC WA)
  • Regulating Automated License Plate Readers (ALRP): (HB 2332 | SB 6002): Regulate how public agencies can use ALPRs, and prohibit the use for immigration investigation, tracking Constitutionally protected activities, or collecting data around facilities that provide protected healthcare services or immigration-related services. (WCPA, Citizen Nine26, SCAR, Pro-Choice Washington, APIC WA, WCA, Planned Parenthood Advocates Alliance - WA).
  • Secure and Accountable Federal Enforcement (SAFE) Act (SB 5906): Sets limits on the collection and sharing of information and creating protocols on how institutions can respond to immigration enforcement to protect personal privacy.
  • Banning All Law Enforcement from Wearing Masks (HB 2173 | SB 5855): Ban all law enforcement, including local, state, and federal law enforcement, from wearing masks and requiring them to have identification while conducting operations in the state. (WCPA, SCAR, APIC WA) 
  • End State Investment in Private Detention (SB 6109): End any current investment and prevent future investment in companies that are involved in private detention.

All bills above are supported by: WAISN, Asians for Collective Liberation (ACL) & Asians for Collective Action (ACA), Manzanita House, Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS), Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition (SIRC)

Police Accountability

Supporting legislative priorities of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability that centers families and communities impacted by police violence. Priorities for 2026 include:

All bills above are supported by the WCPA, PJALS, Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR), I Did the Time, Pro-Choice Washington, Health & Justice  Recovery Alliance (HJRA), and Citizen Nine26.

Smart Justice

  • Juvenile Points (HB 1274): Retroactively stopping the practice of automatically punishing people twice because of their involvement in the juvenile justice system. (ACLU, I Did the Time, HJRA)
  • Judicial Discretion Act (HB 1125 | SB 5269): Providing judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice. (I Did the Time, The Way to Justice)
  • Emerging Adults (HB 1317): Increasing sentence review age consideration from 18 to 25, per modern brain science, decreases incarceration costs, and advances efforts to address racial disparities in sentencing. (I Did the Time, HJRA, The Way to Justice)
  • Solitary Confinement (HB 1137): Restricting the use of solitary confinement in Washington prisons. (I Did the Time, HJRA, WCA, WAISN)
  • Jail Oversight (SB 5005): Establishes monitoring and accountability measures for city, county, and regional jails. (SCAR)

Civil Rights and Equity (including Health and Wealth Equity)

  • Public Records Act (HB 2176): Creates a clear Public Records Act exemption that protects providers of abortion, gender-affirming care, and related services. (Spectrum Center, Pro-Choice WA, PPAA-WA)
  • Gender Marker Protection Bill (SB 6081): When an individual changes their name or gender marker in Washington State, information about their historic gender information will be considered sensitive information and be excluded from public records requests. (Spectrum Center)
  • Funding for Clinics - Restore the Abortion Access Project: In 2025, the legislature cut 55% of the Abortion Access Project. Lawmakers are urged to restore $8.5 million to the AAP to help patients access timely and affordable abortion care. (Pro-Choice WA, PPAA-WA)
  • Improving Access to Washington’s Abortion Medication Stockpile (HB 2182 | SB 5179): Clarifies authority and removes barriers so the state can distribute abortion medications when needed before medications expire or access is disrupted. (Pro-Choice WA, PPAA-WA)
  • Abortion Medication on College Campuses (SM 5826): Requires public colleges and universities to provide abortion medication through student health centers. (Pro-Choice WA)
  • Employing Parent Caregivers (HB 1200 | SB 5211): Recognizing that caregivers of children under the age of 18 with complex disabilities would be eligible to be paid caregivers. (Nuestras Raíces, Arc of Washington, HJRA)
  • Language Access (HB 2032): Expediting pay requirements and expanding the rights of language access providers (interpreters). (MiA - Mujeres in Action)
  • Maintaining funding for Naturalization, LEP Pathways and Legal Defense: Support immigrant communities by maintaining funding levels for naturalization services, Limited English Proficient pathways, and legal aid for low-income immigrants. (APIC WA)
  • Comprehensive K-12 History Instruction for Washington Students (SB 5574): Ensures students receive accurate and comprehensive instruction in the histories of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI), Latino Americans, and Black Americans as a proactive approach to addressing bullying, racism, and intergroup harm. (APIC WA, Make Us Visible)
  • Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (HB 1561 | SB 5023): Providing labor market protections for domestic workers. (WAISN, SEIU 775) 
  • Extending Collective Bargaining Rights to Agricultural Workers (HB 2409 | SB 6045): Gives farmworker workers a clear path to organize and negotiate. (WAISN) 
  • Balance Our Tax Code: Having a tax code that supports a way of life that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. The Balance Our Tax Code coalition includes: Fuse Washington, WLIHA, WAISN, SEIU 775, and Pro-Choice WA. Priorities include: 
    • Financial Intangible Assets Tax (HB 2046 | SB 5797): Would enact a 1% tax on stocks and bonds that are in excess of $50 million, generating an estimated $4 billion per year. (WCA)
    • Well Washington Fund (HB 2100 | SB 5796): Enact an employer-paid payroll tax on large companies with over $7 million in payroll and raise more than $2 billion per year for social programs and services. (WCA)
    • Millionaires' Tax: A 9.99% tax on income above $1 million. Revenues of nearly $3.5 billion a year would be split between the general fund and to offset of other taxes. 
  • Vibrant Communities Act: Universal building exemption tax for unutilized land that taxes wealthy vacant land owners. (Fuse)
  • Surveillance pricing bill (HB 2481): Sets clear rules for how large grocery corporations can use technology when setting food prices, and prohibits “surveillance pricing” (using personal data) leading to confusing and unfair pricing. (UFCW 3000)
  • Child Care Reimbursement Rate: Modernizes rates for the Working Connections Child Care Program. (Community-Minded Enterprises, WCA, Washington State Labor Council)

Climate Justice

  • Cumulative Risk Burden (CURB) Pollution Act (HB 1303): Requiring consideration of currently unaddressed pollutants, specifies communities that are disproportionately harmed, and involves community participation in the permit process. (Front and Centered, The Lands Council, I Did the Time, 350 Spokane, WCA, WAISN, APIC WA)
  • Protect Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funding: Oppose the supplanting of existing general fund obligations with $569 million in CCA revenue. (Members of the No on 2117 coalition, including GSA, The Lands Council)
  • City of Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility (HB 2416 | SB 6092):  The WTE is the only solid waste disposal system in WA subject to the CCA, which would limit the amount of greenhouse gases it can emit or the city pays an estimated $8 mill per year through higher rates beginning 2027. The bill provides more time and state support to implement technologies and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions instead of shipping our waste to a landfill in an overburdened community. Local organizations have proposed requiring a waste reduction/material recovery plan and full CCA compliance for private burning. (City of Spokane, The Lands Council, Spokane Regional Labor Council)

Expanding and Protecting Democracy

Supporting the Washington Voting Justice Coalition (WVJC), a group of community organizations and individuals dedicated to voting rights and access in Washington State, that believe that the vote is our tool, as ordinary people, to have a voice in our government (GSP is a member). WVJC 2026 legislative priorities include: 

  • Improving access and removing barriers to voting in jails and state hospitals (HB 1146):  Require that jails provide people the basic resources they need to exercise their freedom to vote. (I Did the Time, Fix Democracy First)
  • Protect Our VOICES Act (HB 2210): Protect Our VOICES Act (HB 2210): Providing tools for the implementation of ranked-choice voting to prevent electoral chaos. (Fairvote WA, Fuse, Fix Democracy First, WCA, APIC WA) 
  • Preclearance (HB 1710): Instead of forcing communities to challenge unjust elections through costly, multi-year lawsuits, preclearance will require that election changes receive an impartial review before going into effect. (Fix Democracy First, APIC WA)
  • Defend Voter Rolls & Registration (HB 1916): Empowers election officials to dismiss baseless voter registration challenges and ensure voters have a fair opportunity to respond before having their registrations canceled. (Fix Democracy First, APIC WA)

Other Democracy Rights Bills: 

  • Voting Rights in Prison (HB 1196): Revoking a person's voting rights only when convicted of a state crime punishable by death. (I Did the Time, Fix Democracy First, WVJC, HJRA)
  • Civic Engagement (HB 1147): Supporting civic engagement for incarcerated and institutionalized individuals in state custody to promote inclusion and rehabilitation. (I Did the Time, Fix Democracy First, WVJC)
  • Language Access (HB 1381): Improving meaningful access to elections by increasing language assistance. (Fix Democracy First)
  • Even-Year Elections (HB 1339 | SB 5373): Shifting general elections for local governments to even-numbered years to increase voter participation. (Fix Democracy First)
  • Initiative Integrity Act (HB 2259 | SB 5973): Prohibits compensating signature gatherers based on the number of signatures to disincentivize them from using aggressive, misleading tactics; and cuts down on the filing duplicate initiatives to get the most favorable ballot title. (Fuse)