Greater Spokane Action & Greater Spokane Progress 2025 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
- Police Accountability
- Rights for Immigrants and Refugees
- 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 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 2025 Tier 1 priorities consist of:
- Tenants Union of Washington State and the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) legislative priorities focusing on Rent Stabilization.
- Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA) legislative priorities.
- Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) legislative priorities focusing on the Wage Replacement Program and Healthcare for Immigrants.
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 Tenants Union of Washington State and Washington Low Income Housing Alliance:
- Rent Stabilization (HB 1217 | SB 5222): Excessive rent increases are driving people out of their homes and communities while increasing homelessness. Limiting annual rent and fee increases to no more than 7% for existing tenants and manufactured homeowners, and provides other important tenant protections. (Tenants Union, WLIHA, Fuse Washington, WAISN, Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane (ACLS), Manzanita House, Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR), SEIU 775, I Did the Time, Arc of WA State, Washington Community Alliance (WCA), Health and Justice Recovery Alliance (HJRA), Muslims for Community Action and Support (MCAS))
- Protecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness (HB 1380): Preventing local governments from implementing and enforcing local laws that punish people experiencing homelessness. (WLIHA)
- Capital funding for affordable homes: Washington needs almost 650,000 new homes affordable to low-income households over the next 20 years. The capital budget should include at least $536 million for the Housing Trust Fund to build and preserve affordable homes. (WLIHA)
- Prevent cuts to homelessness services by investing $253 million in the operating budget: To prevent cuts, the state must backfill the ongoing shortfall in funding for homeless services. Up to $253 million is needed to make up a shortfall caused by a lag in document recording revenue that funds homelessness services in every county. (WLIHA)
- Right to Counsel: Adding capacity to the Right to Counsel program by investing $3.9 million in FY 2026 and $4.9 million in FY 2027. (WLIHA, Tenants Union)
Police Accountability
Supporting legislative priorities of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability that centers families and communities impacted by police violence. WCPA priorities for 2025 include:
- State Attorney General Investigations and Reforms (HB 1056 | SB 5066): Granting authority to the state attorney general to do investigations of agencies where there is an alleged pattern and practice of violating the civil and constitutional rights of persons.
- Traffic Safety for All (HB 1512 | SB 5521): Ending traffic stops for non-moving violations, which is a solution for the disproportionate stops involving BIPOC drivers. (WAISN, ACLU, Fuse, WCA)
- Independent prosecutor: Creating a separate and independent office to review use-of-force cases.
- Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Eligibility (HB 1399 | SB 5364): Ensuring that all sheriffs, chiefs, and marshals are held to the same standards, regardless of whether they are appointed or elected, whether their office is partisan or non-partisan, or the size of the jurisdiction.
All bills above are supported by the WCPA, Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS), SCAR, I Did the Time, Pro-Choice WA, HJRA
Rights for Immigrants and Refugees
Supporting the legislative priorities of the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN).
- Wage Replacement Program: Ensuring undocumented workers have a safety net if they experience job loss to keep themselves, their families, and their communities afloat. (WAISN, ACLS, Manzanita House, Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane (RICS), PJALS, Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition, Fuse, MCAS, HJRA)
- Health Equity for Immigrants: Assuring equity in health coverage (HB 1482); and fully funding the program to ensure all low-income immigrants and refugees can receive affordable health coverage. (WAISN, ACLU, ACLS, Manzanita House, RICS, PJALS, Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition, Fuse, Pro-Choice WA, MCAS)
Smart Justice
- Solitary Confinement (HB 1137): Restricting the use of solitary confinement in Washington prisons. (I Did the Time, HJRA)
- 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)
- Emerging Adults: 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)
- Concerning clemency and pardons (HB 1131): Expanding and modifying the membership expansion, compensation, training and related DOC supervision. (I Did the Time, The Way to Justice)
- 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)
Civil Rights and Equity (including Health Equity)
- Funding for Clinics - Update Medicaid Rates for Reproductive and Sexual Health: Ensuring clinics can maintain access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health care services. (Pro-Choice WA)
- Strengthening Washington’s Shield Law: Closing loopholes and expanding protections in the Shield Law to ensure that our state continues to be a place where people can access the health care they need, without the risk of criminalization. (Pro-Choice WA)
- Dignity in Pregnancy Loss Bill (HB 1333 | SB 5093): Ensuring every Washingtonian who experiences a pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death) retains the ability to make decisions about how they will handle their own pregnancy loss without threat of criminalization and has access to services and resources they need. (Pro-Choice WA)
- Repeal/Amend I-2081 (aka “Parents’ Bill of Rights”): I-2081 contains vague and broad language that changes important laws that protect students’ rights to privacy and laws that are intended to ensure inclusion, student safety, and well-being. (Pro-Choice WA)
- Medication Abortion on College Campuses: Requiring public colleges and universities in Washington state to provide medication abortion 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 Community Center, Arc of Washington, HJRA)
- Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (HB 1561 | SB 5023): Providing labor market protections for domestic workers. (WAISN)
- End Isolation, Restrict Restraint in Public Schools: Ending Isolation and restraint in schools as it causes harm and is disproportionately used on BIPOC, disabled, foster, and unhoused children. (Arc of Washington, HJRA)
- 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. Priorities include: Affordable Homes Act, Tax on Excessive Wealth, and Fix High Earners Loophole. (The Balance Our Tax Code coalition includes: Pro-Choice WA, Fuse, WLIHA, SEIU 775)
Climate Justice
- Cumulative Risk Burden (CURB) Pollution Act: 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)
- Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act Funding: Ensuring all state funds live up to the HEAL Act goal of directing that 40 percent of environment-related funds create environmental benefits to vulnerable populations and overburdened communities, and prevent harm. (Front & Centered, I Did the Time)
- Increasing Environmental Justice by Improving Government Decisions (HB 1303 | SB 5380): Reducing the disparities in cumulative environmental and health impacts in Washington and improving the health of all Washington residents. (I Did the Time, co-sponsored by Rep. Ormsby)
Expanding and Protecting Democracy
Supporting Washington for Equitable Representation (GSP is a member), a statewide multi-racial coalition fighting to achieve equitable representation through proportional ranked choice voting (RCV) and other democracy reforms. WER 2025 Priorities include:
- Washington VOICES Act (Voting, Options, Implementation, Compliance, Education, and Standards), (HB 1448): Providing tools for the implementation of ranked-choice voting to prevent electoral chaos. (Fairvote WA, Fuse, Fix Democracy First, WCA, GSP)
Supporting the Washington Voting Justice Coalition (WVJC) (GSP is a member), 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. WVJC 2025 legislative priorities include:
- Expand Automatic Voter Registration (SB 5077): Expanding automatic voter registration options when people get their citizenship, apply for healthcare, and return home from prison, so we can ensure every Washingtonian has our voice heard, and lower historical barriers for voters of color and low-income voters. (Fix Democracy First)
- Washington VOICES Act (HB 1448): See description above.
- Improving access and removing barriers to voting in jails and state hospitals (HB 1146). Requiring county auditors to create and implement a Voting Plan (Plan) for each jail and state hospital within the county, including details about how the jail or hospital will help people who are incarcerated register to vote and access and complete a ballot. (I Did the Time, Fix Democracy First)
Other Democracy Rights Bills:
- Even-Year Elections (HB 1339 | SB 5373): Shifting general elections for local governments to even-numbered years to increase voter participation. (Fix Democracy First)
- Language Access (HB 1381): Improving meaningful access to elections by increasing language assistance. (Fix Democracy First)
- 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)
Many of the bills on our agenda are included on the legislative agendas of the following organizations (not limited to):
- American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA): Legislative Agenda 2025
- Arc of Washington: 2025 Legislative Session Notebook, Public Policy Agenda 2025
- Fix Democracy First: WA State Legislation
- Front and Centered: 2025 Legislative Agenda
- Fuse Washington: 2025 Priorities
- Pro - Choice Washington: 2025 Legislative Agenda
- Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA): 2025 Legislative Priorities
- Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN): 2025 Policy Platform
- Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA): 2025 Policy Priorities
- Washington Voting Justice Coalition: Policy Objectives