Capitol Outlook 2026
A Peak Inside

The 2026 Washington State Legislature commenced its 60-day “short”

session January 12.

Reflection

My last year lobbying was the 2020 legislative session. I did not know at the time it would be my last session, with all of us heading home in March. It was the beginning of the pandemic and, my, oh my, how things would change. The next two legislative sessions, 2021 and 2022, were conducted remotely, forever changing the way advocates and legislators did their work. There was both more access and less. How could that be? More access because Washingtonians could testify in hearings from anywhere using their at-home computers or phones. Testifying and having your voice heard would not require a trek up and down I-5 or over I-90 to do so. Less access because health concerns drove legislators to limit in-person meetings with advocates and each other. Something deeply human is lost without that person-to-person contact.

But what I remember at the beginning of that last session and the 19 that preceded it was the air of excitement, anticipation, and yes, some dread at embarking on the exhausting legislative marathon. The second Monday in January had the feel of the beginning of a new school term, seeing old friends and the classroom bullies, and gearing up for academic endeavors and a new season of extracurricular activities.

In that spirit of reminiscence, here is a haiku for you.

A fluttering heart

As legislators convene May they do justice

PSARA Makes Good on its Commitment

PSARA members were out of the gate running in December and early January, meeting with their legislators to advocate for “leveling the playing field,” progressive revenues, affordable housing, climate justice, immigrant fairness and safety, and much more. (See our PSARA legislative webpage for our updated agenda and talking points).

Our members met with 25 legislators and/or staff from 11 districts.

District leads were Laurie Weidner, Richard Burton, Amy Davis, Bobby Righi, Marilyn Watkins, Angie Bartels, Karen Richter, Vicky Stanich, France Giddings, Tim Burns, Lisa Dekker, Pam and Tom Lux, and Ronnie Schure. It was an Impressive showing pre-session.  District leads scheduled the legislator meetings, organized PSARA members in their respective districts, convened planning sessions to prepare for the meetings, and shared information with me, and provided any needed follow up with the legislators. We met our goal of meeting with our legislators early before the crush of a short 60-day session to lay out our 2026 policy priorities.

What You Have Always Wanted to Know and Didn’t Know

You Wanted to Know

Here we go. Test yourself. Take a gander here for the key.

1. How long does the Governor have, before signing a bill passed by the Legislature?

2. To what does “on the Bar” refer?

3. To what does “they are in caucus, again” refer?

4. How is the House Speaker elected

5. Is the Senate Majority Leader chosen the same way?

6.  Blast from the past: what is a Gulchette?

7. Who gets to eat in the Senate Dining Room

Making Good Trouble

We at PSARA know how to make good trouble. Advocacy and activism begin with being informed. PSARA provides the tools to do that. You can find our dedicated legislative page on the psara.org website. You will find our legislative agenda, talking points on our priorities, a weekly calendar of hearings of interest, and bill links to sign in your support or opposition.

Throughout the session, our intrepid Executive Director, Mike Andrew, will send out alerts asking you to contact your legislators. We won’t flood you with alerts so when you do hear from us … it matters.

If you are interested in being a part of or contributing to our Government Relations Committee, let Mike know.

That’s it for now. Signing off until March.