2026 legislative session •

The 60-day legislative session ended at 8:25 p.m. on Thursday. Unless a special session is called, state lawmakers will not reconvene until January 11, 2027.

House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary joined the Sine Die Special of TVW’s The Impact to share his thoughts on the hits and misses of the last two months. You can watch the interview on YouTube.

Floor Leader April Connors also appeared on the program, where she discussed the Democrats’ failure to address the state’s affordability crisis. The segment can also be found on YouTube.

Caucus Chair Peter Abbarno asked some of our members what they thought were the best and worst parts of the legislative session. Watch their responses here.

State income tax: Following a non-stop, historic floor debate that lasted 24 hours, 33 minutes, and 50 seconds, Washington House Democrats passed their controversial and unconstitutional state income tax bill on a 51-46 vote on Tuesday. We offered 51 amendments to the legislation. The majority party rejected every amendment that would have protected low- and middle-income earners from ever having to pay this tax. They also blocked every effort to let the people decide the issue directly. Governor Bob Ferguson is expected to sign the bill into law.

You can watch debate highlights here and learn more in the links below.

Operating budget: Ruling-party Democrats unveiled their supplemental operating budget on day 59 of the legislative session. The plan will increase spending by $2.3 billion, an 11.5% increase since the previous two-year budget cycle. The budget assumes $2.7 billion in tax increases over the four-year outlook, raids the rainy-day fund, and uses LEOFF 1 pension funds to backfill spending obligations. Appropriations are projected to exceed anticipated revenue collections by $4.9 billion in the 2025-27 budget cycle. Every Republican in the Legislature voted against it.

House Republican Budget Leader Travis Couture blasted the plan: “This budget is economic arson. Democrats refuse to stop spending. They are feeding government while families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, housing, insurance, and child care. This budget makes Washington less affordable.” Learn more in his news release.

Transportation budget: The supplemental transportation budget will spend $16.7 billion and provide $340 million in additional preservation and maintenance funding. However, the final plan differs from the version that passed the House unanimously on February 28. Rep. Andrew Barkis, ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, voted against the legislation. He explains why in this statement.

Capital budget: The bipartisan supplemental capital budget passed unanimously. It will spend $890 million, with $435 million in bonds. The budget will invest in schools, housing, flood response, and water conservation and irrigation. Washington House Republicans were also successful in securing funding for local projects across the state. Rep. Mike Steele led our negotiations.

All three supplemental budgets passed on the last day of the legislative session.

Stopping bad bills: While an unconstitutional state income tax and unsustainable operating budget dominated the headlines in the last week, Washington House Republicans were able to stop several bad Senate bills from passing. Details on these measures and floor fights can be found in this assessment.

Media avail: In the last Republican media avail of the legislative session, House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary and Deputy Leader Chris Corry highlighted the destructive policies passed by Democrats and answered questions on budgets, taxes, capital flight, data centers, and other issues. Watch the news conference here.

A look ahead: Our members are now returning home and will work on end-of-session email updates and mailers. Many will also participate in post-session forums and host town hall meetings.

The Current will be back on March 28 with more analysis and opinions on the legislative session. In the meantime, stay updated on the stories coming out of Olympia in the Capitol Buzz. Please also consider following us on social media if you aren’t already.

-Washington House Republicans