2024 Legislative Agenda

Each year we shape our legislative priorities alongside our coalition partners, statewide network, FAN Policy Committee, and FAN Governing Board. We seek to advocate for and implement policies that advance our values grounded in faith and spirituality: belonging and human dignity, justice and equity, interconnectedness, collaboration and pluralism.

You can download and share the abbreviated 2024 Legislative Agenda (updated February 5, 2024).

Policies with bill numbers were previously introduced during 2023 session. We will continue to update with new bill numbers and sponsors as the 2024 legislative session proceeds..

Promote Economic Justice

  • Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) Expansion (HB 1075/SB 5249) would expand the age range of eligible households without children from 25-65 years to 18+ years.
  • Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Projects (HB 1045) would establish pilot programs to provide extra cash to people experiencing economic insecurity.
  • Extreme Wealth Tax (HB 1473/SB 5486) would ensure that the very wealthiest in our state pay more of their fair share through a 1% tax on financial property such as stocks and bonds, exempting their first one quarter billion dollars.
  • WA Future Fund (“Baby Bonds,” HB 1094/SB 5125) would counteract generational poverty by investing funds for every child born under Apple Care, to use as an adult for home ownership, education, or entrepreneurship.
  • Washington Gift Card Accountability Act (HB 2095/SB 5988) would apply the value of major corporate retail gift cards which are unused after three years, to the State General Fund instead of the corporations. Protections enable customers to recover the value of gift cards, which never expire in WA.
  • Employment Standards for Grocery Workers (SB 6007) would retain grocery worker jobs and protect from layoffs caused by corporate mergers.

Protect and Expand the Social Safety Net

  • Funding for Food Banks and Pantries to address increase in hunger in Washington.
  • Healthy Free School Meals for All (HB 2058/SB 5964) would increase the number of children receiving free nutritious school breakfasts and lunches by adding all elementary school students.
  • Senior Nutrition Programs to Promote Health and Stability would invest $15.2m/year to help low-income seniors and people with disabilities access healthy food programs.
  • Provide Summer EBT food assistance for low-income students (Budget ask, $9.6M to DSHS).
  • Ensure Families on TANF Keep 100% of their Child Support Payments (HB 1652).

Address Climate Change and Environmental Justice

  • Cumulative Risk Burden Pollution Act (CURB) (HB 2070/SB 5990) would require monitoring currently- unaddressed pollutants affecting health and mandate that permit applications that add cumulative pollution be denied or conditionally approved.
  • Re-WRAP WA Recycling and Packaging Act updated (HB 2049/SB 6005) would create graduated fees for packaging manufacturers based on how reusable, compostable, or recyclable their products are. Funds recycling services and shifts recycling costs onto manufacturers.
  • Clean School Buses (HB 1368/SB 5431 + $60.5m Budget ask) would fund the transition of WA’s 10,000+ diesel school buses to electricity, helping both climate change and children’s health.
  • Hold Oil Companies Accountable and Address Gas Prices. (HB 2232/SB 6052) would require oil industry transparency and accountability.

Increase Safe Affordable Housing and Prevent Homelessness

  • The Affordable Homes Act (REET 2.0) (HB 2276/SB6191) would secure a permanent funding source to increase the supply of affordable housing by creating a new real estate transfer tax on properties that sell for over $3 million, and decreasing the REET on properties below $3M.
  • Improving housing stability for tenants (HB 2114/SB 5961) by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.
  • Eviction Protection for People in Licensed Long-Term Care (HB 1859)
  • Increased Funding to Housing Trust Fund (Budget ask) to create affordable housing, amount TBD.
  • Support WA Low-Income Housing Alliance’s commitment and other bills on their agenda to advocate for housing investments and practices that repair harm and build housing equity.

Advance Immigrant and Refugee Rights

  • Unemployment Benefits for Undocumented Workers (HB 1095/SB 5109) would create a permanent separate unemployment system for undocumented workers to access benefits their labor already accrues.
  • Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign (Budget ask) would expand critical health insurance coverage for adults who are ineligible for federal assistance due to immigration status.
  • Funding for services for newly arrived immigrants (HB 2368/SB 6245 and $25M budget proviso) would provide emergency and legal services for people who do not qualify for federal refugee programs.

Reform our Incarceration System

  • Solitary Confinement Reform (HB 1087/SB 5135) would restrict the use of solitary confinement in state correctional facilities and long-term private detention facilities.
  • Reevaluating Sentencing for Emerging Adults (HB 1325/SB 5451) would allow qualifying persons serving long sentences committed prior to 25 years of age to seek review for possible release.
  • Improving Access & Removing Barriers to Jail-Based Voting (HB 1174) would require plans and procedures to ensure the right to vote for incarcerated individuals.

Foster Public Safety and Civil Rights

  • Traffic Safety for All (HB 1513/SB 5572) would end stops for non-moving traffic violations, to reduce disproportionate impacts on communities of color.
  • AG Investigations and Reforms (HB 1445) would empower the Attorney General’s office to take action on systemic civil rights violations at law enforcement agencies.
  • Independent Prosecutor (HB 1579) would create a state office to ensure fair and transparent prosecutions.
  • Nothing About Us Without Us (HB 1541/SB 5616) would ensure meaningful participation from people with direct lived experience on statutorily created or mandated state committees.
  • Support indigenous communities in WA (HB 1332) by implementing Since Time Immemorial curriculum (HB 1332) and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & People Task Force funding requests.
  • Increase Security Grants funding for non-profits and faith communities ($3 million budget ask)
  • Prevent gun violence via permit-to-purchase (HB 1902/SB 6004), lost/stolen firearms (HB 1903), dealer responsibility (HB 2118), limit bulk purchases (HB 2054), and community intervention bills.
  • Bias Incidents Hotline (SB 5427) to support people impacted by hate crimes and bias incidents.

Expand Access to Health Care

  • Keep Our Care Act (HB 1263/SB 5241) would ensure that health entity consolidations improve rather than harm access to affordable, quality health care in a community, including gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare.
  • Coordinate Regional Behavioral Crisis Response and Suicide Prevention Services/988 (SB 6251)
  • Increase Access to Behavioral/Mental Health Care (HB 1946) would create a Health Corps Behavioral Health Scholarship Program with graduates working in underserved area
  • Increase availability of youth mental health services and wrap-around support (SB 5853) creating 23-hour crisis response centers for minors, (HB 2239, & HB 1929/SB 6050) supporting student well being through social-emotional skills and supporting those following inpatient BHT, plus budget asks for youth behavioral health.