First Legislative Update of 2025 - Washington's Legislative Session Begins Today

The 2025 legislative session beginning today is shaping up to be a tough one as Olympia grapples with a budget shortfall heading into the next biennium. But your United Ways of the Pacific Northwest will be following the session closely and providing you with regular updates. In this week's news, we outline some of the budget challenges we confront. This year's session runs for 105 consecutive days to April 27.

Updated Legislative Framework Outlines Our Continued Focus on Poverty, Families and Housing
The United Ways of the Pacific Northwest represent 20 local United Ways in Washington working every day to mobilize the caring power of communities to advance the common good and improve lives. Our updated legislative framework refines for this year issues we have been promoting in previous legislative sessions. The broad goals include: accessible, affordable quality child care and early learning (including fully funding Dolly Parton's Imagination Library); increased investments in affordable housing, rental assistance and homeless services; stronger and expanded behavioral and mental health services; improved financial security, equity and social justice through targeted investments such as the Community Reinvestment Project; stronger disaster community response and recovery and greater capacity of the 2-1-1 call system. 

New Legislature - New Members
When the Legislature begins its work today, it will have 19 new House members and 10 new senators (though 8 of those senators were House members last year). Two of the new House members are actually previously elected legislators who have returned to Olympia after a break. There will soon be a few more new legislators as positions vacated by Sen. Patty Kuderer (elected in November as the state's insurance commissioner), Senator Joe Nguyen (appointed to lead the Department of Commerce, and Rep. Tanna Senn (appointed to head the Department of Children, Youth and Families) are backfilled. These new legislators will need to be introduced to their local United Ways. If you haven't already, please reach out and introduce yourself to them.
 
Budget Shortfall Poses Serious Challenge to Our Goals
Once legislators are sworn in and settled in their seats, they'll be confronted with some tough budget decisions. While it appears the current biennial budget ending at the end of this June is balanced, future budgets are not, based on current spending and revenue projections. Without any new policy spending or initiatives, the next biennial budget (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027) is expected to run a deficit of $4.35 billion. That deficit is expected to be another $6.7 billion in the following biennium. The shortfall is largely caused by sluggish revenue and a big jump in maintenance level spending which includes caseload growth and mandatory cost increases.
 
Possibly a Slower Rollout of the Fair Start Act
Under the Fair Start for Kids Act, adopted in 2021, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is to become an entitlement program with expanded access starting in the 2026-27 school year. Outgoing Governor Jay Inslee, in his final budget proposal, has recommended that the ECEAP expansion be delayed to the 2030-31 school year. His proposed budget also suggests delaying the expansion of the Working Connections Child Care program (to 75 percent of the state median income) until 2031. Inslee's proposal provides an 18 percent rate increase for ECEAP school-day providers as well as an increase for child care providers accepting Working Connections participants. The new governor, current Attorney General Bill Ferguson, will assume office on Wednesday. He will likely submit his own budget proposal. We will share with you the progress of our budget priorities as the session unfolds.

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