The 2026 legislative session began January 12 and is looking to be a more challenging fiscal one than last year, as our state grapples with a $1.5B shortfall for the remainder of this 2-year budget cycle and a $4.3B heading into the next biennium. Your United Ways of the Pacific Northwest will be following the session closely and providing you with updates every two weeks. This year's short session runs for 60 consecutive days until March 12.

Updated Legislative Framework Outlines Our Continued Focus on Poverty, Families and Housing
United Ways of the Pacific Northwest represents 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 2026 Legislative Priorities refines our more ambitious goals to ensure that essential services for low-income and ALICE households are maintained.  These 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; and financial security, equity and social justice. We are also supporting stronger disaster community response and recovery. 

UWPNW also participates in coalitions that align with our policy agenda. Here are their priorities for this session:

United Ways of Washington Sets Olympia Advocacy Day for Tuesday, January 27
Nothing beats meeting in person (or virtually) with your Legislators to ensure they hear your priorities for investing our state’s resources.  For our advocacy day to be a success, we need local United Way team leads to set up meetings with legislators from their districts. While all Legislators are important, special focus should be on members known to be supportive of United Way issues, as well as members from the Senate Ways & Means and House Appropriations committees. Those of you not able to attend in person can also request brief virtual meetings with legislators. Contact Paul Knox to clarify your United Way attendance and for assistance in contacting legislators.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Bill Hearing
Imagination Library of Washington (ILWA) advocates are promoting bills that will shift state oversite of the Imagination Library of Washington from the Department of Children, Youth and Families to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. This proposed bill reflects a mutually beneficial alignment with OSPI, fostering early literacy and providing Imagination Library of Washington with a natural education-focused home that has consistently supported the program’s growth, stability, and long-term success.

You can learn more and track these via: HB 2371 and SB 5961. ILWA also seeks $2.75M in state match funding this session.