Relevant Legislation
But look, we’re not going to tax our way out of this thing. It’s not going to happen; $15 billion is a lot of money.
- Governor Ferguson (February 27, 2025)
There are going to be increased taxes. There was no way to cut your way out of a $16 billion shortfall. So there’s going to have to be a balance there.
- Governor Ferguson (May 14, 2025)
Every year, legislation is proposed that impacts our jobs and the populations we work with. Below is a list of some of the bills from the current session that are relevant to state employees, DCYF, or child safety and well-being. Check this link for some of WFSE's legislative victories.
HB stands for House Bill, SB stands for Senate Bill. Sometimes companion bills are proposed with the same text in both houses. Similar bills can also be proposed that have significant differences in wording or content that must be resolved before they can be passed into law. Official names or descriptions don't always consider the full context or impacts of a bill, and may be inaccurate or incomplete. A bill may sound great in theory, but if it doesn't include funding to hire the workers needed to offset the increase in workload, it may do nothing except make our jobs more stressful and complicated. Find more information here and here.
Check our Campaigns and Actions page for ways to make your voice heard. You can also get updates on the session and learn more about some of WFSE's priorities using this link.
The links below direct to the legislature's website, where you can find a bill's status, its text, and a report summarizing what the bill might do. WFSE's position (if any) on each bill is also listed below (see the key at the bottom of this page). If a bill passed the legislature or has been delivered to the governor but not yet signed, you can contact the governor using this form.
legislation
HB 1092 / SB 6236 - Maintaining the safety of children.
HB 2497 / SB 6185 - Addressing the rise in maltreatment-related child fatalities or near fatalities by supporting families that have received a child welfare response.
HB 2511 - Providing a definition for imminent physical harm in the context of child welfare. - SUPPORT
HEARINGS:
January 27 at 1:30 p.m. in House Committee on Early Learning and Human Services
HB 2529 / SB 5942 - Concerning the department of children, youth, and families accountability board.
HB 2660 / SB 6308 - Authorizing the court to order certain conditions during child welfare shelter care hearings. - CONCERNS
HEARINGS:
January 27 at 1:30 p.m. in House Committee on Early Learning and Human Services (2660)
January 28 at 8 a.m. in Senate Committee on Human Services (6308)
SB 5625 - Designating the Pacific geoduck as the state clam., SUPPORT
Key
Strikethrough - This bill has been slain. If it has a companion bill that moved forward, or a really determined legislative advocate, it may still be enacted.
SUPPORT - WFSE supports this bill overall.
MONITORING - WFSE is watching this bill due to relevance, but has not taken a position.
CONCERNS - WFSE has concerns with at least a significant portion of this bill, and/or with its impact on workload.
OPPOSE - WFSE opposes passage of this bill.
If none of these are listed for a bill, it is likely relevant, but we may not have WFSE's official position on it yet.
This list was last updated 01/27/2026. It may or may not be 100% accurate.