Week 1 Leg Update
Return to the 2026 landing page here.
Protect our Most Vulnerable Friends and Neighbors - Pass HB 2200
State-run residential habilitation centers like Rainier School, Lakeland Village, and Fircrest School are a lifeline for developmentally and intellectually disabled Washingtonians. They receive intensive oversite and acute public interest and scrutiny — and rightly so.
But the same standards must be applied to facilities in the private sector.
Follow the bill's progress, sign in PRO, and learn more here.
Legislators Must Listen to Child Welfare Workers to Keep Children Safe
WFSE Local 1221 member and DCYF employee Shauna Lowery and WFSE Treasurer and DCYF employee Jeanette Obelcz speaks on the impacts House Bill 1227, the well-intentioned "Keeping Families Together Act" that the legislature passed in 2021 without input from the frontline child welfare workers who actually do the work.
DCYF employees have been raising the alarm on the unintended consequences of 1227 as child fatalities have increased over the last five years. Work at DCYF? Find information from the DCYF Policy Committee at WFSE.org/DCYF.
A No-Brainer: Shared Leave for Immigration Issues - House Appropriations
Last year, a WFSE member was illegally detained by I.C.E. and sent to a detention center in Texas with her 8-year-old son. Sarah Shaw, who helps rehabilitate at-risk youth, received little information about why her and her son were being held throughout their month-long detention.
Our members donated to her GoFundMe page and our union figured out a way to allow fellow members to donate their leave. Sadly, Sarah may not be the WFSE member who finds their lives turned upside down due to aggressive I.C.E. tactics.
WFSE continues to stand up for the public servants who keep our state and country running and stands against the anti-worker billionaires and politicians who are using political theatre to destroy the services we rely on daily.
The 400% increase in I.C.E's budget was funded by historic cuts to Medicare and the public services Americans rely on.
To join AFSCME in protecting public services and workers at the federal level, get involved at AFSCMEGo.org.
Find immigration resources here.
Improve Employee-Union Communication: Pass HB 2191
Public employees subject to RCW 41.80, which is most WFSE members who work in state government, may not get the same quality and quantity of information from their union.
Employers of non-41.80 public employees must provide contact information of employees in the union's bargaining units, including their personal email and cell phone number.
Every person represented by our union deserves to know their rights under their contract and to get timely communications from their union regarding agreements and contracts that impact themselves and their families.
Follow the bill's progress, sign in PRO, and learn more here.
Investment in Vital Services, Not Cuts - House Appropriations
"State services cannot shoulder the burden of any more cuts," said WFSE Lobbyist Kati Durkin. "Every single agency and department is facing unprecedented workloads...
"Even in years of historic budget cuts in 2025 we expanded programs and added new work. Whether its supporting homeless youth, permitting construction, or approving PFML benefits, everything would grind to a halt without state employees."
Dire Circumstances at WSOT Demand Attention - Senate Transportation
Preservation and maintenance of our state's highway system was a top priority for Governor Ferguson in his proposed budget.
WFSE Lobbyist Kati Durkin explained to lawmakers the dire situation at WSDOT and the need to direct funds toward the frontline workers who keep travelers safe even in the most extreme conditions.
Our members work on our highways with understaffed crews, in old buildings filled with asbestos.
"There's not a better example of these dire circumstances than the roof of the WSDOT shed that the budget governor's budget conference was held at leaking directly onto the podium during the presentation," Durkin added.
