Washington state’s 2026 legislative session starts Monday.
This short, 60-day session will include Democratic proposals about how the state can push back against federal immigration actions, a bipartisan proposal to study nuclear energy capacity in Washington state and scores of tax repeal bills from Republicans.
The Washington state Capitol in Olympia.
Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network
Here are three things Southwest Washington lawmakers will watch during the 2026 legislative session.
Immigration bills
Sen. Adrien Cortes, D-Battle Ground, is one of several lawmakers sponsoring legislation related to the current climate around immigration and law enforcement.
His bill, SB 5876, would make it a misdemeanor for individuals to impersonate a peace officer.
Democrat Adrian Cortes in an undated provided image.
Courtesy of the Adrian Cortes campaign
Cortes’ bill specifies that individuals posing as officers from a variety of agencies, including police, sheriff and marshals service, would be cited with the misdemeanor charge.
It fits within a documented national trend of people posing as immigration officers during the Trump administration’s immigration deportation actions.
“Organized crime and malicious actors are basically impersonating federal law enforcement in an effort to commit crimes such as robbery, sexual assault, and the like,” Cortes said.
A separate immigration-related bill would require employers to tell workers within 72 hours if they received notice that a federal agency is inspecting I-9 employment forms.
A third bill relates to the use of face coverings by law enforcement, including agents “of the United States government.”
It states that “a law enforcement officer shall not wear a facial covering while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties.”
These three examples mark a theme of the 2026 session, according to Cortes, as Washington lawmakers push back against federal policies by defining the state’s position in local law.
“Number one, it’s pushing back against irresponsible federal behavior or actions,” he said, “And number two, the budget.”
Budget challenges
How to address the state’s ongoing budget deficit will be possibly the biggest theme of the 2026 legislative session.
Lawmakers tried to close a $16 billion shortfall last session.
Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, says Washington is facing a $4.3 billion deficit over the next four years.
“The overarching theme of the session will be bringing the operating budget back into balance,” said Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, the ranking member of the House Finance Committee. “The question will be, how is that done?”
Whether the budget is balanced by passing new taxes or via spending cuts — or both — remains to be seen.
Orcutt is one of a number of lawmakers who have already filed legislation to repeal taxes passed during the 2025 session to help plug the larger budget hole.
Orcutt’s bill HB 2130 would repeal new taxes on several services in Washington, including digital advertising, IT services like data entry and software training, and temporary staffing.
During this session, he said, Republicans will be focusing on a theme that has become a national talking point of late — affordability — at a time when prices are rising for everything from homes to groceries to insurance.
Nuclear energy
With data centers and electric vehicles using more electricity, and the need for clean energy sources to meet the state’s carbon emission goals, Washington is facing an uncertain energy future.
This session, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, is one of several lawmakers who plan to ask the Washington Department of Commerce to study the state’s nuclear power options.
His proposal, SB 5821, would ask the Commerce Department to assess the implementation, costs and market opportunities of fission nuclear power.
Braun is a former Navy submarine officer trained in nuclear power.
Besides being the Senate minority leader, he’s running for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District seat against Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is up for re-election this year.
FILE - Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, speaks during a legislative session preview at the Capitol, Jan. 9, 2025, in Olympia, Wash.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
Braun’s bill notes a number of opportunities for developing nuclear power in Washington, including advancements in new small modular reactor technologies and the state’s existing skilled workforce in the Tri-Cities region near Hanford.
There could also be opportunities to site nuclear reactors in Lewis County, he said.
“I think, and I believe others agree, the next best site in the state of Washington is here in Lewis County in Southwest Washington at the TransAlta site,” he said.
That Centralia property hosts the last coal-fired power plant in Washington state.
Its operators planned to shutter it by the end of 2025, but they were ordered by the federal government to keep it running for an additional 90 days out of concerns about electricity shortages over the winter.
If approved, Braun’s bill would require the Department of Commerce to publish a nuclear power framework by the end of 2026.
The best laid plans...
Despite the bills lawmakers have drafted and proposed so far, priorities can change quickly during a legislative session, according to Rep. Orcutt.
It’s impossible to predict which bills will make it out of committee and what will ultimately become law.
“You could have a certain feeling this week, and then in the next two or three weeks the session totally changes,” he said.
