At our 2026 Legislative Wrap Up, we welcomed Washington state lawmakers and advocates who are champions for homes, homeless services, and progressive revenue. We were joined by Representative April Berg (LD-44), Representative Strom Peterson (LD-21) and Senator Alvarado (LD-34), as well as Emma Scalzo from the Balance Our Tax Code (BOTC) coalition, Emily Vynanek from the Washington Budget & Policy Center, and Lianna Kressin from the Statewide Poverty Action Network (SPAN) to unpack the 2026 Washington State legislative session and celebrate our wins together!
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What the Millionaires Tax means for our communities
Jump to 09:42 in the recording to hear Rep. April Berg speak on this new legislation.
The Coalition joined the Balance our Tax Code (BOTC) coalition and the Statewide Poverty Action Network (SPAN) in supporting the Millionaires Tax (Senate Bill 6346).
Representative Berg was a huge champion of this much-needed update to our tax code, which will add a 9.9 percent tax on household incomes above $1 million.
When it goes into effect in 2029, the Millionaires Tax will help fund a significant expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), which puts more money into the pockets of people living on low incomes. It will make other important changes too, like making school breakfast and lunch free for all K-12 students in Washington’s public schools and eliminating sales tax on certain hygiene products and over-the-counter medicine.
House Bill 2266 passes for Housing Fairness
Jump to 18:34 in the recording to hear from Rep. Strom Peterson and others about House Bill 2266 and what it means for our communities.
The Coalition and our community of advocates across the state worked hard to pass House Bill 2266 for housing fairness, sponsored by Rep. Peterson. This important bill ensures that local governments treat all housing and temporary lodging fairly through the siting process, regardless of the income of people staying there. It limits what local governments can require of shelter and housing providers, paving the way for more housing and shelter to be created, faster.
Other housing wins this legislative session
Jump to 40:34 in the recording to hear from Senator Alvarado on other housing bills that passed during the 2026 session.
Senator Alvarado shared two more key wins for affordable housing this year:
- Senate Bill 6027 creates much-needed funding flexibility for permanent supportive housing under threat from the federal government
- Senate Bill 6028 paves the way for communities to create more affordable homes by allowing affordable housing in commercial zones and eliminating the requirement to build first-floor retail
What’s next for the Millionaires Tax
Jump to 52:54 in the recording to hear from the Balance Our Tax Code coalition and the Washington State Budget & Policy Center
The Millionaires Tax will face challenges in court and on the ballot, so you can expect to hear more about it soon!
Expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit
Jump to 1:05:54 to hear from the Statewide Poverty Action Network about the expanded Working Families Tax Credit and more
People can see if they qualify for the Working Families Tax Credit here.
Our Next Meeting
Our next Membership Meeting is our Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 21 from 9-11 a.m. at El Centro de la Raza. We will be IN PERSON for this meeting for the first time since 2019 and we are excited to have you join us.
Our meeting will feature Heidi Groover, a housing reporter from The Seattle Times who just finished a fellowship at the University of Michigan where she studied root causes of the housing crisis.
We will have coffee, tea, breakfast, and time for connection starting at 8:30 a.m., so please come ready to greet old colleagues and make new friends. Our agenda also includes a celebration of being in Coalition together, an introduction to our 2026 slate of candidates for Coalition board service, and more….