Our Work in Washington

Sixty-day legislative sessions are always challenging, but this year was particularly tough. Federal attacks on basic social safety net programs added extra pressure, and a looming $900 million budget shortfall raised the stakes even higher. Nonetheless, we made important progress and helped pass the three key bills below:

Ensuring Access to Abortion Medication (Senate Bill 5917)

This law ensures that Washington distributes its $2 million abortion medication stockpile before it expires. It directs the Department of Corrections, which houses the stockpile, to collaborate with the Department of Health to get the medication to those most in need. We are grateful to the Washington State Women’s Commission and Pro-Choice Washington for leading advocacy efforts for this bill.

The law took effect March 14, 2026.

Hub for Gender-Affirming Care (Senate Bill 5998)

Using funds from this year’s supplemental budget, the Washington Department of Commerce will establish a central hub to support people seeking gender-affirming care. This hub will provide crucial support as nationwide attacks on gender-affirming care continue. Already, Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma shut down its gender clinic for minors in response to the Trump administration’s proposal to end Medicaid and Medicare funding for gender-affirming care for youth.

Driver Privacy Act (Senate Bill 6002)

This law regulates the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to protect personal privacy and promote public safety. It enacts basic guardrails that block agencies from using these cameras to persecute immigrants or punish those who seek abortion and gender-affirming care. However, the law still allows agencies to retain driver data for longer than necessary. We’ll continue working alongside our allies to strengthen these regulations and ensure our rights are protected. Huge thanks to the ACLU of Washington for leading the coalition that advocated for this bill.

This law took effect March 30, 2026.

In 2025, our Washington staff worked on a broad slate of policy proposals, engaging with nearly every major bill aligned with our priorities. Despite a tight state budget and strong opposition, we secured key victories:

Dignity in Pregnancy Loss (Senate Bill 5093)

This bill ensures Washingtonians are not investigated or criminalized for their pregnancy losses. It also requires jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers to report pregnancy losses to the state annually. This is an important first step toward understanding the experiences of incarcerated people and ensuring their needs are addressed. Legal Voice led advocacy on this bill alongside If/When/How and Pro-Choice Washington.

The parts of the law relating to pregnancy criminalization took effect on July 27, 2025. Reporting requirements for facilities will begin in 2027.

Advance Care Directives for Pregnant People (House Bill 1215)

This bill ensures that every Washingtonian’s advance care directive is respected. When writing an advance care directive — also known as a "living will" — many people use the template in our state's Natural Death Act. Unfortunately, the current template includes a clause that invalidates the directive if someone becomes pregnant. Though some people may want to include this clause, it shouldn't be the default. By removing the clause, this bill protects people from accidentally giving up personal autonomy.

The law took effect on July 27, 2025.

Expanding Paid Sick Leave to Include Immigration Hearings (House Bill 1875)

This bill allows employees to use sick leave to prepare for, or participate in, immigration proceedings for themselves and their family members. Immigrants are essential to our communities and economy, and no one should be forced to choose between keeping their job and protecting their right to stay with their family.

The law took effect on July 27, 2025.

In the 2024 session, we hoped to see our lawmakers invest in our communities, both through legal and economic measures. Our two main priorities that passed, the Stripper’s Bill of Rights and Expanded Paid Sick Leave, both represent an acknowledgment of critical worker rights. Particularly for marginalized communities such as sex workers and queer and immigrant families, these are huge wins.

Here's a breakdown of what each of these bills mean:

Strippers’ Bill of Rights (Senate Bill 6105)

This law establishes basic workers’ rights and protections for dancers. It increases workplace safety and advances economic justice with measures such as mandatory trainings on sexual harassment, dedicated security personnel, and regulations on exploitative fees charged to dancers. It also permits the sale and regulation of alcohol at adult entertainment venues. Finally, it repeals the archaic “lewd conduct” administrative code that was used to target queer venues by law enforcement. These changes will reduce harm, increase resources, and address extractive and unsafe power dynamics and practices.

Expanded Paid Sick Leave (Senate Bill 5793)

This law extends sick leave beyond direct family members. Our connections and community extend so much further than the nuclear family, and our opportunities to care for them should too. This law expands definitions of family with the Paid Family Medical Leave program policy and includes coverage for “someone who has an expectation to rely on you for care — whether you live together or not.” This expansion is vital for immigrant and queer communities, as well as people living in intergenerational or extended families.

The 2023 legislative session was both historic and incredibly hectic. This was the first session after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively removed federal abortion protections, and advocates had to shore up state protections to ensure continued access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare. Legal Voice worked with a coalition of other reproductive rights and gender justice organizations to pass a package of legislation, including a comprehensive state shield law, protections on prescription pill bottles, and a landmark healthcare data privacy law.

Shield Law (House Bill 1469)

This law is powerful support for pregnant people and healthcare providers facing prosecution from their transphobic, forced-birth home states. It prohibits cooperation with malicious, out-of-state investigations and prosecutions of Washington healthcare providers practicing gender-affirming or abortion care. With the rise of extremist abortion and gender-affirming care bans across the country, these protections are more urgent than ever.

This law took effect April 27, 2023.

My Health My Data (House Bill 1155)

This law protects your reproductive health data. It requires entities that are not subject to HIPAA (such as crisis pregnancy centers, period tracker apps, and websites) to get a consumer’s affirmative consent to collect, sell, or share their personal health information.

This law took effect April 27, 2023.

Provider Licensing (House Bill 1340)

This shields healthcare providers from losing their licenses due to providing the standard of care in states with extremist laws. It protects abortion and gender-affirming care providers from risking discipline or effects to their Washington license if they face adverse action in hostile states.

This law took effect April 27, 2023.

Zero Dollar Abortion Cost Sharing (Senate Bill 5242)

This law makes abortions more affordable. It limits out-of-pocket costs for patients by prohibiting copays for abortion in low-deductible health plans.

This law took effect July 23, 2023.