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 defeat three bills that would have harmed sex workers, survivors of sexual violence, and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. And while some priority bills didn’t cross the finish line, we laid the groundwork to move them forward next session.
Here’s the full breakdown:
Victories
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.
Legal Voice’s Alizeh Bhojani Testifies in Support of the Driver Privacy Act
Continuing Work
Protecting Health Care Providers from Harassment (House Bill 2176)
This bill would have updated the Washington Public Records Act to keep health care providers safe from harassment and violence. It limits access to documents that would allow extremists to fish for personal information about providers who provide a specific kind of care, such as abortion care, gender-affirming care, and vaccinations.
Legal Voice helped draft this bill and led the effort to pass it. It made strong progress but ultimately did not receive a final vote before the session deadline. We are deeply grateful to everyone who signed in “pro” to support this bill — your advocacy helped move this conversation forward and build momentum for future passage.
Medication Abortion on College Campuses (Senate Bill 5826)
This bill would have allowed students to finally get medication abortion through campus health centers. Every year, around 1,000 students at Washington’s public colleges need abortion services. But only two of our 44 state schools are known to be in the process of providing those services.
Learn More
Stay tuned for our legislative debrief webinar, where we’ll offer a behind-the-scenes look at what happened last session and preview our priorities for 2027.
