Dear friends and neighbors,

Next Monday is the first day of the 2026 legislative session. This is a 60-day session, so it will be fast paced and focused on the biggest issues before us – a sustainable and responsible budget, protecting Washingtonians from federal overreach, and working on affordability, so Washington is a state where everyone can get by, including the costs of housing, childcare, health care, and more.

Bills I’m introducing

Housing affordability and health care have always been some of my top priorities as a legislator, and this year will be no different. I’ve got a few interesting new bills I’m working on I’d like to share with you.

Seniors in independent living:

Current law contains legal protections for seniors in licensed elder care facilities that provide more complex care like memory care. But many seniors and aging Washingtonians don’t need that level of care and live in independent living facilities like condominiums and apartment building complexes, which aren’t licensed and have no special protections for residents. I’ve heard many complaints from some of our elders about mistreatment at the hands of the people running the building where they live, but too often, there’s no recourse unless they are willing to hire a lawyer and sue or move. I’m introducing a bill to create a registry of these facilities and an ombuds position within the Attorney General’s Office that would be able to investigate mistreatment of residents to ensure they have the resources they need and accountability when the law is broken.

Permit-ready housing:

The cost, complexity, and unpredictability of permitting can be a big driver in the cost of housing prices. Senate Bill 6015 will present a better, more streamlined option. The bill would have the state develop and pre-approve a set of sample residential building plans that meet certain standards.  If builders choose off this menu, they can move through local permitting processes with fewer repeat reviews. This permit-ready housing will be cheaper and quicker to build, helping us expand our housing supply and lower costs for people looking for a place to live.

Mifepristone access:

Mifepristone is a medication used as a part of abortion and miscarriage care, and more than 60% of abortions in Washington state involve mifepristone. Back in 2023, in the wake of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision that opened the door to banning abortion, Washington state purchased a three-year supply of mifepristone in 2023 and passed legislation to allow it to be provided publicly. Most of these medications have not yet been used. We have these medications in a warehouse, and if we can get them to people who need them, we should. There are more than 10,000 women a year in this state who need mifepristone, and Senate Bill 5917 will help ensure they get access to the medications their state purchased for them.

Renters in flood plains:

Last month’s tragic floods in Northwest Washington have made it clear that the Legislature needs to help folks recover and be ready for the next disaster. One thing we realized in the housing space was about notice for people moving into a flood plain. People selling a home are required to let the buyer know if it’s located in a flood plain, but landlords aren’t required to give the same warning to tenants. I’m finishing drafting a bill to give tenants the same warnings about flood risks that homebuyers get – it’s not introduced yet, but I expect it to be ready in the next few days.

AI nurses:

Senate Bill 5904 would make it an unlawful practice for any non-human entity, like a large language model chatbot, to be identified to a patient as a nurse. I think by now many of us might have experienced online chatting with a nurse if you have a simple question, and I want to ensure patients get the care, concern, and help of a human. Artificial intelligence certainly has its uses, and this bill doesn’t prevent a patient or a health care provider from asking a chatbot a question or using it to help summarize information as a part of their diagnosis or care. But when your health is on the line, I think people deserve to know who they are talking to, whether that’s a human or a bot.

With Reps. My-Linh Thai and Lisa Parshley last session

The governor’s budget proposal

The 2026 supplemental budget proposal is one of the most important bills we will pass this year. Our state still has major needs, and like many other states, we are still facing budget challenges as we did in 2025. I think we’re all concerned about what’s going to continue to happen with federal funding for essential services like Medicaid, childcare, public health, housing, scientific research, and our colleges and universities, and so much more.

We will again face very difficult choices – weighing responsible reductions, targeted savings and efficiencies, while also identifying new progressive revenue options that protect the progress we’ve made and will leave our state on better financial footing in the years to come.

The governor made some tough choices in the budget proposal he presented in December, just like the Legislature will. I don’t agree with everything he did, but I respect the work that went into his proposal.

There are some nuts-and-bolts elements of state government that Gov. Ferguson has new funding for, like handling the impacts of the federal H.R. 1 bill that cut funding states received for Medicaid and so many other services, paying for state IT work, covering the cost of some major lawsuits.

I was also glad to see that state employees didn’t see furloughs proposed again and that our WPEA union members would get their contract funded to match the WFSE folks who were funded last year, so they’ll get the COLA they bargained for.

I know an austerity approach is worse for everyone and that we have to protect the building blocks of the state like education, behavioral health, housing, and public safety. And I know how important it is that we continue to support the state employees who make our government function.

That’s why I want new progressive revenue to be part of our budget plan. I want to see the state’s largest corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals pay their fair share, rather than relying on cuts to education, health care, or community programs, or placing the burden on the backs of state employees. There’s more momentum right now for progressive tax reform than we’ve seen in a long time. The capital gains tax on the wealthy was upheld by voters in 32 out of 39 counties in 2024, not just here in Thurston County, but across the state even in some very Republican areas. Despite many of the challenges we face this session, there is hope and opportunity for significant revenue reform in Washington.

You can always reach me at Jessica.Bateman@leg.wa.gov, and I really appreciate the folks who keep in touch with our office.

I am hosting an online town hall on the evening of Monday, Jan. 19, streamed at these links on YouTube and social media with my seatmates, Reps. Beth Doglio and Lisa Parshley. Please save the date to watch at 6:30 p.m. (and the recording will be available later), and you can submit questions to us ahead of time here.

Thank you so much for reading!

In service,

-Jess