A busy Week 2 of the 2026 legislative session kicks off with the Senate celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Public hearings will include bills to strengthen the rights of working people, create more opportunities to build houses, keep ICE out of sensitive places, protect privacy, and address affordability by limiting medical debt and protecting taxpayers from costs associated with data centers.
AFFORDABILITY
Monday, Jan. 19 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Law & Justice Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5993, sponsored by Sen. Emily Alvarado. Medical debt is the primary cause of personal bankruptcy, and the bill would ban lenders from collecting interest on medical debt and renewing liens from any judgement which includes medical debt. Watch on TVW.
LABOR RIGHTS
Monday, Jan. 19 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Labor & Commerce Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6117, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña. As the rights of working people continue to be attacked, SB 6117 would create a state-level National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) through the Public Employee Relations Council to recognize the right to collectively bargain by unions in the event the National Labor Relations Board ceases to exist. Watch on TVW.
MLK DAY 2026
Monday, Jan. 19 @ 12:30 p.m.
The Senate will celebrate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 97th birthday. The day will include a performance of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by Sister Gabrielle Jones and Pastor Ronelle Jones will deliver the day’s invocation. Sen. T’wina Nobles will sponsor a resolution honoring Dr. King, and members of the Senate will also deliver remarks. Watch on TVW.
PROTECTING WASHINGTONIANS
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 8 a.m.
The Law & Justice Committee will hear public testimony on a pair of bills to protect Washingtonians’ personal information and safeguard sensitive places from federal agents. Senate Bill 6002, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, establishes state laws around the use and deployment of automatic license plate readers by state and local agencies. You can read more about her bipartisan bill here. The committee will also hear Sen. Drew Hansen’s SB 5906, which prohibits ICE from accessing nonpublic areas in education and health care settings without a federal criminal warrant signed by a judicial officer. You can read more about the bill here. Watch on TVW.
HEALTH CARE ACCESS
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Health & Long-Term Care Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6159, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra. The bill would support public hospitals struggling due to federal health care cuts by allowing them to coordinate with one another and directing revenue from a premium tax toward public hospital infrastructure projects. Watch on TVW.
PROTECTING WORKING PEOPLE
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Labor & Commerce Committee will hear public testimony on three bills sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldana that will strengthen the rights of working people in our state. Senate Bill 6045 establishes structures, processes, and rights for farmworkers to collectively bargain effectively. SB 6053 provides rights and protections for domestic workers who are exempt from most labor laws currently, and SB 5852 is attorney general request legislation that requires employers to notify employees of potential federal immigration audits and provide protections and support. Watch on TVW.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 11 a.m.
Senate and House Democratic leadership will answer questions from the media on Tuesday. Watch on TVW.
ACCESS TO DEMOCRACY
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 1:30 p.m.
The State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee will hear public testimony to increase voter participation in elections and keep voter personal information safe. Senate Bill 6035, sponsored by Sen. Claudia Kauffman, requires state and local elections officials to regularly meet with Tribes and authorizes the Secretary of State’s office to begin work on an online voting portal for people living with disabilities, overseas and military voters, and Native Americans living on reservations to help increase access and participation. SB 5892, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli, codifies a Secretary of State rule setting around what information may be disclosed from the state voter file and who may release it. You can read more about the issue here. Watch on TVW.
REGULATING AI
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 1:30 p.m.
The Environment, Energy & Technology Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5984, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Wellman. The bill will create regulations around artificial intelligence chatbots that include regular reminders that a user is interacting with a chatbot, the prevention of the creation of sexually explicit material, manipulative engagement techniques and a protocol for detecting and addressing suicidal ideation. Watch on TVW.
FLOOD RECOVERY
Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 4 p.m.
The Transportation Committee will hold a work session on the impacts of the recent flooding to the state’s highway system and the response of the Department of Transportation. Watch on TVW.
HOUSING
Wednesday, Jan. 21 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Housing Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6015, sponsored by Sen. Jessica Bateman. The bill creates a state program for permit-ready residential building plans, allowing qualifying housing projects to bypass duplicative local plan review and helping speed up housing construction while reducing costs and uncertainty. The committee will also hear SB 6054, sponsored by Sen. Victoria Hunt. The bill limits unreasonable restrictions by common interest communities on wildfire-resistant home improvements, ensuring homeowners can install fire-hardened materials that meet safety standards. Watch on TVW.
FLOOR ACTION
Wednesday, Jan. 21 @ 12:30 p.m.
The Senate will be on the floor Wednesday to pass policy bills for the first time during the 2026 legislative session. Watch on TVW.
HOUSING
Friday, Jan. 23 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Housing Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6069, sponsored by Sen. Emily Alvarado. The bill requires cities and counties to allow permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and indoor emergency housing in urban areas under the same permitting standards as other residential uses. It also reduces delays and regulatory barriers so housing for people experiencing homelessness can be built more quickly and predictably. Watch on TVW.
PROTECTING RATEPAYERS
Friday, Jan. 23 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Environment, Energy & Technology Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 6171, sponsored by Sen. Sharon Shewmake. There is much infrastructure work and associated costs required to get a data center online, expenses which are often passed on to ratepayers. The bill will require data centers — rather than ratepayers — to cover those costs, as well as the cost of generating the additional power data centers require to operate and prevent overwhelming the power grid. Watch on TVW.
