Dear friends and neighbors,
The 2026 legislative session is moving right along! My staff and I remain laser-focused on delivering results for the 18th Legislative District and people across the state. We are committed to funding our schools, supporting working families, and ensuring our communities are safe and healthy.
Legislative update:
The House of Origin cutoff recently passed, and now every bill that passed off the Senate floor by that cutoff head to the House of Representatives, where they will continue to move through the legislative process.
Here is an update on the bills I sponsored this session that are still alive!
Preserving protected lands in Clark County
Senate Bill 5820 repeals prior legislation that allows industrial development on timber, agricultural, and mineral resource lands or critical environmental areas adjacent to the railroad in Clark County. Clark County is one of only two of Washington’s 39 counties to be exempt from the Growth Management Act’s conservation requirements, and I’ve spoken with many members of our community who are concerned about the negative impact this has had on our region.
Allowing language access providers to negotiate for fair compensation
Senate Bill 5944 clarifies and strengthens collective bargaining rights for language access providers. As of now, if a language access provider was to drive from Battle Ground to Goldendale only for their client to cancel or fail to show up, not only would they be prevented from seeking other work that day due to spending five hours driving, but they would also not be reimbursed for their gas or mileage. Interpreters are vastly immigrants supporting other immigrants, and during a time when these communities are under attack by the federal government, it’s crucial that our state steps up to support our immigrant neighbors.
Funding our schools through timber tax distributions
Senate Bill 5994 preserves timber tax distributions for school districts with recent levy failures. Many school districts across southwest Washington and the state have faced a significant increase in school levy failures. Current law prevents these school districts from receiving their distribution of funds from the state’s timber tax. This hits students and faculty with a brutal 1-2 punch through no fault of their own. My bill seeks to limit the damage by ensuring that schools dealing with these circumstances can access funding from the timber tax, even when a levy fails. Our district contributes a great amount of revenue to the state’s timber industry, and our students should not be punished for something they have no control over.
Giving teachers more time to teach
Senate Bill 5969 establishes a more cohesive statewide system for creating Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and High School and Beyond Plan (HSBPs), both of which contain similar information to one another.
As a special education teacher, much of my time is spent writing IEPs for my students. Unfortunately, current law requires educators to spend precious time filling out both an IEP transition plan and HSBP for individual learners. This bill directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to merge the two systems overseeing these respective plans to the greatest extent possible. This will reduce duplicative work for teachers across the state and allow them to spend more of their days doing what they do best — teach!
Regulating the sports wagering industry
Senate Bill 6137 strengthens regulatory protections of the sports wagering industry. This bill permits wagering on a collegiate sport or athletic event that involves a college located within Washington in tribal casinos. In addition, it bans betting on the performance or nonperformance of an individual in state college athletics. This is critical because in a recent survey, one-fourth of our NCAA athletes reported having contact with individuals on campus who had placed bets on their games, and one-third of basketball players reported enduring online abuse. This bill prevents sports wagering from taking place on the illicit, or “gray,” market, instead giving tribal gaming facilities the sole authority to offer sports wagering on their grounds. This bill will protect athletes and allow Washingtonians to enjoy sports wagering in an ethical and regulated manner.
Strengthening election law
Senate Bill 6084 is a commonsense bill that addresses a recent Lewis County court case by clarifying the definition of an election and stipulating that a person may not vote in an election in Washington and another state if the election date is the same for both states. This bill is critical to helping us prevent confusion and potential voter fraud during the 2026 primary and general elections and beyond. Simply put, if you live here, you vote here, you don’t get to vote anywhere else.
Meet the team
I wanted to give you all a chance to get to know the folks who keep the wheels turning in my office on a daily basis.
Kirsi (right) is my legislative assistant. She has lived in southwest Washington her whole life and is happy to work in this new capacity and serve her community.
Matt (center) is a session aide for our office, and he attends hearings, researches bills, and more. Matt is a credentialed special education teacher and hopes to become a teacher in southwest Washington after session. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading, watching basketball, and going on long walks.
Keisha (left) is an intern for our office. She tracks bills and helps respond to emails from constituents. Keisha is a senior at Eastern Washington University, where she is double majoring in anthropology and biology education. In her free time, she loves swing dancing, writing poetry, and going to museums.
Thank you to everyone who reached out to our office so far during the legislative session. Your input is critical to my work and helps me better represent you in Olympia. I encourage you to stay involved in the legislative process throughout the remainder of this session and during the interim. Please feel free to call my office at 360-786-7634 or to email me at Adrian.Cortes@leg.wa.gov.
It’s an honor to represent you and a privilege to bring our southwest Washington values to Olympia.
Sincerely,
Sen. Adrian Cortes
