Major ICE, grocery store closure and other bills that survived WA Leg cutoff

Wednesday marked the first big deadline for the 2026 legislative session.

Since Jan. 12, state lawmakers have brainstormed, debated and tweaked scores of bills. The state’s Democratic majority has ramped up efforts to install what they view as necessary guardrails to looming federal transgressions and overreach, particularly when it comes to immigration enforcement.

Feb. 4 was the policy committee cutoff, meaning that legislation lacking budgetary significance needed to have been voted out of its committee to stay in the mix. The next deadline, Feb. 9, is just around the corner for bills in fiscal and transportation committees.

Republicans registered disappointment in some of what Democrats are prioritizing this session. Senate Minority Leader John Braun of Centralia, for instance, told reporters this week that there are many bad bills that Republicans are worried about, such as labor-related legislation that they fear will drive up the cost of hiring employees and providing services.

Rep. April Connors, a Kennewick Republican, said at the same media availability that certain public-safety bills would likely not advance. She said Republicans requested hearings on a package of measures related to sexually violent predators in the wake of a planned Tri-Cities home for offenders leaving McNeil Island — but that “the Democrat leadership has said, basically: ‘No.’” (The Senate version of one of the bills was ultimately scheduled for a Feb. 4 hearing.)

House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, a Tacoma Democrat, told reporters Wednesday that lots of Democratic lawmakers, too, have seen their bills die. Conversely, many bills from Republicans have moved on.

What’s being prioritized so far this session? Here’s a sampling of some key bills that lived beyond Wednesday’s cutoff.

Washington Democrats focus on immigration

As the administration of President Donald Trump continues its crackdown on immigration, Washington Democrats are lining up to pass a series of new federally focused bills.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has called on lawmakers to deliver Senate Bill 5855 to his desk, and Democrats are working to do just that. The proposal by Sen. Javier Valdez of Seattle would bar law enforcement officers, including agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from donning masks while interacting with members of the public. It passed off the Senate floor along party lines last week.

SB 5906 by Bainbridge Island Sen. Drew Hansen would block federal immigration agents from going into hospitals, schools, daycare centers and more without a judicial warrant. The measure cleared the Senate Law & Justice Committee late last month and was scheduled for a Feb. 5 public hearing in Senate Ways & Means.

Tacoma Sen. Yasmin Trudeau is the lead sponsor behind a bill that would enact restrictions on the use of automatic license plate reader data and prevent immigration enforcement from accessing it. The Senate Law & Justice Committee passed SB 6002 on Jan. 22, and the bill sailed off the Senate floor Wednesday on a 40-9 vote.

Ahead of the start of session, Ferguson announced a slate of six request bills, including House Bill 2165 by Rep. Edwin Obras of SeaTac. The measure aims to stop imposters from posing as law enforcement; it would be a gross misdemeanor to make, possess or provide law enforcement insignias, such as badges, with certain exceptions for satire, art, parody and commentary. Lawmakers on the House Community Safety Committee approved the bill Jan. 22.

Des Moines Sen. Tina Orwall’s SB 6286, which cleared the Senate Human Services Committee on Tuesday, would levy fines against ICE detention centers for stopping the state’s health department from entering to inspect.

Bills on data centers, grocery stores and more

Washington lawmakers aren’t only focused on immigration enforcement this session.

SB 5853 by Republican Sen. Jeff Wilson of Longview would establish a statewide emergency public official notification system amid a rise in political violence. It soared out of the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Jan. 30 and was scheduled for a Feb. 5 public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

Nicknamed the Grocery Protection Act, SB 6147 by Democratic Sen. Steve Conway of Tacoma would require grocery stores to give at least six months’ notice before closure in food deserts and low-income areas. The bill made it through the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on Monday.

Rep. Mia Gregerson’s HB 2489, which eked out of the House Housing Committee on Monday, would create new limitations on when local governments can remove homeless encampments from public property.

Olympia Rep. Beth Doglio’s HB 2515 is still alive, too. Passed Monday by the House Environment & Energy Committee, the bill would set new requirements for data centers amid concerns about their effect on energy rates.

Other bills, however, had less luck.

One that was scheduled for, but didn’t receive a vote in, executive session: Conway’s SB 6181. This legislation sought to carve out another way for unincorporated parts of Pierce County, such as South Hill, to become their own city.

Republican Rep. Stephanie Barnard of Pasco introduced HB 2090 to direct the state’s commerce department to create a nuclear power strategic framework by Dec. 15. The bill received a public hearing in the House Environment & Energy Committee on Jan. 13 but wasn’t put up for a vote.