Lawmakers are back in the Capitol for Washington’s 2026 legislative session.
This year’s legislative session is shorter at only 60 days, because it falls on an even year where lawmakers typically just make modest adjustments to the state budget, according to the University of Washington’s Office of State Relations.
The state operates on two-year budget cycles.
During last year’s longer session of 105 days, state legislators tackled the significant biennial operating, capital and transportation budgets which are already in effect.
Governor Bob Ferguson says the state has about a $2.3 billion dollar budget gap. Washington State Standard reporter Jerry Cornfield says lawmakers will have to consider tapping into various reserve funds to fill the state deficit.
“After last session where they raised a lot of taxes to deal with the shortfall, they don’t have many options left, so some programs are gonna be cut, some plans to expand programs won’t be expanded. Then they’re going to do what I would say is play with house money and they’re going to move money from one account to another account to another account. They’re going to use some of the Climate money [Climate Commitment Act funds]. Big companies have paid and bought allowances to pollute that money is supposed to go into projects to reduce pollution. But it’s going probably go into Governor Ferguson’s budget,” Cornfield said.
While the Governor supports a so-called ‘Millionaire Tax’, he doesn’t see it as a long-term fix and is opposed to new and higher taxes on corporations.
“The Democrats have been pushing for it. They assume it will even go to the ballot and it may be challenged in court, so they won’t even see any dollars before 2029,” Cornfield said.
But many Democrats in the House and Senate aren’t happy with those limited options.
In December, the Governor also announced $2.1 billion in transportation infrastructure investments without raising taxes — investments that lawmakers have to approve. If they do, it would be the largest investment in preservation in the past two decades.
