WSNA in Olympia — 2025 Legislative Session

The Legislature adjourned Sine Die (Latin phrase meaning “without a day to reconvene”) Sunday evening on April 27, closing out a tumultuous and emotionally charged session marked by significant political tension, major fiscal challenges, and the deaths of two legislators. From the opening days, the atmosphere was fraught with division. Deep ideological splits over how to address the state’s financial crisis created an environment where lawmakers frequently clashed not only along party lines but also within their own caucuses.

The most pressing issue was the staggering $16 billion budget deficit. The reality of the shortfall quickly consumed legislative discussions, setting the tone for the months ahead. Proposed cuts sparked widespread protests and added to the strain inside the Capitol. In response, a range of revenue ideas were debated, from new taxes on capital gains to expanded sales tax bases and proposals for bond measures.

At the same time legislators were battling over the budget deficit, several policy issues were front-and-center this session. These included a bill to limit annual rent increases; one to provide up to six weeks of unemployment insurance for striking workers; a bill requiring a permit to purchase a gun; and legislation addressing rights of parents of public school students.

The session was further shaken by the death of former House Speaker Frank Chopp. A towering figure in state politics for decades, Chopp's passing was mourned across party lines, with tributes highlighting his enduring legacy on affordable housing and social justice issues. Adding to the heavy mood, Senator Bill Ramos passed away while in office a mere two weeks from Sine Die. And on Saturday, Senator Gildon’s wife, Autumn, unexpectedly passed away.

Bills that have passed are now in the queue to be signed by the Governor if they have not been signed already. Bills that are delivered to the governor more than five days before the Legislature adjourns have five days to be acted on. Bills that are delivered fewer than five days before the Legislature adjourns have 20 days to be acted on by the governor. Both are counted as calendar days, not business days. Sundays are not counted, but Saturdays and state holidays are included.

Since this is the first year of the biennium, any bills that did not pass remain alive for consideration in the 2026 session.

Please stay tuned for a more detailed End of Session report to be posted to WSNA’s Legislative Session page by the end of May.

The final $77.8 billion operating budget includes nearly $6 billion in cuts and close to $9 billion in new revenue over the four-year outlook — significantly less revenue than legislative Democrats had initially sought. The final budget doesn’t tap the $2 billion in Budget Stabilization Account (aka Rainy Day Fund) and leaves $225 million in its cash reserves. The final budget also steers clear of furloughs for state employees, an option both Governor Ferguson and Senate Democrats had floated earlier in the session.

The final revenue package supporting the budget included an increase in business and occupation (B&O) tax rates and an additional surcharge on businesses with more than $250 million in state taxable revenue. The Legislature also passed bills that established new revenue including a sales tax on tech services and a capital gains tax on investment gains over $1 million. A slimmed-down version of the wealth tax passed the Senate in the final hours of session but was not taken up by the House.

It remains unclear whether Governor Ferguson will support the budget in full or issue partial vetoes. In a statement, Governor Ferguson expressed appreciation for the Legislature concluding on time and stated he would be reviewing the budgets in detail prior to taking action. His decision will be closely watched, as it could either cement cooperation with the legislative majority or trigger a new round of political negotiations in a special session.

Click here for an article from the Washington State Standard summarizing the final budget, new revenue and the legislative session overall.

HB 1162 passed House concurrence (House agreed to the Senate amendments) with a unanimous vote last Tuesday. The bill has been delivered to the governor. Once Governor Ferguson signs the bill, then it’s law! Thank you for using your voice and sharing your stories with your legislators!

Next steps, including updated Revised Code of Washington (RCW) as result of this bill, will be shared in the coming months as the State makes that available. Additional details to be covered in the End of Session report and posted to WSNA’s Legislative Session page by the end of May.

SB 5041 has officially passed the House and Senate on Friday, and the bill was delivered to the governor awaiting a final signature into law!

After a House amendment cut UI benefits from 12 weeks to four, Senate and House leaders worked on a compromise that allows workers on strike the ability to collect up to six weeks of UI after a two-week waiting period. While this is not everything we hoped for, this is still a massive step towards leveling the playing field for workers and encouraging employers to bargain in good faith. Click here to watch the conference committee reach the compromise.

Next steps, including updated Revised Code of Washington (RCW) as result of this bill, will be shared in the coming months as the State makes that available. Additional details to be covered in the End of Session report and posted to WSNA’s Legislative Session page by the end of May.

Now that session is over, we want to hear from you! Please complete this very short survey to let us know if we are providing the right kind of information to you about our legislative work and presenting it to you in a way that works best. This survey tells us how best to engage with you all. We appreciate you and your feedback!

Events/Rallies

• Tuesday, April 29: Informational Picket at PeaceHealth St. Joseph in Bellingham. Morning session 6-9am, afternoon session 11-1:30pm, rally at noon. Find out the latest updates on the website.
• Wednesday, April 30 through Friday, May 2: 2025 Washington State Nurses Convention. Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA 98402. You can find more information on the convention website.
• May Day Events
  • Thursday, May 1 at noon: International Workers’ Day. Cal Anderson Park, Seattle, WA. Further details can be found on the event website, and attendees can RSVP here.
  • Thursday, May 1 at 5pm: May Day Scavenger Hunt Raffle & Celebration. Clark County Historical Museum, 1511 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660. Click here for more details, and attendees can RSVP here.
  • Saturday, May 3 at 12pm (noon): All Labor March (hosted by TLM CLC). Tivoli Fountain, Olympia, WA 98501. Click here to RSVP.
  • National Day of Action. You can search for events by city. Click here to find a list of May Day 2025 events.
• Tuesday, May 6 from 10-1pm: Winning True Health Security – How Could Single-Payer Health Care Benefit Unions & Union Members? Washington State Labor Council Building, 906 Columbia Street SW in Olympia. Hear from Rose Roach, National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Registration is required.
• Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers and more with AFT.

Upcoming Legislative Milestones

• August 5 – Primary Election
• September 30 – Deadline for Federal Budget
• November 4 – General Election

The legislature considers hundreds of bills outside our own legislative priorities. Here is a list of bills we were watching as they moved through the legislative process. Since the legislative session has now concluded, the progress of these bills are finalized.

Session Law = the Governor has signed the bill and it’s now law. PASSED = the bill has passed the State Legislature is awaiting the Governor’s signature. DEAD = the bill has not passed this session.

Session Law HB 1686, creating a health care entity registry

Session Law SB 5493, concerning hospital price transparency

Session Law HB 1531, preserving the ability of public officials to address communicable diseases

PASSED HB 2082/SB 5813, increasing funding to the education legacy trust account by creating a more progressive rate structure for the capital gains tax and estate tax

PASSED HB 2049/ SB 5812, investing in the state’s paramount duty to fund K-12 education and build strong and safe communities

PASSED HB 2083/SB 5814, modernizing the excise taxes on select services and nicotine products and requiring large businesses to make a one-time prepayment of state sales tax collection

PASSED HB 2077/SB 5811, establishing a tax on certain business activities related to surpluses generated under the zero-emission vehicle program

PASSED HB 2081/SB 5815, modifying business and occupation tax surcharges, rates, and the advanced computing surcharge cap, clarifying the business and occupation tax deduction for certain investments, and creating a temporary business and occupation tax surcharge on large companies

PASSED SB 5794, adopting recommendations from the tax preference performance review process, eliminating obsolete tax preferences, clarifying legislative intent, and addressing changes in constitutional law

PASSED HB 1879, concerning meal and rest breaks for hospital workers

PASSED SB 5101, expanding access to leave and safety accommodations to include workers who are victims of hate crimes or bias incidents

PASSED SB 5503, concerning public employee collective bargaining processes

PASSED HB 1308, concerning access to personnel recordsHB 1022, creating a home for heroes program.

PASSED HB 1213, expanding protections for workers in the state paid family and medical leave

DEAD HB 2079, increasing alcohol taxes

DEAD HB 2080, prohibiting the Tesla tax or any other tax that applies to only one individual, business, or entity or a group of individuals affiliated with a singular business or entity

DEAD  HB 2084, increasing funding for K-12, health care, and public safety by repealing or modifying tax preferences for certain industries and goods

DEAD HB 2073/SB 5808, funding health insurance premium assistance

DEAD HB 2045, investing in Washington families by restructuring the business and occupation tax on high grossing businesses and financial institutions

DEAD HB 2046, creating fairness in Washington’s tax by imposing a tax on select financial intangible assets

DEAD  SB 5795, reducing the state sales and use tax rate

DEAD SB 5796, enacting an excise tax on large employers on the amount of payroll expenses above the social security wage threshold to fund programs and services to benefit Washingtonians

DEAD SB 5797, enacting a tax on stocks, bonds, and other financial intangible assets for the benefit of public schools

DEAD SB 5798, concerning property tax reform

How does a bill become a law?

Washington State Labor Council’s 2025 Legislative Priorities