2026 ACL and ACA Spokane
Legislative Agenda
We are headed to Olympia on February 5th for the annual Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Legislative Day!
Every year, during the WA State Legislative Session, we gather in community with our statewide coalition, APIC Washington, to talk with state legislators, discuss issues that impact our communities, and advocate for policies that shape our collective future.
At a time when state budget deficit, federal policy shifts, and unjust immigration enforcement continue to threaten our underserved, immigrant, and refugee communities, it is critical that we stand together and collectively take action to build a Washington that truly is a place of safety, wellbeing, and belonging.
During this short 2026 Legislative Session, Asians for Collective Action and Asians for Collective Liberation are centering policy and budget advocacy that advances justice and equity on health, immigration, environment, education, and economy.
You can explore APIC Washington statewide legislative priorities and solidarity agenda to see how our local advocacy connects to a broader movement across the state.
HEALTH EQUITY
Access to care for all Washingtonians: Data Privacy and Quality of Care under the Apple Health Expansion
Demand NO cuts to Apple Health Expansion!
Currently, the Apple Health Expansion is providing health coverage to roughly 10,000 Washingtonians who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid, but are excluded due to their immigration status. The legislature should preserve funding for the AHE and ensure that all available funds are used to enroll applicants as more than 20,000 are currently waitlisted for coverage. The legislature should also work with the Health Care Authority to ensure that only strictly required data is reported to the federal government to maximize privacy for Washingtonians accessing these services.
Learn more about Apple Health Expansion and Data Privacy.
You can also check out resources and updates here from Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA).
IMMIGRATION JUSTICE
Keep Funding for Naturalization, LEP Pathways, and Legal Defense
We encourage the legislature to continue funding for essential programs that immigrants in our state rely on for safety, economic stability, and protection from a hostile, anti-immigrant federal administration. We request that the legislature support Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and other immigrant communities by maintaining funding levels for naturalization services, Limited English Proficient pathways, and legal aid for low income immigrants.
Learn more aboutNaturalization and Limited English Proficient (LEP) Pathways. Read more about the Legal Defense Fund here.
Pass the Immigrant Worker Protection Act
House Bill 2105 / Senate Bill 5852
Our legislature should take bold steps to create stronger protections for immigrant workers by supporting this bill that would require employers to notify their employees of a planned inspection of employment eligibility paperwork within 72 hours of federal notification. Provisions would also include restricting employers from sharing worker records with federal agencies, except if the agent provides either a subpoena or judicial warrant for the employee records.
Learn more about Immigration Protection Act through this one-pager. Track the Companion Bills: HB 2105, SB 5852
Secure Funding for the WAISN Deportation Defense Hotline
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) Hotline provides access to life-saving information, connection to crucial vetted resources, and ensures that families in Washington have somewhere they can call in the face of rampant and unaccountable immigration enforcement that is increasingly violating civil and constitutional rights of all Washingtonians, targeting immigrants and citizens alike. With the rising need to protect our immigrant and refugee communities, we are calling on WA Legislators to invest in community-based infrastructure by allocating 5 million in funding in the 2026 supplemental budget to WAISN’s Deportation Defense Hotline.
Learn more about what you can do and why Funding the Deportation Defense Hotline is important here.
Check out the rest of WAISN’s Legislative Agenda here.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Pass the Statewide Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (House Bill 1903)
HB 1903 establishes a statewide energy assistance program to reduce utility costs for low-income households across Washington State. The program would be administered by the Department of Commerce and provide funding to utilities so that eligible households experience direct bill reductions. The bill prioritizes households with high energy burdens and seeks to stabilize access to essential energy services.
Energy is a basic need. Rising utility costs disproportionately harm low-income households, communities of color, immigrants, renters, elders, and people with disabilities. HB 1903 directly addresses this inequity by reducing monthly financial strain and preventing utility shutoffs.
Read more why we think it’s important to support this bill. Track the status of HB 1903 in the WA Legislature here.
Pass the Cumulative Risk Burden Pollution (CURB) Act (House Bill 1303 / Senate Bill 5380)
The Cumulative Risk Burden (CURB) Pollution Act, strengthens environmental justice protections by requiring state agencies to consider cumulative health and environmental impacts when making permitting and regulatory decisions. Current permitting processes often evaluate pollution sources in isolation, ignoring the layered and compounding impacts faced by communities already overburdened by pollution. HB 1303 addresses this gap by integrating cumulative impact analysis into decision-making, ensuring that new or expanded projects do not further harm communities that are already disproportionately affected.
The bill identifies communities that have been historically and disproportionately harmed by pollution and provides additional protections to prevent further environmental and public health harms. By shifting how environmental impacts are assessed, HB 1303 moves Washington toward a more just, preventative, and health-centered regulatory framework.
Learn more about the CURB Act through this one-pager. Check out updates and resources from Front and Centered and their legislative agenda.
Track how the bills are doing at the WA Legislature: HB 1303 and SB 5380
ECONOMIC EQUITY
Pass Progressive Revenue Policies in Washington
While our communities are already facing reductions in critical programs and services, our state is considering additional cuts to close the already wide budget deficit. Without new revenue, lawmakers will have to cut $5-7 billion from the state budget this legislative session. We encourage the legislature to look to progressive revenue sources such as a wealth tax on stocks, bonds, and other intangible financial assets as well as a millionaire’s income tax to ensure that we do not balance the budget on the backs of immigrant and working class families. We are calling on our WA legislators to support the following policies:
This will enact tax paid only by Washingtonians with Wall Street wealth (e.g. stocks, bonds, mutual funds) in excess of $50 million. This would raise $1-4 billion dollars per year for our public schools, special education services, and the educators that are shaping the next generation. Read more about Wealth Tax here.
If passed, this fund will establish employer-paid 5% payroll tax on wages above $125,000 and would generate more than $2 billion of state income per year. By only applying to businesses with over $7 million in payroll, this new payroll tax means wealthy corporations will pay more of what they owe towards our shared public infrastructure and social services. Read more about Well Washington Fund.
- Millionaires’ Tax
Passing the Millionaire’s Tax in 2026 can fund core programs that can support all Washingtonians, while making our tax code more equitable and sustainable. Low- and moderate-income working families pay far more of their income in taxes than the wealthiest because of regressive taxes like sales tax. When our tax code is structured based on ability to pay, our communities are more equitably funded and everyone in Washington benefits. Read more about Millionaire’s Tax here.
Read the Resources and Checklist for Progressive Revenue from Balance our Tax Code coalition.
Check out what you can do now through the current calls to action to support Progressive Revenue policies.
Secure Capital Budget Investment for Affordable Homes
Washington has only 45 affordable homes for every 100 very low-income households in search of housing. But the state Capital Budget could help build and preserve more affordable homes across our state. In the 2025 legislative session, the legislature invested over $605 million for affordable homes. This year lawmakers should match Governor Ferguson’s supplemental capital budget proposal and include at least an additional $225 million to preserve and build over 4,000 affordable homes across the state.
Learn more about the Capital Budget investment for affordable homes here.
View other legislative priorities advocating for housing justice here from at WA Low Income Housing Alliance.