WA's 2026 legislative session is getting underway. Will anyone be smiling when it's over?

Washington state lawmakers begin a 60-day session today, in which a fiscal reckoning, flood recovery, and their own reelections loom large.

They departed Olympia last spring, fingers crossed that a colossus of budget problems had been defeated with a one-two punch of spending cuts and new taxes. It was not.

Adding to the difficulties: massive changes foisted upon states in the federal law dubbed “beautiful” by its Republican sponsors and “ugly” by its Democrat detractors.

Then came the havoc of December’s heavy rains and flooding. The financial toll for residents and public infrastructure is still being tallied. But it won’t be cheap. And it’s not clear yet that the Trump administration will step in with federal aid.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/01/12/was-2026-legislative-session-is-getting-underway-will-anyone-be-smiling-when-its-over/