Last week in Olympia was marked by a full slate of committee hearings, executive sessions, and floor action. The first major cutoff is Wednesday, Feb. 4, when bills (except those necessary to implement the budget) must be passed out of their originating policy committees (house of origin) to remain alive this session.

This session we are seeing increased attention on data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).  Proposals include bills that would make data centers pay more of their energy costs and disclose their resource use. Read more about this here.

Democrats continue to consider a myriad of revenue tools to address current and future budget shortfalls.   The proposal receiving the most attention remains the “millionaires tax,” which we expect to be dropped later this week, seeking to impose a 9.9% tax on the portion of income over $1 million.

Following the Feb. 4 policy committee cutoff, legislative focus will shift to fiscal committees. Bills with a fiscal impact must pass out of their fiscal committee in their house of origin by Feb. 9. After that, attention will turn to floor action.

AI & Data Centers

SB 6284 and HB 2667 would establish a new consumer protection framework for “high‑risk” AI systems, requiring deployers to implement risk management programs aligned with national AI risk management standards, complete impact assessments (with certain exemptions for small entities), provide consumer notices before AI‑driven consequential decisions, and extend the state AI task force work and AI workplace advisory efforts. The bills would also require state and local government agencies that make AI tools available for consumer interaction to clearly disclose that consumers are interacting with AI, and vest exclusive enforcement authority in the Attorney General under the Consumer Protection Act, with cure provisions for initial violations and no private right of action. SB 6284 will have an executive session in the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee on Feb. 3.

SB 5984 and HB 2225 seeks to create a new consumer protection framework for artificial intelligence companion chatbots by requiring clear disclosure that users are interacting with AI, restricting manipulative or sexually explicit interactions with minors, and mandating suicide and self-harm response protocols with public reporting; both bills exclude general-purpose and transactional AI tools not configured as companions, treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts under the state consumer protection act, and are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

HB 2515 and SB 6171 would create a new regulatory framework for very large data centers, defined as “emerging large energy use facilities,” by requiring specialized utility tariffs or contracts, clean‑energy sourcing milestones, detailed resource and interconnection reporting, and a per‑kilowatt‑hour fee to fund low‑income energy and higher education programs.

Housing

HB 2480 and SB 6026 both seek to require larger Growth Management Act (GMA) jurisdictions with populations of 30,000 or more that are planning under the act to allow standalone residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones, limit local mandates for ground-floor commercial or mixed-use components and related special permitting or design departures, and establish state preemption if local codes are not updated within a year, subject to specified exceptions for industrial, refinery-adjacent, historic, shoreline, and critical areas. SSB 6026 is scheduled to have a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on Feb. 3. HB 2480 is scheduled for an executive session in the House Local Government Committee on Feb. 3 & 4. Seattle Metro Chamber has testified in support of both versions of the bill.

HB 2100 and SB 6093 would each establish a new 5 percent payroll tax on annual employee payroll above $125,000. Tax revenues would be split between the state general fund and a new Well Washington Fund to backfill anticipated federal cuts to health care, higher education, food assistance, energy, and related services. Seattle Metro Chamber President and CEO Joe Nyugen testified in opposition to HB 2100 along with WA Round Table, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of WA Business.

Helpful Links for Session:

Important Session Dates:

  • February 4, 2026: House of Origin Policy Cutoff
  • February 9, 2026: House of Origin Fiscal Cutoff
  • February 17, 2026: House of Origin Floor Cutoff
  • February 25, 2026: Opposite House Policy Cutoff
  • March 2, 2026: Opposite House Fiscal Cutoff
  • March 6, 2026: Opposite House Floor Cutoff
  • March 12, 2026: Last Day of Session