Welcome to the fourth week of the 2026 legislative session—some very important dates are coming up. February 4th is the policy cutoff date, any bills that are not passed out of policy committee will die and not move forward this year. February 9 is the fiscal cutoff for bills to move out of fiscal committee and continue moving forward. The one exception is if a bill is NTIB – Necessary to Implement the Budget.
Below you’ll find a list of bills you can take action on by signing in and having your position noted for the record. Due to it being cutoff week, there are not a lot of public hearings to weigh in on.
For each bill, you also have the option to sign up to testify live (either in person or virtually), submit written testimony, or email your legislators directly from the main bill page. The bill page is linked in the descriptions below. Please keep in mind that many bills are scheduled for hearings each week, and while we encourage everyone to sign up to testify live, there may not be time for everyone to speak.
You can also watch hearings live or view recordings afterward. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the bill page and click on the hearing link. Recordings are typically available a few hours after the hearing concludes.
A couple of important reminders:
- You must sign in at least one hour before the hearing to have your position noted for the record or to testify.
- You have up to 24 hours after the hearing to submit written testimony.
We also encourage you to join the biweekly community legislative update hosted by Look2Justice, ACLU-WA, Civil Survival, and the League of Women Voters. The next meeting is Monday, February 2nd from 6:00–7:30 PM, and it will focus on sentencing and prison related legislation.
Please register using the link below to attend.
Actions For Bills Being Heard This Week:
- HB 2403 – Modifying provisions relating to the crime of failure to register.
- This bill reduces harsh sentencing for failure-to-register violations and clarifies that repeat registration offenses are not automatically treated as sex offenses.
- Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM on Monday, February, 2nd
- Sign in Pro here before 3:00 PM on Monday, February 2nd to have your position noted for the record.
- SB 5974 – Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons.
- This bill proposes updated statewide eligibility, certification, and training requirements for sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders in Washington.
- Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM on Thursday, February 5th
- Sign in Pro here before 12:30 PM on Thursday, February 5th to have your position noted for the record.
Thank you all for continuing to show up, stay engaged, and use your voices during this fast-moving session. Together we are shaping what’s possible.
In solidarity,
—Civil Survival