March 24-28
Both the House and Senate budgets were released at the start of this week. The budgets accompany the revenue proposals released in the previous week by both chambers (see revenue proposals summary). While both proposed budgets include many cuts, the inclusion of progressive revenue creates a balanced approach and ensures that essential services for vulnerable populations are largely preserved, while also addressing forecasted caseloads, statutory obligations, and cost increases.
The Senate’s budget totals $78.5 billion for 2025-27 while the House is $77.8 billion. Both budgets include roughly $3 billion in cuts over the next two years and a total of $6 billion in cuts over the next four years. The reductions are balanced by new revenue of approximately $16 billion in the Senate and $14.8 billion in the House over the next four years.
View a preliminary analysis of the budgets.
Fiscal committees held hearings on the budget bills on Tuesday and voted them out of committee on Thursday. Next, each chamber will pass their respective budgets off the floor and then the House and Senate will go into “conference” where they will negotiate to reach agreement on a final budget.
Continued action on bills
Priority bills for Partners for Our Children continue to advance through the process and have been allocated funding in the House budget:
- SHB 1177: Voted out of the Senate Human Services Committee on March 26th and referred to the Ways and Means Committee. This bill makes improvements to the Child Welfare Housing Assistance Program, which addresses housing instability when it is a barrier for families to reunite or stay together. The House budget includes $500,000 to implement the bill, specifically to address a waitlist for families eligible for housing.
- SHB 1509: The Senate Human Services Committee held a hearing on the bill on March 24th and is scheduled to vote on it on March 31st. This bill continues an existing community-based model to deliver prevention services to families experiencing conflict. The House budget includes $600,000 to implement the bill.
Weekly bill tracker
The P4C tracker highlights bills related to our priorities, particularly in child welfare. Please note that the inclusion of bills in the tracker does not reflect P4C’s position for or against the bill.
Other ways to stay informed
- The legislative website provides comprehensive information on bills, committee schedules, and contact information for legislators.
- TVW offers live and archived coverage of legislative committees and other events.
