The 2026 legislative session officially kicks off on Monday, January 12th. A busy week is planned for committees which will hold hearings on the Governor’s proposed Supplemental budget (see the P4C budget analysis), as well as policy bills that have already been introduced for consideration.
Of note, the Senate Human Services Committee will hear SB 5911, a top priority for Partners for Our Children, to end the practice of withholding federal SSI benefits from youth in foster care. This year’s bill focuses on youth in Extended Foster Care as a first step toward ending this practice for all children in care. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14 at 8:00 a.m.
The committee will also hear SB 5940, which would expand access to housing vouchers for youth in Extended Foster Care who are experiencing homelessness—another effort P4C strongly supports.
Legislative priorities
P4C’s 2026 legislative priorities call on lawmakers to:
- Maintain existing social services for those most in need amid a challenging budget environment by prioritizing investments in children, youth, and families while advancing long-term revenue stability.
- Keep families together while protecting child safety, responding to recent increases in critical incidents with solutions that reflect the complex realities families face.
- Preserve SSI and other federal benefits for children in foster care, ending the unjust practice of using children’s benefits to offset state care costs and reducing the risk of homelessness and instability as youth exit care.
- Improve access to behavioral health services for children and youth by advancing the state’s strategic plan and strengthening family-centered substance use disorder treatment.
Policy committees will continue hearing bills until the first cutoff on February 4, the deadline for bills to pass out of policy committees in their chamber of origin.
Stay informed with P4C
P4C will continue to provide a weekly link to a bill tracker that 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
- TVW offers live and archived coverage of legislative committees and other events.
- The legislative website provides comprehensive information on bills, committee schedules, and contact information for legislators.
Stay tuned for more updates as the session progresses.