It is day 56 of the 60-day session.
Friday, March 6, was opposite house cutoff, the last major deadline before Sine Die (the adjournment of legislative session) next Thursday, March 12. Bills that did not pass out of the opposite chamber from which they originated are dead unless necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Any legislation that is not NTIB and remains alive must receive a concurrence vote in its chamber of origin if it was amended in the opposite chamber; otherwise, it will proceed to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
One significant bill that passed Friday evening was Senate Bill 5981, which preserves the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program in Washington state. This program requires drug manufacturers participating in Medicaid to provide outpatient drugs at reduced prices to eligible safety-net hospitals and community clinics. Program savings can then be used to support patient care, particularly for vulnerable individuals.
UW Medicine is a safety-net hospital that participates in the 340B program and advocated in strong support of the bill. Per year, UW Medicine provides more than $454 million of uncompensated care to uninsured and underinsured patients and the 340B program helps cover about $85 million of that total.
Separately, budget leaders in both the House and Senate are working to reconcile the operating, capital, and transportation budgets to be voted on next week. Both chambers must iron out any differences and pass identical budget bills also by Sine Die next Thursday. Details about the House and Senate budget proposals released earlier in session can be found here: Session News: House and Senate Release 2026 Operating and Capital Budget Proposals.
Tomorrow, March 9, the House is expected to consider the “millionaire’s tax” bill. It is the only major new revenue proposal currently under consideration this legislative session and would affect the state’s four-year budget. In Washington, budgets must balance over a four-year period. The bill would impose a 9.9% tax on earnings of more than $1 million per year, beginning Jan. 1, 2028, with the first payments due on April 29. Given this timeline, the proposal would not impact the 2025-27 budget or help close the current budget deficit. The Senate has already passed the proposal; however, it was amended in the House so will need to go back to the Senate for a concurrence vote if it is voted out of the House.
Questions?
For questions about UW’s advocacy efforts in Olympia, please contact Morgan Hickel at mhickel@uw.edu and Kevin Chang at kchang28@uw.edu.