Senate advances wide bundle of bills to floor, including curriculum, parole study and youth fund

The Senate met and, by a series of voice votes, advanced a broad set of gubernatorial appointments and legislative measures to the floor or second-reading calendars on Feb. 20, 2026.

Senator Petersen moved the gubernatorial appointments package be placed on the confirmation calendar, and the president announced the motion carried after an aye vote. The chamber then advanced consent and regular calendar packages and proceeded through a sequence of bills the sponsors briefly described before voice votes.

Several bills drew short sponsor presentations on the floor: Senator Richeli said the bill now before the floor "requires school districts to adopt a policy ensuring that instruction in Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, Latino American, and Black American history is included in 1 or more required social studies courses" when districts review or adopt social studies curriculum. Senator Hasagawa described Senate Bill 5873 as relating to "escorted leaves of absence for incarcerated individuals" to permit family members to attend funerals or bedside visits and to create escorted leave for transition programming. Senator Wilson summarized Senate Bill 5992 as creating "a non-appropriated youth development fund account" and authorizing OSPI to distribute grants to support youth development programs.

Other measures advanced with brief sponsor remarks: bills addressing use of consultants for threat assessments for judicial officers at the Administrative Office of the Courts, pharmacy scope expansion under rules of the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission, protections for audiologists' clinical judgment, delayed utility connection-fee collection systems for residential construction by 2030, and a Ruckelshaus Center-directed work group to study reestablishing parole in Washington.

Several items included short exchanges or objections noted on the record. For example, during the discussion of Senate Bill 6302 — which would limit the use of more than two independent contractors performing the same finishing work on public works projects as a means to address worker misclassification — Senator King voiced concern that it "appears to be limiting the use of independent contractors" and asked colleagues to consider a no vote; the motion nevertheless advanced by voice vote.

All motions recorded in the transcript were advanced by voice vote (the president repeatedly reported "the ayes have it" and "the motion carries"). The transcript records no roll-call tallies or recorded individual roll-call votes for these advances.

The meeting adjourned after the president asked if there was any further business and none was offered. Next procedural steps for the advanced measures will be the scheduled floor calendar or second-reading consideration, depending on each bill's referral as noted by sponsors on the record.