Each year in Olympia, lawmakers come together to make decisions, big and small, from what ideas should be put into law to how current laws should be updated to how to fund new and existing mandates. The 2025 session of the Washington State Legislature is a long one — running for 105 days, beginning January 13 and ending on April 27.
During that time, there are plenty of bills introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate that could have significant impact on kids, parents, schools, and families. On this page, we’ll do our best to keep you updated on these issues and where legislation sits in the process. We will update information on bills on Monday mornings through April 27.
Learn how a law is made
For a full review of how the legislative process works, check out the Washington State Legislature’s “Overview of the Legislative Process.” It’s easy to read and will bring up memories of high school social studies. For a great primer on the Washington State Legislature, how bills are passed and all the inner workings of state lawmaking check out the League of Education Voters “Washington Legislature 101″ webpage.
Want to see change? Get involved!
We encourage you to let your lawmakers know how you feel about any proposed laws. Here’s how:
- Sign up to testify or to let lawmakers know you are PRO or CON on a bill. Go to the Washington State Legislature Bill Information webpage, find the bill you are interested in, and sign up.
- Contact your lawmaker about any bill and ask how you can make your voice heard:
- Contact members of the Washington State House of Representatives
- Contact members of the Washington State Senate
- Sign up for updates from All Together for Seattle Schools, a parent-led advocacy group pushing for lawmakers to amply fund public schools to keep districts like Seattle out of debt.
- Sign up for updates from the Children’s Alliance, a statewide child advocacy organization. Check out this article about the Cildren’s Alliance 2025 legislative agenda.
- Sign up for updates from the League of Education Voters, a statewide education advocacy organization. Check out this article about the LEV 2025 legislative platform.
- Get involved with Seattle-based Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, a local group fighting hard to stop gun violence.
- Sign up for updates from the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, a statewide advocacy organization committed to stopping gun violence. Check out this article about the Alliance for Gun Responsibilty 2025 legislative agenda.
Agendas for children in Washington
Child welfare, education, and anti-violence advocacy groups develop agenda for lawmakers before a session begins, outlining their priorities and making the case for them. To learn what these groups will be pushing for as they meet with lawmakers, invite parents and others to speak to lawmakers, and present House and Senate committees with statistics and other research on topics concerning kids, families and schools, check out their individual 2025 legislative agendas:
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