by Marcella Buser
Legislators adjourned on Thursday afternoon, and the 2026 Legislative Session is a wrap! Truly remarkable, every single bill on our 2026 Growing Together agenda passed the Legislature.
Seven bills with our fingerprints on them are now on their way to Governor Ferguson’s desk. In a year dominated by a budget crisis and unending disruption from the Federal government, lawmakers locked in and so did we.
How did we get a 100% win rate this year? Futurewise plays the long game – we know that bills don’t typically pass on their first year. It takes dedicated advocacy from the public, smart engagement with policy writers, and being embedded in the communities we serve. That’s how we went from a proactive takedown of a bad rural ADU bill in 2024, to a much more balanced, thoughtful, passable version this year where we successfully fended off any bad amendments (HB 1345).
The proof of these successes is right here in this e-newsletter – we’ve got hundreds of people who are dedicated to supporting smart growth policies in our beautiful Evergreen state. It’s your attention and action that made this possible! Thank you!
- STEP Housing (HB 2266) – HB 2266 will streamline statewide policy and remove barriers to building more emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and housing types that families and community members need more of, urgently. Check out this op-ed penned by Councilmembers in Spokane and Aberdeen on how this bill will impact local jurisdictions.
- Smaller Elevators (SB 5156) – Allowing for slightly smaller elevators in some cases opens up a whole new world of building or modifying existing buildings to get more middle housing, but most importantly, more accessible and affordable housing. SB 5156 will make that possible for so much more new housing that will be built across the state.
- Scissor Stairs (HB 2228) – Scissor stairs are a design where two separate, interlocked stairwells can be co-located, and provide space saving solutions to modify existing buildings or build more middle housing in more places, while maintaining high safety standards for egress.
- Condo Liability (HB 2304) – This bill supports building more condos by clarifying some prior insurance coverage issues, and streamlines it to be covered like other existing housing types.
- Rural Freight Rail (SB 5820)– a bill to help protect rural areas from further sprawl. There is currently a law on the books from about ten years ago that allows for more development in rural areas around designated freight rail. SB 5820 repealed that law to better protect farmlands.
Balancing Needs in Rural Areas
At the same time, we were founded as a watchdog group to protect our farmlands and open spaces from sprawl and unplanned development. Both of these bills strike that important balance this year, and were passed without additional harmful amendments.
- LAMIRD Development (HB 2269) – LAMIRDs are a land use term meaning limited areas of more intensive rural development. HB 2269 will allow middle housing in LAMIRDs in rural counties, helping tackle the housing crisis while still mitigating sprawl. Wonky, technical, and important!
- Allowing rural ADU’s in some conditions (HB 1345) – After years of careful advocacy and deliberation, HB 1345 establishes guidance and limitations for counties planning under the GMA to allow for detached accessory dwelling units, in some circumstances and in defined Urban Growth Areas. Futurewise has spent years supporting community efforts in rural areas to protect lands, limit sprawl, but also address very real housing shortages and affordability challenges. This bill is part of that important work.