The 2022 legislative session is an opportunity for state lawmakers to continue to build toward an inclusive and robust economic recovery as the public health and economic crises persist. Last year, they made a critical down payment to put Washington on a path toward a more equitable recovery. Now, they must maintain that progress by leveraging the remaining federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act and by building a foundation to sustain our communities for generations to come. This session, lawmakers must:
- Pass a budget bill that responds to the calls from advocates for ample funding for priorities like schools, infrastructure, housing, food access, and health care.
- Promote government accountability by passing and implementing policies that ensure people are economically secure and treated with dignity. Specifically, they must equitably implement the Working Families Tax Credit, reform Legal Financial Obligations, protect the WA Cares long-term care program, and create an unemployment insurance program for undocumented immigrants.
- Advance cash assistance policies that are rooted in trust for recipients by passing a Guaranteed Basic Income policy and a Baby Bond savings program.
- Continue to advance tax reform that promotes racial, gender, and economic justice in our tax code by passing a wealth tax and an equitable payroll tax and by closing loopholes on and increasing tax rates on multimillion-dollar estates.
Read our full 2022 legislative agenda.
