Thanks to Mary Jane F.
OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the conclusion of the 2026 legislative session:
When I delivered my State of the State address at the start of this session, I talked about history — particularly the history that we create ourselves.
I want to thank legislators, legislative staff and my team for a historic legislative session.
I was very specific in articulating key priorities in my State of the State address:
Make historic investments in housing to respond to Washington’s housing affordability crisis — and build a foundation of safety, security and opportunity for thousands of Washingtonians.
Make historic investments in our transportation infrastructure to fix our roads and bridges that have been neglected for too long.
Adopt important policies to adapt to an increasingly lawless and hostile federal government. Specifically, prohibiting ICE agents from hiding their identities with masks, and shifting vaccine recommendations away from science-denying federal committees and place it with our own Washington State Department of Health.
Help fix our upside-down tax code by adopting a historic Millionaires’ Tax that returns significant dollars to working families and small business owners, including a dramatic expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit.
Thanks to a productive and collaborative session, we are delivering on all of these priorities for the people of Washington.
In my budget, I proposed $1.5 billion for maintenance and preservation of our roads and bridges over the next six years, without raising taxes. I appreciate the Legislature adopting that historic level of funding. The need is urgent — in Washington state, 342 bridges are 80 years or older, the typical lifespan for a bridge. We have 212 bridges in poor condition — meaning they have serious deficiencies such as deterioration, cracking or even damage to the primary structure. Our state has been underfunding preservation and maintenance work for decades. This puts critical transportation corridors at risk, and leads to more costly repairs down the line. This $1.5 billion investment is an important first step in taking care of our roads and bridges – which is good for individuals, communities and our economy.
I proposed $237 million to build and preserve affordable housing. The Legislature stepped up, committing more than $200 million — a historic investment in a supplemental budget.
I was direct about the need to stand up to the Trump Administration. As an American, I never thought I would see federal agents in masks grabbing people off our streets. In my State of the State, I called on the Legislature to prohibit law enforcement, including federal immigration agents, from wearing masks. The Legislature adopted SB 5855 which does exactly that.
Five of my six governor-request bills made it to the finish line, including my proposal in partnership with Insurance Commissioner Kuderer to give our state decision-making authority on vaccine schedules. The Centers for Disease Control has seen an exodus of scientific experts and alarming shifts in policy that place Washingtonians’ health at risk. This session, we put policy decisions in the hands of the experts, who will base those decisions based on science — not politics.
In my State of the State, I called for something truly historic — a tax on incomes over $1 million, paid by less than one half of one percent of Washingtonians. The Legislature delivered. Now, we have a Millionaires’ Tax that sends money straight back to Washington families by expanding the Working Families Tax Credit to 460,000 additional households, and provides substantial relief for small business owners. It also saves working parents money and ensures our kids are prepared to learn by investing in affordable childcare and funding free breakfast and lunch for all Washington K-12 students. That has been a priority of mine since I ran for governor.
There are challenges ahead, but also significant reason for optimism for the future.
In my State of the State, I said Washingtonians are not mere bystanders to history. We are bold and, with heart and spirit, we forge our destiny and make history.
That’s exactly what happened this session, thanks to the work of many dedicated public servants.
We have a historic Millionaires’ Tax, with significant tax breaks for businesses and increases in checks going directly to working families.
We have historic investment in housing to help make our state more affordable.
We have historic investment in maintenance and preservation for our roads and bridges.
Together, we confronted historic challenges from the Trump administration head-on by protecting Washingtonians’ health and safety, and positioned our state for an even stronger future.
Once again, I greatly appreciate the hard work of so many that made this session such a success.