CAPAA’s 2026 Policy Agenda
Protect Washingtonians Package
At a time of heightened federal enforcement activity and growing threats to personal safety, privacy, and democratic institutions, Washington has both the authority and the responsibility to act. This package of legislation - which we refer to as “Protect Washingtonians” - provides critical protections to uphold our U.S. and Washington state constitutional rights, ensures governmental transparency, and expands access to justice for people harmed by unlawful or abusive practices. Collectively, the Protect Washingtonians package would:
- Protect workers, students, children, voters, and families by limiting the collection, disclosure, and misuse of sensitive personal and immigration-related information and ensuring notice, due process, and accountability when federal enforcement actions occur;
- Strengthen accountability for law enforcement and government actors through clear identification requirements and limits on surveillance technologies;
- Defend democratic participation and public trust by safeguarding voter data, preventing impersonation of law enforcement officers, and ensuring that constitutional activity is not mischaracterized as obstruction;
- Support impacted communities and state workers by expanding leave protections for victims of hate crimes and immigration enforcement actions, improving conditions and communication access for incarcerated individuals and their families, and allowing for recourse when constitutional rights are violated; and
- Reinforce Washington’s sovereignty and rule of law by authorizing state enforcement tools, limiting improper cooperation with federal detention and enforcement efforts, and protecting the state’s fiscal and legal interests when federal funding is withheld for political retaliation.
Protect Washingtonians 20-Bill Package
| Bill | Short Title |
| HB 2105 / SB 5852 | Concerning immigrant worker protections |
| HB 2132 | Concerning applications for state financial aid |
| HB 2165 / SB 5876 | Concerning false identification as a peace officer |
| HB 2173 / SB 5855 | Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers |
| HB 2312 | Authorizing shared leave for absences resulting from immigration enforcement actions |
| SB 6002 / HB 2332 | Concerning driver privacy protections |
| HB 2351 | Protecting emergency responders and emergency response operations in Washington |
| SHB 2411 | Modifying shared leave provisions to authorize shared leave for victims of hate crime and those whose absence is due to immigration enforcement actions against the employee or the employee's relative |
| HB 2464 | Concerning reporting requirements and law enforcement responses for incidents at private detention facilities |
| HB 2597 | Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement |
| HB 2637 | Safeguarding personal information entrusted to agencies that is of no legitimate concern to the public. |
| HB 2648 | Concerning state and local law enforcement interactions with federal immigration enforcement officials. |
| SB 5231 | Concerning reducing fees and expenses for services for people confined in state correctional facilities |
| SB 5892 | Concerning protection of the voter registration database |
| SB 5906 | Establishing data and personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation for all Washington residents |
| SB 5925 / HB 2161 | An act relating to the general powers and duties of the attorney general's office. |
| SB 5926 |
Expanding the public records for personal info of family home child care providers to all licensed or certified child care providers |
| SB 6053 | Establishing labor protections for domestic workers. |
| SB 6080 | Concerning contracts between the US and county and municipal jails for committing or confining individuals in federal custody |
| SB 6081 | Protecting Washingtonians from invasion of privacy, including the unauthorized disclosure of sex designation info and historic sex designation changes in official government records |
| Additional bills we support | |
| SB 5574 | Providing instruction on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Latino American, and Black American history in public schools. |
On January 31, 2026, the Washington state Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA), the Commission on African American Affairs (CAAA), the Commission on Hispanic Affairs (CHA), the LGBTQ Commission, and the Women’s Commission sent a joint-letter to members of the State Legislature to urge support of this package.
View the letter here.