PEPS shows up for families by advocating for policies that provide stability for families across our state. 

What's Happening in 2026

Our advocacy priorities for the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session include protecting paid leave and critical safety net programs, protecting kids from addictive online platforms and passing new and equitable revenue policies.  

The PEPS community will advocate with state legislators to:

• Preserve programs families need: During this state budget crisis, many vital programs are at risk, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid and Working Connections Child Care. These programs help families who need the most support. Legislators should keep these services in place so families can stay safe, healthy, and financially stable.
• Ensure Paid Family & Medical leave keeps helping working families: Parents count on Paid Family & Medical Leave when they have a new baby or when someone in their family gets very sick. Legislators should support changes that help keep the program strong by using a better system to set the program’s rates. (SB 5292)
• Protect kids from addictive online platforms. Kids can’t stop scrolling and it impacts their mental health. Legislators should stop online platforms from targeting children and youth with addictive feeds and sending notifications to them during school and sleep hours. (HB 1834, SB 5708)
• Pass new and equitable revenue policies. People in Washington who earn the least pay the biggest share of their income in taxes. We need tax policies that match people’s capacity to pay. Legislators should support new ways to raise money so we can avoid more budget cuts.

Learn More

• Discover what led to our journey of advocacy at PEPS
• Learn about how one PEPS participant helped change a breastfeeding law
• Read a conversation with our Advocacy Consultant Molly Firth about how we can all champion Washington families amid a shaky state budget
• Dive into our Working Parents survey results
• Learn about the key takeaways from our advocacy survey

Get Involved

If you’d like to receive updates about our advocacy work — and action alerts that take 60 seconds but can make a difference in changing laws — subscribe to our advocacy emails for opportunities to learn and engage  and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date on our work.