Each year, Food Lifeline sets out to work with legislative champions in Olympia and Washington DC on policies to solve hunger problems, protect successful safety net programs, and secure new investments for hunger relief efforts. Despite unprecedented challenges, we can report progress in some of these areas during the 60-day 2026 Washington State Supplemental Session. 

Importantly, Food Lifeline recognizes our community advocates and supporters, including partners that helped make this body of work possible: Balance Our Tax Code Coalition, Community Justice Alliance, Direct Cash Coalition, Feeding Washington, Harvest Against Hunger, Northwest Harvest, Racial Equity Team, Second Harvest, Senior Citizens Lobby, Statewide Poverty Action Network, Washington Anti-Poverty Advocates, Washington Food Coalition, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State Farm Bureau, Working Families Tax Credit Coalition, and the Food Fighters Legislative House Caucus. 

Food Lifeline’s Advocacy & Public Policy Committee: Ben Hill (Co-Chair), Derek Chaves, Cara Figgins, Kristina Herrmann, Angela Troy, Stephen Davis (CEO), and Aaron Czyzewski (Co-Chair). 

Food Lifeline’s Strategic Impact Team: Stephanie Cole, VP, Strategy & Impact; Aaron Czyzewski, Public Policy & Government Relations; Leah Rapalee, Strategic Initiatives; Alicya Pearson, Strategy & Evaluation; Amanda Reeves, Community Power & Partnership; Power Hub Coordinators: Prenz Sa-Ngoun – Central Region, Eva Fuentes – North Region, Torrence Dixon – South Region; and Nora Burns Palattao, lobbyist. 

Highlights of the 2026 Supplemental Session 

As in the previous year, state lawmakers entered the short supplemental session under significant fiscal pressure, driven by multi‑billion‑dollar budget shortfalls and the emerging state‑level impacts of federal policy changes affecting SNAP and Medicaid. H.R.1 alone shifts hundreds of millions of dollars in programmatic and administrative costs to the state—costs that, if fully absorbed, do not expand services or address unmet need, but instead function to backfill budget gaps. 

Against this backdrop, hunger relief partners arrived in Olympia to report sustained—and in many cases increasing—levels of community need. These conditions heightened concerns about the cumulative effects of potential reductions to safety‑net programs that serve as a critical bridge for households working to regain economic stability. They also lowered expectations about what could be accomplished during a short session. 

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And yet, the 2026 Supplemental Session unfolded in unexpected ways. While revenue constraints and the impacts of H.R. 1 were undeniably destabilizing, the session was notable for what it set in motion. It demonstrated the potential of well‑coordinated, highly motivated legislative champions working in partnership with advocates and stakeholders, and it expanded prevailing assumptions about what is achievable within a constrained fiscal environment. 

Throughout the session, community members, alongside Food Lifeline and our partners, elevated their voices on unresolved policy issues through testimony, direct outreach, and meetings with lawmakers at the Capitol during lobby days and rallies. These efforts, combined with collaboration among lawmakers and stakeholders, helped advance several materially significant policy outcomes. 

Key Highlights 

• Preservation of Core Nutrition Funding: No cuts were made to biennial funding for Washington State Department of Agriculture-administered nutrition assistance and emergency food assistance grant programs. 

• Statewide Food Security Strategy: Passage of HB 2238, sponsored by Representative Kristine Reeves, to start toward a coordinated statewide approach to food security. Passage of HB 2211, Medically Tailored Meals. 

• Revenue and Child Nutrition Investments: Passage of SB 6346 (Millionaires Tax), sponsored by Senator Jamie Pedersen, a start at reforms to Washington’s regressive tax code. Among other provisions, the bill provides funding to expand the Working Families Tax Credit and—through a measure championed by Representative April Berg—fully funds school breakfast and lunch for all Washington students. 

• Limiting Safety Net Impacts: Passage of ESSB 5998, Operating Budget, which makes appropriations to offset some of the most egregious impacts of federal cuts to health and nutrition assistance programs required by H.R.1. 

• Capital Investments in Food Access Infrastructure: New capital investments for food banks were secured through PSSB 6003, Capital Budget, benefiting: Orcas Island Food Bank, Nourish of Pierce County, Bremerton Foodline, KPCS Food Pantry, Food 4 All, Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank, Maple Valley Food Bank, and Quincy Community Food Bank 

• Grocery Access in Underserved Communities: Efforts to encourage grocery stores to remain in or locate to underserved communities were championed by Representative Darya Farivar. Of the three bills introduced: 

• HB 2294, Prohibiting Negative Use Restrictions on Real Property That Have the Effect of Limiting Consumer Access to Food and Medicine, was passed. 

• HB 2297, Incentivizing Grocery Stores Located in Underserved Communities, and 

• HB 2313, Publicly Owned Grocery Stores, did not advance out of committee. 

Looking Ahead 

Several proposals by Representative Kristine Reeves did not advance during this session but are expected to be reintroduced in 2027, including: 

• HB 2369, Promoting the Use of Local Foods in Public Schools. A new program to boost schools’ access to Washington‑grown foods by supporting local purchasing and improving distribution to school meal programs. 

• HB 2463, Washington Farmers Feeding Families Act. A new proposal would formally merge two existing statewide programs that source Washington‑grown food and support local farmers, growers, and producers into a single law. 

• HB 2616, Concerning Agriculture. The proposal strengthens regional agricultural infrastructure by supporting local production, processing, and distribution, while investing in information‑sharing, capital projects, and farmland protection and conservation easements. 

It is important to note that while the Millionaires Tax intends to fully cover school breakfast and lunch for all Washington students, a separate policy bill will be required during the 2027 legislative session to establish the statutory framework for how the program will be implemented. If the Millionaires Tax withstands anticipated court and ballot challenges, revenue generated by the tax will be available beginning in 2029. 

With the outcomes above as a starting point, looking ahead to 2027 is now a fascinating thought. The stage is set for more coordinated, systematic, and comprehensive policy development—drawing on the broadest and most diverse group of stakeholders yet and supported by strong legislative champions with big ideas. We look forward to the conversations, collaboration, and planning over the summer and fall to follow.