Legislative Agenda
2026 Legislative Agenda
The 2026 Washington State Legislative Session runs from January 12–March 12, 2026. In the face of the state’s continued budget deficit, Treehouse’s legislative agenda focuses on restoring education programs to youth in foster care and supporting their access to housing and education as they transition to adulthood. To stay up–to–date on our priorities this session and easy ways you can help, sign up for the Advocacy Action Center.
Lead Priority
Restore State Funding for the Graduation Success Program
Students in foster care face significant systemic barriers to educational stability and success, including frequent school changes, placement disruptions, and lack of coordinated support. As a result, they perform worse than their peers on every educational measure—attendance, grades, test scores, and graduation rates. As legal guardians, the state has an obligation to ensure students in foster care make educational progress.
Through the Graduation Success program, students in foster care meet with their Treehouse education specialist weekly for one-on-one, intensive educational planning, monitoring, and coaching. Together, they work to stay on track to graduate from high school and initiate their post-secondary plan. Since the program’s inception, the statewide on-time foster care graduation rate has increased from 36% to 51%, twice the rate of increase than non-foster care peers.
In April 2025, the Washington State Legislature eliminated $7 million of Graduation Success’ funding. As a result, Treehouse was forced to reduce the program by 42%, eliminating services for more than 400 students.
We are asking the state to restore this funding to ensure students in foster care have the support they need to graduate from high school. We are grateful that Governor Ferguson’s budget proposal includes $3.5 million of the $7 million in restored funding, reflecting a meaningful step after last year’s deep cuts.
Support Priorities
SB 5940: State Housing Vouchers for Young People in Extended Foster Care Lead Organization: The Mockingbird Society
Young people in Extended Foster Care (EFC) are aging into homelessness while still under Washington State’s care and responsibility. Without stable housing, young people struggle to remain engaged in school or work, experience worsening mental health outcomes, and face significant barriers to a safe and successful transition into adulthood. No young person should experience homelessness while the state has an ongoing responsibility to support them.
SB 5940 provides 50 housing vouchers for young people in Extended Foster Care who are experiencing homelessness. This targeted investment will stabilize housing, prevent long-term homelessness, and support safe and successful transitions to adulthood.
SB 5275: Passport to Careers Lead Organization: Washington Student Achievement Council
Young people who have experienced foster care after age 13 in Washington state are eligible for several post-secondary financial aid supports. However, students may not apply for every opportunity because they think they are ineligible.
SB 5275 will streamline the financial aid application process by automatically qualifying students who are eligible for the Passport to Careers program to receive the maximum Washington College Grant award. This proposal will reduce barriers to students’ postsecondary enrollment and completion by removing administrative burdens and giving them earlier guarantees of financial aid.
