Rep. Chris Corry: With Democrat majorities in Olympia, expect the 2026 Legislative Session to bring about more taxes, more crime, and less accountability
As we approach the 2026 Washington state legislative session, it’s worth remembering the promises we heard from the majority party just last year. They insisted that historic tax increases – a staggering $12.5 billion over the next four years – would stabilize the budget and secure our state’s financial future. They said these tax hikes were necessary, responsible, and would “solve the problem.”
Yet here we are again, facing another budget crisis.
Despite those record-setting tax hikes, the state is already staring down a $1.52 billion budget deficit in the 2025–27 biennium and a $4.3 billion hole through the four-year outlook ending in 2029. Washington families have been told to sacrifice more but expect less. And after all of that, the budget is still upside down.
Instead of learning from their mistakes, Democrats in Olympia are preparing another round of tax increases. Not because taxpayers can afford it, but because they refuse to show even the slightest restraint in state government spending. They will once again vilify job-creators, punish small business owners, and push Washington further into an affordability crisis that they themselves helped create.
Here is what they’re already signaling:
• A 9.9% state income tax on so-called “high earners.”
• A new wealth tax that would hurt job growth and send investors fleeing.
• A new payroll tax on wages over $125,000, paid by employers and threatening family-wage jobs.
• A higher real estate excise tax (REET) that will make housing even less affordable.
• An 11% tax on firearms, ammunition, and parts targeting lawful citizens rather than criminals.
These proposals aren’t just bad policy, they are dangerous. Washington state is already projected to have zero job growth in 2026. Democrats seem determined to make that prediction a reality by punishing employers, investors, and entrepreneurial ambition.
And if you think they’ll stop at taxing businesses or gun owners, think again.
We are also expecting new regressive taxes and fees that hit working families directly. One proposal would impose a new utility tax that would up the cost of power at a time when energy bills are already squeezing household budgets. They claim the money will fund wildfire damages caused by utility companies. In reality, it’s a taxpayer bailout for corporate liability that should never be shifted onto ratepayers.
Grocers – many already struggling to survive in this economy – will again be the target of punitive mandates and taxes tied to recycling and refund programs. When grocery stores can’t absorb those costs, they pass them along to consumers. This especially harms low-income families, including those on SNAP. Republicans fought against this bad policy last year and defeated it with 25 amendments on the House floor. But Democrats are determined to revive it.
And it isn’t just your wallet that’s under attack, it’s your safety.
Here are just a few of the “soft-on-crime” bills we expect to return this session:
• HB 1125: Lets activist judges reduce sentences for criminals.
• HB 1146: Requires voting access plans for jails and state hospitals.
• HB 1189: Allows convicted criminals to volunteer in schools unsupervised.
• HB 1380: Blocks cities from clearing homeless encampments or enforcing no-camping laws.
• HB 1399: Strips local control from sheriff’s offices and police departments.
• SB 5282: Undermines Net Nanny stings that protect children from sexual predators.
• SB 5296: Makes it harder to send violent youth offenders to rehabilitation facilities.
• SB 5360: Creates new environmental felonies — even for accidents.
• SB 5098: Restricts the ability of law-abiding citizens to carry in public.
This is the Democrats’ agenda: take more of your money, criminalize law-abiding citizens, reward criminals, and undermine public safety. All while failing to deliver the basic services taxpayers already fund.
Our citizens deserve better.
House Republicans will stay focused on what really matters: affordable living, safe streets, accountable government, and a future where all Washington families can succeed.
(Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, is the Deputy House Republican Leader. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee as well as the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee)
