2026 People Power
Legislative Agenda
We at People Power Washington believe that, no matter your race, gender, or income, you deserve safety. We champion policies that decriminalize non-serious offenses and implement accountability and enforceable standards for police officers and agencies.
Join People Power Washington along with our allies in the 2026 legislative session!!
End Long-Term Solitary Confinement
Long term solitary confinement is torture and causes severe psychological consequences such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, PTSD, psychosis, self-harm and even suicide. Solitary confinement is disproportionately used against people of color and those with disabilities.
Washington ended solitary confinement for juveniles in 2020. We can do the same for adults. The use of solitary confinement in our state prisons is torture and has devastating impacts on those incarcerated. Join us in our fight to end long-term solitary confinement and support HB 1137!
Police Tactics
Coercion, intimidation, isolation, and lying to those in custody leads to false confessions, unreliable information, and ultimately wrongful convictions.
Lying occurs in 30% of custodial interviews. On average people who falsely confessed were interrogated for up to 16 hours before admitting to a crime they did not commit. Juveniles, those with intellectual disabilities, and people with language barriers are the most susceptible to coercion and less likely to know their constitutional rights.
At People Power WA we believe regardless of your age, intellectual ability, or the language you speak you deserve to be treated with respect and without coercion by law enforcement. Join us along with our allies in ending deception in police interrogations.
Civilian-Led Mental Health Crisis
We at People Power Washington believe that no matter your race, your disability status, or your income, you deserve safety. A behavioral health crisis is an emergency that requires the same quality and consistency as the response to a heart attack, stroke, and any other health emergency.
Nationwide 85% of people say they want a mental health response to someone experiencing a mental health, drug or suicide crisis - not a police response. These concerns are warranted. Nationally, a quarter of all fatal police shootings involve someone with a mental illness. People with mental illness are over ten times more likely to experience use of force interactions with police. And Black men with mental illness are much more likely to be fatally shot by law enforcement than white men with mental illness.
Programs across the country in Denver, Albuquerque, and Durham are designed to limit police contact with vulnerable communities. There are 135 behavioral crisis units successfully operating in the United States. Washington residents deserve quality care and rapid response to behavioral health crises.
Driver Privacy Bill
A vast amount of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) surveillance is collected on innocent civilians. The current Federal administration has been using ALPRs to: abduct residents and disappear people to black sites without any legal representation or due process; give cover for red states to attack people seeking reproductive and/or gender-affirming care; surveil and track those whose political views run counter to the federal administration in Washington; create a climate of fear, desperation, and hopelessness.
The Driver Privacy Bill is urgently needed to protect our immigrant neighbors, those seeking protected healthcare in Washington State, and those exercising their free speech rights. The driver privacy bill protects all Washingtonians by limiting data collection, data sharing and data retention; prohibiting the use of automatic license plate readers around protective healthcare locations and protests; and requiring police to obtain a warrant to search ALPR databases.
Attorney General Patterns and Practice Act
This bill allows the Attorney General’s office to investigate police agencies for systemic practices that violate citizen rights as protected by the Washington State Constitution.
The Trump administration has ordered a halt to pursuing federal consent decrees. ICE is terrorizing immigrant communities. Masked men are kidnapping our neighbors, denying them access to legal representation and due process. The Trump administration is making good on their large-scale militaristic mass deportation. Washington Law Enforcement that collaborates with ICE or Customs and Border Control are doing so in violation of the Keep Washington Working Act passed in 2019 to protect immigrant communities. The AG Investigations and Reform Act will work to keep our law enforcement agencies in Washington State accountable and protect immigrant communities.
Independent Prosecutor for Deadly Force
In 2021 Washington State became the first state in the country to establish an Office of Independent Investigation. Help Washington State continue to lead the way in police reform and take the next logical step by establishing an Independent Prosecutor. Support SB 5584!
Police investigating themselves present an inherent conflict of interest. County prosecutors work closely with law enforcement and rely on them for gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. Prosecutors, exercising prosecutorial discretion, often fail to file criminal charges against officers even when unarmed citizens are killed at the hands of law enforcement. Establishing an Independent Prosecutor will hold officers accountable.
Second Look Pathway for Youth
HB 1317 allows adults sentenced for offenses committed before age 21 with long sentences to be eligible for reduced sentencing.
Lengthy sentencing of juveniles is a product of debunked and racist ‘superpredator’ theories that have irrevocably harmed not only individuals but whole communities. Length of sentencing is not effective at reducing crime rates and the rate of recidivism drops as people age. Community members who were convicted and sentenced during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s deserve the same access to fair sentencing as individuals sentenced today. Voting for HB 1317 is a vote for hope, transformation, and healing not only for the incarcerated but for their spouses, parents, and children, and for victims to see what transformation looks like.
At People Power we believe no matter your race, age, or economic status you deserve to be treated equitably. That is why we support HB 1317.
Public Safety Act
HB 1113 offers pre-trial diversion for certain misdemeanor offenses and offers accountability and access to services for individuals charged.
Unmet basic needs stemming from poverty often lead to involvement in the criminal legal system. Pre-trial diversion allows individuals to access treatment and access to services that allow basic needs such as food, hygiene, and shelter to be met. Pre-trial diversion reduces rates of recidivism. It puts individuals on a pathway to recovery, reduces the harm of the criminal legal system, and increases community safety.
At People Power WA we believe no matter your race, your income, or your mental health status, you deserve to have your basic needs met and be treated fairly and equitably. That is why we support HB 1113!
Law Enforcement Leadership Bill
SB 5974 is a simple, common sense bill. Today about 95% of all law enforcement personnel are fully within the scope of the existing system in Washington State. This legislation simply requires that all police sheriffs, marshalls, and volunteers comply with existing legislation for background checks, training, and certification.
At People Power we believe that across the state, no matter if you are in a rural or urban district, you deserve the same level of professionalism and service from law enforcement. That is why we support SB 5974.