Local legislators discuss 2026 session

MOSES LAKE — Washington 13th District legislators previewed what they see as the challenges of the upcoming 2026 session at a meeting with Moses Lake city officials and residents Tuesday. 

State Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, and Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, along with Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, outlined some of their plans and ideas as well as the major business of the 2026 legislative session. Warnick said the state faces some challenges.  

“In Washington, we have to have a balanced budget. And the first quarter of 2025, we were out of balance already. Three months into it,” Warnick said. “We’re going to be in trouble. And now, with everything that’s going on with the weather, we’re in more deep water. Literally.” 

Dent said the budget shortfall will mean legislators have some hard work ahead of them. 

“It’s going be a challenge. A major challenge – for all of us (and) the other side as well. We’re in a deep, deep financial hole,” Dent said. “One thing the legislature struggles with is priorities. If we’re going to have a balanced budget, we need priorities. That’s going to be the challenge, is how we get there.”  

Ybarra agreed that the 2026 legislative session will be a challenge, but added that a conversation with a constituent helped him put the job of the legislators in perspective. The woman has cancer and is having trouble getting the treatment covered by her insurance. Ybarra said he asked her for the information on her case and her insurance company. 

“We’re going to try and work it,” he said. “That’s why I do this job – it’s folks like that.” 

All three legislators said there’s a lot going on and a lot of issues for the 2026 session, which is scheduled for 60 days. The 2026 session begins Jan. 12.  

Warnick said she’s had discussions with Gov. Bob Ferguson on possible plans for the existing Samaritan Hospital. The new hospital is scheduled to open in March. 

“We don’t want to see the older building go to waste, so we’re working with the governor to try to see if there’s some funding that we can use for whatever purpose,” she said. 

Surveys have identified a need for mental health treatment services, she said. 

“That’s my goal, to find better, and more, mental health facilities, and especially for our children. There’s nothing for young people under the age of 18,” she said. “We pretty much have to go out of the area for that.” 

Dent said a bill he voted for, which was designed to help children in the foster care system, hasn’t worked out as he hoped.  

“It seemed like a good idea, and since that’s happened, the data we’re seeing doesn’t look as good as it did. I have a bill that’s going to take a look at that and change some of the metrics.” 

The original sponsor of the bill approves of Dent’s proposal, he said. 

“What will probably happen is, we’ll get together when we get to (the) session, and there will be some collaboration,” he said. “In the legislature, that doesn’t happen a lot. We don’t back up and look at mistakes we made. We just put our head down (and) keep going.” 

Ybarra said the state’s carbon reduction rules are an example of a miscalculation that legislators hesitate to fix. State officials wanted to discourage the use of fuel sources that produce carbon, but Ybarra said he told program proponents that there weren’t enough alternative energy resources to supply the demand.  

“They said, ‘We do have replacements, wind and solar.’ They said, ‘Alex, we know what we’re doing. We’re going to go forward; this is going to work.’ And I said, ‘It’s not going to work,’” Ybarra said. 

Parts of the state have experienced power interruptions, he said, because the replacement technologies are not reliable.  

“We need to change,” he said. “What I’ve been doing is working with the folks (in Grant County) to bring in a natural gas plant with carbon sequester. That’s a natural gas plant that makes electricity, with carbon sequesters to capture the carbon. When they burn natural gas, the carbon goes in there.” 

All three legislators said they had other issues of importance, ranging from childcare regulation to adequate services for youths in juvenile detention. 

Dent said overtime rules in agriculture are an important issue for farmers and farmworkers alike.  

“We can find a way that works for everybody, which is what we truly need. We’re not going to repeal this. We’re not going to get rid of it. Maybe we can find a way to ease the pain and make it work.” 

Ybarra, a former Quincy School Board member, said he’s interested in restoring funding for higher education and continuing education in general.  

Moses Lake city officials had a list of requests for funding for some projects and legislative help with others. Adequate water resources and help with transportation were among them.  

Warnick said cooperation is critical to addressing water issues 

“We can do it if we work together,” she said. “It’s been proven in the other part of our district (with) the Yakima Basin integrated plan. It starts at the top of Snoqualmie Pass and works all the way down into the Yakima area. They do it by working together, working with the tribes, farmers, municipalities and government institutions.” 

Mayor Dustin Swartz said city officials have some concerns about access to Interstate 90 around Moses Lake, especially the area around Broadway Avenue and Hansen Road. The Hansen Road overpass is in need of repairs, Swartz said. 

Dent, who is on the House Transportation Committee, said Hansen Road is one of a long list of transportation projects, both regionally and statewide. He cited State Route 243 around Mattawa, State Route 28 between Ephrata and Wenatchee and State Route 17. All need improvements, and roadwork is expensive, he said.   

“How are we going to fix this stuff? How are we going to get there? How are we going to finance these things? That’s the challenge,” he said. “If you have a great idea for transportation revenue, please share it with me.”  

    State Senator Judy Warnick talks about the upcoming legislative session with attendees Monday at the Moses Lake Civic Center.
  

    State Representative Tom Dent, right, talks with incoming Moses Lake City Council member Joel Graves, left, during a meeting with legislators Monday.