SB 5906 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing data and personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation for all Washington residents.

SB 5906 is a proposed bill that would protect students and families in Washington state's early learning programs (like child care centers, preschools, and schools) from immigration enforcement activities. It prohibits providers from collecting immigration status information and requires officers to show a warrant before entering school or child care facilities for immigration enforcement. The bill also mandates that providers inform parents about their children's program eligibility regardless of immigration status and distribute "know your rights" materials annually. It directly affects licensed early learning providers and school districts, requiring them to follow these safety protocols while complying with federal law. The bill is currently in the legislative process but has not yet been enacted.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Dec 17, 2025 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill → Engrossed Substitute Bill · 4 edits · Feb 12, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Substitute' to an 'Engrossed Substitute' version, indicating it has passed the House of Representatives and is now in its final form before becoming law. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a new section requiring the Attorney General to publish a model policy for early learning providers within 12 months to limit assistance with immigration enforcement. Additionally, the bill now explicitly requires early learning providers, healthcare facilities, and institutions of higher education to contact a worker's union representative if that worker is subject to immigration enforcement actions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on protecting residents in public accommodations from immigration enforcement, but the applicability to early learning providers has been expanded to include a specific mandate for the state to create a model policy and a requirement to notify union representatives.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Attorney General to publish a model policy for early learning providers within 12 months to guide them on limiting assistance with immigration enforcement.

Added a mandate for early learning providers, healthcare facilities, and institutions of higher education to contact a worker's collective bargaining representative if a unionized worker is subject to immigration enforcement.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Substitute Senate Bill' to 'Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill', reflecting that it has been amended by the House of Representatives.

DEFINITION

Reordered the sections and definitions for early learning providers to align with the new model policy requirement, moving the definitions to a later subsection.

Bill → Substitute Bill · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to remove detailed reporting requirements for immigration enforcement requests and specific rules for handling children when parents are unavailable, while adding new protections for unionized workers. The text was also significantly shortened and reorganized, removing complex mandates for schools to adopt specific model policies and detailed procedures for higher education institutions and election officials.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing specific operational mandates for schools, early learning providers, colleges, and election offices, shifting the focus primarily to prohibitions on collecting immigration data and restricting access to nonpublic areas.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for early learning providers and school districts to report immigration enforcement requests to the state department or school board.

Removed the mandate for early learning providers to exhaust parental emergency contact instructions before contacting state agencies when a child's parent is unavailable.

Deleted the requirement for school districts to adopt specific model policies by July 2026 and 2027 and to maintain those policies.

Removed extensive new requirements for institutions of higher education regarding notifying students of immigration enforcement, maintaining legal service contact lists, and assisting detained undocumented students.

Removed specific mandates for election officials to designate nonpublic areas and document denials of access to immigration officers.

Added a requirement for early learning providers and school districts to contact a union representative if a unionized worker is subject to immigration enforcement on site.

Simplified the judicial warrant requirement for early learning providers by removing the specific instruction to request identification from officers.

Removed the clause allowing early learning providers to consult with counsel or challenge warrants, which was present in the original but omitted in the substitute.

DEFINITION

Added a definition for 'nonpublic area' in the early learning section to include areas with a reasonable expectation of privacy established by signage or policy.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 12, 2026

How they voted

32–19

Passed

Total votes 51

Feb 12, 2026

D Democratic31

31 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican20

1 Yea 19 Nay

95% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

CRJ - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 8:00 AM.

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

WM - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Law & Justice.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Rules Committee relieved of further consideration; referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.

upper

Jan 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 8:00 AM.

upper

1 primary · 12 co-sponsors