HB 2159 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing the preK promise account.

HB 2159 creates a dedicated "preK promise account" managed by the state treasurer to fund Washington's state-funded early childhood education programs. The account receives and tracks donations, grants, and gifts separately from each source, and funds can only be used for eligible children in the existing early childhood education program (RCW 43.216.510). Unlike typical state funds, this account does not require annual appropriations for spending, and any leftover funds accumulate rather than returning to the general fund. The bill directly affects early childhood education programs and the children they serve, establishing a new funding mechanism for these services.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 16, 2025 Last action Feb 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was renumbered and its title was updated to reflect its status as a substitute bill. A minor policy change was made to the preK promise account, removing the specific requirement that funds be tracked separately for each organization or entity that donates, while retaining the rule that funds can only be used for eligible children in the early childhood education program.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the preK promise account and early childhood education funding, with no change to the entities or programs covered.

TECHNICAL

The bill was renumbered from Z-0534.1 to H-3315.1 and updated to reflect its status as a Substitute House Bill.

TIMELINE

The prefiled date was updated from 12/16/25 to 02/03/26, and the referral information was changed to indicate the bill was read by the House Appropriations committee.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement to track funds separately for each donating organization or entity was removed, simplifying the tracking obligation for the department.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.

lower

1 primary · 20 co-sponsors