HB 2636 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Requiring reviews of the performance, operations, and funding of the state’s public education system.

HB 2636 requires independent, balanced reviews of Washington's K-12 public education system to assess whether current policies and funding effectively support student success. It establishes a 15-member Public Education Review Advisory Council - including educators, administrators, fiscal experts, and non-legislative representatives - to evaluate existing laws and funding based on five criteria: achieving legislative goals, improving student outcomes, cost-effectiveness, ongoing relevance, and efficient resource use. The council must annually recommend priority policies for review to the legislature and provide annual reports analyzing these evaluations. These reviews aim to identify policies that should be maintained, modified, consolidated, or eliminated, particularly those enacted without adequate funding. The bill directly affects state education policy decisions and resource allocation for all public school districts and students across Washington.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Second Substitute Bill Engrossed Second Substitute Bill · 2 edits · Feb 17, 2026
MINOR
The bill was renamed from 'Second Substitute' to 'Engrossed Second Substitute' and the newly created advisory body was renamed from the 'public education review council' to the 'public education review steering committee.' This change reflects the bill's progression through the legislative process and updates all references to the body's name throughout the text.
DEFINITION

The name of the newly established body was changed from 'public education review council' to 'public education review steering committee' in all instances within the bill.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from 'Second Substitute House Bill 2636' to 'Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2636' to indicate its current legislative status.

Floor votes · House Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

990
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 100
Feb 17, 2026
D Democratic61
60 Yea 1
98% Yea
R Republican39
39 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
24
Key actions
11
Committee
14
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:30 AM.
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 2:30 PM.
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
And refer to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
EDU - Majority; do pass.
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM.
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 8:00 AM.
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Floor amendment(s) adopted.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Appropriations.
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM.
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 8:00 AM.
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors