Huskies on the Hill: 2026 recap

Huskies on the Hill gave students the opportunity to advocate for legislation that would impact their communities

By Michaela Ely

Students from UW Tacoma, UW Bothell and UW Seattle made their way to the state capital on Feb. 10 to advocate and lobby for legislation that would benefit students. Goals of Huskies on the Hill have consistently included supporting the Washington College Grant, but this year provided the opportunity to advocate for other legislation as well. 

Huskies on the Hill is often referred to as a tri-campus lobbying event; it is officially a UW Seattle event, but the other campuses are invited along to participate. There have been attempts to officially establish Huskies on the Hill as a tri-campus event through a memorandum of understanding, but all attempts  have been unsuccessful. Huskies on the Hill involves collaboration from all four student governments at UW, which includes ASUW, ASUWB, ASUWT and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate.

Throughout the day, there were special speaker events through the Washington Student Association, meetings with legislators and an opportunity to see Gov. Bob Ferguson speak in the late morning. When students were not in meetings or attending speaker sessions, they were able to explore the capital. 

There were a variety of bills from the Washington state legislature that students were encouraged to advocate for. HB 1316 was considered one of the biggest successes of the day as the bill passed through the Senate Committee on Appropriations. HB 1316 would amend the Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness Grant so multiple university campuses would be able to apply for funding. 

“Huskies on the Hill 2026 was largely successful in building tri-campus empathy, solidarity and support. I had the privilege of leading a small group of students to meet with legislative assistants. Groups focused on keeping ICE out of spaces without a warrant, unmasking ICE officers and expanding the emergency housing we have here at UWT to Bothell & Seattle, through the amending of language in a currently existing program,” ASUWT Speaker of the Senate Bryce Scholten told The Ledger. “The day ended on a high note learning that the bill proposing expanding emergency housing passed through appropriations with bipartisan support. I look forward to Huskies on the Hill 2027!” 

Another bill that students were advocating for was SB 5906, the SAFE Act. This bill would be an extension of the Keep Washington Working Act, the 2019 law that sets limits for how police and others can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The original law did not include day cares, public or nonpublic hospitals or nursing homes. This bill would also require federal immigration enforcement to get judicial warrants. SB 5906 has passed the Senate and is now in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary. 

While students were not advocating for an increase in eligibility for the Washington College Grant, they were advocating to keep the eligibility at 60% Median Family Income. The Washington state budget still has a shortfall this year of $4.3 billion, according to the Washington Policy Center, and there have been proposed cuts of 3% to higher education to address part of the deficit. 

Huskies on the Hill ended with a rally on the steps of the Legislative Building, featuring speakers from members of the student government. Representative Osman Salahuddin, a UW alumni and former ASUW president. was also present to give some remarks. 

 
Students are able to continue advocating for these bills by sending messages to their legislators through the Washington State Legislature website. To get more updates on what legislation may be passed coming out of Huskies on the Hill, follow ASUWT on Instagram.