In his first session as a state senator, Adrian Cortes, a Democrat who flipped Washington’s 18th District Senate seat in the 2024 general election, says he’s proud of the local gains made for Southwest Washington, but believes the most difficult work may still lie ahead.
“Everyone I talked to up there said [I] probably stepped into one of the most challenging legislative sessions in the past 20-30 years,” Cortes said. “At first, I thought it was hyperbole, but the more I dug into it, the more I thought, well, maybe they have a point.”
The 105-day session concluded April 27 with the Legislature passing a $77.8 billion two-year budget on a party-line vote. The final package includes spending cuts and a $9.4 billion tax plan over four years, with much of the revenue coming from increased taxes on businesses, capital gains and estates. As of press time, Governor Bob Ferguson had not yet signed the full budget into law.
For Cortes, the revenue bills were a major point of contention. He voted against every tax increase, all of which passed both chambers.
“Many of my constituents here in the 18th expressed concerns on how the new revenue bills could negatively impact them, especially during a time when there is an increased economic uncertainty and volatility because of the actions from the federal government,” Cortes said. “At the end of the day, I could not vote in favor of any of these pieces of legislation that could potentially harm working families in my district and small businesses.”
A former Battle Ground city council member and mayor, Cortes said his focus throughout the session was on representing local concerns in Olympia. That included opposing new gas and business taxes while also helping to secure more than $7 million in funding for projects across the 18th District.
Of that total, $2 million will fund local projects in the City of Battle Ground. This includes $1.5 million for phase one of Remy Park improvements and $500,000 for downtown revitalization work.
Additional appropriations include $3 million for building upgrades at Washington State University Vancouver, $1.5 million for infrastructure repairs at Cascadia Tech Academy, and $1.5 million for slope stabilization on Pioneer Street in Ridgefield.
Cortes called these wins significant, especially given the tight budget climate, noting they exceed the typical allocation of just over $1.5 million for the region in past sessions.
He also supported House Bill 2015, which provides $100 million to assist local governments with police staffing and mental health co-responder programs.
“I was very happy to vote on that in support of getting it to the governor’s desk,” he said.
While proud of these investments, Cortes expressed frustration over the Legislature’s failure to pass broader special education funding. Special education is a personal priority, given his role as a special education teacher at Camas High School. The final budget includes $775 million for special education through June 2027, which Cortes views as insufficient. A Senate bill, which would have supplied over $2 billion in funding, did not pass the House.
Cortes welcomed the Legislature’s authorization of $2.5 billion in general obligation bonds, backed by previously approved tolling, to fund the construction of the I-5 bridge replacement project. While he has voiced a preference for rapid bus transit over light rail, he said he’s encouraged that groundbreaking could begin within the next year.
In addition to securing funding, Cortes prime-sponsored five bills that passed both chambers and advanced to the governor’s desk:
SB 5149 – Early Childhood Courts expansion
Expands the Early Childhood Courts program by increasing the eligible age range from birth to age six and allowing courts to intervene earlier in the dependency process. The goal is to improve long-term outcomes and increase family reunification rates with no added cost to the state.
SB 5141 – Disability insurance reform
Streamlines the filing process for disability income insurers by allowing a single annual submission to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner instead of multiple employer-specific filings. The change reduces administrative costs, intending to keep employee disability insurance plans more affordable.
SB 5677 – Strengthening Associate Development Organizations (ADOs)
Provides more flexibility in how ADOs, which help foster job creation and economic development, meet matching fund requirements. The bill allows those matches to come from cash, in-kind contributions, or both to benefit both rural and urban communities.
SB 5253 – Special education eligibility extension
Align state law with federal requirements by extending special education services through the end of the school year when a student turns 22. The bill aims to support smoother transitions for students with disabilities as they move from school to adult life.
SB 5444 – Special license plate modernization
Authorizes up to 13 new specialty license plates and creates a more structured process for approving future designs. New plates include themes such as wildfire prevention (Smokey Bear) and automotive education (LeMay Car Museum), with proceeds supporting related causes.
Cortes condemns Republican-led campaign against
school levy
Cortes said one of the most troubling developments during the session’s final week came not in Olympia but at home.
In April, Battle Ground School District voters rejected a $166.3 million replacement levy for the second time this year. The narrow defeat, with 51 percent in opposition, is expected to trigger more than $20 million in cuts and eliminate nearly 200 staff positions.
“It is highly possible that they could go into binding conditions, which does nothing to help the educational environment for our students here locally,” Cortes said.
Cortes accused the Washington State Republican Party of campaigning against the levy with misleading information. He said constituents sent him flyers and mailers opposing the levy, all bearing the party’s name in the fine print.
“When I looked at who paid for this active campaign against our schools and our kids, it was the Republican Party,” he said. “To actively work in that direction is extraordinarily irresponsible, and it only hurts our kids.”
The Washington State Republican Party sent flyers to Battle Ground residents, alleging the district allowed students of different genders to enter restrooms and locker rooms. The flyers also compared the district’s student performance and attendance to its spending, urging parents to vote no.
Cortes agreed with a recent statement made by Battle Ground Superintendent Denny Waters that misinformation played a role in the levy’s defeat, claiming the Republican Party’s data was misconstrued.
“It’s what is akin to a smoking gun,” Cortes said. “You can take one tiny data point that may not look good, and you can twist it and make it look like … the whole district is failing … that’s exactly what’s happening here.”
Earlier in the session, Cortes introduced a bill to reduce the threshold for passing school bonds to a simple majority. As a tradeoff, school districts could not collect impact fees, which Cortes believes will make housing more affordable and help the building community. That bill did not reach a floor vote but remains in committee and could be revived next year.
Now that the session has concluded, Cortes is opening a full-time district office inside Battle Ground City Hall, the same building he once led as mayor.
Cortes will also return to his classroom in mid-May to finish the school year as a special education teacher in the Camas School District.
But his eyes are still on Olympia — and Washington, D.C.
“I am concerned over the very real fact … some significant federal cuts are coming to the state of Washington,” Cortes said.
He said federal reductions for transportation funding, education and Medicaid could trigger a special legislative session later this year.
“I will continue to bring the working-class family lens to the conversation,” he said. “Anything that has to do with tax increases or financing shortfalls on the backs of working-class families, I will continuously and vigorously push back.”
Constituents can reach Senator Cortes at OfficeofSenatorCortes@leg.wa.gov or contact his legislative assistant at kirsilundhagen@leg.wa.gov. More information is available at senatedemocrats.wa.gov/cortes.
