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Washington Parental Financial Liability for Dependent's Medical Care Initiative (2026)
| Washington Parental Financial Liability for Dependent's Medical Care Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Insurance policy and Healthcare governance | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Parental Financial Liability for Dependent's Medical Care Initiative may appear on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 3, 2026.
The ballot initiative would provide that parents, stepparents, or legal guardians are not financially liable for a dependent's medical care, including mental health care, without first consenting to treatment.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for the initiative is below:[2]
| “ |
Initiative Measure No. IL26-114 concerns the obligation to pay healthcare expenses of minor children. This measure would provide that no parent, stepparent, or legal guardian may be liable for payment of healthcare rendered according to state law to a minor without their prior consent to that care. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ][3] |
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Ballot summary
The ballot summary for the initiative is below:[2]
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This measure would provide that no parent, stepparent, or legal guardian may be liable for payment for any medical care, healthcare, or mental healthcare rendered according to state law to a person under the age of 18 without the prior consent of that parent, stepparent, or legal guardian.[3] |
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Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in Washington
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Washington, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute, called an Initiative to the Legislature (ITL), is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures for indirect initiatives are due at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
In Washington, the Legislature has three options regarding Initiatives to the Legislature:
- (1) The Legislature can adopt an Initiative to the Legislature, in which case the initiative is enacted into law without a vote of electors;
- (2) The Legislature can reject or not act on the initiative, in which case the initiative is placed on the ballot at the next state general election; or
- (3) The Legislature can approve an alternative to the proposed initiative, in which case both the original proposal and the legislative alternative are placed on the ballot at the next state general election.
If an indirect initiative goes to the ballot, a simple majority vote is required for approval.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 308,911 valid signatures
- Deadline: January 2, 2026
Stages of this ballot initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[4]
- May 23, 2025: Brian Heywood filed the ballot initiative.
- June 6, 2025: The office of Attorney General Nick Brown (D) issued the ballot title and summary for the initiative.[2]
- June 18, 2025: Brian Heywood filed an additional version of this initiative. It was granted a serial number (IL26-558), a ballot title, and a ballot summary.
- July 11, 2025: Brian Heywood filed an additional version of this initiative. It was granted a serial number (IL26-447), a ballot title, and a ballot summary. This version would instead make the healthcare provider that provided care liable for any resulting costs or payments.
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Initiative Measure No. IL26-114," accessed June 13, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Washington Secretary of State, "IL26-114 Title and Summary," accessed June 13, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the Legislature - 2025," accessed June 6, 2025
