We are pleased to report a huge, last-minute win for a top LSW legislative priority resulting in full funding of the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment (CARE Fund). CARE Fund followed a winding path throughout the 2026 legislative session, shaped by a difficult budget environment and ultimately changed by a critical last-minute veto.
After the Legislature passed a budget that cut CARE Fund funding, Governor Ferguson issued a last-minute veto restoring the program to full funding. This decision reverses the enacted reduction, protects one of Washington’s most important investments in cancer research, and ensures continuity for upcoming grant cycles.
As lawmakers worked to close a significant budget shortfall, a number of programs came under pressure, including the CARE Fund. When the Legislature finalized and passed the state operating budget, it included $10 million for the program, a clear reduction from the prior biennial funding level of $22,220,000 and not enough to maintain the CARE Fund’s current pace of grantmaking and support for cancer research. That action effectively reduced the amount of funding available for new research investments across the state.
At the same time, lawmakers considered SB 6129, the tobacco, nicotine, and vapor tax legislation. The bill would have addressed how revenues from these products are allocated and presented an opportunity to correct a structural issue created in 2025, when changes to tax policy resulted in all tobacco and nicotine revenues being directed to the General Fund, rather than allocating a portion to the Public Health Account and the CARE Fund State Match Account as originally intended.
However, SB 6129 ultimately stalled in the House Finance Committee. Disagreements over broader anti-smoking and vaping provisions prevented the bill from advancing, leaving both the funding conversation and the structural fix unresolved. At that point, the CARE Fund faced a reduced funding level with no clear path to restoration.
While the Governor’s veto is a major win, it does not resolve the underlying structural issue. Because SB 6129 did not pass, revenue from vape, tobacco, and other nicotine products will continue to flow entirely to the General Fund, rather than being shared with the Public Health Account and the CARE Fund State Match Account as originally intended. Fixing this misalignment will be a key priority in the next legislative session to ensure a more stable and sustainable funding pathway for the CARE Fund going forward.