{"id":106426,"date":"2025-12-14T19:05:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T03:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/?p=106426"},"modified":"2025-12-15T14:12:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T22:12:04","slug":"the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of news that impacts families in Washington state. Below are highlights and commentary on key policy updates and headlines from the week of Dec. 8-14.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h4><b>Pregnancy-related deaths up in WA<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-10\/141-253-MaternalMortalityReviewPanelReport-2025.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report released by the state health department<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows the number of mothers who died of pregnancy-related causes jumped up in both 2021 and 2022 compared with previous years. A death is called pregnancy-related if it\u2019s caused by a health condition contracted during pregnancy or from a previous condition exacerbated by pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report, issued by Washington\u2019s Maternal Mortality Review Panel, found that 51 people died of pregnancy-related causes in those two years \u2014 either during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth. That accounts for 0.03% percent (30 of 100,000) live births in the state in those years. They also found that a majority of the deaths \u2014 80% \u2014 could have been prevented.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report is more evidence that better access to prenatal care, culturally competent care, doula care, home visits, and housing and food assistance plays an important role in preventing pregnancy-related death by identifying symptoms and conditions that can be treated successfully.<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kuow.org\/stories\/pregnancy-related-deaths-are-increasing-in-washington-state-most-could-be-prevented\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out KUOW\u2019s coverage of this important story<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>2026 legislative session\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington\u2019s colleges and universities saw their budgets cut, their tuition hiked, and financial aid programs impacted during the 2025 legislative session as lawmakers tried to deal with a multi-billion-dollar deficit. During the 2026 session, which begins Jan. 12, Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, hopes to improve all that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week, Reed prefiled House Bill 2098 in preparation for the upcoming session. The bill\u2019s title, \u201cAdjusting higher education funding,\u201d would include a 10% a year tuition reduction for three school years beginning Fall of 2027. It would also expand student eligibility for the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wsac.wa.gov\/wcg\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington College Grant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does Reed propose the state pay for the adjustment? Reed wants to erase the cap on the advanced computing surcharge<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstatestandard.com\/2025\/03\/05\/washington-lawmakers-consider-uncapping-tax-on-big-tech-companies-to-fund-higher-ed\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">paid to the state by firms with global revenue above $25 billion<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The legislation is likely to get a lot of pushback, but with the cost of higher education making it harder and harder for families to send their kids to college, it\u2019s certainly worth a try.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstatestandard.com\/2025\/12\/06\/bills-begin-streaming-in-ahead-of-was-2026-legislative-session\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read about this and other pre-session bill filings on the Washington State Standard website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Protecting kids from online platforms<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As I wrote in last week\u2019s Roundup column, two state lawmakers from King County plan to reintroduce mirror bills in the state Senate and House of Representatives to protect kids by forcing companies to mitigate the impacts of their addictive online platforms. The bills would require companies to change their designs as well as the way in which they gather data on users, especially children, while at the same time encouraging users to engage in healthier relationships with the platforms.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can read the<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/seattleschild.com\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">full story on the proposed legislation.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the meantime \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Take action: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To better understand this major issue impacting kids&#8217; mental health, c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/cant-look-away-an-important-documentary-film\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heck out our story on the documentary film \u201cCan\u2019t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The film is available to view online at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jolt.film\/watch\/cantlookaway\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jolt.Film<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Then reach out to your state legislative representatives to share your thoughts on SB5708 and HB1834. Contact members of the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leg.wa.gov\/house\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Washington State House of Representatives<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leg.wa.gov\/senate\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington State Senate.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b>Should WA ban police from wearing face coverings?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve seen the photos and videos of masked immigration agents, federal agents, and, in some cases, even local police when confronting people across the country. A masked police authority is terrifying for the people and kids confronted by them, and, since September, banned in California, the first state to enact a face-mask ban for law enforcement officers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the Trump administration filing a lawsuit against the California mask prohibition in November, two Washington lawmakers hope they can get a similar ban through the upcoming 2026 state legislative session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, and Rep. Julio Cortes, D-Everett, plan to introduce a bill that resembles California\u2019s law and is consistent with Washington&#8217;s existing<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/RCW\/default.aspx?cite=10.116.050\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> law<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requiring officers to be \u201creasonably identifiable.\u201d Under current law in this state, officers&#8217; uniforms are required to display names and other identifying details. The ban they propose would include exemptions \u2014 for example, face-covering protective gear like motorcycle helmets, or for officers who need them in undercover operations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a Washington State Standard article posted last week, Cortes said this of the effort:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTrust is essential for crime reporting. When folks trust their local law enforcement, they are going to be reporting more crime. When we see ICE out there, when those masked agents are out in communities, they create fear and intimidation, and that discourages community members from interacting with any law enforcement, even when they need help themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While California grapples with the lawsuit against its ban, Cortes and Valdez are thinking ahead. If courts void California\u2019s law,\u00a0 a law passed in Washington would stay on the books in this state and apply only to local and state law enforcement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is a ban on non-medically necessary, identity-obscuring masks really an issue of importance to families? Absolutely, and not only if your family belongs to any of the immigrant or racial groups targeted by the Trump administration&#8217;s policies. As a city, as a community, and as parents, we want and need our kids to trust that law enforcement officials are there to protect us, not terrorize or target us. Toward that end, all of us, adults and kids, must be able to identify authority figures who carry weapons in the name of protecting the community.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstatestandard.com\/2025\/12\/08\/ban-on-police-face-coverings-pitched-ahead-of-was-2026-legislative-session\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out the full story in the Washington State Standard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Take action: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make your voice heard on matters important to you and your family.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach out to your state legislative representatives to share your thoughts on the use of identity-obscuring face masks by law enforcement. Contact members of the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leg.wa.gov\/house\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Washington State House of Representatives<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leg.wa.gov\/senate\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Washington State Senate.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b>Birthright citizenship will be heard by the Supreme Court<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agreed to hear a watershed case disputing the constitutionality of President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order to end birthright citizenship \u2014 a 14th Amendment right that has given children born to undocumented immigrants or other foreign residents automatic U.S. citizenship. Trump signed the order on his first day in office<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to an article in the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/rump-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington State Standard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the court will likely hear the case sometime in early 2026. Other news sources say a ruling would then be expected by summer 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the meantime, a four-state, Washington-led case against Trump&#8217;s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to non-citizen immigrants in the U.S. remains in play. Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois filed that lawsuit on Jan.\u202f21.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Feb. 6, a U.S. District Court judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of President Trump&#8217;s executive order. That injunction was affirmed by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the lower court injunctions and blocks in &#8220;Washington v. Trump&#8221; remain in effect, the court\u2019s decision to hear the landmark constitutionality case could end up deciding the states&#8217; case as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>\u201cTrump Accounts\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have heard about the new \u201cTrump Accounts,\u201d<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a newly created type of tax-advantaged savings and investment account designed to help American kids start building long-term financial assets. Established by President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/1\/text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d the accounts are intended to give children a financial leg up on the future, starting at birth.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trumpaccounts.gov\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the law, children born in the U.S. between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, will receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the federal government deposited into their account. Following that, parents, employers, and others can add up to $5,000 in contributions per year to the account. Access will be given when a child turns 18. To be eligible, kids must be under age 18, have a social security number, and be U.S. citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, according to a piece in The New York Times, current planning for the accounts could result in many kids being left<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">out. The biggest concern? Currently, the Treasury Department has the authority to automatically enroll children, but it isn\u2019t planning to exercise this authority. Instead, parents will need to opt their kids into the program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat\u2019s a very serious policy design concern,\u201d Professor Huang said to Times reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s highly likely we\u2019re going to miss millions of children.\u201d<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/09\/upshot\/trump-accounts-dell.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the full story in the New York Times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Take action: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Online enrollment should be open to parents starting in mid-2026, with seed contributions starting in July. To enroll your children, keep checking at<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/trumpaccounts.gov\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TrumpAccounts.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>The Good Read: Where art is the community<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does it take to create a mural that truly represents the community? Input from the community. And gathering that is just what artists did as they began to envision <\/span><b>&#8216;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beacon of Community,\u2019 the new mural that graces the Rainier Valley Food Bank building. According to the South Seattle Emerald, the mural met its goal of capturing life in Seattle\u2019s southend neighborhood.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/southseattleemerald.org\/news\/2025\/11\/27\/beacon-of-community-new-mural-at-rainier-valley-food-bank-captures-life-in-the-south-end\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the story about art as a community connector in the South Seattle Emerald.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pregnancy-related deaths are up, new bills to protect kids,  birthrights, &#8220;Trump Accounts&#8221; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1182,"featured_media":106431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[351,1420,112,353],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baby","category-baby-2","category-news","category-take-action"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.0 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Washington Political News for Families: Key updates this week<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid &quot;Trump Accounts.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid &quot;Trump Accounts.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Seattle&#039;s Child\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SeattlesChild\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1198\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"876\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cheryl Murfin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SeaChildMag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SeaChildMag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cheryl Murfin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cheryl Murfin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/83518fe1dabcc0eb975cb238f84fcee8\"},\"headline\":\"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\"},\"wordCount\":1537,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Baby\",\"Baby &amp; Pregnancy\",\"News\",\"Take Action\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\",\"name\":\"Washington Political News for Families: Key updates this week\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid \\\"Trump Accounts.\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg\",\"width\":1198,\"height\":876,\"caption\":\"Profile of a baby belly.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/\",\"name\":\"Seattle&#039;s Child\",\"description\":\"Activities and Resources for Parents and Kids in greater Seattle\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Seattle's Child\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/seattles-logo-1.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/seattles-logo-1.svg\",\"width\":455,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"Seattle's Child\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SeattlesChild\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/SeaChildMag\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/seattleschildmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/seattleschild\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/83518fe1dabcc0eb975cb238f84fcee8\",\"name\":\"Cheryl Murfin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1049-96x96.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1049-96x96.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Cheryl Murfin\"},\"description\":\"Cheryl Murfin, M.Ed\/IAE is managing editor of Seattle's Child magazine. She's been a working journalist for nearly 40 years, is an certified AWA writing workshop facilitator, arts-integrated writing retreat leader. Find her at Compasswriters.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/author\/cheryl-murfin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Washington Political News for Families: Key updates this week","description":"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid \"Trump Accounts.\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families","og_description":"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid \"Trump Accounts.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/","og_site_name":"Seattle&#039;s Child","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SeattlesChild\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1198,"height":876,"url":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Cheryl Murfin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SeaChildMag","twitter_site":"@SeaChildMag","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cheryl Murfin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Cheryl Murfin","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/83518fe1dabcc0eb975cb238f84fcee8"},"headline":"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families","datePublished":"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/"},"wordCount":1537,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg","articleSection":["Baby","Baby &amp; Pregnancy","News","Take Action"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/","name":"Washington Political News for Families: Key updates this week","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-15T03:05:28+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-15T22:12:04+00:00","description":"An increase in pregnancy-related Washington deaths, new bills aimd at protecting kids, birthrights and kid \"Trump Accounts.\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/iStock-172191823.jpg","width":1198,"height":876,"caption":"Profile of a baby belly."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-roundup-news-that-impacts-washington-families-december-14-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Roundup: News that impacts Washington families"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/","name":"Seattle&#039;s Child","description":"Activities and Resources for Parents and Kids in greater Seattle","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#organization","name":"Seattle's Child","url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/seattles-logo-1.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/seattles-logo-1.svg","width":455,"height":64,"caption":"Seattle's Child"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SeattlesChild\/","https:\/\/x.com\/SeaChildMag","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/seattleschildmag\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/seattleschild\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/83518fe1dabcc0eb975cb238f84fcee8","name":"Cheryl Murfin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1049-96x96.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images.seattleschild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1049-96x96.jpeg","caption":"Cheryl Murfin"},"description":"Cheryl Murfin, M.Ed\/IAE is managing editor of Seattle's Child magazine. She's been a working journalist for nearly 40 years, is an certified AWA writing workshop facilitator, arts-integrated writing retreat leader. Find her at Compasswriters.com.","url":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/author\/cheryl-murfin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106426"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106477,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106426\/revisions\/106477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}