Policy Council Recap: Federal Wins for Bellevue and a Vote to Back New Education Funding

Bellevue Chamber  |  June 10, 2026

On June 10, the Bellevue Chamber's Policy Council met at T-Mobile's Bellevue headquarters for a federal-heavy agenda. The City of Bellevue's intergovernmental relations team shared the city's playbook for Washington, D.C. — including a $2 million earmark win for the Grand Connection. Followed by a briefing on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, and it's potential to deliver an estimated $700 million a year in new K-12 education funding. The meeting closed with a vote to join the newly forming Washington Student Success Coalition to join the efforts of getting the tax credit signed by Governor Ferguson. 

Bellevue's Federal Compass

Deputy City Manager Genesee Adkins and Katie Kuciemba Halse, the city's Assistant Director of Intergovernmental Relations, shared how Bellevue builds its annual federal agenda and puts it to work — and that the approach is paying off. In the FY26 cycle, the city secured a $2 million congressionally directed spending award for the Grand Connection from Representative Smith and Senator Cantwell, along with EPA funding for the Lake Washington sanitary sewer lake lines from Representative DelBene and Senator Cantwell.

For FY27, Representative Smith's office accepted the city's earmark request for Safer Signals — the program that uses intersection technology to detect when someone is still in the crosswalk and adjusts signal timing to protect them. The request advanced at $250,000, and the city paired it with a $12 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant application to scale the work citywide. The program is gaining notice; a U.S. Senate Transportation Subcommittee hearing yesterday cited Bellevue's traffic safety technology. Three priority areas frame the broader agenda: transportation mobility, essential water infrastructure, and affordable housing and safety net programs.

Following a trip to Washington, D.C. last week with Mayor Malakoutian and Deputy Mayor Hamilton, Adkins reported that federal lawmakers are highly receptive to Bellevue's housing strategies. In meetings with nearly the entire delegation, federal offices expressed great interest in how Bellevue utilizes land use updates and technology to streamline permitting and accelerate housing production. The City of Bellevue team pointed to the Chamber's year-round role in this advocacy work —  from summer congressional tours to the Chamber's December fly-in.

the washington student success coalition PARTNERSHIP

Jill Jackson of Monument Advocacy and Quentin Orem of the Ferry Foundation briefed us on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. Launching January 1st, 2027, this new federal law lets any taxpayer redirect up to $1,700 of federal income tax each year, dollar for dollar, to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) that award funds to their very own students for a wide variety of educational needs — from learning therapies and tuition to musical and technological supplies. But none of this happens automatically, and Washington's Governor must join the 27+ other states that will opt-into the program in order for Bellevue students to receive the estimated $700 million a year. And if not, Washington's taxpayer contributions will flow to other participating states. 

"It's really a multi-billion dollar opportunity for kids in Washington that we are completely at risk of missing out on." — Quentin Orem, Executive Director, Ferry Foundation

After members pressed on implementation, we voted to join the Washington Student Success Coalition launching in July. We will lend our name to the coalition's materials and help educate stakeholders as it makes the case for opting Washingtonians in. For the full breakdown of how the program works, what the opt-in decision means, and why we joined, read our companion post: The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: Why We Joined the Washington Student Success Coalition.

Transportation Benefit District and Vibe Survey

Lastly, Diana Leo updated us on the City's Transportation Benefit District proposal. The open questions remain car tabs, a 0.1 percent sales tax, and the 60/40 division of funding across projects, with a fuller briefing expected after the June 17 BMC meeting and after the City's Public Hearing on the budget forecast. Our annual Vibe survey is also in the field with results due back within days, and we will convene a special virtual session to walk through the findings with members before the public rollout.