HB 1125 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Providing judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice.

HB 1125 allows judges to modify lengthy prison sentences in Washington state when a person's original sentence no longer serves justice. It directly affects incarcerated individuals who meet specific criteria, such as having served 7+ years for an offense committed as a juvenile (starting July 2026), 10+ years for offenses committed as young adults (starting July 2031), or having a terminal illness. The bill requires petitioners to show rehabilitation or low recidivism risk, and courts may only reduce sentences (not increase them), must maintain mandatory minimums, and mandate a 6-month minimum wait after a hearing before release. The law also requires new sentences to include five years of community supervision.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill was reorganized into a committee substitute that adds new eligibility criteria for sentence modification petitions, including a requirement for five years of community custody after release. It also expands mandatory community custody terms for various offenses and introduces an 'accountability letter bank' program for victims. The bill includes specific expiration and effective dates for these new provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include new mandatory community custody requirements for specific crimes and a new victim notification program, while the eligibility for sentence modification was tightened with additional conditions.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement that courts impose five years of community custody on any person granted a sentence modification under this act.

Added a new eligibility criterion allowing petitioners who have served at least 20 years for a first-degree murder conviction to request sentence modification.

Added a new requirement for the Department of Corrections to provide information about an 'accountability letter bank' to incarcerated individuals and victims.

Modified the list of factors courts must consider when modifying sentences to include participation in the accountability letter bank and victim notification preferences.

Added new mandatory community custody terms for violent offenses, sex offenses, and other specific crimes in Sections 7 and 8.

TIMELINE

Added specific expiration and effective dates: Section 7 expires January 1, 2026, and Section 8 takes effect January 1, 2026.

Substitute Bill → Second Substitute Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from 'Community Safety' to 'Appropriations' and its reading date was moved up, indicating a shift in legislative focus toward funding and budgetary oversight. The core policy changes allow courts to reduce long sentences for eligible inmates who have served significant time, but they now require an additional five years of community custody unless the original sentence already included that amount. The act also clarifies that the new community custody requirement applies only if the original sentence lacked it, preventing double penalties for those who already faced extended supervision.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general community safety initiative to include specific appropriations and funding conditions, while the eligibility criteria for sentence modification were refined to include a mandatory community custody component.

SCOPE

The bill title changed from 'Substitute House Bill' to 'Second Substitute House Bill' and the committee assignment shifted from 'Community Safety' to 'Appropriations', suggesting a focus on funding implications.

ELIGIBILITY

The list of excluded subsections in the eligibility criteria was updated from (18) and (19) to (13) and (14), reflecting a renumbering of the act's sections.

REQUIREMENT

The mandatory community custody requirement was changed from a flat five-year sentence to a conditional rule: courts must impose five years of community custody only if the original sentence included less than five years.

The list of factors courts must consider when modifying sentences was reorganized and condensed, removing specific references to the accountability letter bank and restorative justice options.

The section regarding the right to counsel was removed entirely, eliminating the explicit guarantee of appointed counsel for indigent petitioners.

TIMELINE

The expiration date for the act's provisions was moved from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2025, creating a new funding deadline that could nullify the entire act if appropriations are not passed.

TECHNICAL

Several section numbers were renumbered throughout the document, and the effective date for community custody provisions was adjusted to align with the new funding timeline.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Rules Committee relieved of further consideration.

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

lower

Feb 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.

lower

Feb 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community Safety at 8:00 AM.

lower

Jan 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 8:00 AM.

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 8:00 AM.

lower

1 primary · 35 co-sponsors