HB 1412 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing the Washington state commission on Middle Eastern and North African Americans.

HB 1412 establishes the Washington State Commission on Middle Eastern and North African Americans to address systemic gaps affecting this community. The commission will focus on improving data collection about MENA populations and advising state agencies and the legislature on policies impacting their needs, such as healthcare access, housing, and education. It requires the governor to appoint 12 diverse members with balanced representation across ethnicities, geography, gender, age, and occupations, serving staggered terms. The commission’s primary duties include developing consistent data collection methods, recommending policy changes, and coordinating community recognition events, while explicitly avoiding overemphasis on religion or international policies.

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 · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from H-0563.2 to H-0977.2 and updated to reflect its status as a Substitute Bill after being referred to committee. The legislative intent section was modified to explicitly require the commission to collect both qualitative and quantitative data, expanding its research mandate. The bill was also reorganized to consolidate definitions into a single new section and streamline the establishment clause.

Scope change

The scope of the commission's work was expanded to include the collection of qualitative data in addition to quantitative data.

TIMELINE

The bill number was changed from H-0563.2 to H-0977.2, and the title was updated to 'Substitute House Bill 1412' to reflect its procedural status.

The reading date was updated from 01/20/25 to 02/06/25, and the sponsor list was reformatted to indicate the bill was originally sponsored by Representatives Farivar et al. and is now being acted upon by the House State Government & Tribal Relations committee.

REQUIREMENT

The legislative intent was updated to explicitly require the commission to improve the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data on Middle Eastern and North African Americans.

The establishment clause was slightly reworded to state the commission 'is established' rather than 'there is established,' while retaining the location in the office of the governor.

DEFINITION

The bill structure was reorganized to move the definition of 'Commission' into a standalone Section 2, separating it from the general findings.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM.

lower

Jan 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM.

lower

1 primary · 20 co-sponsors