HB 2183 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Requiring counties to develop and implement heat response plans.

HB 2183 requires all Washington counties to create and adopt extreme heat response plans by July 1, 2027. Each plan must include immediate response strategies, long-term adaptation measures (like building upgrades and cooling assistance), and specific protections for vulnerable groups including seniors, outdoor workers, low-income households, and children. Counties must also establish tribal partnerships, public education programs, medical emergency protocols, and systems to track heat-related illnesses. Existing plans meeting these standards are exempt from the 2027 deadline, and counties must review plans during regular comprehensive plan updates.

Issues: ✓ Environment ✓ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 22, 2025 Last action Jan 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift responsibility for creating heat response plans from county health boards to county legislative authorities, broadening the scope of who must lead the effort. The requirements were expanded to explicitly include preventing power outages during heat events and to reference state labor rules for protecting outdoor workers. Additionally, the act was streamlined by removing a separate amendment to the state health code, focusing solely on adding the new requirements to the county planning chapter.

Scope change

The bill's scope of responsibility changed from being led by local health boards to being led by county legislative authorities, and it now explicitly includes the state Department of Labor and Industries in the protection of outdoor workers.

REQUIREMENT

Responsibility for creating heat response plans was transferred from the 'county local board of health' to the 'county legislative authority'.

The plan development process was changed from a health board-led effort to a cooperative effort involving the local health jurisdiction, emergency management, and other local governments.

Plans must now specifically include strategies to avoid electricity brownouts or blackouts during extreme heat events.

The plan must reference heat exposure safety rules adopted by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries regarding outdoor workers.

The list of high-risk populations was updated to use the term 'pregnant individuals' instead of 'pregnant women'.

ENFORCEMENT

The separate amendment to RCW 70.05.060, which required local health boards to develop these plans, was removed from the bill.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 27, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Local Government at 10:30 AM.

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Local Government at 8:00 AM.

lower

1 primary · 18 co-sponsors