SB 5863 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning the preservation and inspection of state historical records.

SB 5863 requires Washington's Division of Archives to create a preservation plan for historical records and artifacts from Lakeland Village, a former state facility for residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The plan must catalog at-risk items (like medical records, letters, and photos), assess their condition, outline storage/digitization steps, and include a public access strategy, all due by September 2025. It prohibits destroying these records until 2030 and limits indirect costs for the University of Washington to 15%. The bill directly affects state agencies managing archives, social services, and historical preservation, ensuring these records are preserved and made accessible for future education and research.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Dec 10, 2025 Signed Mar 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Passed Legislature · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was formally certified as passed by the legislature in 2026. Key policy changes include extending the deadline for completing a records preservation plan from September 1, 2025, to September 1, 2030, and clarifying that records from Lakeland Village must be retained through 2030 before any destruction occurs. Additionally, the bill added a new provision ensuring that confidentiality protections for certain records remain intact regardless of the record's age.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding record retention timelines was expanded to ensure long-term preservation through 2030, and the applicability of confidentiality rules was broadened to cover records of any age.
TIMELINE

The deadline for submitting the records preservation plan was moved from September 1, 2025, to September 1, 2030.

REQUIREMENT

Records from Lakeland Village must now be retained through 2030, overriding previous language that allowed for destruction once the plan was funded.

A new clause was added to explicitly state that confidentiality protections for specific records apply regardless of how old the records are.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 9, 2026 · House Feb 28, 2026

How they voted

510
Passed
Total votes 51
Mar 9, 2026
D Democratic31
31 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
14
Committee
9
Mar 24, 2026
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed final passage; yeas, 49; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 0.
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred in House amendments.
upper
Feb 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
lower
Feb 28, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (96-0-4)
house
Feb 23, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
SGOV - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM.
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Jan 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
SGTE - Majority; do pass.
upper
Jan 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM.
upper
1 primary · 7 co-sponsors

Sponsors