Maddy summarySB 6191 (Washington State) limits Medicaid coverage for certain gender-affirming care to adults only, specifically prohibiting state Medicaid from covering breast augmentation, sex reassignment surgery, puberty suppression therapy, and hormone therapy for individuals under 18 years old. The bill amends existing law to explicitly exclude these services for minors under 18, while maintaining Medicaid coverage for all gender-affirming treatments for adults. It does not restrict care for minors outside of Medicaid or affect coverage for adults, focusing solely on Medicaid funding for youth under 18. The bill directly affects minors in Washington State who rely on Medicaid for gender-affirming care, restricting access to specific procedures. The law takes effect January 1, 2022, and requires the state authority to adopt implementing rules.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySB 6012 exempts schools (both public and private) from paying Washington's retail sales tax on certain services they purchase for operational use, such as cleaning, repairs, or maintenance. The bill amends state tax law (RCW 82.04.050) to exclude these school-purchased services from the definition of "retail sale," removing the tax obligation for schools. This change directly affects schools by reducing their operational costs for essential services, without altering tax treatment for other businesses. The bill is currently pending in committee after being prefaced for introduction in January 2026.
Maddy summarySB 5980 would exempt live presentations (such as concerts, theater, and similar events) from Washington State's retail sales and use tax. This bill amends RCW 82.04.050 and 82.04.192 to remove live performances from the definition of "retail sale," meaning ticket sellers would no longer collect sales tax on these events. The change directly affects businesses selling tickets to live performances, including venues, promoters, and event organizers. The bill is currently pending in the legislature after being prefaced and referred to the Ways & Means committee.
Maddy summarySB 5822 updates Washington’s missing persons alert system by making coordination between law enforcement agencies mandatory (replacing voluntary cooperation) and adding new alert categories, including "silver alert" for seniors aged 60+ and "missing indigenous person alert" for Indigenous individuals. It defines specific criteria for alerts, such as requiring immediate danger for "amber alerts" (children under 18) and covering vulnerable populations like those with developmental disabilities, dementia, or trafficking risks under "endangered person alerts." The bill also requires the state patrol to submit annual reports by March 31, starting in 2027, detailing alert activations, recovery outcomes, response times, and tribal jurisdiction involvement. The law expires March 31, 2030.
Maddy summarySB 5850 protects citizens participating in Washington's initiative and referendum process by making it illegal to pay for signatures, intimidate voters, or destroy petitions. It creates new penalties, including gross misdemeanors for offering money based on signature counts and class C felonies for altering or destroying signed petitions. The bill directly affects individuals gathering signatures for ballot measures and organizers seeking to manipulate the process. These changes aim to prevent corruption and ensure free participation in direct democracy, without altering existing campaign finance reporting rules.
Maddy summarySB 5856 exempts emissions from lubricants (like motor oil or industrial grease) from Washington's cap-and-invest program, which regulates greenhouse gas emissions from large polluters. This means companies using lubricants will no longer need to account for emissions from these products when calculating their total emissions under the program. The bill amends the definition of "covered entities" in the cap-and-invest law to exclude lubricant-related emissions from the 25,000 metric ton annual threshold that triggers regulatory coverage. It directly affects businesses that use or produce lubricants, such as manufacturing facilities, automotive services, or industrial operations. The change simplifies compliance for these entities by removing a specific emissions source from the program's requirements.
Maddy summarySB 5851 adds a voluntary $1 or more donation option during Washington state vessel registration (initial or renewal) to fund salmon preservation efforts. The donations, collected by the Department of Licensing, are deposited into a dedicated "sea lion predation control account" in the state treasury. Funds from this account can only be spent - after legislative appropriation - to manage sea lion populations in the lower Columbia River, aiming to reduce their predation on salmon. This bill directly affects boat owners at registration time and creates a new funding mechanism for salmon conservation, separate from existing state agency budgets.
Maddy summarySB 5854 modifies Washington state procedures for releasing sexually violent predators from secure facilities to community-based treatment settings. It requires courts to consider "fair share principles" before approving such releases, meaning counties must have adequate local placement options proportional to their population of committed individuals. The bill also gives counties the authority to reject placements from other counties if the proposed location violates these fair share requirements. This applies to individuals committed under Washington’s sexually violent predator laws and aims to balance the geographic burden of community placements. The bill does not change release criteria for individuals but alters the administrative process for where they may be placed.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Washington's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to increase frontline child protective services staff by 100 full-time equivalents (FTEs) by the end of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. It directs DCYF to achieve this by shifting staff from non-direct-service roles (program support) to direct service roles, using existing budget resources without new funding. The change would directly affect child welfare services by adding more social workers to handle reports of child abuse or neglect. The bill addresses a staffing imbalance identified in DCYF's own workload study, aiming to improve response capacity for vulnerable children and families.
Maddy summarySB 5913 clarifies requirements for local jurisdictions (counties and cities) that provide public defense services. It amends Washington law to explicitly require local standards covering caseload limits, attorney qualifications, compensation, case types, and handling of costs like expert witnesses. The bill mandates that these standards must address specific operational elements, such as monitoring attorney performance and client complaint procedures. This directly affects public defense systems across Washington, ensuring consistent minimum requirements for how legal representation is structured and managed.