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.
Sponsored bills
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 summarySB 5843 strengthens protections for people who collect signatures for voter initiatives and referendums by making harassment against them a more serious crime. The bill amends Washington’s harassment law to explicitly include signature gatherers under the definition of "election official," meaning threats or intimidation directed at them can now trigger felony charges if the threats involve violence, prior harassment, or targeting during official duties. Penalties increase from a gross misdemeanor to a class C felony for certain threats, such as those involving violence or targeting election workers. The law also ensures targeted individuals and their household members qualify for address confidentiality programs.
Maddy summarySB 5867 requires Washington’s state health authority to develop a mobile pregnancy application through a competitive bidding process, targeting Medicaid-eligible pregnant and postpartum women. The app must provide multilingual educational resources, connect users to state health programs (like perinatal substance use services), and be available on Android and iOS. Key requirements include collecting anonymized usage data (e.g., daily users, engagement with Washington-specific resources) and ensuring clinical standards for content. The bill aims to improve awareness of maternal health programs but does not change Medicaid eligibility or funding. The state must issue a request for proposals within 180 days of the bill’s effective date.
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 summaryThis bill restores a 1985 tax exemption that previously excluded sales of precious metal bullion (like refined gold, silver, and platinum) and monetized bullion (coins used as currency) from state sales tax. It directly affects businesses that sell these items, such as bullion dealers and financial institutions, by removing the tax burden on the full sale price and limiting tax to only dealer commissions. The key provision defines "precious metal bullion" and "monetized bullion" to exclude these transactions from the state’s sales tax code, with tax applying only to commissions earned on customer transactions. The exemption applies retroactively from January 1, 2026, and is intended to revive the original 1985 policy.
Maddy summarySB 5896 amends Washington State's water pollution law (RCW 90.48.080) by removing the phrase "or tend to cause" from the definition of unlawful discharges. This change requires that pollution be actual, not merely potential, to violate the law. The bill directly affects businesses, industries, and anyone discharging organic or inorganic matter into state waters. The bill was prefaced in December 2025 and referred to the Environment, Energy & Technology committee for review.