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Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These new Washington laws take effect July 27
The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Funding for more police officers, parking requirements for new housing and penalties for littering. These are just a few of the issues covered by 333 new Washington state laws set to take effect Sunday. July 27 marks 90 days since the end of the 2025 legislative session in Olympia, when most bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson go into force. A handful of bills became law July 1. Some legislation can take years to go into effect. Here's a look at some of the laws on the books starting Sunday. Perhaps the most controversial legislation taking effect Sunday requires religious leaders to report child abuse or neglect, adding them to a list of mandatory reporters that includes school staff, psychologists and many more. But a federal judge ruled last week that Catholic priests can't be mandated to disclose this information if they learn of it in a confession. The ruling came in response to litigation brought by three Catholic bishops over this aspect of the law. The U.S. Justice Department has also waded into the case on the side of the bishops. On Friday, a federal judge in Spokane issued a similar ruling in a separate challenge to the law brought by several churches. For now, the requirement for priests to report suspected abuse or neglect they learn of during confessions is temporarily blocked pending further court proceedings. The rest of the law will take effect. Read more: Judge blocks WA requirement for priests to report child abuse disclosed in confession When Ferguson entered office in January, he vowed to only sign a state budget that included $100 million in grants to hire police officers, as Washington ranks last in the country in cops per capita. House Bill 2015 delivers on that promise, creating the grant program. But a compromise with progressive Democrats will allow the funding to go to more than just bringing aboard more officers. Peer counselors, behavioral health co-responders, training and other broader public safety efforts are among the other eligible options. To access the grants, cities and counties need to either implement a new 0.1% sales tax for public safety or have already imposed a similar tax. They also need to follow state model policies as well as collect and report use-of-force data. The state's Criminal Justice Training Commission must award the money by June 30, 2028. See also: Why police accountability efforts failed again in the Washington Legislature Advocates believe one of the biggest obstacles to building much-needed housing in Washington is local parking requirements that drive up costs and take up valuable space. A new state law is considered one of the strongest state-level efforts in the nation to relax parking requirements. Now, cities and counties won't be able to mandate more than one spot for every two units. They also can't require builders to include more than one space per single-family home. Jurisdictions also can't force commercial developers to build more than two parking spots per 1,000 square feet. No parking minimums are allowed for existing buildings converted from nonresidential to residential use, homes under 1,200 square feet, commercial spaces under 3,000 square feet, affordable housing, child care facilities or senior housing. The rules don't affect cities with under 30,000 residents. Condominiums can serve as a path into homeownership for first-time buyers. But builders have long shied away from building out of fear of litigation due to the state's liability laws, seen as overly protective of consumers. A new bipartisan law looks to reduce liability risks for developers. Washington is looking to accelerate the construction of housing near transit, so-called 'transit-oriented development.' A new law allows for more dense housing, which Washington desperately needs, while also potentially reducing pollution as more people use buses and rail to commute instead of driving. The law requires Washington cities to allow housing development near transit. It also requires 10% of units to be considered affordable and 20% set aside for workforce housing for the next 50 years. The legislation defines affordable as not costing more than 30% of the income for renters who make up 60% of the county's median income or homeowners who make 80% of the median. Developers who meet those requirements would get a 20-year multifamily property tax exemption. And they'd get half-off discounts on local impact fees meant to help pay for transportation projects to accommodate the population growth. While the legislation takes effect Sunday, implementation of the new requirements could come as late as the end of 2029 for cities that updated their comprehensive plans last year. Cities that next revise their plans later than 2024 must follow the new rules within six months of updating. Washington's public school students will be offered special education services until the end of the school year in which they turn 22 or graduate high school, whichever comes first. The current age limit is 21. Lawmakers made the change in response to a court ruling from last year that found Washington violated a federal law dealing with how long states must provide 'free appropriate public education.' The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction estimates 300-1,200 students could benefit from the raised age limit. A fiscal analysis found serving them for an extra year will cost between $6.8 million and $27 million per school year. As the federal government steps back from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Washington wants to double down. The state is accelerating its limits on emissions from transportation. By 2038, the state needs to reduce transportation emissions 45% or 55% below 2017 levels. Each year, Washington's Clean Fuel Standard will now aim for emission drops between 3% and 5%, up from 1% to 1.5%. The legislation narrowly passed the Legislature amid concerns the change could raise gas prices. Washingtonians don't need to worry about medical debt appearing on their credit reports anymore. That debt can stop people from getting approved for car or home loans or result in them being denied health care services due to the outstanding bills. Then-President Joe Biden imposed a similar rule at the federal level, but the Trump administration paused that effort so it never took effect. This week, a federal judge in Texas struck down the federal proposal. One new law looks to increase diaper changing stations. The statute now mandates baby diaper changing stations in women's, men's, or gender-neutral bathrooms in new public buildings or existing ones that undergo remodels costing $15,000 or more. Washington faces 42% more litter along state roads than the national average, according to a state Department of Ecology report from 2023. So the state is toughening its littering penalties. A new law raises the punishment from a class three to a class two civil infraction and fines from $50 to $125. The littering fine applies to amounts up to one cubic foot, or roughly the size of a backpack. The fine is in addition to a separate $93 traffic infraction for throwing garbage onto state highways. Lawmakers passed a number of measures this session aimed at protecting immigrants from deportation. One stipulates that it is unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents to enforce a civil immigration warrant. The law also prevents agents from sharing immigration information with anyone outside their business. Those who violate the law could face disciplinary action from the state Department of Licensing. Washington will be the first state in the nation to require companies to notify the state attorney general of a business merger. Businesses already have to file a premerger notification with the federal government. Attorney General Nick Brown hopes this change will give the state more time to analyze potential anticompetitive consequences from mergers. The law covers companies based in Washington or that do a certain amount of business here. 'Washington is a trailblazer for the rest of the nation in adopting a premerger notification law,' Brown said in a statement. 'This will allow state antitrust enforcers to protect consumer interests in an even more effective way.' More than 100,000 Muslims across Washington celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Those celebrations are now on the list of the state's unpaid holidays. When he signed the bill, Ferguson, the first-term Democratic governor, said Washington is the first state in the country to designate Eid as a state-recognized holiday. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha the completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's request. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
WA looks to tighten compliance under police accountability law
(Getty Images) Washington state auditors have started investigating whether local police departments are properly reporting officer misconduct. As part of police accountability measures passed in 2021, the Legislature required law enforcement agencies to report to the state Criminal Justice Training Commission when officers leave the department for any reason, use force that results in death or serious injury, are charged with a crime or are found to commit certain misconduct. The law also required departments to continue investigations even if an officer resigns before the probe is finished. This is meant to ensure 'bad-apple' officers who should lose their state certification don't slip through the cracks. Losing those credentials blocks officers from working as police in the state, even if they quit their job to evade formal discipline. The Criminal Justice Training Commission suspected agencies weren't reporting misconduct as they should have. So it requested the state auditor's office look into compliance. Officials see the resulting audits as a teaching moment on the new reporting requirements. The objective is to increase public trust and improve transparency. 'This isn't like a gotcha, it's not a punishment,' said Kimberly Bliss, the commission's assistant director focused on certification. 'This is an educational piece for us to make sure that agencies across the board learn what they're supposed to be doing.' Last month, Bliss and Michael Huynh, from the state auditor's office, led a presentation on the audits at the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs conference in Spokane. Afterward, police officials told Bliss they realized they hadn't reported correctly. The first two new audits, of the Renton and Des Moines police departments, both showed missteps. After reviewing department records, auditors found Des Moines didn't report three of four sustained misconduct allegations. That conduct included violations of the state's controversial pursuit law that lawmakers later rolled back, wrongful use of a Taser and improper handling of drug evidence. Des Moines Police Chief Ted Boe blamed the lack of reporting on the law being unclear. For example, while some parts of the statute are more specific, one provision says officers can be decertified for failing 'to meet the ethical and professional standards required of a peace officer or corrections officer.' In response, the Criminal Justice Training Commission agreed to develop guidance on what conduct falls under that umbrella. Des Moines also notified the state training commission of all officers who had left, but four of those notices came well after the 15-day window in the law. Meanwhile, in Renton, auditors found the department didn't report that two officers were involved in a use of force incident in 2022 until learning of the audit. The chief said this was an oversight. Renton also was a little late on reporting two officer separations. For both departments, the auditor's office recommended outlining the reporting process in agency policy. 'One thing we found was that one person would be responsible for notifications, and if they didn't do it, no one knew,' said Huynh, a program manager with the auditor's office. Police accountability advocates see failing to comply with the law as a symptom of a systemic problem. 'This is not an oversight. It's a pattern. A culture. One where data is withheld, timelines are ignored, and truth is treated like a suggestion,' Nickeia Hunter, whose brother was killed by police, said in an email. 'Until truth is demanded and enforced, we will remain stuck in a cycle where transparency is performative and justice is optional.' Next up for these new state audits are the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and the police wing of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Auditors will continue looking into a pair of agencies at a time indefinitely.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A newly passed Washington state law to hire more local law enforcement across the state could help Lewis County
Apr. 28—The Washington state House of Representatives approved final changes Tuesday, April 22, for a bill that creates local funding for new law enforcement officers across the state. After making it out of the Legislature before the end of the session Sunday, the bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Bob Ferguson to become law. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2015 enables city and county governments that meet certain requirements to institute a 0.1% sales tax in their jurisdictions to fund public safety. The bill also creates a grant program under the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) to fund hiring, training and retaining new law enforcement officers as well as peer counselors and behavioral-health professionals working with law enforcement. While the grant program is dedicated to hiring officers and co-responders, money generated by the new sales tax could be used for any aspect of public safety, from law enforcement to prosecution to jails. The bill is seen by many as a huge step forward for the state in addressing shortages of law enforcement officers in local jurisdictions. The state ranks last among states for the number of police officers per capita. The legislation could help smaller departments like those in Centralia and Chehalis as well as the Lewis County Sheriff's Office hire more officers and fund the local jail or other programs. But it's still unclear how the grant program will be implemented and if local departments will be able to get a piece of the pie. The fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that if the sales tax increase is adopted by eligible cities and counties across the state, it could bring in nearly $300 million in funding through 2028. The bill's prime sponsor, Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Covington, during a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee introduced the legislation and pitched it as a compromise between support for more law enforcement and a need for funding other parts of public safety. During the hearing, some lawmakers asked questions on how the bill will make sure grant funds are distributed fairly between cities and counties across the state and how the state will ensure that funding for these programs is sustained and not just a one-time payment. Entenman included only that she hopes the requirements for departments to qualify for the money will make sure that funding is distributed fairly and that the intention of the bill is to provide long lasting support. "This is not a bill that we want to consider to be a 'gotcha' or a bill to stop something from happening," Entenman said. "I am hopeful that this will not just be a one time. I am hopeful that we will work together to support the work if we feel in our communities that it is doing what we need." In the same committee session, state Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the chance to support the hiring of additional law enforcement, urging James McMahan, policy director from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, to "go with the flow." "Everybody's asking for adjustments on this ... It's a complex bill." Holy said. "Please don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good here. This is something, the first time in 12 years we've actually had a governor that's been paying attention to priorities of government and public safety specifically." The legislation has received support across many industries, but with many requests for small technical changes that could affect how the new law is implemented. Supporters included multiple law enforcement groups as well as the Washington Retail Association, the Washington Food Industry Association, the Washington State Association of Counties and the Association of Washington Cities. Also testifying in support were mayors, county executives and a host of other local elected officials from all over the state. Ferguson's office also supported the bill as it meets his goal of securing $100 million for hiring local law enforcement in the state during this year's legislative session. Despite industry support, the bill strikes at difficult issues such as balancing more local taxes with widespread demands for additional law enforcement and where funding should go to improve public safety. It has split state Republicans who are in support of the idea but not in love with the technique, even drawing mild criticism from Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, at a recent Republican media availability. He commended the money for law enforcement but added it's "not exactly in the form we would like it." "We have some concerns with that bill," Braun said. "It allows for spending that money on things other than law enforcement, co-responders, and the other big concern with that bill is it allows for a councilmatic increase in sales tax." The legislation passed out of the state Legislature with mixed support as members of both parties voted on either side. Republicans won some notable concessions in the Senate, mainly a sunset clause on the ability of local governments to enact the public safety sales tax. That amendment seemingly quenched some concerns over the potential tax burden imposed by the bill. It also means the Legislature will need to pass additional legislation in the future if they wish to extend the local law enforcement sales tax revenue beyond 2028. Now that the bill has passed, many local police departments, especially city departments that stand to gain the most funding from the bill, are faced with how the new grant program will be implemented and how funding will be doled out. Both the Centralia and Chehalis police departments are approaching the new law with caution, unwilling to get their hopes up about the potential for new funding. That's because the new funding comes with strings attached, including certain training requirements for departments to be eligible. Chehalis Police Chief Randy Kaut raised concerns over the sustainability of the funding, saying it will be hard to know if hiring new officers is the right direction for the department as temporary funding will just mean those officers are laid off in a few years. "At least currently we're hurting for officers. You know we're really lacking officers. But I don't know if getting additional officers is going to be beneficial at this point," Kaut said. "Quite frankly, any time they do these bills, they add a whole bunch of restrictions to it. I have no idea if this will benefit us or not."
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington has too few police officers. This proposal could help cut the crime rate
Crime continues to be a growing problem in many communities throughout our state. In fact, according to more than one national crime website, Washington ranks in the top five in the overall crime rate among states. Washington ranks among the worst states in several categories, including murders, auto theft and retail theft. A key reason is that we also rank 51st nationally — dead last — for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita. It should come as no surprise that the number of law-enforcement officers in Washington has not kept pace with its growing population. This chronic shortage of officers in our state has created major consequences for public safety, such as reduced capacity for crime prevention, delayed justice for victims and reduced effectiveness in trying to de-escalate crime incidents. As a retired police officer, I know we need more officers in our communities and on our roads. That is why I have reintroduced a bill this year to increase public safety by increasing the number of law-enforcement officers in Washington communities. The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by 12 other senators, including Sen. Manka Dhingra, who as chair of the Law and Justice Committee is my Democratic counterpart on that panel. Senate Bill 5060 would have the state Criminal Justice Training Commission develop and implement a grant program to help local and tribal governments hire law-enforcement officers. A $100 million appropriation from the state general fund would support the grant program. SB 5060 also would require the CJTC to establish policies for grant applications from local agencies, including review criteria and reporting requirements from local governments, and annually report on the grant program's utilization, application and hiring data. The bill was passed earlier this session by the Senate Law and Justice Committee following a public hearing. It now awaits a vote from the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it received a public hearing on Feb. 3. Those public hearings attracted strong testimony from proponents ranging from Spokane Valley City Councilmember Rod Higgins to officials with the governor's office, the city of Tacoma, the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. With this bill, the supporters said, we can move closer to a shared goal of a safer Washington. One pointed out the bill will help defray the costs of hiring new officers, which in turn responds to what another backer noted: how law-enforcement agencies need more staffing if they are to respond to public calls for service in minutes rather than hours. Another bill supporter told legislators that Washington's per-capita rate of law-enforcement officers has not only been the nation's lowest for 14 years, it also hasn't been this low in our state since 1980. Just to match the nation's second-lowest officer per capita rate, Washington would need to hire an additional 1,370 officers. I've introduced this bill in past sessions only to see it fall short, but I am more optimistic this time around. During his inaugural address to legislators in January, Gov. Bob Ferguson said he would not sign a new operating budget if it did not provide the $100 million in funding for this program. It is encouraging that he has publicly supported this bill, especially since his predecessor, Jay Inslee, would not. The new governor not only understands the need to increase the number of law-enforcement officers in our state, but he also believes the best route is through this proposed grant program. Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, serves the 6th Legislative District. He is ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
