The 2021 legislative session has seen dozens of police reform bills come forward. With another cutoff date behind us, let’s take stock of where bills stand.
Which bills are still “alive” and moving?
Dozens of police bills made it past the first and second cutoffs; some even made it to the opposite chamber. The following bills are still active and moving through the legislative process:
- HB 1001 creates a grant program through the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) to
improve outreach and recruitment efforts for law enforcement. The bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting floor action.
- HB 1054 restricts the tools and tactics police can use in the line of duty. The bill is currently
in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting action on the Senate floor. AWC has worked on several amendments to address concerns with this bill. For further information, check out this article.
- HB 1089 establishes compliance audits of law enforcement agencies through the State Auditor's
Office (SAO). The SAO will conduct a compliance audit of a law enforcement agency at the conclusion of all deadly force investigations. The bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting floor action.
- HB 1223 creates new requirements for law enforcement officers to electronically record all
custodial interrogations, with few exceptions. The bill is currently in the Senate Transportation Committee awaiting a public hearing.
- HB 1267 establishes the Office of Independent Investigations which would investigate serious
use of force incidents and criminal acts by a law enforcement officer that merit filing criminal charges. The bill is currently in the Senate Ways & Means Committee awaiting a public hearing.
- HB 1310 creates new use of force standards for law enforcement officers. The bill has picked
up several amendments which provide officers more latitude to use force. The bill is currently in the Senate Ways & Means Committee awaiting a public hearing.
- SB 5051 expands background investigations for applicants of law enforcement and corrections
officer positions. It also broadens the grounds for officer decertification. The bill is currently in the House Appropriations Committee awaiting further consideration.
- SB 5066 requires law enforcement to intervene and report any use of excessive force by another
officer. The bill is currently in the House Appropriations Committee awaiting a public hearing.
- SB 5259 creates a program to gather and report data collected from law enforcement agencies.
The bill received funding in the proposed Senate operating budget. The bill is currently in the House Appropriations Committee awaiting consideration.
- SB 5263 adjusts the language of the felony bar defense to allow individuals injured or killed
to recover damages unless the person “has been convicted of a class A or class B felony." The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee awaiting floor action.
- SB 5353 establishes a new program through the Department of Commerce that would fund 15 community
engagement projects across the state. The bill is currently in the House policy committee awaiting committee action.
Which bills appear to be “dead”?
No bill is truly “dead,” even if it fails to pass the various cutoffs over the course of a legislative session. Bills introduced this session may be reintroduced in next year’s session. The following bills appear “dead” for
the time being:
- HB 1000 would have established behavioral health supports and suicide prevention efforts for
law enforcement officers. The bill did not make it out of the House Appropriations Committee.
- HB 1202 would have increased employers’ liability for injuries caused by the actions
of a law enforcement officer. The bill did not make it out of the House before cutoff.
- HB 1203 would have required cities to establish citizen oversight boards over police departments
with at least fifteen law enforcement officers. The bill made it to the House Rules Committee but did not make it out of the House before cutoff.
- HB 1262 would have added an eye-based truth verification test to the recruitment process of
law enforcement and corrections officers. The bill did not make it out of the House before cutoff.
- HB 1507 would have created a new unit within the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to
carry out independent prosecutions of law enforcement as well as expanded the power the attorney general to investigate crimes involving police use of deadly force. The bill received a public hearing on February 15 but progressed no further.
- SB 5089 would have created new criteria for an individual applying to serve as a law enforcement
officer including age, education, and work experience requirements. The bill made it to the Senate Rules Committee but did not make it out of the Senate before cutoff.
- SB 5094 would have required cities to adopt a model ordinance regarding vascular neck restraints
and would have established new training requirements. The bill had a public hearing on February 2 but did not progress further.
- SB 5261 would have required the Washington Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs to collect
certain data points from law enforcement agencies across the state. While the bill did not progress, SB 5259,
a data collection bill, is still active and awaiting action on the House and Senate floors.
AWC remains engaged in police reform discussions at the state level. While we support police reform, we also recognize some of the current bills need improvements. Thank you to those members that have contacted us to provide feedback on these issues and
helped inform our work.