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Committee adopts tracking amendment and forwards bill to transition Community Protection Program participants
Summary
Engrossed substitute House Bill 1390, which eliminates the Community Protection Program effective Jan. 1, 2026 and requires a transition plan, received a due‑pass recommendation to Ways and Means after the committee adopted an amendment to require DSHS to track transitioned participants.
The Senate Human Services Committee on March 30 adopted an amendment and voted to forward substitute House Bill 1390 to the Ways and Means Committee. Committee staff said the bill eliminates the Community Protection Program effective Jan. 1, 2026 and requires the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDA) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to develop plans to transition participants to other services or programs.
Will Tronson, associate staff counsel, briefed the bill and the committee discussed two amendments offered by Senator Christian. Amendment E1 requires DSHS to develop and maintain an internal system to identify individuals who participated in the Community Protection Program and who were transitioned into other services or programs so that DSHS employees and contractors are aware of prior participation; the committee adopted E1. Senator Christian also offered amendment E2, which would have imposed a condition requiring some transitioning persons to remain at least 500 feet from childcare facilities and K‑12 schools when certain convictions were present; Senator Christian later withdrew E2.
Committee staff said the fiscal note for the underlying bill indicated no fiscal impact to DSHS because services would be transitioned rather than eliminated; staff cautioned that adopting E1 may create costs associated with building the internal tracking system, which could alter the bill's fiscal committee referral.
A motion to roll adopted amendments into a striking amendment and send the bill to Ways and Means carried; the transcript records the bill as passed "subject to signatures." The committee record includes concerns from one member about the applicable standards and distinctions between the Community Protection Program and the Community Protection Act, which relates to higher‑intensity offenders. The bill directs state agencies to plan transitions and requires DSHS to maintain records to support future service decisions for former program participants.
Next steps: the bill proceeds to the Ways and Means Committee for fiscal review and potential appropriations.
