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Committee advances three bills, defers one; roll‑call tallies and adopted amendments
Summary
During executive session March 26 the House Community Safety Committee reported out three bills with amendments and deferred one bill. The committee adopted amendments and reported bills to the next step with recorded roll‑call votes for two measures and unanimous action on another.
The House Community Safety Committee met in executive session March 26 and took action on multiple bills after public hearings. The committee reported three bills with recommendations to pass and deferred one bill for later consideration.
Votes at a glance:
- Substitute Senate Bill 51‑39 (Washington Statewide Reentry Council): Reported out as amended with a due‑pass recommendation. Adopted amendments RUSM 2‑50 and RUSM 2‑49; RUSM 2‑48 was not adopted. Roll call (as recorded by committee clerks): Goodman — aye; Simmons — aye; Graham — nay (do not pass); Griffey — excused; Burnett — nay (without recommendation); Davis — aye; Faribhar — aye; (additional members recorded as present voted consistent with the committee chair’s tally). Final tally reported by the clerk: 6 ayes, 2 nays, 1 excused. Outcome: reported out with due pass recommendation as amended.
- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 52‑19 (partial confinement / graduated reentry): Reported out with a due‑pass recommendation; amendment LANG 145 (prohibiting participation in partial confinement for persons who previously participated or were terminated from such a program) was not adopted. Roll call as reported by the clerk: 6 ayes, 2 nays, 1 excused. Outcome: reported out with due pass recommendation.
- Substitute Senate Bill 53‑23 (theft from firefighter/EMS property or vehicle): Committee adopted Amendment LANG 146 (refining conduct to include property or equipment taken from a fire department vehicle and requiring that loss significantly hinder or delay emergency response or exceed $1,000 in value) and then reported the bill out with a due‑pass recommendation. The clerk recorded that all members present voted in the affirmative; Representative Griffey was excused. Outcome: reported out with due pass recommendation (final tally: all present voted aye; 1 excused).
- Senate Bill 52‑23 (related to fingerprinting): Committee deferred action on this bill during the executive session.
What the amendments did: For SB 51‑39 the adopted amendments expanded the council’s membership requirements to include incarcerated members and survivors with specified diversity requirements (RUSM 2‑50) and permitted virtual participation for incarcerated members (RUSM 2‑49); an amendment that would have removed compensation eligibility for currently incarcerated members was not adopted (RUSM 2‑48). For SB 53‑23, LANG 146 narrowed the theft‑1 expansion by adding a $1,000 valuation threshold or a requirement that the loss significantly hindered emergency response, and added vehicles to the covered locations.
How members voted and why: Committee debate reflected differing priorities. Supporters cited reentry council capacity, recidivism reduction evidence for partial confinement and graduated reentry, and the need to protect first‑responder capacity. Dissenting members expressed concern about added compensation costs, the state’s fiscal constraints, and ensuring victim interests and operational details are protected before broadening eligibility for reentry programs.
Next steps: Reported bills will move through the House process according to chamber rules; SB 52‑23 will be held for future consideration.
