Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Domestic Violence Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bill would add $100 marriage‑license fee to fund domestic violence co‑responder grants; advocates and providers outline benefits and concerns
Summary
Staff briefed HB 1498, which would add a $100 marriage‑license surcharge to fund a domestic violence co‑responder grant program; proponents described growing demand and positive outcomes from existing responder programs, while coalition testimony urged caution given statewide funding declines for domestic violence services.
Staff briefed House Bill 1498, which would add a $100 fee to marriage licenses to create an appropriated Domestic Violence Co‑Responder Account. The account would fund a competitive grant program administered by the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy at the Department of Commerce to establish domestic violence co‑responder programs that send victim advocates alongside law enforcement to domestic violence incidents.
Jessica Van Horn, committee staff, described the existing fee framework for marriage licenses and recorded documents and noted county variations in current license costs (ranging roughly $36 to $72 depending on county). HB 1498 would increase the license fee by $100, raising total costs to approximately $136 to $172 per license depending on county fee additions. Based on a three‑year average of about 41,000 marriages per year, Commerce estimated the new fee could generate about $4.1 million annually. Commerce’s informal assumptions (from draft notes cited in the briefing) allocated roughly $350,000 per year for Commerce staffing to run the grant program, about $3.8 million for grants to cities and counties, and smaller amounts for technical assistance and insurance‑billing support.
The bill defines domestic violence co‑responder programs as teams of domestic‑violence victim advocates summoned by law enforcement to provide whole‑family support, resource connection and care navigation; grants would require local matching (the bill does not set a match amount) and would permit Commerce to assist grantees in billing health insurance. Van Horn said a formal fiscal note had been requested but not yet received and local governments characterized the fiscal impact as indeterminate because revenue depends on the number of marriage licenses paid.
Public testimony was mixed: Project B Free representatives and partnering law enforcement officials described significant growth in demand and said co‑responder teams improve victim outcomes. Katya Wojcik, Project B Free executive director, said her multiracial, multilingual teams responded to 629 domestic violence calls in 2023 and more than 1,800 in 2024, and that culturally competent co‑responder services led to improved care. Sergeant Landon Meyer of the Kent Police Department described the local partnership with Project B Free as increasing officers’ job satisfaction and improving victim‑centered outcomes. Alice Butler, a Project B Free licensed co‑responder, recounted a case where co‑responder intervention provided immediate safety and helped a survivor secure housing and a protection order.
The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) urged caution, noting declines in federal funding have put existing programs at risk and asking the state to backfill $50 million per biennium before expanding new programs. WSCADV and other providers said they would like to see impact data from other states and assurances that existing services will be sustained alongside any expansion.
The committee did not record a vote during the public hearing and closed the public testimony period after hearing proponents and those urging additional funding and data.
