Panel Debates HB 1178 to End Mandatory Stacking of Weapon Enhancements and Make Enhancements Eligible for Earned Release

On Jan. 20, 2025 the House Community Safety Committee heard public testimony on House Bill 1178, which would reform sentencing enhancements under Washington’s Sentencing Reform Act by eliminating particular enhancements, removing mandatory consecutive application in many cases (so-called “stacking”), and making enhancements eligible for partial confinement and earned early release in most circumstances.

Staff framed the bill as a package of changes recommended by the Criminal Sentencing Task Force and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission. As summarized by committee staff: the bill would (a) eliminate two specific enhancements (the protected‑zone controlled‑substances enhancement and the enhancement for involving a minor in a criminal‑street‑gang related felony), (b) remove mandatory consecutive service for firearms/deadly‑weapon enhancements and certain meth‑manufacture‑in‑presence‑of‑minor enhancements, and (c) make many enhancements eligible for…