Bill would require publication of child near‑fatality reviews, advocates say it will improve accountability

Senate Bill 59‑77 would require the Department of Children, Youth and Families to publish reports from child near‑fatality reviews on the department website and distribute them to the legislature within 180 days of the conclusion of the review, with confidential information redacted.

Committee counsel Luke Wickham said DCYF already conducts child fatality reviews and discretionary near‑fatality reviews; SB 59‑77 does not change review triggers but requires publication of completed near‑fatality reports. Sponsor Nikki Torres described the bill as driven by transparency and learning from incidents, citing a February 2025 Yakima case in which a 7‑month‑old died and a 2‑year‑old was found severely malnourished.

Supporters told the committee that publishing near‑fatality reviews would help identify systemic failures. Kim Justice (Partners for Our Children) said public access “gives us a fuller picture” of critical incidents. Sarah Agee, the aunt of a youth in DCYF care, called transparency a moral imperative. Witnesses including Christina Johnson and Angela Kramer urged amendments: Johnson asked that reports be released consistently within 180 days and suggested retroactive reporting; Kramer urged broadening the near‑fatality definition to capture fentanyl overdoses that never reached hospital certification.

Committee members pressed staff about whether existing fatality reports contain regional and service‑level details; staff said some identifying information is removed for confidentiality but that existing reports online can give a sense of content.

No vote was taken in the hearing. Advocates urged further clarification of the near‑fatality definition to ensure overdoses reversed outside a hospital are captured.