Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 R · 1 D cosponsors

SB 5171 — Concerning livestock damage due to wolf predation.

Last action — By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 08, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    1 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

66 added · 64 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to SB 5171 changed the way compensation is calculated for livestock losses due to wolf interactions. Instead of looking at the annual average loss during the first confirmed wolf attack and the two years prior, the new version considers the average loss experienced before wolf populations were reestablished in Washington. This change is significant because it may result in higher compensation for claimants, reflecting long-term losses rather than focusing on a shorter timeframe. This could help those affected by wildlife interactions recover more adequately.

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S-1205.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5171 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Short, Chapman, Dozier, Schoesler, Wagoner, and Warnick) READ FIRST TIME 02/17/25.
S-0028.1 SENATE BILL 5171 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Senators Short, Chapman, Dozier, Schoesler, Wagoner, and Warnick Prefiled 01/08/25.
Read first time 01/13/25.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.
1 SSB 5171 (iii) The damage caused to the commercial crop or livestock satisfies the criteria for damage established by the commission under (c) of this subsection.
1 SB 5171 (iii) The damage caused to the commercial crop or livestock satisfies the criteria for damage established by the commission under (c) of this subsection.
The process for determining indirect damage claims must compare current year losses to the average annual losses during the year that the claimant experienced his or her first confirmed wolf depredation and the two years preceding that event.
The process for determining indirect damage claims must compare current year losses to the annual average loss a claimant was experiencing before the reestablishment of wolf populations in Washington.
An indirect damage claim may also include the value of a livestock loss from the discovery of a carcass if the cause of death is indeterminate but the loss or injury occurred in an area occupied by wolves.
(b) The commission shall adopt and maintain by rule criteria for mitigating actions designed to address wildlife interactions that may be eligible for materials and services under this section, including criteria for submitting an application under this section.
(b) The commission shall adopt and maintain by rule criteria for mitigating actions designed to address wildlife interactions that may p.
p.
2 SB 5171 be eligible for materials and services under this section, including criteria for submitting an application under this section.
2 SSB 5171 (4)(a) An owner who files a claim under this section may appeal the decision of the department pursuant to rules adopted by the commission if the claim:
(4)(a) An owner who files a claim under this section may appeal the decision of the department pursuant to rules adopted by the commission if the claim:
3 SSB 5171
3 SB 5171
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How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against the Revised Code of Washington as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the Revised Code of Washington: RCW 77.36.100.

  • RCW 77.36.100

    (iii) The damage caused to the commercial crop or livestock satisfies the criteria for damage established by the commission under (c) of this subsection. (c) The commission shall adopt and maintain by rule criteria that clarifies the damage to commercial crops and livestock qualifying for compensation under this subsection. An owner of a commercial crop or livestock must satisfy the criteria prior to receiving compensation under this subsection. The criteria for damage adopted under this subsection must include, but not be limited to, a required minimum economic loss to the owner of the commercial crop or livestock, which may not be set at a value of less than $500. The process for determining indirect damage claims must compare current year losses to the average annual losses during the year that the claimant experienced his or her first confirmed wolf depredation and the two years preceding that event. (4)(a) An owner who files a claim under this section may appeal the decision of the department pursuant to rules adopted by the commission if the claim: (i) Is denied; or (ii) Is disputed by the owner and the owner disagrees with the amount of compensation determined by the department. (b) An appeal of a decision of the department addressing deer or elk damage to commercial crops is limited to $30,000. (5)(a) Consistent with this section, the commission shall adopt rules setting limits and conditions for the department's expenditures on claims and assessments for commercial crops, livestock, other property, and mitigating actions. (b) Claims awarded or agreed upon that are unpaid due to being in excess of available funds in the current fiscal year are eligible for payment in the next state fiscal year. (c) If additional funds are not appropriated by the legislature in the subsequent fiscal year specifically for unpaid claims, then no further payment may be made on the claim. (d) Claims awarded or agreed upon during a fiscal year must be prioritized for payment based upon the highest percentage of loss, calculated by comparing agreed-upon or awarded commercial crop damages to the gross sales or harvested value of commercial crops for the previous tax year. (e) The payment of a claim under this section is conditional on the availability of specific funding for this purpose and is not a guarantee of reimbursement. (6) For purposes of this section, "indirect damage claims" means a damage claim for livestock losses, reduced weight gains, or reduced pregnancy rates due to harassment of livestock by wolves. --- END ---

    amended

Action History

  1. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  2. Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

  3. Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

  4. Referred to Ways & Means.

  5. And refer to Ways & Means.

  6. ANR - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.

  7. Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM.

  8. Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM.

  9. First reading, referred to Agriculture & Natural Resources.

  10. Prefiled for introduction.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 145 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (145)

145 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 5171?
SB 5171 is sponsored by Judy Warnick (Republican), Keith Wagoner (Republican), Mark Schoesler (Republican), Perry Dozier (Republican), Mike Chapman (Democrat), and Shelly Short (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 5171?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 08, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 5171?
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