HB 2015 — Improving public safety funding by providing resources to local governments and state and local criminal justice agencies, and authorizing a local option tax.

ENGROSSEDH-1607.1 SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2015 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Entenman, Reeves, Berg, Morgan, Santos, Pollet, Donaghy, Doglio, Salahuddin, Chase, Obras, Parshley, Walen, Stearns, and Thai)Thai READRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 02/28/25.02/21/25.

Referred to Committee on Finance.

and adding a new section to chapter 43.101 RCW;RCW.

and creating a new section.

(a) The amount appropriated into the account in the biennial budget for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium divided by six;eight;

(3) For the purposes of this section, "qualified city or county" means a city or county that imposes the tax in section 3 of this act p.

1 ESHBHB 2015 (3)and For the purposes of this section, "qualified city or county" means a city or county that is approved for a grant in section 2 of this act.

(a) IssuedWritten and implementedpublished policies and practices consistent with RCW 43.17.425 and 10.93.160, and the office of the attorney general's keep Washington working act guide, model policies, and training recommendations for state and local law enforcement agencies;

(b) ParticipatedWritten and published policies in compliance with all commission trainingand asattorney requiredgeneral bymodel RCWpolicies 43.101.455for law enforcement including, but not limited to, use of force, duty to intervene, and 36.28A.445;canine;

(c) Issued and implemented procedures and policies regarding use of force and de-escalation tactics consistent with RCW 10.120.030 and the office of the attorney general's model policies, and all other p.

2 ESHB 2015 commission and attorney general model policies for law enforcement including, but not limited to, duty to intervene and canine;

(d) Implemented use of force data collection and reporting consistent with chapters 10.118 and 10.120 RCW;

(e) Issued and implemented policies and practices consistent with chapters 7.105, 9.41, and 10.99 RCW and the commission model policies and training addressing firearm relinquishment pursuant to court orders and domestic violence 911 response;

(f) A 25 percent officer compliance rate with the commission's 40-hour crisis intervention team training;

(g) A 100 percent officer compliance rate for those officers required to complete trauma-informed, gender-based violence interviewing, investigation, response, and case review training developed or approved by the commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.272, 43.101.278, and 43.101.428, and if requested by the commission, participated in agency case reviews;

(h) Adopted a flexible work policy pursuant to chapter 49.28 RCW;

(i) Disclosed the number of vacancies at the applying agency as of the time of application;

and (j) Primary funding from a jurisdiction that has authorized the imposition of the sales and use tax pursuant to RCW 82.14.340 or 82.14.450, or authorized in section 3 of this act before the awarding of the grant.

(3) Grant funding awarded to local and tribal law enforcement agencies may only be used for the purposes of:

(a) Recruiting and funding new law enforcement officers from the community in which the officer will be working;

(b) Funding use of force, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed trainings for newly hired officers to remain in compliance with the commission's required trainings;

and (c) Funding broader law enforcement and public safety efforts including, but not limited to, emergency management planning, environmental hazard mitigations, security personnel, community outreach and assistance programs, and mental health crisis response.

(4) If the commission receives and sustains a report that the law enforcement agency is no longer abiding by or implementing the policies required to receive the grant established in this section, the law enforcement agency must repay any moneys received pursuant to this section.

32 ESHBHB 2015 NEW(c) SECTION.Written and published policies and practices related to laws addressing firearm relinquishment pursuant to court orders and domestic violence 911 response requirements;

(d) 80 percent officer compliance rate with the commission's 40- hour crisis intervention team training;

(e) 100 percent officer compliance rate with trauma-informed training approved by the commission;

(f) Disclosed the number of vacancies at the applying agency as of the time of application;

and (g) Imposed the tax authorized in section 3 of this act within the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium.

(3) Grant funding awarded to local and tribal law enforcement agencies may only be used for the purposes of:

(a) Recruiting new law enforcement officers from the community in which the officer will be working;

(b) Providing retention bonuses to newly recruited local law enforcement officers;

(c) Funding use of force, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed trainings for newly hired officers to remain in compliance with the commission's required trainings;

and (d) Funding broader law enforcement and public safety efforts including, but not limited to, emergency management planning, environmental hazard mitigations, security personnel, community outreach and assistance programs, and mental health crisis response.

NEW SECTION.

(1) By DecemberJune 31,30, 2027, the legislative authority of aany qualified city or county may fix and impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter.

A qualified city or county is a city or county where the voters have not repealed by referendum a tax imposed pursuant to RCW 82.14.340 or rejected a ballot proposition to impose a tax pursuant to RCW 82.14.450 in the previous two calendar years.

The tax may only be imposed and collected if the city or county receives a grant pursuant to section 2 of this act.

(4)p. For purposes of this section, "criminal justice purposes" means activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs, and which includes:

(a)3 DomesticHB 2015 (4) For purposes of this section, "criminal justice purposes" means activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs, and which includes domestic violence services,services such as those provided by domestic violence programs, community advocates, and legal advocates, as those terms are defined in RCW 70.123.020;70.123.020.

(b) Staffing adequate public defenders to provide appropriate defense for individuals;