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You are here: Home / What We Do / Issue Action Teams / First/American Indian Nations (FAIN) / FAIN Current News / On the Legislative Front . . . / 2019 Indian Country Legislation Passed in WA Legislature

2019 Indian Country Legislation Passed in WA Legislature

From the “Preliminary Summary of Legislation Passed by the Washington State Legislature”
published by the Office of Program Research,Washington House of Representatives
April 29,2019


2SHB 17:  Improving Law Enforcement Response to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Other Indigenous Persons

Sponsors:  Mosbrucker, Gregerson, Chandler

Establishes two liaison positions within the Washington State Patrol for the purpose of building relationships between government and native communities. Requires the Washington State Patrol to develop a best practices protocol for law enforcement response to missing persons reports for Indigenous women and other Indigenous people. Requires the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to provide the Washington State Patrol with government-to-government training.


ESSB 5079:  Enacting the Native American Voting Rights Act of Washington

Sponsors:  McCoy, Billig, Cleveland

Permits online voter registration using a tribal identification card. Permits those living on an Indian reservation or Indian lands to use a tribally designated building as their mailing or residential address when registering to vote. Allows tribes to request voter registration services and ballot drop boxes on Indian reservations. Creates a civil cause of action to enforce certain violations.


SB 5083:  Allowing Certain Records, Documents, Proceedings, and Published Laws of Federally Recognized Indian Tribes to be Admitted as Evidence in Courts of Washington State

Sponsors:  McCoy, Hasegawa, Saldaña

Allows governmental records and documents and printed published laws of federally recognized tribes to be self-authenticating when presented in Washington courts.


E2SHB 1873:  Concerning the Taxation of Vapor Products as Tobacco Products

Sponsors:  Pollet, Harris, Stonier

Establishes a wholesale tax on vapor products by taxing accessible containers of liquid solution that are larger than five milliliters at 9 cents per milliliter of solution. Establishes a wholesale tax on all other vapor products at a rate of 27 cents per milliliter of solution. Creates the Foundational Public Health Services Account and directs 50 percent of the vapor product tax revenues into the account. Directs 50 percent of the vapor product tax revenues into the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment account. Authorizes the Governor to enter into vapor products taxation compacts with federally recognized Indian tribes, and establishes requirements for such compacts.


SB 5415:  Indian Health – Washington Indian Health Improvement Act

Sponsors:  McCoy, Rivers, Rolfes

Establishes the Governor’s Indian Health Advisory Council to adopt the biennial Indian Health Improvement Advisory Plan. Establishes the Indian Health Improvement Reinvestment Account to collect receipts from new state savings achieved through recent federal reimbursement policy changes and to fund programs, projects, and activities that are identified in the Indian Health Improvement Advisory Plan.


EHB 1584: Restricting the Availability of State Funds to Regional Transportation Planning Organizations that do not Provide a Reasonable Opportunity for Voting Membership to Certain Federally Recognized Tribes

Sponsors:  Riccelli, Ormsby, Fey

Requires a Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) to provide a reasonable opportunity for voting membership to any federally recognized tribe that holds reservation or trust land within the RTPO boundaries every two years or upon a modification of the RTPO board, in order to be eligible to receive local planning funds that are appropriated to the Washington State Department of Transportation.


SSB 5425: Cleveland, Keiser, Becker

Concerning Maternal Mortality Reviews – Modifies the definition of “maternal death” for purposes of the Maternal Mortality Review Panel (Panel) and the composition of the Panel.

Allows the Panel to retain and obtain identifiable data for purposes of quality improvement. Allows the Panel to share data or findings with other public health agencies and tribes pursuant to a data sharing agreement. Repeals the provision that would have expired the Panel on June 30, 2020.


2SSB 5437:  Expanding Eligibility to the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program

Sponsors:  Wilson, C., Palumbo, Darneille

Allows the enrollment of a child in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) who has a family income above 110 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) but less than or equal to 200 percent of the FPL, with certain conditions and prioritization. These children are to be enrolled as space is available and are not part of the state-funded entitlement. Directs the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to consult with tribes and report recommendations related to closing the ECEAP opportunity gap for tribal children. Requires the DCYF to plan for the implementation of a Birth to Three ECEAP pilot project.

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