Governor signs a package of bills on gun safety, elections protections, public defender supports and opioid awareness

The governor presided over a bill‑signing ceremony in a ceremonial room, approving a large package of measures aimed at public safety, election‑worker protections, criminal‑justice reforms and public‑health outreach.

The event opened with the signing of House Bill 1541, the "Nothing About Us Without Us Act," which the governor described as requiring that state work groups, task forces and committees include "membership from underrepresented communities" so that "people with lived experiences will provide much needed value" to policymaking. The governor thanked sponsors and advocates for their work.

A cluster of gun‑related measures were signed. Senate Bill 5444 makes it a gross misdemeanor for a person to enter public libraries, accredited zoos and aquariums, transit stations and bus shelters while knowingly possessing a firearm or other weapon, with exemptions for valid concealed‑carry licensees and jail employees. House Bill 1903 requires firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms to local law enforcement within 24 hours. House Bill 2021 gives the Washington State Patrol authority to destroy forfeited firearms and requires destruction of most firearms recovered through gun‑buyback programs. The governor called these "common sense" public‑safety measures and thanked sponsors by name.

On election‑worker safety, the governor signed House Bill 1241, which treats cyber harassment of election officials the same as in‑person harassment and is intended to protect volunteers and officials involved in vote counting. The governor said the bill responds to "increased hostility toward these public service servants," attributing some of that hostility to misinformation; "We're not gonna tolerate harassment of our election officials in our state," the governor said.

The ceremony also included bills aimed at criminal‑justice system capacity and reentry. Senate Bill 5780 extends Washington's process for vacating older misdemeanor convictions while allowing people to finish paying fines and restitution during the statutory waiting period. House Bill 1911 and related measures expand authorities and training pathways intended to ease public‑defender shortages in rural counties by allowing Office of Public Defense staff to manage internships and do limited pro bono work.

Public‑health and first‑responder supports were represented as well. House Bill 2311 creates model training and resources to expand peer support services for first responders; House Bill 1635 authorizes the Criminal Justice Training Commission to set best practices and certifications for fentanyl‑detection dogs. The governor signed HB 2396, known as "Ivan's Law," to increase community awareness about fentanyl and provide information on substance‑use disorder services; tribal leaders from the Yakama Nation and others were thanked for their work on the measure.

Other signed measures included a bill creating the crime of school‑bus trespass as a gross misdemeanor (the Richard Lenhart Act), legislation clarifying which agency performs firearms background checks, and a bill increasing fingerprinting capacity for child‑welfare and early‑learning background checks.

The governor repeatedly paused for cameras and recognized sponsors and community members during the ceremony. Attendees posed for photographs after many of the signings; the event concluded with group photos and short conversations with sponsors and advocates.

What happens next: the bills were signed into law at the ceremony; implementation details (including specific funding or administrative rules) will be set by the responsible agencies or in future budgets where funding was noted as not provided during the signing.

Direct quotes used in this report are drawn from the ceremony transcript and attributed to speakers listed in the meeting record.