Committee Reports Out Multiple Judiciary Bills; Roll-call Tallies Released

Following the public hearing on House Bill 27-35, the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee moved into executive session and took formal actions on a range of bills. Committee members recorded roll-call tallies and reported the following measures out of committee with the noted recommendations and staff tallies:

Votes at a glance

- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5865 (garnishment answer forms): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused.
- Substitute Senate Bill 5169 (child-hearsay statute; amendments adopted including BAKI 483 and striking amendment H-3,657.1): reported out with a due-pass-as-amended recommendation; staff tally 10 ayes, 3 nays, 0 excused.
- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5906 (data and personal safety; amendment H-3,669 and related striking amendment adopted): reported out with a due-pass-as-amended recommendation; staff tally 8 ayes, 5 nays, 0 excused.
- Substitute Senate Bill 5520 (claims by wrongly convicted persons): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 11 ayes, 2 nays, 0 excused.
- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5912 (reinstates indigent defense task force): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 10 ayes, 3 nays, 0 excused.
- Substitute Senate Bill 6009 (Administrative Procedure Act / land-use direct review): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused.
- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6086 (authorizes threat assessments for court security personnel): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 11 ayes, 2 nays, 0 excused.
- Senate Bill 5868 (additional superior court judges for Skagit and Yakima counties): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused.
- Senate Joint Memorial 8006 (request to reinstate limited-licensed legal technician program): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 9 ayes, 4 nays, 0 excused.
- Substitute Senate Bill 5886 (expands personality-rights protections to digital likeness and voice): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused.
- Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6087 (adds certain religious organizations to limited-immunity statute for donated children’s items; includes car seats and distribution requirements): reported out with a due-pass recommendation; staff tally 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused.

Several bills were discussed only briefly in committee; where members spoke on the floor they cited reasons for support or concern — for example, members urging caution about public-safety trade-offs on the 'Keep Washington Working'–related proposal (ESSB 5906) and urging continued work on indigent-defense funding even while supporting a task force (ESSB 5912). In other cases committee members said proposed changes preserved or clarified existing practice (e.g., SSB 6009 on appellate review, SSB 5865 on garnishment forms).

Procedural notes: For bills with adopted amendments, committee members clarified whether striking amendments incorporated amendment language; staff read roll calls aloud and recorded the final tallies. No floor action occurred on HB 27-35 during this session; the committee adjourned at the end of the executive session.

Key next steps: Reported bills move to the next stage specified by chamber rules (floor consideration or further committee action as applicable). The committee thanked staff and adjourned for the legislative year.