We advocate for positive changes that improve Washington State’s response to domestic violence and increase survivors’ options for safety and independence. We do this through tracking bills, lobbying in Olympia, and informing and mobilizing our membership to take action on important policy and budget issues.
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The 2025 Legislative Session began on January 13, 2025. Check out the WSCADV Report on the 2024 State Legislative Session to learn more about some of the proposals passed last session that will have an impact on survivors in our state.
2025 Legislative Session
We are requesting $50 million to be included in the upcoming biennium (two-year) budget, which represents a critical investment in the stability of victim services. This request is central to our legislative agenda and is our top priority during this session. Along with this request, we are considering the introduction of a new bill designed to stabilize victim services, modeled after similar successful legislation in Maryland. The bill would establish a structured and reliable funding mechanism, ensuring that victim services receive consistent, year-to-year support. The proposal would initiate funding at $50 million per biennium, with a planned gradual increase to $70 million over time to keep pace with growing demands. By prioritizing this funding, we aim to secure long-term sustainability for victim services, enabling them to respond effectively to the needs of survivors and ensure their continued care and support.
Below are some of the bills WSCADV wants to highlight for our Member Programs and survivors. Please note that we track over 100 bills during session, and this is not an exhaustive list of the bills WSCADV supports. If you have questions about our priority agenda, please email sherrie@wscadv.org.
Legislation WSCADV Supports
HB 1028: Child Exposure to Violence/Child Advocacy Centers
This bill amends some existing language in RCW 26.44 and adds a new section that further defines the approach of Child Advocacy Centers. It updates language written over 20 years ago. The definition of a child forensic interview is updated, as is the definition of what a Child Advocacy Center is and does. It also adds a new section requiring peer reviews of child forensic interviews for quality assurance purposes; confidentiality of such interviews remains intact.
HB 1049: Increasing Access to SANE services (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)
This bill establishes a stipend program to defray out-of-pocket expenses incurred by registered nurses completing the training necessary to become adult/adolescent or pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, with the goal of increasing the availability for these services.
HB 1072: Preserving Access to Protected Healthcare
This bill protects the accessibility of reproductive healthcare, end-of-life care, and gender affirming care in communities across the state. It updates the statewide healthcare strategy and empowers the Department of Health and Attorney General to review transactions for anticompetitive conduct and consumer harm.
HB 1169: Concerning Digitally Altered Images of Minors
This bill updates definitions and adds a new section to the RCW concerning sexually explicit depictions of minors to include imagery created or altered by AI, and sets forth penalties for creating, possessing, and/or distributing such content.
SB 5202: Updates to Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO)
This bill updates last biennium’s legislation regarding DVPOs, removing references to 2023 enactment. It expands victim notification and addresses minors named in an active DVPO who turn 18 and their access to petition for that DVPO to continue. The bill also discourages mutual full protection orders of any type.
Previous Legislative Sessions
To view summaries of previous sessions of the Washington State Legislature, please see the “Public Policy” section of our Resource Library.
Wondering how laws are made in Washington State? Watch our short video, Ms. RCW.