Higher ed. traumatic stress

AN ACT Relating to policies and resources to address secondary 1
traumatic stress in the higher education workforce; adding new 2
sections to chapter 28B.50 RCW; and adding new sections to chapter 3
28B.35 RCW. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 6
RCW to read as follows: 7
(1) The college board shall develop or revise, and periodically 8
update, a model policy and procedure to prevent and address secondary 9
traumatic stress in the workforce. 10
(2) The model policy and procedure must include the following 11
elements: 12
(a) A commitment to support mental health in the workplace;13
(b) Promotion of a positive workplace climate with a focus on 14
diversity and inclusion; 15
(c) Establishment of a campus-wide workforce mental health 16
committee with the following functions: 17
(i) Share secondary traumatic stress, stress management, and 18
other mental health resources and supports available through the 19
college board, and the public employees' benefits board;20
H-0021.1
HOUSE BILL 1035
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Ortiz-Self, Reed, Timmons, Fosse, Simmons,
Peterson, Pollet, Nance, and Scott
Prefiled 12/11/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Postsecondary Education & Workforce.
p. 1 HB 1035
(ii) Share links to a secondary traumatic stress self-assessment 1
tool and any associated resources; and 2
(iii) Report to the board of trustees and the college board at 3
least once per year with a summary of committee activities;4
(d) Regular assessment of campus-wide implementation of the 5
policy and procedure that includes input from the workforce; and6
(e) Provision of appropriate resources and training to trustees, 7
administrators, and staff for continuous improvement.8
(3) The model policy and procedure developed under this section 9
must be posted publicly on the college board website by September 1, 10
2025. Updates to the model policy and procedure must be posted 11
publicly within a reasonable time of development. 12
(4) By the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, each district 13
shall adopt, or amend if necessary, policies and procedures that, at 14
a minimum, incorporate all the elements described in subsection (2) 15
of this section. Districts shall periodically review their policies 16
and procedures for consistency with updated versions of the model 17
policy and procedure. 18
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 19
RCW to read as follows: 20
The college board and each community and technical college shall 21
publish on their websites links to resources, self-assessments, and 22
best practices for faculty, staff, and trustees to prevent and 23
address secondary traumatic stress in the workforce. The college 24
board shall collaborate with the public employees' benefits board and 25
the council of presidents to implement this section.26
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28B.35 27
RCW to read as follows: 28
(1) The regional universities shall develop or revise, and 29
periodically update, a model policy and procedure to prevent and 30
address secondary traumatic stress in the workforce.31
(2) The model policy and procedure must include the following 32
elements: 33
(a) A commitment to support mental health in the workplace;34
(b) Promotion of a positive workplace climate with a focus on 35
diversity and inclusion; 36
(c) Establishment of a campus-wide workforce mental health 37
committee with the following functions: 38
p. 2 HB 1035
(i) Share secondary traumatic stress, stress management, and 1
other mental health resources and supports available through the 2
public employees' benefits board; 3
(ii) Share links to a secondary traumatic stress self-assessment 4
tool and any associated resources; and 5
(iii) Report to each board of trustees and regional universities 6
at least once per year with a summary of committee activities;7
(d) Regular assessment of campus-wide implementation of the 8
policy and procedure that includes input from the workforce; and9
(e) Provision of appropriate resources and training to trustees, 10
administrators, and staff for continuous improvement.11
(3) The model policy and procedure developed under this section 12
must be posted publicly on the regional universities websites by 13
September 1, 2025. Updates to the model policy and procedure must be 14
posted publicly within a reasonable time of development.15
(4) By the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, each regional 16
university shall adopt, or amend if necessary, policies and 17
procedures that, at a minimum, incorporate all the elements described 18
in subsection (2) of this section. Regional universities shall 19
periodically review their policies and procedures for consistency 20
with updated versions of the model policy and procedure.21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 28B.35 22
RCW to read as follows: 23
The regional universities shall publish on their websites links 24
to resources, self-assessments, and best practices for faculty, 25
staff, and trustees to prevent and address secondary traumatic stress 26
in the workforce. The regional universities shall collaborate with 27
the public employees' benefits board and the council of presidents to 28
implement this section. 29
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p. 3 HB 1035