Law enforcement funding

AN ACT Relating to incentivizing cities and counties to attract 1
and retain commissioned law enforcement officers; amending RCW 2
43.101.200; adding new sections to chapter 82.14 RCW; and creating a 3
new section. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The law enforcement profession is 6
challenging both physically and mentally, and coupled with the 7
coronavirus pandemic and other significant events that have occurred 8
in recent years that have rapidly changed and shifted community 9
expectations of police, attraction and retention of law enforcement 10
officers has become increasingly difficult. The United States 11
department of justice issued a report in October 2023, with 12
strategies aimed at helping law enforcement agencies increase the 13
number of law enforcement officers. The department of justice report 14
cited a 2023 report from the police executive research forum that 15
showed that police agencies are facing a historic crisis in hiring 16
and retaining law enforcement staff.17
(2) The legislature recognizes the need for attracting and 18
retaining additional law enforcement officers in Washington. To 19
address this need, the legislature intends to authorize counties and 20
cities to impose a sales and use tax as a credit against the state 21
H-0286.1
HOUSE BILL 1095
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Walen, Salahuddin, and Reeves
Prefiled 12/19/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Finance.
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sales and use tax to provide funding for attracting and retaining law 1
enforcement officers throughout the state. 2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 82.14 3
RCW to read as follows: 4
(1)(a) In accordance with the timeline established in section 3 5
of this act, a county or city legislative authority may impose a 6
sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The 7
rate of tax under this section is 0.10 percent of the selling price, 8
in the case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the case 9
of a use tax. 10
(b) For a city imposing the sales and use tax under this section, 11
if the county in which the city is located also imposes the tax, the 12
city sales and use tax must be credited against the county tax.13
(2) The tax authorized in this section is in addition to any 14
other taxes authorized by law and must be collected from those 15
persons who are taxable by the state under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 16
RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the county. The 17
tax authorized under this section is a credit against the state tax 18
under chapter 82.08 or 82.12 RCW. The department must perform the 19
collection of such taxes on behalf of the county or city at no cost 20
to the county or city and the state treasurer must remit the tax to 21
the jurisdiction as provided in RCW 82.14.060. 22
(3)(a) Subject to (b) of this subsection, at least 50 percent of 23
the money received under this section must be used solely for 24
attracting and retaining additional commissioned law enforcement 25
officers. 26
(b) The remaining percentage of the money received under this 27
section in the current calendar year may be used for criminal justice 28
purposes. 29
(4) For the purposes of this section, "criminal justice purposes" 30
means activities that substantially assist the criminal justice 31
system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to 32
the civil justice system occurs, and which includes domestic violence 33
services such as those provided by domestic violence programs, 34
community advocates, and legal advocates, as defined in RCW 35
70.123.020. After May 13, 2021, through December 31, 2025, criminal 36
justice purposes includes local government programs that have a 37
reasonable relationship to reducing the number of people interacting 38
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with the criminal justice system including, but not limited to, 1
reducing homelessness and improving behavioral health.2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 82.14 3
RCW to read as follows: 4
Counties and cities may impose the sales and use tax authorized 5
in section 2 of this act as follows: 6
(1) By January 1, 2026, all counties and cities with a population 7
of 50,000 or less may impose the sales and use tax.8
(2) By January 1, 2027, all counties and cities with a population 9
between 50,000 and 175,000 may impose the sales and use tax.10
(3) By January 1, 2028, all counties and cities may impose the 11
sales and use tax. 12
Sec. 4. RCW 43.101.200 and 2024 c 376 s 908 are each amended to 13
read as follows: 14
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, all law 15
enforcement personnel, except volunteers, and reserve officers 16
whether paid or unpaid, initially employed on or after January 1, 17
1978, shall engage in basic law enforcement training which complies 18
with standards adopted by the commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.080. 19
For personnel initially employed before January 1, 1990, such 20
training shall be successfully completed during the first ((fifteen)) 21
15 months of employment of such personnel unless otherwise extended 22
or waived by the commission and shall be requisite to the 23
continuation of such employment. Personnel initially employed on or 24
after January 1, 1990, shall commence basic training during the first 25
six months of employment unless the basic training requirement is 26
otherwise waived or extended by the commission. Successful completion 27
of basic training is requisite to the continuation of employment of 28
such personnel initially employed on or after January 1, 1990.29
(2)(a) All law enforcement personnel who are limited authority 30
Washington peace officers and whose employment commences on or after 31
July 1, 2023, shall commence basic training during the first 12 32
months of employment unless the basic training requirement is 33
otherwise waived or extended by the commission. Successful completion 34
of basic training is requisite to the continuation of employment of 35
such personnel initially employed on or after July 1, 2023.36
(b)(i) The commission shall review the training files of all law 37
enforcement personnel who are limited authority Washington peace 38
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officers, whose employment commenced prior to July 1, 2023, and who 1
have not successfully completed training that complies with standards 2
adopted by the commission, to determine what, if any, supplemental 3
training is required to appropriately carry out the officers' duties 4
and responsibilities. 5
(ii) Nothing in this section may be interpreted to require law 6
enforcement personnel who are limited authority Washington peace 7
officers, whose employment commenced prior to July 1, 2023, to 8
complete the basic law enforcement training academy as a condition of 9
continuing employment as a limited authority Washington peace 10
officer. 11
(iii) Law enforcement personnel who are limited authority 12
Washington peace officers are not required to complete the basic law 13
enforcement academy or an equivalent basic academy upon transferring 14
to a general authority Washington law enforcement agency or limited 15
authority Washington law enforcement agency, as defined in RCW 16
10.93.020, if they have: 17
(A) Been employed as a special agent with the Washington state 18
gambling commission, been a natural resource investigator with the 19
department of natural resources, been a liquor enforcement officer 20
with the liquor and cannabis board, been an investigator with the 21
office of the insurance commissioner, or been a park ranger with the 22
Washington state parks and recreation commission, before or after 23
July 1, 2023; and 24
(B) Received a certificate of successful completion from the 25
basic law enforcement academy or the basic law enforcement 26
equivalency academy and thereafter engaged in regular and 27
commissioned law enforcement employment with an agency listed in 28
(b)(iii)(A) of this subsection without a break or interruption in 29
excess of 24 months; and 30
(C) Remained current with the in-service training requirements as 31
adopted by the commission by rule. 32
(3) Except as provided in RCW 43.101.170, the commission shall 33
provide the aforementioned training and shall have the sole authority 34
to do so. The commission shall provide necessary facilities, 35
supplies, materials, and the board and room of noncommuting attendees 36
for seven days per week ((, except during the 2017-2019, 2019-2021, 37
and 2021-2023 fiscal biennia, and during fiscal year 2024, when the 38
employing, county, city, or state law enforcement agency shall 39
reimburse the commission for twenty-five percent of the cost of 40
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training its personnel )). Additionally, to the extent funds are 1
provided for this purpose, the commission shall reimburse to 2
participating law enforcement agencies with ((ten)) 10 or less full-3
time commissioned patrol officers the cost of temporary replacement 4
of each officer who is enrolled in basic law enforcement training: 5
PROVIDED, That such reimbursement shall include only the actual cost 6
of temporary replacement not to exceed the total amount of salary and 7
benefits received by the replaced officer during his or her training 8
period: 9
PROVIDED FURTHER, That limited authority Washington law 10
enforcement agencies as defined in RCW 10.93.020 shall reimburse the 11
commission for the full cost of training their personnel.12
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